SPECIAL NOTICE:
The Jewish holiday of Sukkot begins this evening at sundown.
To everyone who celebrates the holiday: Chag Samaeach! Happy Holiday!
8:17 pm Sunday: Missile or mortar shell (IDF cannot determine which) just hit the Israeli Golan Heights. Israel returns artillery fire into Syria.
8:27 am Sunday: Jerusalem police bar all Jews from the Temple Mount.
6:24 pm Saturday: Missile launched from Syria explodes in the Israeli Golan Heights. No one wounded. No warning alarms.
5:32 pm Saturday: 4 Palestinians arrested for the murder of Alexander Levlovitch.
14 Tishrei 5776
UPDATES
9:00 am Israel time, Sunday, September 27 2015
**The daily Palestinian terror report from yesterday . . .
Shabbat saw more than 30 Palestinian terrorist attacks. Here are a few examples, beginning last night and moving in reverse to the morning:
Palestinian terrorists threw “rocks” at Israelis at Mt. Hebron (10:45 pm), at an IDF post at Efrat (10:16 pm), at police in the Old City of Jerusalem (9:30 pm), at motorists near Beit Ummar (8:54 pm) and Talmonim (5:30 pm), at IDF soldiers in Aboud (2:00 pm), and at a police car in Silwan (12:55 pm).
Palestinian terrorists threw Molotovs and started fires at a security vehicle on the Mt. of Olives (11:46 pm), in the forest around Gush Etzion (12:30 pm), and at Alon Shvut (10:00 am).
Palestinian terrorists threw two pipe bombs at Border Police in Abu Dis and in Bil’in (both at around 8 am).
Palestinian terrorists crossed the border from Gaza into Israel in the western Negev early this morning but were captured by IDF troops. In Gaza, terrorists fired two missiles at southern Israel but both exploded upon launch killing and wounding other terrorists.
**What happened in Beit Furik yesterday deserves praise not condemnation . . .
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The degree to which the IDF adheres to “political correctness” is nauseating. The IDF general command permits its soldiers to be regularly surrounded by foreign, Palestinian, and Israeli “journalists”–all holding cameras and waiting for that moment when an IDF soldier fights back against those provoking him or her. Nothing is more highly prized than a picture of an “evil IDF soldier attacking a poor Palestinian.”
Palestinian terrorists were hard “at work” in Beit Furik yesterday assaulting our troops with “rocks”, Molotovs, and other projectiles. Several soldiers were wounded so badly that they had to be evacuated to a nearby hospital.
Finally, there reached a point at which the commander of our forces was moving his soldiers down the road to confront the terrorists. Immediately, a car full of “journalists” appeared and photographers rushed into place beside the soldiers–posing a security risk to our soldiers.
The commander had had enough, and took all of the cameras from four journalists and smashed them on the road, and ordered them back to their vehicle.
Of course, this entire scene was filmed by Palestinian “Al Quds Television”. As of this morning, the commander has been relieved of command and faces court martial.
Unbelievable.
Your humble servant believes he speaks for many when he says: “Kolakevod!” (Bravo!) to the commander for doing what should have been done, and what we all would have wanted to do.
**The farce expands in Syria . . .
To sit here in Israel and watch the utter collapse of American foreign policy has been a thing to behold. Nowhere has it collapsed more than in Syria.
Even if one accepts that the Obama plan all along was to strengthen Iran as a regional power while surrendering to Russia on a global scale, the events in Syria in the last few weeks have been extraordinarily disconcerting as the United States pathetically latches on to anyone and everybody who is exerting power.
Yesterday, reports were published indicating that the scale of Russian intervention in Syria far exceeds what was previously indicated. Aside from the ever enlarging air force base near Latakia and the ever-increasing number of Russian planes and drones in the skies over Syria, there are now indications that as many as 90,000 Russian boots will soon be on the ground there.
And what about the 70 Russian tanks? Originally, Russian tanks were being brought in to protect the new air force base, but now it appears that the tanks were transferred to the Syrian Army which has in turn transferred them to Iranian and Hezbollah forces.
So, when John Kerry appeared yesterday and proclaimed that the Russians and Iranians are “a force for stability” in Syria, your humble servant can only say that the abysmal state of affairs in Washington has reached a new low.
