GMAR CHATIMA TOVA - MAY YOU BE INSCRIBED IN THE BOOK OF LIFE!
"For on this day He shall effect atonement for you to cleanse you. Before HaShem, you shall be cleansed from all your sins." (Leviticus 16:30)
"The mishna taught that Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said: There were no days as happy for the Jewish people as the fifteenth of Av and as Yom Kippur. The Gemara asks: Granted, Yom Kippur is a day of joy because it has the elements of pardon and forgiveness, and moreover, it is the day on which the last pair of tablets were given." (Ta'anit 30b)
We are taught that every descent ultimately leads to an ascent. Had Israel not descended into idolatry and worshiped the golden calf, the awesome power of Divine forgiveness, reflecting G-d's love for His children would never have been revealed. It is no wonder that the day HaShem brought to Moshe the second Tablets of the Law, signifying a fresh new beginning for Israel, is the very same day that we know as Yom Kippur.
Yes, it's not a simple thing to fast all day. And it's not a simple thing to immerse oneself in both personal and communal prayer for twenty four hours. But neither is there anything more energizing, more uplifting and more cleansing that the Yom Kippur experience.
Certainly the longest, and perhaps the most exhilarating prayer uttered on Yom Kippur, during the late morning Musaf service, is the recounting of the service performed by the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) in the Holy Temple on Yom Kippur. Known as Seder HaAvoda, (the Order of the Service), this prayer recalls every detail of the service of the Kohen Gadol and the response of the assembled worshipers, bringing back to life the intense drama and anticipation that gripped the people as the Kohen Gadol went through all his precisely choreographed steps. Among the many climactic highlights of Seder HaAvoda is the following:
"And the kohanim and the people who were standing in the Temple Courtyard when they heard the glorious and awesome Name [HaShem] explicitly pronounced from the mouth of the Kohen Gadol with holiness and with purity, they bowed, prostrated themselves, offered thanks, and fell upon their faces and said, 'Blessed is His Name, His glorious Kingdom is forever and ever.'"
Indeed. "Blessed is His Name, His glorious Kingdom is forever and ever!” There is truly no greater gift and nor greater joy than to be able to stand before our Creator on Yom Kippur and atone for our sins. The Temple Institute wishes all a gmar chatima tova - a good inscription in the Book of Life!
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THE TEMPLE INSTITUTE: BUILDING THE HOLY TEMPLE!
The three weeks of mourning which stretch from the fast of the 17th of Tammuz to the fast of the 9th of Av may be a time for some people to look backward and dream about the Holy Temple that was. Not so for the people that make up the Temple Institute. The Temple Institute is forever looking forward and working tirelessly to educate Israel and the world about the importance of the Holy Temple in our future, while always training and preparing in every way possible for the rebuilding of the Holy Temple and the renewal of the Divine service, soon, and in our days!
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SILVER TRUMPETS FOR OUR HEROIC SOLDIERS!
Play A Part In Israel's War Against Evil!
"If you go to war in your land against an adversary that oppresses you, you shall blow a teruah with the trumpets and be remembered before HaShem your G-d, and thus be saved from your enemies." (Numbers 10:9)
Israel is at war with an enemy that sorely oppresses us with terror but our soldiers are filled with purpose and faith in HaShem, and firm in the knowledge that "it is Hashem, your God, Who goes with you to battle your enemies for you to deliver you!" (Deuteronomy 20:4)
Social media has been filled these past weeks with photos and videos of Israeli soldiers preparing for battle with prayer, with song, with reading from Torah and with sounding the shofar. We are witnessing with our own eyes that HaShem, indeed, is going with our troops "to battle your enemies for you to deliver you!"
It is a Torah commandment to prepare for battle by sounding silver trumpets, the same silver trumpets sounded by the kohanim in the Holy Temple, so that we should "be remembered before HaShem your G-d, and thus be saved from your enemies."
The Temple Institute has begun manufacturing silver trumpets to distribute to the IDF rabbis so that they can be sounded by our soldiers as they make their way to battle. Two trumpets are required to be sounded simultaneously, and each one needs to be produced from a single piece of silver. The cost of each trumpet is significant and every donation toward producing the trumpets will be gratefully accepted! We are calling upon friends of Israel around the world to play a true Torah role in Israel's war against today's Amalek, the villainous tribe who "happened upon you on the way and cut off all the stragglers at your rear, when you were faint and weary, and he did not fear G-d." (Deuteronomy 25:18)
Please designate "vessels" in your donation!
LEVITICAL CHOIR PERFORMS AT THE SOUTHERN WALL OF THE TEMPLE MOUNT!
Last week, during the intermediate days of Sukkot, the Temple Institute's Levitical Choir joined dozens of other musical Levites in a festive performance of Psalm 27. The Temple Institute's Levitical Choir performers can be recognized by their Levitical uniforms, and, of course, the silver trumpets are those reproduced by the Temple Institute. The concert was a joint production of The Temple Institute, the East Jerusalem Development Company, the Municipality of Jerusalem, and others.
