The Temple Mount: Have We Reached Our Destination?

The hill in which are buried the ruins of the Holy Temples is fundamental to the Jewish faith, even though the word “Jerusalem” is not explicitly mentioned in the Torah. Jerusalem is not mentioned in the Bible until the rule of King David, who through the prophet Nathan located the hilltop where King Solomon would build the First Temple.

It was obvious to Talmudic commentators that the Holy Temple would be built on the same hilltop where they stated that Adam and Eve were created and where Abraham sacrificed Isaac.

However, their conclusions are based on interpretation and midrashim and not on the plain text. There is no geographic reference to the Garden of Eden, and Avraham took Isaac to “one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” (Genesis 22:2)

Rabbis delved into semantic exercises to prove that the mountain was “Moriah” and that was what the Torah referred to in this week’s parshat Re’eh that instructs Jews to sacrifice where “God will choose”.

For example, God is recorded in Genesis 22:12 as telling Abraham, after he was spared from sacrificing his son Isaac, “Now I know that you FEAR God and have not withheld your son, your only one, from Me.” The word Moriah in Hebrew can be derived from “fear”, which is characteristic of the place where God is worshipped.

Similarly, “Moriah” can be derived from the Hebrew word for “see”,  as in Genesis 22:14: “And Abraham named that place, The Lord will see, as it is said to this day: On the mountain, the Lord will be seen.”

Jerusalem as the designated place for the Holy Temples is a foundation of Judaism, and it is easy to understand why Talmudic rabbis and later commentators concluded that the vague references were in fact pointing to Jerusalem. They lived during and shortly after the destruction of the Second Temple. The People of Israel were shattered and their faith demanded belief that they would return to Jerusalem in the future to worship God.

In the 11^th century, Maimonides (Rambam) explained in the Guide for the Perplexed why the Torah stated “the place where God will choose” and offered three reasons why Jerusalem is not specifically named:

1. “If the nations had known that prayer is received and offerings find favor there, each nation would have wanted to seize it, causing great struggle and bloodshed between the nations.
2. “Since the Canaanites dwelling in the land knew that in the future Israel would inherit their land and serve God and offer sacrifices in that place, they would have destroyed it to the extent that they could.
3. “The tribes would have argued with each other, each one seeking that this place be included in his portion of the land. This would have caused dissension among them…. Therefore, the Torah hid this place and simply called it ‘the place.’”

The Rambam’s third reason implies what later commentators have written: the People of Israel must be united in their desire to worship God. The significance in our days is obvious in social, religious and political terms.

Other commentators have written that no mention is made of Jerusalem because the first matter of business after crossing the Jordan River was to conquer the idol worshippers and inhabit the land.

If the Torah had named Jerusalem and exactly which hill is the place on which the Holy Temple should be built, it is likely that the People of Israel, immediately upon entering the Promised Land, would have pressed on Waze and make a beeline until the announcement “you have reached your destination”.

The result would have been catastrophic, as was the attempt of the group of Jews, who after the disastrous and negative report of the “10 spies” after returning from their 40-day visit to Canaan, decided to charge immediately and conquer the land.

They ignored Moses’ warning that “God is not with them” and fell in battle.

The slogans “We want Moshiach now”, “settle Gaza now” and “bring them home NOW” are worthy goals based on unworthy preparation, if not a lack of faith, which is earned by trying to find eternal truth.

Rabbi Nachman wrote that one should “always seek the truth”, but what happens if one finds it? That is one of the contradictions built into human nature. If we find the truth, how can we seek it?

The truth was found on Mount Sinai and was lost in the Golden Calf after 40 days. The truth was found in the Holy Temple and didn’t even last in the lifetime of King Solomon, the “wisest of all men” who nevertheless violated the conditions of his position. He had too many wives, too much gold and too many horses, all of them leading to pride and eventually idol worship and the fall of Israel.

We still pray to be at the place “God will choose”. Yes, it is Jerusalem. Yes, it is on the Temple Mount.

God did not choose it as a place to be worshipped. It is a place to worship God, and He will show it to us again when we are ready.