TODAY’S BLOG:
As regular readers of israelstreet know, your humble servant regularly writes about what is happening on what we Israelis call the Har HaBeit (the Temple Mount) in Jerusalem.
For the next few days, we are testing our knowledge about the holiest place in Judaism–first about the history of the site, and then about the current state of affairs.
Today we have the answers to yesterday’s questions–along with explanations. How many did you get correct?
The Har HaBeit (Temple Mount) Quiz
1. According to archaeological findings, how long has the area on which the Temple Mount was built area been inhabited?
A. Since the 5th millenium BCE
B. Since the 4th millenium BCE
C. Since the 3rd millenium BCE
The correct answer is B. Archaeologists have discovered tombs belonging to some of these people.
2. Following the Chalcolithic Period, what group next inhabited the area of the Mount during the Early Bronze Age?
A. Canaanites–Jebusites
B. Edomites–Akkadians
C. Philistines–Gaths
The correct answer is A. Egyptian records refer to the area of Jerusalem as Jebus and make reference to the people there paying tribute. The Edomites were the descendants of Esau and inhabited an area roughly south of the Dead Sea. The Akkadians were a Semitic people known for trading, centered in Akkad in Mesopotamia (the first mention of your humble servant’s home city of Ashdod was in an Akkadian text). The Philistines were conquerors from the southern Mediterranean who arrived on the scene 800+ years after the time referenced in Question 2. Gath was one of the five main cities of their empire in the Middle East.
3. From whom did King David buy the area which became the Temple Mount, and how much did he pay?
A. Araunah (Jebusite): 50 shekels of silver
B. Melchidian (Akkadian): 15 shekels of gold
C. Golian (Gath): 10 shekels of silver, and 10 shekels of gold
The correct answer is A. If you have ever read the Bible, you know that Araunah the Jebusite operated a “threshing floor” at the site (it was ideal for threshing wheat because of its windy elevation). But also if you know your Bible, you know that there are two versions of how much money was paid–in one (2nd Samuel 24:24) the amount was 50 shekels of silver; in the other (1 Chronicles 21:25), the amount was six hundred shekels of gold.
4. Why did David buy the area for his altar to Yahweh and to house the Ark of the Covenant?
A. He was advised to do so by the prophet Gad because an angel sent by God to destroy Jerusalem by plague appeared at the site.
B. It commanded an encompassing view of the surrounding area and was easy to defend militarily.
C. David had a vision from God that told him to build the altar there.
The correct answer is A. Undoubtedly B is true also, but the Bible is very specific on how the Angel sent from God to destroy Jerusalem with a plague was stopped by God as he (the angel) raised his hand to do so while standing at the site.
5. What was the pre-existing name of the mountain on which the Temple Mount would eventually be built?
A. Mount Zion
B. Mount Moriah
C. the Mount of Olives
The answer is B. In the topography of Jerusalem, Mount Moriah is between Mount Zion and the Mount of Olives.
6. Why else was/is Mount Moriah of central and holy importance to Jews?
A. It was the place where Abraham was going to sacrifice Isaac.
B. It is the home of the Foundation Stone, the spiritual junction between Heaven and Earth.
C. It was from the ground of Mount Moriah that God created Adam.
The answer is A, B, and C (one of the trick questions). One cannot overstate the importance of the Temple Mount to Judaism.
7. What is the elevation above sea level of the Mount at its highest point?
A. 126 m (413 ft)
B. 439 m (1440 ft)
C. 740 m (2,428 ft)
The answer is C. People often forget just how high Jerusalem is (it snows almost every winter in Israel’s capital). The highest natural point on the Temple Mount is the tip of the Foundation Stone.
7. Who built the First Jewish temple and when?
A. King David in about 1025-1000 BCE
B. King Solomon in about 975-950 BCE
C. King Hezekiah in about 715-700 BCE
The answer is B. God told David that his hands were “too bloody” to build the Temple, so the task or honor was left to Solomon. Jewish tradition has it that the First Jewish Temple was completed in 957 BCE.
8. What was the shape of the First Jewish Temple?
A. Triangular.
B. Rectangular.
C. Pentagonal.
The answer is B. The original building was oriented to the east and made up of three parts: the Holy of Holies that housed the Ark of the Covenant, a main room for services, and a porch.
