Dreaming of the Third Temple in a conflicted Land of Israel
On Tisha B'Av, Tel Aviv Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau speaks to Haaretz about the Temple Mount, the Gaza disengagement and secularism.
By Chaim LevinsonTel Aviv Chief Rabbi, do you still believe a Third Temple will be built?
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Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau. “I believe that every Jew has the full right to live anywhere in the Land of Israel.” |
| Photo by: Alon Ron |
Certainly. We believe in that. We pray for that three times a day. It says in a Mishnah in the fifth chapter of "Pirkei Avot": "May the temple be rebuilt soon and in our days." That's one thing. The second thing is that all the Prophets spoke about the fact that [the Temple] had been destroyed by fire and would be rebuilt in fire in the future. Of all the prophecies of calamity that took place and everything [the Prophets] said, none of their words fell to the ground. That's also the way to understand their prophesies about consolation.
Why has it not happened to this day, 1,940 years since the destruction of the Second Temple?
That takes us back to the Talmudic tract Yoma 9 that tells us that the First Temple was destroyed because of idol worship, sexual immorality and bloodshed. These are the three most serious sins about which it is said that no matter what happens, these sins must not be committed. Then after 70 years we were forgiven and we had the privilege of getting the Second Temple just as Jeremiah had prophesied. But from the Second Temple that was destroyed - according to the same Yoma tract, because of unwarranted hatred - to this day the Third Temple has not risen, which teaches us that this sin has not yet been forgiven. We have not yet weaned ourselves off this sin. Apparently this sin is still haunting us to this day.
What do you do on Tisha B'Av, the holiday today that marks the destruction of both temples?
We recite the Scroll of Lamentations. We add to this kinot [dirges] ... by the greatest of our poets like Yehuda Halevi. They do not merely relate to the destruction of the Temple but also to the troubles we suffered such as the death of the Ten Martyrs [in Roman times]. Twenty-one years ago, I wrote a booklet with Rabbi Haim David Halevy of blessed memory, and we distributed it in thousands of copies. It contained seven kinot that were written in the past generation in memory of the martyrs of the Holocaust.
Do you feel that the secular public's interest in Tisha B'Av has grown in recent years?
There has been greater interest in recent years. The issue of hatred that we discuss so much has grown so much. From a low point like this we can only improve. Everyone feels that there is too much hatred - the cup of hatred has run over and so there is a feeling that we must do something to fix the situation.
When Menachem Begin became prime minister, he wanted to unite all the memorial days and days of mourning on Tisha B'Av so it would also be Holocaust Remembrance Day and Memorial Day for the fallen soldiers. He saw in it the beginning of destruction and the source of all troubles. Even though I was simply a neighborhood rabbi in Tel Aviv then, I dared to disagree with him for one reason: Tisha B'Av falls during the summer, so the schools are closed and children would not study it. The Holocaust would therefore also be in danger of being forgotten. I feel that in recent years there is an understanding that without a past there is no future.
Why has Tisha B'Av not caught on like Yom Kippur?
Because Yom Kippur appears in the Bible and no one wants to "start up" with Yom Kippur. For example, on Yom Kippur, a prayer is recited for the dead. A great number of people who are far from keeping the Torah and commandments would not dare to miss the prayer for the memory of the dead on Yom Kippur. On Tisha B'Av, the Yizkor prayer [for the dead] is not recited. At all events there is less of a rush to go synagogue. Second, in July and August many people are on vacation and they do not feel Tisha B'Av the way they would if they were home. This also has an impact on the people who are here.
There is a trend, mainly among religious Zionist rabbis, to go the Temple Mount on Tisha B'Av. What do you think of that?
There are explicit instructions in halakha [Jewish religious law] that have not changed. They say it is forbidden to tread on most of the area [of the mount], and we have been made impure by the dead and the dust of a red heifer is not available to purify us. And it is impossible to have an inspector to tell everyone who goes there where they can tread and where not. Rabbi [Shlomo] Goren, who knew the boundaries, used to recite the afternoon prayer on Tisha B'Av on the Temple Mount. The vast majority of us do not know the boundaries, so it is forbidden to go there.
