Questions about the construction of the 3rd Temple in Jerusalem
Questions about the construction of the 3rd Temple in Jerusalem
1/ Do you think that the construction of the Third Temple can happen peacefully, given where the Al-Aqsa Mosque is located, along with the fact that Jordan considers the Temple Mount under its responsibility?
It is unthinkable to build the Temple that God has asked us for without genuine peace between Israel and its neighbors. Several scenarios have been considered and will only take place once a peace agreement between Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and likely the Americans will be attained. Here are some possible options to date:
Handing over Al-Aqsa to Al-Jurana in Saudi Arabia:
- In Surah 17 of the Quran, the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which means "the distant," would be located in Al-Jurana, Saudi Arabia. Technically, this relocation is possible. For instance, Turkey has already moved several monuments of this kind. This is one of the conceivable scenarios once a peace agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia is attained.
An earthquake:
- This has already occurred, whereby the one in 1917, destroyed the Al-Aqsa Mosque. It is also a likely scenario, as the Temple Mount is located on the African - Syrian fault.
Rockets fired from Gaza:
- Another possible scenario, which obviously nobody wishes for, is the destruction of monuments by rockets fired from Gaza. Several rockets have already been launched to and directed at Jerusalem in recent years.
- Once the Third Temple will be built, all the peoples of the world will be able to pray at the Temple Mount, since it will be the Temple of Peace.
- Currently, only Muslims have the right to pray at the Temple Mount officially, which in return, excludes the majority of other religions from the place which God has chosen to establish His residence.
- It is evident that the situation will progress rapidly.
2/ How have the Palestinians reacted to this project?
The name Palestine was given by the Romans when they conquered the Land of Israel over 2000 years ago. They chose this name because the Philistines represented the enemy of Israel ever since the Exodus from Egypt, 3300 years ago. Palestine was thus the name of the Land of Israel between -100 and 1948.
During the UN vote in 1947, Palestine was divided into two parts:
- Jordan, representing 83% of Palestine.
- Israel, representing 17% of Palestine. Upon the independence of the Hebrew state on May 14th, 1948, Jordan attacked Israel and annexed the regions of Judea, Samaria, and the Eastern part of Jerusalem.
In 1967, during the Six-Day War, Israel regained these two regions, along with the Gaza Strip, and the entirety of Jerusalem. In 1984, Jordan officially vacated the two regions (which were annexed): Judea, Samaria, and also East Jerusalem.
Arabs living in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza have taken up the old name Palestine to claim a land on which the people of Israel have lived for over 3000 years. This pretense, initiated by Yasser Arafat in the 1970s, has become a means of obtaining money from Westerners in order to combat Israel.
In 1948, there were only 108,000 Arabs living in Israel. The return of Jews to their land, their ability to develop, innovate, and create prosperity, encouraged Arabs living in Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Jordan, and several other Arab countries to come and benefit from the financial fruits of the Jews' return to their land.
Arabs living in Israel, whether in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Ramallah, or Nablus, are the richest Arabs in all Middle Eastern countries. Social, medical, and security benefits are the highest in the region, and not to mention their outstanding salaries.
Today, those who call themselves "Palestinians" are simply Arabs from different countries around Israel, as well as the few thousands who lived in Israel before its independence. Some of them love Israel, serve in the Israeli army, and do not want to live in an Arab state. The reason for this is that they have excellent living conditions. Furthermore, they are scared that their freedom would be threatened.
Others will likely join a Muslim, Arab, or Western country. Arabs, Muslims, living in Israel or elsewhere, as well as any other people on earth, will be able to pray freely at the Temple Mount once the Third Temple will be built.
It is apparent that terrorist entities (Hamas, Fatah, Hezbollah, Islamist Jihad, Muslim Brotherhood organization) exercising power over Arabs living in Israel, don't have any interest in peace, or the creation of the Third Temple. If the above would happen, they would consequently not obtain funds from hundreds of Western NGOs funding the destruction of Israel.
Supporting the Palestinian cause is the new name for antisemitism today. Those who were anti-Jewish in the past are now called anti-Zionists or pro-Palestinians. Since the destruction of the First Temple in -586, the world powers have been relentless in eliminating Jews. This continues to this day, where we see constant demonization of Israel and the support of Arabs living in Israel, falsely called Palestinians.
In conclusion, the Muslim terrorist leaders will not support the construction of the Third Temple Mount, however, the Arab population will.
3/ Do you seriously think that animal sacrifices can be made in order to atone for the sins of humans? What is the meaning of this ritual? Without studying and understanding what these "sacrifices" correspond to, indeed this may seem completely outdated.
Firstly, it is important to understand that the Hebrew word for "sacrifice" is "korban," which means "to draw near". Making a "korban" aims to draw one closer to God and for its neighbor to be at peace with Him.