The performance took place on the steps leading up to the ancient Hulda Gates on the Southern Wall of the Temple Mount, the gates through which thousands of pilgrims once ascended from the City of David to the Holy Temple.
"One thing I ask of HaShem, that I seek - that I may dwell in the house of HaShem all the days of my life, to see the pleasantness of HaShem and to visit His Temple all the days of my life."
TEMPLE TALK: "FORTUNATE ARE YOU, O ISRAEL!"
CHANNELING THE KOHEN GADOL ON YOM KIPPUR!
ISRAEL ON THE HEELS OF HER ENEMIES!
The ever intense holiday filled month of Tishrei is more intense than ever as Israel enters into its second year at war with her sworn enemies. Prayer and joy and reflection are mixed with missiles and news from Israel's multiple fronts as Israel continues to turn up the heat and sets her sights on Teheran. Wishing all a Gmar Chatimah Tovah - may You be Sealed in the Book of Life!
Remember: Helping to make HaShem's dream of a Sanctuary in which His Presence can dwell amongst us, is the work of the Temple Institute! Join us in our efforts!
WEEKLY TORAH STUDY: ROSH HASHANA 5785
We traditionally mark Rosh HaShana as the anniversary of the first (or sixth) day of creation. How does this square with the claim of science that the world is billions of years old and attaching a calendar date to its beginning is futile?
Ha'azinu (Deuteronomy 32:1-52)
Parashat Ha'azinu is read on Shabbat:
Tishrei 3, 5785/October 5, 2024
TISH'A B'AV: BUILD A HOUSE FOR HASHEM!
"Be strong and have courage! Build a House for HaShem!" In this scene from a film soon to become an integral part of the Temple Institute's Jerusalem based Visitors Center experience, the prophet Samuel charges King David with the task of building the Holy Temple!
TISH'A B'AV: THE GLORY OF THIS LAST HOUSE SHALL BE GREATER THAN THE FIRST!
"The Glory of this Last House Shall be Greater than the First!" In this scene from a film soon to become an integral part of the Temple Institute's Jerusalem based Visitors Center experience, Zerubavel from the house of David and Kohen Gadol (High Priest) Yehoshua consult with the prophet Haggai who instructs them to waste no time in rebuilding the Holy Temple!
THE TEMPLE INSTITUTE: BRINGING THE HOLY TEMPLE TO LIFE!
"Speak to the children of Israel, and have them take for Me an offering; from every person whose heart inspires him to generosity, you shall take My offering..." (Ex. 25:2)
Thus begins Terumah, this week's Torah reading, in which HaShem reveals His desire that Israel "make for Me a sanctuary and I will dwell in their midst." (Ex. 25:8)
The Temple Institute is dedicated to making the Holy Temple a reality in our day, and toward this end, the Temple Institute has, for 36 years, been building and planning and researching and teaching and sharing with you our reconstructed sacred vessels and priestly garments, our books and paintings, our red heifer candidates, our teachings and insights and our love for HaShem and the Holy Temple!
It is only through the generosity of your hearts that we are able to continue our important work. Only together can we build for HaShem a sanctuary and "a house of prayer for all nations!"
THE RED HEIFER!
The ashes of the red heifer, essential for the renewal of the Divine service in the Holy Temple, is one of the Torah's most fascinating and mysterious commandments. In our brand new in-depth entry, learn what constitutes "a perfectly red unblemished cow," how the ashes are made and how they are applied, the history and the mystery of the red heifer, and current efforts to raise a red heifer. Beautifully illustrated and extensively footnoted!
INTRODUCING THE TEMPLE INSTITUTE'S LEVITICAL CHOIR ACADEMY
In yet another major step toward preparing for the rebuilding of the Holy Temple and the renewal of the Divine service, the Temple Institute has established the Levitical Choir Academy, dedicated to teaching today's descendants of the tribe of Levi the Levitical songbook - the songs that are sung by the Levitical Choir in accompaniment to the Daily offerings and the Additional Festival offerings performed in the Holy Temple. Levi'im from all across Israel have already responded to the Temple Institute's initiative, and as these video clip show, are already honing their skills as a proper Levitical Choir. Levitical garments are currently being designed for the choir to be worn during their service in the rebuilt Holy Temple.
On Thursday, September 15, 2022, 5 PM, 5 perfect, unblemished red heifers arrived in Israel from the USA. A modest ceremony was held at the unloading bay of the cargo terminal at Ben Gurion airport, where the new arrivals were greeted and speeches were made by the incredible people who have put their hearts and souls and means into making this historic/prophetic day become a reality.
We invite you to join us in our worldwide effort to produce the longed-for ashes of the red heifer!
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