There is an unfortunate phenomenon in Tel Aviv of opening places of entertainment on Tisha B'Av eve. Why is that happening? What can be done about it?
Unfortunately, the by-laws are simply insufficient on this matter. I published a letter in which I requested that people respect this day. The fines are too small and a lot of time goes by until they are paid. And there are people who love money and for whom the desire to make an easy profit is greater than our heritage.
Some religious Zionists mark the destruction of the Gaza settlements on this day. There is even a kina for this purpose. Is it correct to mix one calamity with another?
I was at the settlement of Neveh Dekalim on the eve of Tisha B'Av during the evacuation [from Gaza]. From there I went to Rabin Square in Tel Aviv for an evening of study. And I saw it was impossible to divorce the evacuation from Tisha B'Av. To my regret, the timing was poor and tragic. It is impossible to separate in the public's awareness the destruction of Gush Katif and the synagogues from Tisha B'Av. But of course the exile inside Israel bears no similarity [to the expulsion of the Jews after the destruction of the Temple].
A number of rabbis from South Tel Aviv have signed a letter calling on the public not to rent apartments to the Sudanese. What is your position?
Those who signed the petition did not ask my opinion. None of them belong to Tel Aviv's rabbinical establishment .... It is written "You shall not judge your neighbor until you are in his place." If people feel distressed, I shall not judge them. I am against boycotts in principle. I favor dialogue and persuasion. One thing must be understood: You can't make the south of the city suffer for the punishment of thousands of foreign workers. If they were spread over the center and north of the city too, it would be easier to sympathize with those who signed.
What are you doing about the Hasidim from Chabad in Ramat Aviv and their conflict with the secular residents?
I believe that every Jew has the full right to live anywhere in the Land of Israel. The Chabadniks have the right to live there, no less than the other residents. There have already been two rabbis in the little neighborhood of Ramat Aviv A. There have been religious Jews there all the time. It is possible to complain about specific things and to deal with them, but certainly not by expulsions and boycotts.
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Sounds familiar. The idol are weapons and the rest is well known.
There definitely will be a third temple, and this will be during the Tribulation Period. The Antichrist will desecrate it in the middle of this seven-year period of great trouble for Israel and the whole world. Daniel 9
Nu? Who will head the Third Temple's Sisterhood? Who's going to volunteer at the gift shop? What kind of Hebrew school are they going to run, and what are the dues? Will it be egalitarian or do the machers get to sit in front? So many questions. Wouldn't a two state solution be easier to organize and less contentious?
Sure,,,,, and Superman will deliver it.
stay mute
When the Lord Himself brings Russia, Iran, and Turkey upon the Land of Israel (Ezekiel, Chapters 38 & 39) for the sole purpose of the destruction of these enemies of Israel, then Israel and the world will know the Lord of Israel. The 3rd temple will be built then or in that general time.
We should built it at the same location with the same splendor of previous temples, if necessary in order to preserve the Mosques that have been placed on top we can build over them, so to preserve the locations for Muslim occupiers to pray at.
On the one hand vox populi says Tisha Be'Av is about the destruction of the two Temples. On the other, that this destruction came about because of baseless hatred. Thus, mourning refers to buildings (let's say divine buldings), and hatred refers to anything. That's why the third temple, the one inside the human heart, is still a possibility, not a certainty. Because we mourn stones, and hate people. If we were to mourn all those hundreds of thousands of Jews who were massacred by the armies of Nebuchadnezzar, Titus, Armleder, Rindfleisch, Chmielnicky -may their names be blotted out- insetad of the temples, the third one would lay its foundations in our hearts. If we then would never hate our fellow human being, but only their deeds and things, then the third temple would be here. And it would not be a slaughtehouse, but deep love inside us.
FOR THE BIBLE TOLD ME SO.
Palestinians feel mostly the brutal and cruel end of the Jewish stick . Humane Jews , sick Jews , noble Jews, hateful Jews . Victims inflicting pain . Peace upon the Schizophrenics !
we should follow his example.