In the book of Rabbeinu Behaye on Parashat Terumah (25.8) or in the Kabbalistic interpretation, it is written that human being's soul is divided into three parts:
Nefesh: The animal part of the soul. It maneuvers us towards our instincts, our evil inclinations, and our addictions.
Ruach: Corresponds to the breath of life, our brain.
Neshama: The divine soul, corresponding to the highest, most magnificent part of the Human Being.
Making a Korban, means to get rid of the bad instincts of our animal soul so that one is able to elevate ourselves. It's all about distancing oneself from evil via an intense act.
It is worth noting that today, 55 billion cattle are slaughtered worldwide each year for meat consumption. At the Temple, only a few thousand animals will be offered to God. These animals will then be consumed by the priests or by the one offering them, depending on each individual case.
Bringing an animal to Jerusalem, to the Temple Mount, is not a simple act, along with it being costly. This in return, can make everyone think twice before committing a sin.
In the Third Temple, unlike the first two, sacrifices will take place indoors (Southwest and Northwest Lodges) so that the act is not visible. This sacrifice will be similar to slaughterhouses today.
It is also important to know that man is the pinnacle of the creation of the world. To understand that the mineral, vegetable, and animal worlds are at his service. Man is not an animal! He does not have the right to make it suffer, hence the laws of Kashrut.
This having been said, it is quite possible that over time, these sacrifices will become solely vegetarian, as written in Rav Kook's book, "Linvouhai Ador." It is said that Adam was a vegetarian before his sin, which is also mentioned in the commentary of Rambam on Parashat Bereshit, Chapter 3, Verse 22.
4/ Do you think the Western world, which fuels the Israeli-Arab conflict by selling weapons to both sides, is interested in a Temple of Peace?
The children of Israel returned to their land in the early 1800s, fleeing pogroms and anti-Semitism prevalent in almost all European countries.
In 1917, British Foreign Minister Balfour, declared the need to establish a National Home for the Jews in Palestine (Israel and Jordan today). Under pressure from King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, the British changed their strategy and decided to divide Palestine into two. The division was as follows: 83% for Jordan with the Hashemite kingdom, a cousin to the King of Saudi Arabia, and 17% for Israel.
In 1939, Jews leaving Europe by boat were kept away by the British army upon arriving to the Holy Land.
Between 1945 and 1947, after the atrocities of the Holocaust, the British continued to oppose Jews wanting to return home. This was done by bombing Jewish refugee boats.
When the UN voted in favor of creating a Jewish state in 1947, the British handed their weapons to the Arabs in order for them to continue the work which was started by Hitler: this continued the extermination of the Jewish people, albeit indirectly, through the Arabs.
The sale of Western weapons to Israel's known enemies has never stopped, and continues to this day, with sales and knowledge passed on to Iran.
On the other hand, the Americans kept selling weapons to the Hebrew State, in order to perpetuate the conflict and test innovations in the field. Does this make them their real allies, or was the Hebrew State a scapegoat? The Israeli-Arab conflict is thus well-maintained by the West, under the authority of the US.
The political interest of Europeans and Americans, therefore, is not in favor of a Temple of Peace but rather to entangle an endless conflict. Of course, their discourse is quite different, with political lies being common throughout the West.
Nevertheless, an increasing number of American and European citizens understand their leaders' detrimental strategy. In return, they subsequently vote less and disapprove of the oriented policies of their leaders.
Every day, thousands of people join the project of building the Third Temple by registering for free on the Third Temple website. The Third Temple will arise from people all over the world who aspire to a better world. A world of peace and social justice.
5/ Some rabbis believe that the Temple is within each of us, where their prayers replace the sacrifices. Is there really a need for a new Temple of prayers today?
Some rabbis have not studied all the texts precisely that addresses the subject of the Third Temple. Thus, they referred to their elders, however, they also didn't study this subject due to the fact that they were in exile and were preoccupied with other important matters at that time.
The great sages of our generation who have studied the subject have concluded that it is better to leave the construction of the Temple for later and that there are more urgent issues to address concerning the people of Israel today, especially intermarriages (a Jew with a non-Jew) which is what led to the destruction of the people of Israel.
An increase in number of sages of our generation are fully engaged in this project. You can hereby find letters of recommendation on the website.
Saying that prayers have replaced sacrifices is true today, due to the lack of a Temple. This will no longer be the case once the Temple is built. In today's prayers, we read: "May God rebuild the Temple in our days so that we can restore the rituals (sacrifices / korban)".
This prayer has been recited several times a day for over 2000 years and we have never been closer to building the Third Temple together.
It is up to us to continue creating history and to not remain passive.
