Galleries

The Priestly Garments

The garments of both the ordinary priest and High Priest are one of the most interesting topics of Temple study. Our day has seen the restitution of the biblical colors, ancient weaving techniques and understanding. Today these garments for the first time in almost two thousand years are now being made. In the case of the High Priest the garments …

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The Kohen Gadol and the Officers of the Temple

Key locations around the Azarah are the Beit Avtinas (on the southeastern corner of the Azarah, where the quarters for the Kohen Gadol were situated within, the Parbar, behind the Temple building where the korbanot (sacrifices) of the Kohanim were separated until offered, the Altar and Slaughter House, and the Beit haNitzotz where chambers were located that related to the offerings. Also key was the Beit haMokeid where the Kohanim where quartered while performing their service of the Mishmar (Course or Division).

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The Inner Courtyard according to Rambam

The fourth chapter of Hilchot Beit haBechirah by Rambam describes the Temple building while Chapter Five lists the structures of the Azarah or Inner courtyard. In this Rambam mostly follows the information provided in Middot of the Mishnah. Several areas of his commentary need to be amended to provide a better view of the Azarah. 1) There are additional structures …

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The Altar of the Temple

From the various texts of the Tanach, Mishnah, Tosefta, Talmud Bavli, and Talmud Yerushalmi, Rambam has collected the assorted halachot of the Altar in a concise presentation. These are found in Chapter Two of Hilchot Beti haBechirah of the Mishneh Torah. This illustration allows you to see the Altar from different points of view allowing you to understand the halachot.

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The Problem of the Kior

To understand the layout of the Temple and to recover the Tavnit (blueprint) 0f the Holy Temple is required to attempt the building of the Temple in our day. This is also critical to our understanding of Hashem's word. The tavnit must agree with the text of scripture, halachah and function. The classic example of this is the case of …

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The Temple Ceremonies of Sukkot

The greatest ceremonies in the Temple of the year were during Sukkot. Daily was the Water Pouring Ceremony or Beit haShoevah held within the Azarah (the Inner Courtyard) during the Shacharit (Morning) Services. This ceremony was where water and wine were poured over the Altar into two special containers which flowed down the Altar to the Amah (a channel 1 …

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The Yom Kippur Service (Avodah) within the Temple

The Yom Kippur services held within the Temple are spelled out in detail in Tractate Yoma of the Mishnah. The entire service must be conducted by the Kohan Gadol (High Priest) alone. He is drilled on the details of the service extensively for a week coming up to Yom Kippur. To understand the working of the Holy Temple this Tractate …

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The Honoring of a Torah Scroll

This is the story of the Torah Scroll that has come to be in our care. The story includes those that were honored to work on the Ark, Parochet and Ner Tam id to house and treat the Torah with the proper respect.

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The Yehoash Stone

A few years ago an inscribed plaque appeared on the Antiquities market. The stone known as the Yehoash (Jehoash, Joash) Stone is one of the most significant finds in the Archaeological World. It is the only plaque from any of the Judean Kings. The Plaque was discovered while digging a grave for a Moslem terrorist in the Moslem cemetery on …

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A Day in the Temple

The daily service of the Temple was described in the Tractate Tamid of the Mishnah. Complimenting this account is the Tractate Yoma. These pictures joined with the Gallery from a tour of the Temple will aid the student in understanding how the ceremony progressed.

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Locating the Ark of the Covenant

The quest for the Ark of the Covenant has been a hot topic for centuries. Popularized by the Indiana Jones movies, and the subject of Internet speculation, this study will look at the evidence and allow us to be fairly certain where the Ark of the Covenant was located. Theories that are commonly found are that Jeremiah hid it in …

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Women in the Temple

While there are many aspects to women and their worship in the Temple that can be documented and help us to understand the major aspect of Jewish Temple service, it is today that so much is coming forth to enhance that knowledge. Specific sites that related to women where the Ezrat Nashim (Court of the Women), Shaar Nashim (Women's Gate), …

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The Red Heifer

Before you can build a Temple or conduct Temple Services, you have to cleanse the area of the Temple from corpse impurity as described in Bamidbar (Numbers) 19. Not only will the Temple Mount have to be cleansed but also all who would participate in the services, including the kohanim (priests) Levites, and Jews entering within the Inner courtyards. The …

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