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THE WONDER OF THE WORLD THAT WAS (AND IS) MISSED.
The votes are in. The public has spoken. And, amidst all the hype and hoopla, the "New 7 Wonders of the World." have been crowned. There is just one problem with the list. The voters (and the voting) ignored the greatest wonder of them all, the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.
The Holy Temple was built 1600 years before the Great Wall of China and more than 3000 years before the Taj Mahal. It was dedicated to universal peace and harmony, not the violence and death of the Roman Coliseum. And unlike the abandoned ruins of Machu Pichu and Chichen Itza, the people for which this wonder was built are praying for its rebuilding every day.
The Holy Temple was built by King David to fulfill the Biblical commandment, "…you shall seek out His Dwelling and come there." (Deut. 12:5). It was completed by his son Solomon in 1000 BCE and served as the center of Jewish religious and communal life for over 400 years. When Jerusalem was conquered by the King of Babylon Nebuchadnezzar in 587 BCE, the building was destroyed, but only temporarily.
Seventy years later, the Persian ruler Cyrus allowed the Jews to rebuild the Temple. It was completed in 516 BCE, and heavily modified by Herod 300 years later. He doubled the size of the Temple Mount, literally flattening mountaintops and filling in valleys to achieve his goal. Herod expanded and beautified the Holy Temple to such an extent that the Talmud states, "Whoever has not seen Herod's Temple has never seen a magnificent building."
The Holy Temple itself consisted of three sections: The Entrance Hall (Ulam) where the Israelites could pray, the Sanctuary (Kodesh) that contained the altar and menorah, and the Holy of Holies (Kodesh hakoshim) that contained the Ark with the 10 commandments. The entire edifice was surrounded by a partition with store rooms called the Courtyard (Azarah). Herod’s wall encompassed the Courtyard, as well as the Jerusalem neighborhoods built next to it.
Its magnificence was confirmed by an ancient Greek Jew, Aristeas in a letter in the Apocrypha. “It was built with a lavishness and sumptuousness beyond all precedent. From the construction of the doorway and its fastenings to the door posts and the solidity of the lintel, it was obvious that no expense had been spared. The style of the curtain corresponded in very respect to the door; especially when the fabric was kept in unceasing motion by the current of wind beneath. The spectacle was highly agreeable and hard to tear oneself from."
The Holy Temple stood alone and above any other structure in the world in stature and beauty until the Romans burned it in 70 C.E. For centuries since, the site of the Holy Temple was forbidden to Jews. After its liberation in June 1967, the Jewish world celebrated its return to the Jewish People. It was then that Professor Benjamin Mazar of Hebrew University started to uncover and study the site. Twenty-five years later, in 2002, the Western Wall Heritage Foundation opened up one of the most impressive archeological tours in the world – “The Tunnel Tour,” - a walk below ground, next to the foundation stones of the Holy Temple, down the streets beside the walls surrounding the Temple Mount, past the 2000 year old archways that used to lead the Jews in and out of the Temple grounds.
As an example of the scale of construction, the underground base of the Wall contains one row of four very large, long and high stones called the “Master Course.” The largest stone in the Master Course is 44.6 feet long, 10-11 feet high, and 12-16 feet deep. It weighs in at an estimated 628 tons. The biggest stone in the Great Pyramid, by comparison, weighs only 11 tons.
These underground sites, unseen for almost 2000 years are now documented in a magnificent and informative volume, Touching the Stones of Our Heritage. It’s clear text, lavish photos, and colorful illustrations clearly depict the glory and the grandeur of the Holy Temple. Here now is the irrefutable proof not only of the existence of the Holy Temple and its use by the Jews before any other religion, but also that it was a feat of construction that was on par with any other wonder of the world, ancient or modern. This new volume is available in many Jewish bookstores and through Judaism.com.
The most striking difference between the Holy Temple and the other so-called wonders is not the engineering, It is this: Unlike Egyptian pyramids, the ruins of Petra and most of the other "wonders of the world," the site of the Holy Temple is very much alive with a use beyond tourism and archeological inquiry. Every day, thousands visitors from all over the world visit the Western Wall to pay their respects and pray for their needs a living site of Judaism.
They also come to mourn what was lost. This year, July 24th, corresponding to the Ninth of Av in the Jewish calendar, represents the 1937th year since the Temple's destruction in 70 C.E. by the Romans. Millions of Jews will fast, recite Lamentations, and weep for untold numbers of Jewish victims of religious persecution. This is an appropriate time to re-kindle interest in the Holy Temple. Shlomo Perelman, owner of Judaism.com tells the story about Napoleon, who once passed a synagogue and heard people crying.
"What's happened?" he asked his aide.
"Today is Tisha B'Av," the aide replied, "and the Jews are mourning the loss of their Temple."
"When did it occur?" he asked.
"Over 1700 years ago." his aide replied.
Napoleon looked toward the synagogue and said, "A people who can mourn for over a thousand years is eternal, and will surely regain what they currently do not have!"
The firm belief of Jews and many non-Jews alike in the rebuilding of the Holy Temple is another reason that the site deserves recognition as a wonder of the world. Given current events, it may be hard to conceive of such a thing. Yet by visiting the Western Wall in Israel, reading about its history, and listening to Jewish and even non-Jewish religious leaders, one can come to a different conclusion—that the time of the rebuilding the greatest wonder of the world is very close at hand.