My folowers , embrace me I am your Messiah I am here to look at my sheep again for time has come as Isaiah said All children of Israel shall come back home and the Messiah , me shall rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. I am here to bring stabilty, justice, aquality and peace to all mankind. I am here to bring back my kingdom of David to Israel I love you all, praise me your king and your Messiah Yoka Bony or simply King Yochanan I of Israel
That's where your Third Temple will always be...in your Jewish dreams! There will be no Jewish Third Temple on where Al-Aqsa stand. Why? Because Al-Aqsa is already standing there, it's the real Third Temple, protected by God,now and ever. If God had wanted the Jewish Third Temple, he wouldn't have been Al-Aqsa there, would he?
There will come a time when G-d will have mercy on His nation, and put a third temple in place of Al-Aqsa. Just like the church of constantinople was turned into a mosque, the Al Aqsa will be turned into a Jewish third temple.
Forget about all this nonsense. Make peace as fellow human beings and stop being influenced by dubious texts whatever their origin. Religious beliefs and interpretations of those so called 'beliefs' drag humanity to despair not enlightenment. Break free!!
Dear Rabbi Meir Lau, You will see the building of the Third Temple sooner than you think. Israel's forgiveness will come when it recognizes the ultimate sin of its own hatred from Israels past. The three sins you mentioned are as important as all of the commandments(the Law). However, there is only One sin that will condemn everyone who disbelieves in the most singular Truth of YHVH. My name has been written on my thigh,since the trecapturing of Jerusalem and its secret is within me and the Word of God.
And new york city is going to turn into a big red apple in 2011. What are you on Thighbone I'd like some
will we EVER move beyond this medieval nonsense? dogma does so much harm in the world
nineteenth and twentieth century "nonsense". If I recall, Eugenics the idea of ensuring racial purity based on Science grew from off-the-wall theories to the ovens of Auschwitz. The Marxist ideologies sent millions of small holders in Eastern Europe to Siberia where many of them starved in the 1920's. The State Police of Fascist regimes around the world disappeared tens of thousands, jailing, torturing, and otherwise causing untold suffering. You don't believe in what Rabbi Lau says, so be it. Throwing ignorant epithets at a man who has been around longer than you, and dealt with issues that you couldn't begin to imagine, shows how illiberal you are.
It is well known that the temple will come entire in one piece with every thing in it WHEN AND IF THE MESSAIA WILL EVER COME. Now as we are all sinners in one way or another, there is no risk, HE WILL NOT COME, so we can speculate on it as much as we like, there is no risk. the temple mount will continue to be the main prayer place of our moslem neighbours, the wailing wall will keep on being the prayer place for those of us who are allowed to get neer it and OLAM KEMINHAGO NOHEG
So I don't know what you are talking about
Amos is talking about the 'New Jerusalem' that desends from Heaven at the end of the age after the White Throne Judgement. See Revelation 21:1,2: Then I saw a new earth (with no oceans!) and a new sky, for the present earth and sky had disappeared. And I, John,saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven. It was a glorious sight, beautiful as a bride at her wedding. Quoted from 'The Way', The Living Bible-Illustrated by Tyndale, 1972 edition. Thank you, Amos.
That's why we are indeed talking.
"to this day the Third Temple has not risen, which teaches us that this sin has not yet been forgiven. We have not yet weaned ourselves off this sin. Apparently this sin is still haunting us to this day. " This sin my friends, is the entire Israeli nation's rejection of the Messiah, Yeshua and His words. In the Tanakh, in the Book of Daniel it says the temple would be destroyed after the coming of the Messiah. It happened in the year 70 C.E, thirty or so years after the sacrifice and resurrection of Yeshua.
Soon Islam will finally purge the world starting with Europe of all of what's left of the fragments of Christians who still exist....then Moshiach will come and the Muslims will see how silly their "religion" is and we will all pray happily at the JEWISH 3rd Temple.