6/ In what way do you characterize this project as humanistic? Wouldn't it be more of a religious project?
Religions are a human invention. Rome was pagan during Jesus' time. Emperor Constantine, seeing Rome decline, invented Christianity more than 300 years after Jesus' death. An alibi was needed to conquer the world and evangelize the planet around the story of the Jew Jesus.
The invention of Christianity and the notion of the word "religion" emerged by portraying themselves as the "new Israel" with a "New Testament," Rome could combat other peoples, plunder them, and bring treasures back to Rome, now visible in the Vatican. Stealing, forcefully converting, or killing became the consequences of inventing Christianity.
Today, churches are empty, priests remain unmarried, and some have peculiar behaviors. Fewer and fewer people identify with Christian practices. Three hundred years after Christianity, the descendants of Muhammad created Islam, meant to represent the continuation of the Children of Israel and Christianity.
The consequences were similar: killing in the name of "Allah" and fostering violence in societies. Africa was Islamized, and now Europe is undergoing the same process, with North America following suit. This Western Islamization since 1970 is well-organized, involving drug sales, mixed marriages, prolific childbearing, exploiting social benefits, and by reuniting family.
The Islamization of Europe is ongoing and won't stop. Extremist left movements ally with Muslim populations to win elections, while far-right parties radicalize against them, promoting racism.
The invention of religions by humans has been humanity's major catastrophe, resulting in wars, violence, racism, and anti-Semitism. Despite this, many people declare themselves believers today.
God is not a religion. God is the creator of the universe, everything within it, nature, stars, worlds, and all human beings. God defines Himself as "I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt," symbolizing the end of slavery and human liberation.
God created us to aspire to freedom, teaching us the discernment between good and evil. We are free to choose between these two directions. Humanism is about loving one's neighbor, nature, and the Earth, protecting them because they are God's work.
Humanism devoid of God, relying solely on moral values, limits human consciousness. Who created nature? Who created planets, stars? Who manages souls? Once the Third Temple is built, divine presence will have a physical place to spread into human hearts.
It will then be our responsibility to distribute Earth's wealth wisely, promote unconditional love, provide access to education for all, advocate for the good, and distance ourselves from evil. Nothing is more humanistic than building the Third Temple, the only true option for spreading social justice.
We have witnessed the disasters caused by people living without this divine presence. The time has come for citizens of the world to unite and build a world with the presence of the divine eternity.
7/ Some teach that it is the Messiah who will build the Temple, and therefore, we should wait for him. What do you have to say in response to this interpretation, supported by many great rabbis?
It is also written that the Messiah will bring back the people of Israel and revive the holy language (Hebrew).
We are actually talking about the Messianic era, the period called redemption (Geula). This period began with the return of the children of Israel to their land in the 19th century. The Hebrew language is once again spoken, and those who wait for the Messiah to come to Israel or to speak Hebrew are living in all kinds of danger in exile.
God will send the Messiah at the time He decides, but in the meantime, we must do everything to hasten his arrival: increase our level of consciousness by studying the Torah and practice the mitzvot (commandments from the Torah), live in Israel for the Hebrews and develop the country, speak Hebrew, the holy language, and, of course, spread goodness and justice around us.
The study of the construction of the Third Temple is not yet taught in yeshivas (study centers). The same subjects are repeated as when we lived in exile. Some even keep the same type of clothing as when they lived in Poland or Russia with -10 degrees.
It is time to study, understand, and therefore build the Third Temple, one of the positive commandments of the Torah, just like putting on tefillin or eating kosher!
8/ It is written that the Temple will descend from the sky already built. Is this true?
Indeed, it is written in the tractate Rosh Hashanah 30a, which deals with the counting of the Omer, the night before Passover. The question is posed: If the Temple were to be built on the night of the 14th to the 15th of Nissan, should we still count the Omer?
Rashi suggests the hypothesis that the Temple could be built in one night, hence the widespread idea that it will descend from above. How is it possible to construct such a large Temple in one night? This same Rashi, a commentator on the Torah and Talmud (in Yehezkel 43:1...), writes in the Jerusalem Talmud that it is up to us, humans, to build the Third Temple. What will descend from the sky is the Shekhina (divine presence), which will reach the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant will be placed, then spread throughout the Temple, Jerusalem, Israel, and eventually the rest of the world.
It is also evident in the Amidah (prayer repeated three times a day) that the construction of Jerusalem and its Temple (Boné Yerushalayim) will precede the arrival of the Messiah (Et Tsemach David Avdeha). Therefore, it is up to us, the people of this generation, to build the Third Temple. The pre-built Temple will therefore not descend from the sky!
If we want, we can build the 3rd Temple today.
If we want, we can build the 3rd Temple today.