The most important event in our 90-year history
etirernent S
Mviltipiniiliam Dailar
7 nventary/ 'Must S
The Missed Wonder
Pittsburgh
later, in 2002, the Western Wall Heritage
Foundation opened up one of the most
he "New 7 Wonders of the
impressive archeological tours in the
World" have been crowned.
world — "The Tunnel Tour" — a walk
There is just one problem with below ground, next to the foundation
the list. The voters (and the voting)
stones of the Holy Temple, down the
ignored the greatest wonder of them all, streets beside the walls surrounding the
the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.
Temple Mount, past the 2,000-year-old
The Holy Temple was built 1,600
archways that used to lead the Jews in
years before the Great Wall of China and and out of the Temple grounds.
more than 3,000 years before the Taj
The most striking difference between
Mahal.
the Holy Temple and the other so-called
It was dedicated to universal
wonders is not the engineering. Unlike
peace and harmony, not the violence
Egyptian pyramids, the ruins of Petra
and death of the Roman
and most of the other "won-
"'
Coliseum. And unlike the
ders of the world': the site
abandoned ruins of Machu
of the Holy Temple is very
Pichu and Chichen Itza, the
much alive today with a use
people for which this wonder
beyond tourism and archeo-
was built are praying for its
logical inquiry.
rebuilding every day.
In fact, thousands visit
The Holy Temple was
its remaining Western Wall
built by King David to fulfill
every day as part of their
the biblical commandment,
Jewish practice — to pay
"... you shall seek out His
their respects and pray for
Shl omo
dwelling and come there"
their needs. It remains a liv-
Pere 'man
(Deuteronomy 12:5). It
ing site of Jewish belief, as
Spe cial
was completed by his son
well as an essential stop for
Comm entary
Solomon in 1000 B.C.E. and
non-Jewish travelers of the
served as the center of Jewish
world.
religious and communal life for over 400
Jews also come to mourn what was
years. When Jerusalem was conquered
lost. This year, July 24, 2007, correspond-
by the King of Babylon Nebuchadnezzar ing to the Ninth of Av in the Jewish
in 587 B.C.E., the building was
calendar, represented the 1,937th year
destroyed, but only temporarily.
since the Temple's destruction in 70
Seventy years later, the Persian ruler
C.E. by the Romans. Millions of Jews
Cyrus allowed the Jews to rebuild
fasted, recited Lamentations and wept
the Temple. It was completed in 516
for untold numbers of Jewish victims of
B.C.E. and heavily modified by Herod
religious persecution. This is an appro-
300 years later. He doubled the size of
priate time to re-kindle interest in the
the Temple Mount, literally flattening
Holy Temple.
mountaintops and filling in valleys to
The French emperor Napoleon once
achieve his goal.
passed a synagogue and heard people
Herod expanded and beautified the
crying. "What's happened?" he asked his
Holy Temple to such an extent that the
aide.
Talmud states, "Whoever has not seen
"Today is Tisha b'Av',' the aide replied,
Herod's Temple has never seen a mag-
"and the Jews are mourning the loss of
nificent building."
their Temple."
The Holy Temple stood alone and
"When did it occur?" he asked. "Over
above any other structure in the world
1,700 years ago',' his aide replied.
in stature and beauty until the Romans
Napoleon looked toward the syna-
burned it in 70 C.E. For centuries since,
gogue and said, "A people who can
the site of the Holy Temple was forbid-
mourn for over a thousand years is
den to Jews.
eternal and will surely regain what they
After Jerusalem's liberation in June
currently do not have!"
1967, the Jewish world celebrated its
A Jew's belief in the rebuilding of the
return to the Jewish People. It was
Holy Temple may be the greatest won-
then that Professor Benjamin Mazar of
der of them all.
Hebrew University started to uncover
Shlomo Perelman heads Judaism.com.
and study the site. Twenty-five years
T
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Brian, who will continue to build on the
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November 22 a 2007
A35