You seem to know some history, now follow the Word of God through faith and claim His Name as it will be shouted for the world to hear, upon hearing the battle cry from Jerusalem and these simple words. Baruch Haba, B'Shem Adonai~
If you are not into reading the Bible or the Tanaach, try reading the 'Left Behind' series of books. The series is a nine or ten book fictional account of what the end times will be like from the viewpoint of an airplane pilot. There are many reference to the various prophecies in the Bible but they are constructed in a timeline that is not jumbled as it is in the Scriptures. It is a good leisurely read--not quite an epic like the Odessey, but close.
If you call youself a Jew then follow the Jewish law... Love the Lord and love your neighbour as yourself. Is not the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of all the tribes, nations and peoples? You have so distorted the Jewish religion that since the destruction of the Second Temple Judaism has been a farce... how can you speak of Judaism without a temple, all yours sins, without sacrifices are still unforgiven... and you have not recongized the time of your visitation, when the Lamb of God came, that is ha Massheah, and offered Himself as a sacrifice for your sins, my sins and the entire world's sins.
Go on !! Dream and dream but only nights !!
Would the ultra orthodox suggest the the creator of the Universe stay locked up in the temple night and day, year after year, aeon after aeon? Perhaps he occasionally has business elsewhere?
The fact that the ultra-orthodox will not ren out apartments to other than their own, the modern orthodox ditto and secular probably the same or perhaps for money would rent to the enemy, the rabbis don't address let alone unaffodable housing for almost all the above esp. the young marrieds. Address the bread and butter issues dear rabbis abd be in direct touch with your flock instead of only preaching forever and a day.
The price of foods goes up before holidays or Hametz products goes up right after passover. I wish the rabbis and the specifically the Kashrut organizations would be more involved in keeping the prices down and reasonable at these times. Also if the rabbis would be more involved in promoting housing for new couples young families. Of course the laws for builders and contractors make their livelihoods difficult. I hope they could fix some of the laws and beaurocracy in building in this country. However we understand the rabbis are pretty busy in general but this should definately be more of a focus. In the whole world Jews build and make money. In Israel the laws choke the average guy. I hope the rabbis can fix some of the laws in this country about opening businesses and building houses
A Jewish minority ruling over a majority will fail again.
According to Zechariah's prophecy (8:18), the four fasts which were established after the First Destruction of Jerusalem will become joyous days and holidays. The Talmud (Rosh Hashana 18b) discusses when this will happen. The opinion which carries (according to Maimonides) is that when the Jews are under oppression, the fasts are held; when the Jews are under foreign rule but without oppression, the fasts are optional; but when there is "peace" (Rashi: no foreign rule), the days become joyous days. According to Maimonides, during the Second Temple all 4 fasts were optional, and the people decided to keep the fast of Av but not the other 3 fasts. Maimonides was not a historian and as I described before, even the precise day of the fast of Av was lost during the Second Temple, so clearly it was not observed. So nowadays it should not be observed either. One wonders if it should be turned into a joyous day, but at least don't observe it, according to what the historical precedent had established.
You haven't proved anything from history that indicates there was no fast on Tisha beAV. Furthermore there is no temple today and each time a Jew moves into east Jerusalem the whole world screams. We are surrounded by enemies that wish to destroy us
Only a Haman worshiper would suggest to Jews to stop longing for their holy temple and to suggest they should stop mourning on Tish B'av.
"The fast of the Fifth (month, Av)" is not given a date in the Book of Zechariah. It was established by the Babylonian Jewish community following the destruction of the First Kingdom. Was it established on the day the TEMPLE was burned down? Probably not. in 2 Kings 25:1, the destruction of Jerusalem started on the 7th of Av. In Jeremiah 52:12 this event started on the 10th of Av. If the event was an occasion for a fast, the scribal error in the two parallel passages would not have occurred. Everybody would have known the date and the error would have been corrected instantly. Strangely, Josephus (in War) tells of the destruction of the 2nd Temple, which was burned down on the 10th of Av. The 9th is a mistake by the Rabbis who were not there and did not have the exact date. So when did the fast take place? Probably on the FIRST of the month. When you don't have a precise date in the post-exilic period when dates became common, "the month" stands for the first of the month. Some support: 1. Ezra (7:2) reaches Jerusalem on the 1st of Av. The various dates and details of his Aliya are historically significant. 2. Yerushalmi Taanit (4:5) claims that the destruction took place on the 1st of Av, and the 9th is a mistake due to the confusion of the time. 3. Josephus in Antiquities also claims that the First Temple was destroyed on the 1st of Av. Don't you think it is time to fix this error?
