Judaism Primer - Torah.org

3 Weeks

"And G-d spoke to Moses saying...' They shall make Me a sanctuary, and I will dwell among them.'" (Exodus 25:8).

This commandment expressed itself throughout Jewish History in the form of a number of different structures, each designed to be a suitable dwelling place for G-d's Presence:

There was the Mishkan (Tabernacle) that Moses built in the desert. That Tabernacle was dismantled and carried by the Jews on all their journeys until they reached Shilo, in Israel proper. For a better idea of these events, please refer to the timeline.

In Shilo, a house with stone walls was built, but instead of a roof, it was covered by the same curtains that had covered the Tabernacle.

With the death of Eli HaKohen, the Tabernacle in Shilo was destroyed.

Replacing it was a more temporary Tabernacle, first in Nov, then in Givon. So that's four so far...

Givon was followed by the Temple of King Solomon. Five.

Koresh, the king of Persia allowed Ezra and Nechemia to build the Second Temple (just a few years after all the action of Purim).

Three hundred and seventeen years later, that building was torn down by the quasi-Jewish king, Herod. Herod replaced the old Temple with a magnificent building that, too, was doomed to destruction by the hands of the Romans. Seven.

There is an opinion that during the rebellion of Bar Kochba that followed the destruction of the Second Temple, a third Temple was built - only to be destroyed in turn two and a half years later. That's eight.

And then, when G-d sees fit, there will be a third Temple. Nine.

Each of these Temples were manifestations of the place in which G-d chose to dwell. They were each different in appearance and had a unique purpose. Each played a different role in preparing the Jewish people, and the world in general, for their higher calling. To completely describe the long and complex history of the Temples would be way beyond the scope of this project (even electronic books have limits!).

So I had to limit myself to one of the Temples. Why, then, was it the Second Temple - the one that Ezra and Nechemiya built? I would need no better excuse than the fact that this was the house on which Chazal (the rabbis) themselves concentrated. If the rabbis of the Talmud - who were renowned for never wasting words - dedicated one whole tractate (Midos) to a straightforward description of this particular Bayis, then there must be something there to justify our attention.

Part of the attraction comes from the fact that many of the measurements and attributes of the Second Temple reflected those of both first (Solomon's) and the third (to be built in the time of the Messaiah). Learning about the Second Temple, therefore, is not simply an historical exercise (as interesting and important as that might be) but has practical relevance to us today.

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

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