The King's name was Herod (in Hebrew, Hurdos) and his loyalty to the Torah was not strong.... This was, after all, a man who had killed nearly all the Torah sages of his day. The institution that should have been quickest to uphold the honor of the Temple - the office of the high priests - was largely controlled by political, not religious interests. Those Torah leaders whome Herod had left alive held little power. In such circumstances, bringing due respect to His house was a feat only G-d Himself could have orchestrated.

One of the only sages left in Jerusalem was Bava ben Buta. Just to be sure there would be no trouble, Herod had ordered him blinded. Always suspicious, the king tried to trick the rabbi into speaking his true thoughts about the political situation. Visiting Bava ben Buta without revealing his identity, Herod started a conversation, expecting to hear lots of juicy and treasonous gossip. But the rabbi could not be fooled and said nothing incriminating.

"If I had known that rabbis were so careful," exclaimed the King, "I would never have killed them all!"

Herod, showing regret, asked what could be done to fill the gap caused by his past murders.

"You darkened the light of the world (by killing the Torah scholars - who show the world how to live)," answered Bava ben Buta. "Involve yourself in bringing light to the world (by rebuilding the broken-down Temple)." (Talmud Bavli, Bava Basra 4a)

Risking the anger of his Roman patrons, Herod spent the next three years and a fortune in money and supplies tearing down Ezra's Temple and then rebuilding it.

Some of the measurements of Herod's building were different from those of the second Temple. Har Habayis (the larger area enclosed by walls between forty and seventy amos high) was now roughly rectangular and quite a bit larger than the 500x500 amos that Ezra had built. Herod added a basilica to the north of the Azarah (main courtyard), and installed giant vaulted chambers underground.

Much of what we know about Herod's Temple comes from the writings of the historian Josephus. A Jew (and a kohen) who doubled for a time as a general in the Jewish army fighting the Romans, Josephus surrendered to his enemies, becoming their official historian for Jewish matters.

While Josephus' loyalty and level of Mitzva observance are questioned, there is no doubt that, next to our sages themselves, he is our most reliable eyewitness from that period. Josephus walked the streets of Jerusalem and probably served in the Temple. He knew many of the people who shaped the nation (and those who tried to destroy it). We have always taken his word seriously.

Bar Kochba's Temple

The story's like this: Some decades after the Romans' destruction of the Second Temple, a powerful and inspiring Jew named Bar Kochba led a rebellion against the Roman army. Our sages tell us that he enjoyed some success, controlling Jerusalem for two and a half years.

He was so great that Rabbi Akiva himself considered him to be Messiah. The truth was, that he might well have had the potential, but some character flaw somehow stood in his way and the revolution was corrupted. Bar Kochba himself was killed at the bloody end of the seige of the Jewish city, Betar.

There is a theory, however, that during his years in Jerusalem, Bar Kochba rebuilt the Temple. The Rashash (TB Pesachim, 74a) attributes such an opinion to a non-Jewish historian but doesn't personally give it much credibility, as no Jewish source mentions it.

The Mishna's Temple

First and foremost is the Mishna (Midos 2, 1)that tells us that the Temple Mount (Har Habayis) was 500 amos by 500 amos. Ask any archaeologist or Josephus fan and he'll tell you that Herod's Temple wasn't even a square. It was rectangular much longer from north to south than from east to west. Certainly not 500 by 500.

Next. The eastern gate of Har Habayis was called (in the mishna) Shaar Shushan (the Shushan gate). From the book of Esther you all know that Shushan was the capital of Persia. Carved into the wall over this eastern gate was a picture of the city of Shushan. This was done on the orders of King Koresh of Persia to serve as a reminder to the Jews not to rebel against Persian rule.

Persia lasted only thirty four years after the building of the Second Temple. Herod didn't get down to his work until 283 years later. He was scared stiff of the Romans. The Romans were in charge in those days. Do you think he would have pasted the Shushan skyline over the main door - right under Roman noses? Do you think they would have let him live if he'd tried?

But the greatest proof is that the author of Ezras Kohanim (one of the best works on the subject) in vol. 1, page 39a, says clearly that the mishna deals exclusively with the Temple that Ezra built, and not that of Herod. So there.

Rabbi Boruch Clinton teaches at the Ottawa Torah Institute yeshiva high school and Machon Sarah high school for girls (both in Ottawa, Canada). You may reach him with comments and questions at bclinton@torah.org.

You can now read some of Rabbi Clinton's essays on Torah life at http://www.ncf.ca/~es625/essays

You can also buy his collection of essays on the Book of Shmuel (Samuel) in printed form at www.lulu.com/marbitzmedia

Copyright © 2000 by Rabbi Boruch Clinton and Project Genesis, Inc.