and we fast the 9th. but we still can't eat meat or drink wine or wash till midday an the 10th because the temple was still burning. We can't fast 2 days in a row either
ABOUT THE EXACT DATE AND HOLD THE FAST FROM THE FIRST TO THE TENTH IN AV AND IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT IT LET US HAVE A FEAST IN THE EVENINGS LIKE THE MOSLEMS IN RAMADAN. EVERYBODY WILL BE HAPPY LIKE THIS EVERYBODY WILL BE HAPPY INCLUDING NIGHTCLUBS AMTURES.
Let everybody who fasts today on the ninth of Av extend the fast to the first 10 days of Av. No eating in the evenings. We will get rid of a few retrogrades this way.
the reason the third temple has not been rebuilt yet is because the rabinical leadership has not returned in truth to the G-D of their fathers but only read the words and pray the written prayers. they must put aside their petty differences and truely seek the G-D of their fathers. He is waiting for them, but the rabinical leadership seems to think He must make the first step. wrong who is serving who.
What do you want to do, build a temple so you can sacrifice sheep, goat and bullocks; burn spices and myrrh; sprinkle blood? And what of the so-called tablets and its ark? Where are they? Did they ever exist? How is it that the two most important artifacts of the Jewish people have gone missing for thousands of years? I think we've been sold a bill of goods. Much of this stuff requires you to believe that events took place which go against the laws of nature. In such cases, the proof as to the happening of these events is on the proponents of these beliefs.
Why is it so hard to believe there was an ark. Mike have you been watching the movie Raiders of the Last Ark starring Harrison Ford? It is not quite like that. Regarding the sacrifices thats what we are commanded to do from the bible when the third temple exists
Mike, exactly ! It would just be a "holy slaughterhouse" .What an elevating sights for the worshippers ! Most would probably pass out at the sight, sounds and smells of this "holy " bloodshed for the greater glory of Gd.
And the Jewish Spirit will find its home. Israel will be the richest country in history. Jews will donate for its existence with true love. No other joy like it. The enemies are not fighting us. The enemies are fighting our dream. This is the truth ! Only the third temple will prove us right & worthy to exist. An objective reality of eternal dimension ! Build the third temple & we are saved. What a Joy !
The dedication of the third Temple will be high-jacked by th eanti-Christ who will attend its dedication as the primary speaker since it will have been he who forged the 'peace treaty' that allowed it to be built. A/C will commit the abomination of desolation there in the third Temple by declaring himself to be god in place of YHWH. May you live long enough to see this.
As a Muslim it is shocking to see that this sacred ritual is dedicated to worldly or historical matters, and not to doing just for the sack of God and in his obedience and begging for His Mercy and Guidance. The other thing which was shocking was that how these rabbis add or subtract events and then bundled them together and declare them as holy. Obviously lots of it is political and social maneuvering and the control of innocent hearts. All religions are dotted with such maneuverings and people should try to be aware of these. If anyone can't understand my viewpoint, I sincerely apologize for disturbing his or her feelings.
What's going on here is that one person is trying to out-religious the other guy thinking that he/she is thereby currying favor with the god-guy.
Why have they recently denied the existence of the temples in that place. Why do they damage the Temple mount even today they use bulldozers to destroy the temple foundations I'll tell you why because they know if the Jews get that place and build the Temple. Their religion will fall apart.
They built there for the same reason that ancient warriors used to bash out the brains of infants--to keep the next generation from bringing revenge on them.
