Israel: Ancient Synagogues
-
What Is The Temple Mount? Can I Go There?
Entrance to The Temple Mount within the Muslim Quarter, Jewish Law forbids entrance by Jews, and in any case only Muslims are allowed entrance through this gate. The Temple Mount refers to the elevated plaza above the Kotel (Western Wall) in Jerusalem that was the site of both of The Jewish People’s ancient temples. The first temple, built by King Solomon, was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. The second was built in the sixth century BCE and stood for nearly 600 years before it was destroyed and the Jewish people exiled in 70 CE by the Roman Empire. Jews continue to mourn the destruction on the fast day of…
-
The Kotel HaKatan, The Small Wailing Wall In Jerusalem
We are now in a period on the Jewish calander called “The Three Weeks” which is the 3 weeks leading up to the holiday called Tisha B’Av, The 9th of Av. The 9th of Av is a mandatory fast day (except for those under 12/13, elderly, ill or possibly just after birth) and is the saddest day of the year, the day in which we mourn the loss of our Holy Temple in Jerusalem. For the next 2 weeks I’ll be sharing with you many interesting photographs from our stray in the Old City of Jerusalem, which helps put this history dating back to 2,000 years ago in perspective. One…
-
Blessing Of The Kohanim At The Kotel During Passover
Attending the blessing by the Kohanim at the Kotel on the second day of chol hamoed Pesach was amazing, and a first for our family. We were fortunate enough to have an invitation to a rooftop balcony to enjoy the event way above the crowds, and it was indeed very special! It is true that Kohanim bless their community every Shabbat and holiday in the Beit Knesset, but in this case there are so many Kohanim, that the likely hood of having at least one with a direct line to the original Kohanim from the Biat HaMikdash, The Holy Temple, is quite great. And truly, seeing all these people gathered…
