EXCITING NEWS AT THE TEMPLE INSTITUTE!
In anticipation of Yom Yerushalayim - Jerusalem Day, the Temple Institute recently hosted a festive gathering to celebrate the inauguration of four new films which are now integrated into the guided tour through the Institute's Exhibition, located in Jerusalem's Old Clty’s Jewish Quarter, overlooking the Temple Mount.
The gathering included the sounding of silver trumpets by members of the Temple Institute's Levitical Choir, a screening of samplings from the four new movies, inspiring words from Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, the founder of the Temple Institute, and Chief Rabbi of Israel Kalman Bar.
We look forward to welcoming you at our exhibition hall in Jerusalem!
Yom Yerushalayim Sameach - Happy Jerusalem Day!
YOM YERUSHALAYIM - JERUSALEM DAY!
"O Jerusalem, praise HaShem; extol Your G-d, O Zion. For He strengthened the bars of your gates; He blessed your children within you. Within your borders He makes peace; with the best of the wheat He will sate you." (Psalms 147:12-14)
Sunday evening, May 25, marks the start of Yom Yerushalayim - Jerusalem Day
On June 7th, 1967, Israeli paratroopers stormed and captured the Temple Mount from the retreating Jordanian Legion. The entire eastern section of Jerusalem, which had been under Jordanian control since Israel's War of Independence in 1948, was now fully under Israeli control and united once again.
On the same day that Jerusalem was liberated, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Dayan made the following statement:
"This morning, the Israel Defense Forces liberated Jerusalem. We have united Jerusalem, the divided capital of Israel. We have returned to the holiest of our holy places, never to part from it again. To our Arab neighbors we extend, also at this hour—and with added emphasis at this hour—our hand in peace. And to our Christian and Muslim fellow citizens, we solemnly promise full religious freedom and rights. We did not come to Jerusalem for the sake of other peoples' holy places, and not to interfere with the adherents of other faiths, but in order to safeguard its entirety, and to live there together with others, in unity."
This was the first time the city of Jerusalem was once again united and under the sovereignty of the nation of Israel since second Temple times, nearly 2,000 years earlier.
One year later the government of Israel proclaimed the 28th day of Iyar, (the Hebrew date of Jerusalem's liberation) as the holiday of Yom Yerushalayim - Jerusalem Day - to commemorate and celebrate each year the liberation and reunification of Jerusalem, Israel's ancient and eternal capital.
Since then Jerusalem, which had languished under divided rule, has grown into a modern city while rediscovering and preserving her ancient sites, bringing her biblical history back to life.
The Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem's walled city, which had been conquered by the Jordanians in 1948, (who proceeded to force out the entire Jewish population and raze to the ground the entire quarter, destroying historical synagogues and 100's of Torah scrolls), was rebuilt, (and is still being rebuilt).
A shanty town neighborhood which had been built right up against the southern stretch of the western wall of the Temple Mount was cleared away and the Western Wall Plaza was built, where millions of Jews and gentiles have prayed since.
Thriving Jewish neighborhoods were built in areas formerly controlled by Jordan, as Jerusalem expanded to the east, west, north, south and upward. Today Jerusalem is undergoing another transformation as new construction is reshaping much of the downtown area.
Alas, the only place in Jerusalem where too little has changed is the Temple Mount. Hopeful hearts were certain that in the aftermath of the miraculous victory of the Six Day War in which Israel defeated five invading armies, that soon the Moshiach would make his presence known and lead the nation in rebuilding the Holy Temple.
But 2,000 years of exile had taken its toll on the Jewish imagination, and fearful of change and fearful of the possible response of the Arab world, the people of Israel put their millennial held hopes and prayers on the back burner and focused their attention not on the Temple Mount where the Holy Temple once stood, but at the foot of the Mount, at the Western Wall, which had once been a marketplace in Temple times and only became a place of prayer when Jews were forbidden from ascending the Mount. Defense Minister Moshe Dayan even went so far as to institute the regrettable policy referred to today as the "status quo" which forbade Jews from praying at their holiest site.
“HaShem is the builder of Jerusalem; He will gather the outcasts of Israel.” (Psalms 147:2)
But a handful of Jews recognized the import of the moment and the historical opportunity that had been placed before them by HaShem's love for His people, and they began to study the ancient texts, rediscovering the Divine service that once filled the Temple Sanctuary and courtyards, and taking the first practical steps towards making the Holy Temple a reality again, in our days. One of the few was Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, who was among the paratroopers that liberated the Temple Mount and kept guard over it in the days following its liberation. He too expected to witness the arrival of Moshiach, and when that didn't happen, he came to the realization that it was incumbent upon the people of Israel to make known to HaShem their yearning for the Holy Temple and the way to do that was through concrete action. Thus was born the Temple Institute which has led the way in reintroducing Israel and the world to the significance of, the beauty of, and the potential of the Holy Temple to usher in an era of peace and fellowship for all mankind. Today the desire for the Holy Temple fills the hearts and souls of millions of Jews and Christians around the world, in no small part due to Rabbi Ariel's vision and endless efforts.