... Herder who pushed Jewish thinkers Graetz and Krochmal and Hess to reshape Judaism into "historicist cult" deemed to replace the politicized view of Hellenic tradition, dominant globally at that time. Meir Lau is oblivious to the fact that all the Jewish nationalist thinkers who called for the reconstruction of the third temple from the end of 19th c. up to nineteen thirties could care less about traditional Judaism and that the Jewish leadership that was exclusively clerical, strongly and massively opposed the Zionist ideas. There were more supporters of Zionism among the Prussian aristocracy than among rabbis worldwide. One more revision headed under rabbi Kook, and there appeared one more intellectual pedigree - national religious Zionism - which, just like the rest of mutually excluding trends, claimed the direct link to the authentic Judaism. Well, rabbi Lau, your establishment-serving brand-new religion is no more authentically Judaic than the Polish merchant's hat of 17th. c. on your head. And under this hat you preach about idol worship as the lowest of sins - preaching to the religious crowd praying to a wall of stones that might very well be the remains of Roman Jupiter temple.
it is not by coincidence that the Al-Aqsa mosque stands where it does today. It is the Third Temple referred to in the Scriptures, Islam being the direct continuation of the Abrahamic tradition, despite the providential inability of the Jewish people to see that. Islam arose from the line of Ishmael and consciously roots itself in the primordial religion of Abraham. There is so much in common between Islam and Judaism, both in terms of sacred history but also doctrinal foundations. It is a shame that there is not more searching for common ground here rather than for sparks of conflict.
There are significant arguments against your theory. Some of them: -Islam pretends to be abrahamitic, but is it? It is a moon-god religion having disguised itself eith judeo-christian element to gain legitimacy. Muhammad was no prophet, he did not fulfill the criteria according to Torah. He violated almost all of the commandments. -The mosque was bulit by christians and then "adopted" by muslims: The inscription on the dome reads in translation: "Blessed be he who comes in the name of the Lord" (!!). -The only temple bhaving been built is the bodily temple of Messiah Yeshuah 2000 years ago who died for us.
MESSIAH THE PROMISED ONE !!!
Charles, I appreciate your desire to search for common ground, and in fact I believe that only the common ground between Judaism and Islam will bring peace. Apart from the usual commonalities cited, it is crucial that people become aware that the Quran refers to the Jews as a Chosen Nation (e.g. 44:32, 45:16), and that it explicitly states that Allah assigned the Holy Land to the Jews (e.g. 5:20-21, 17:1-8). All Muslims should be Zionists, but sadly, Islamic radicals, who put political power over the Quran, have long taken over control of most of Islamdom. But there are Muslim Zionists, and I have no doubt that if Israel were to work towards a religious rapprochement (instead of the hopeless nationalist compromise), peace could be achieved.
A completely one sided wrong opinion. Our Qura'n acknowledge all previous prophets which the Patriarch ibraheem on their top.
It must not be forgotten in all this that Zionism - the movement to return to the Holy Land before the coming of the Messiah - is a major heresy within true Orthodox Judaism and up until the 1930s, most Orthodox authorities rejected it as such. Some groups, such as the Satmar, continue to be true to this tradition. I must also say that the references to the Quran are a little skewed: there are references to the people of Israel as a people God has chosen but also many references to their betrayal of the covenant and therefore their exile as a punishment. That in fact fits well with the view of pre-Zionist Orthodox Judaism.
I am not sure where you get your understanding of Islam from, but it is certainly distorted in the extreme, if not downright false. It depends of one wants to see things objectively, or one is guided by hatred and bigotry against the Other.
but where's the walk? Yeshua said : "I am the way , the truth and the life, NO MAN shall come to the Father except THROUGH ME!"
It is amazing how many times the Jews or Israelites are mentioned in the Koran. Both are People of the book as are Christians. It also says that the House of David are divinely guided kings 38:20 and 2:251and should rule over Israel/Judah.
therefore it is not the Third Temple. 'Abrahamic traditoin' doesn't grant title to property, only actual lineage. Moslems are recent pagan converts to monotheism, laudible, but egoentric and narcissistic to think their god is greatest and best to the exclusion of others whose G-d they adopted.
Why should all Muslims be Zionists the very ideology that discriminates against them
Jesus Christ.
of our religion being the fastest growing religion now and forever, call us what you like, but you can not deny us, we are here there , everywhere !
regarding not returning to Israel before the Messiah. Well many great scholars wanted that Jews should go to the holy land. Secular zionism may not have been what they had in mind though