The votes are in. The public has spoken. And, amidst all the hype and hoopla, the "New 7 Wonders of the World." have been crowned. There is just one problem with the list. The voters (and the voting) ignored the greatest wonder of them all, the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.
The Holy Temple was built 1600 years before the Great Wall of China and more than 3000 years before the Taj Mahal. It was dedicated to universal peace and harmony, not the violence and death of the Roman Coliseum. And unlike the abandoned ruins of Machu Pichu and Chichen Itza, the people for which this wonder was built are praying for its rebuilding every day.
The Holy Temple was built by King David to fulfill the Biblical commandment, "…you shall seek out His Dwelling and come there." (Deut. 12:5). It was completed by his son Solomon in 1000 BCE and served as the center of Jewish religious and communal life for over 400 years. When Jerusalem was conquered by the King of Babylon Nebuchadnezzar in 587 BCE, the building was destroyed, but only temporarily.
Seventy years later, the Persian ruler Cyrus allowed the Jews to rebuild the Temple. It was completed in 516 BCE, and heavily modified by Herod 300 years later. He doubled the size of the Temple Mount, literally flattening mountaintops and filling in valleys to achieve his goal. Herod expanded and beautified the Holy Temple to such an extent that the Talmud states, "Whoever has not seen Herod's Temple has never seen a magnificent building."
The Holy Temple itself consisted of three sections: The Entrance Hall (Ulam) where the Israelites could pray, the Sanctuary (Kodesh) that contained the altar and menorah, and the Holy of Holies (Kodesh hakoshim) that contained the Ark with the 10 commandments. The entire edifice was surrounded by a partition with store rooms called the Courtyard (Azarah). Herod’s wall encompassed the Courtyard, as well as the Jerusalem neighborhoods built next to it.
Its magnificence was confirmed by an ancient Greek Jew, Aristeas in a letter in the Apocrypha. “It was built with a lavishness and sumptuousness beyond all precedent. From the construction of the doorway and its fastenings to the door posts and the solidity of the lintel, it was obvious that no expense had been spared. The style of the curtain corresponded in very respect to the door; especially when the fabric was kept in unceasing motion by the current of wind beneath. The spectacle was highly agreeable and hard to tear oneself from."
The Holy Temple stood alone and above any other structure in the world in stature and beauty until the Romans burned it in 70 C.E. For centuries since, the site of the Holy Temple was forbidden to Jews. After its liberation in June 1967, the Jewish world celebrated its return to the Jewish People. It was then that Professor Benjamin Mazar of Hebrew University started to uncover and study the site. Twenty-five years later, in 2002, the Western Wall Heritage Foundation opened up one of the most impressive archeological tours in the world – “The Tunnel Tour,” - a walk below ground, next to the foundation stones of the Holy Temple, down the streets beside the walls surrounding the Temple Mount, past the 2000 year old archways that used to lead the Jews in and out of the Temple grounds.
As an example of the scale of construction, the underground base of the Wall contains one row of four very large, long and high stones called the “Master Course.” The largest stone in the Master Course is 44.6 feet long, 10-11 feet high, and 12-16 feet deep. It weighs in at an estimated 628 tons. The biggest stone in the Great Pyramid, by comparison, weighs only 11 tons.
These underground sites, unseen for almost 2000 years are now documented in a magnificent and informative volume, Touching the Stones of Our Heritage. It’s clear text, lavish photos, and colorful illustrations clearly depict the glory and the grandeur of the Holy Temple. Here now is the irrefutable proof not only of the existence of the Holy Temple and its use by the Jews before any other religion, but also that it was a feat of construction that was on par with any other wonder of the world, ancient or modern. This new volume is available in many Jewish bookstores and through Judaism.com.
The most striking difference between the Holy Temple and the other so-called wonders is not the engineering, It is this: Unlike Egyptian pyramids, the ruins of Petra and most of the other "wonders of the world," the site of the Holy Temple is very much alive with a use beyond tourism and archeological inquiry. Every day, thousands visitors from all over the world visit the Western Wall to pay their respects and pray for their needs a living site of Judaism.
They also come to mourn what was lost. This year, July 24th, corresponding to the Ninth of Av in the Jewish calendar, represents the 1937th year since the Temple's destruction in 70 C.E. by the Romans. Millions of Jews will fast, recite Lamentations, and weep for untold numbers of Jewish victims of religious persecution. This is an appropriate time to re-kindle interest in the Holy Temple. Shlomo Perelman, owner of Judaism.com tells the story about Napoleon, who once passed a synagogue and heard people crying.
"What's happened?" he asked his aide.
"Today is Tisha B'Av," the aide replied, "and the Jews are mourning the loss of their Temple."
"When did it occur?" he asked.
"Over 1700 years ago." his aide replied.
Napoleon looked toward the synagogue and said, "A people who can mourn for over a thousand years is eternal, and will surely regain what they currently do not have!"
The firm belief of Jews and many non-Jews alike in the rebuilding of the Holy Temple is another reason that the site deserves recognition as a wonder of the world. Given current events, it may be hard to conceive of such a thing. Yet by visiting the Western Wall in Israel, reading about its history, and listening to Jewish and even non-Jewish religious leaders, one can come to a different conclusion—that the time of the rebuilding the greatest wonder of the world is very close at hand.
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