The Temple Mount itself has sprung back to Jewish life. For many years after its liberation only a handful of Jews would ascend the Temple Mount, despite not being allowed to pray. As the years went by more and more Jews began to return to the Mount. Today tens of thousands of Jews ascend the Temple Mount every year. With the increase in Jewish presence on the Mount has come an increase in Jewish rights on the Mount. Jews are now allowed to openly pray and to sing on the Mount, and the Torah mandated expression of love and gratitude to HaShem - prostrating oneself on the Mount - is also allowed. The path ahead for complete Jewish freedom of access and worship on the Temple Mount remains long, but clearly unstoppable.
It was King David who first conquered Jerusalem and established it as Israel's eternal capital. With the help of the prophet Samuel King David prepared the way for the Holy Temple, which was built by his son Solomon. David's spirit still inhabits the streets and plazas of Jerusalem. His strength, his courage and his vision still lead Jerusalem forward. And his song of devotion to his beloved city rings every bit as true and relevant today as it did 3,000 years ago:
"A song of ascents of David. I rejoiced when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of HaShem." Our feet were standing within your gates, O Jerusalem. The built-up Jerusalem is like a city that was joined together within itself. There ascended the tribes, the tribes of HaShem, testimony to Israel, to give thanks to the name of HaShem. For there were set thrones for judgment, thrones for the house of David. Request the welfare of Jerusalem; may those who love you enjoy tranquility. May there be peace in your wall, tranquility in your palaces. For the sake of my brethren and my companions, I shall now speak of peace in you. For the sake of the house of HaShem our G-d, I shall beg for goodness for you." (Psalms 122)
Wishing all, wherever you are, to join Israel this Sunday evening-Monday, as we celebrate Yom Yerushalayim! Yom Yerushalayim Sameach - Happy Jerusalem Day!
PARASHAT TERUMAH & THE TEMPLE INSTITUTE!
This week we are reading the Torah portion of Terumah, (Exodus 25:1 - 27:19), which begins with HaShem's historic disclosure to Moshe that He desires to dwell amongst His people Israel:
"HaShem spoke to Moshe, saying:
'Speak to the children of Israel and let them take for Me a portion; you shall take a portion for Me from every person whose heart is so moved by a spirit of generosity. And this is the portion that you shall accept from them: gold, silver, and copper; blue, purple, and crimson wool, fine linen, goats’ hair; tanned ram skins, tachash skins, and acacia wood; oil for lighting, spices for the anointing oil and for the aromatic incense; shoham stones and stones for setting, for the Ephod and for the Breastplate.'
And they shall make Me a Sanctuary that I may dwell among them." (Exodus 25:1-8)
The continuation of parashat Terumah and much of the rest of the book of Exodus will focus on HaShem's instructions how to build for Him a Sanctuary, the many details of the construction of the Tabernacle, the sacred vessels of service to be used by the kohanim, and the fashioning of the priestly garments, focusing on the eight garments to be worn by the Kohen Gadol (High Priest).
For the Temple Institute these verses are nothing less than the breath of life that informs everything we do, from research and writing, to reproducing the sacred vessels and the priestly garments, to creating an unparalleled archive of paintings depicting life in the Holy Temple, all of which can be experienced in person at our Jerusalem exhibition; from seasonal reenactments of the pilgrimage holiday Temple offerings, to intensive work to produce the longed for ashes of the red heifer, and to the recreation of the Levitical Choir which is already engaged in special holiday performances.
Just as HaShem called upon Israel to open its heart to make possible His dream of dwelling amongst His children, we at the Temple Institute call upon all who long for G-d's nearness and to live in a world worthy of His presence, to give generously to help us to continue our sacred work.
HELP US MAKE G-D’S DREAM COME TRUE!
THE TEMPLE INSTITUTE LEVITICAL CHOIR PERFORMS ACHEINU KOL BEIT YISRAEL
On Passover, (2024/5784) the Temple Institute's Levitical Choir performed an outdoor concert in Jerusalem's Old City Jewish Quarter Central Plaza. Among the songs they performed was Acheinu Kol Beit Yisrael, (Our brothers, the whole house of Israel), an ancient prayer for the safe delivery of Jews in distress, wherever they may be. In light of today's global assault on Jews by jihadists, woke leftists and assorted hate camp followers, the words of Acheinu Kol Yisrael seem more urgent than ever.
Support the work of the Temple Institute!
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!
Support the work of the Temple Institute!
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: MOURNING IS OVER, BUILDING HAS BEGUN!
THE QUICK THINKING PINCHAS SAVES THE DAY!
THE PROUD ZIONIST DAUGHTERS OF TZELOPHCHAD!
Too long Israel has mourned the destruction of the Holy Temple. The time to build is NOW! Building a place for HaShem to place His Presence would change everything in our lives for the better! If we truly want what's best for humanity, let's build it ASAP!
Remember: Helping to make HaShem's dream of a Sanctuary in which His Presence can dwell amongs us, is the work of the Temple Institute! Join us in our efforts!
WEEKLY TORAH STUDY: PINCHAS/פנחס
We learn to bury our emotions at an early age, sometimes so deeply we forget that they are there. Moshe too had thoughts he kept under wraps only to reveal them while deep in prayer with HaShem.
Pinchas (Numbers 25:10 - 30:1)
Parashat Pinchas is read on Shabbat:
Tammuz 23, 5785/July 19, 2025
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!
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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