9. What was the total area of the Temple Mount at the time of the First Jewish Temple?
A. 150,000m2 (37 acres)
B. 300,000m2 (74 acres)
C. 450,000m2 (111 acres)
The answer is none of the above (another trick question). We know that when Herod doubled the size of the Temple almost a thousand years later, the size became 150,000m2. But that was a doubling of the size of the Second Temple, which almost certainly was considerably larger than the First. The best guess is somewhere in the neighborhood of 25-40,000 m2.
10. Who destroyed the First Temple and when?
A. Sargon II of Assyria in 712 BCE
B. Psamtik I of Egypt in 653 BCE
C. Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylonia in 586 BCE
The answer is C. Sargon of Assyria conquered the northern kingdom of Israel around 712 BCE, and Psamtik I conquered parts of the south during his reign. But we have extensive evidence for Nebuchadnezzar’s sack of the city of Jerusalem including written records found in Babylonian archives and even arrowheads found in Ir David in Jerusalem.
11. On what day of the Jewish calendar was the First Jewish Temple destroyed?
A. The 15th of Kislev.
B. The 9th of Av.
C. The 2nd of Adar II.
The answer is B–the most tragic day on the Jewish calendar.
12. How long did the First Jewish Temple stand on the Temple Mount?
A. 212 years
B. 273 years
C. 371 years
The answer is C.
13. What happened to the remains of the First Jewish Temple after it was destroyed?
A. The rubble remained on the Mount, and the Ark of the Covenant disappeared.
B. The rubble was cleared away by the conquerors who also took the Ark of the Covenant.
C. The rubble was used to build houses in Jerusalem, and the Ark of the Covenant was destroyed.
The answer is A. In fact, the rubble from the First Temple was used in the construction of the Second Temple, and the rubble from the First and Second Temples was used in the construction of the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aksa Mosque.
There is no evidence that the Babylonians took the Ark; Jewish tradition holds that it was secreted away in tunnels under the Mount before the invaders reached the Holy of Holies.
14. When was the Second Jewish Temple built, and under the supervision of what king was the construction begun?
A. 621 CE-609 BCE: Psamtik II of Egypt
B. 538 CE–516 BCE: Cyrus the Great of Persia
C. 331 CE–321 BCE: Alexander the Great of Macedonia
The answer is B. Actually, the construction of the Second Temple began under Cyrus the Great and was completed in 516 CE, the sixth year of the reign of Darius the Great.
15. Who doubled the Temple Mount in size?
A. The Roman general Vespasian.
B. King Herod the Great.
C. Judah Maccabee.
The answer is B. Herod, as we know now, was one of the most ambitious builders in Middle Eastern history.
16. When was the Second Jewish Temple destroyed and by whom?
A. 196 BCE by Antiochus II.
B. 70 CE by Titus.
C. 135 CE by Hadrian.
The answer is B. Of course it was Antiochus who desecrated the Temple sparking the war with the Maccabees. Hadrian led Rome in the 3rd Jewish war.
17. On what day was the Second Jewish Temple destroyed?
A. The 15th of Kislev.
B. The 2nd of Adar II.
C. The 9th of Av.
The answer, again, is the 9th of Av, C.
16. How long did the Second Jewish Temple stand?
A. 586 years.
B. 431 years.
C. 117 years.
The answer is A. The First and Second Jewish Temples stood on the Temple Mount for 957 years.
957 years. It was not until more than 600 years later that Muslims built the Kipat HaSela (Dome of the Rock) on top of the ruins of the First and Second Jewish Temples. It is always laughable to hear Muslims–especially Palestinian Muslims–claim that there is no Jewish history on the Temple Mount.
Maybe we can all begin to gain some insight into why the Temple Mount is the holiest place in Judaism, and why it is always near and dear to the heart of every Jew.
Well, how did you do?
By the way, did you notice the numerical coincidences?
For one, the First Jewish Temple was destroyed in 586 BCE. The Second Jewish Temple stood for 586 years.
For two, the total time that the First and Second Jewish Temples stood was 957 years. The year that the First Jewish Temple was constructed was 957 BCE.
Tomorrow, we move to modern times on the Temple Mount, picking up the history after the 1967 war.
A student from Malawi, who had worked with an Israeli health volunteer in his country battling AIDS, came up to us as we walked down the street in the UC-Davis Picnic Day Parade and wanted to carry the Israeli flag.