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The Temple

There were actually two historical temples, both built on the same site in Jerusalem at different times in history. King Solomon built the First Temple around 950 BCE. For the Jews, it was a holy place. It contained a central room known as the Holy of Holies that housed the sacred Ark of the Covenant; this room was visited only by the high priest and only on one day a year—Yom Kippur (see “Jewish Priests”). Jews came to pray in the temple, and the priests offered animal sacrifices to God (the temple was the only place where this was supposed to be done).

The First Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians under King Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BCE, and the Jews were exiled. Temple worship did not resume until after the Persians defeated the Babylonians later in the sixth century BCE.

With the return of the Jewish exiles to Jerusalem, the temple was eventually restored around 516 BCE. The battle in which the Maccabees were victorious over Antiochus Epiphanes (circa 165 BCE) is commemorated by Hanukkah (see “Hanukkah—Is It Really the ‘Jewish Christmas’?”).

King Herod built the Second Temple on a grand scale around 30 BCE. According to the historian Flavius Josephus, who lived and wrote during this time, the temple appeared from the distance “like a mountain covered with snow; for any part not covered with gold was dazzling white.”

The Second Temple was also destroyed, this time by the Romans in 70 CE under General Titus.

With the destruction of the First and Second Temples, the Jewish priesthood ended, as did the offering of animal sacrifices. The destruction also brought an end to the Jewish nation and a centuries-old way of life.

Although the Jewish people made numerous attempts to regain the Temple site, they were not permitted access to the devastated city for decades. Eventually, they migrated back to Jerusalem, where they dreamed and waited for the coming of the Messiah and the rebuilding of the holy city.

The ancient temple’s Western Wall is one remnant of the temple that still stands. This wall is not actually part of the temple itself, but is a part of a retaining wall that surrounded the Temple Mount. As a symbol of the temple, however, it remains the most sacred site for Jewish people in Israel.

I have been privileged to stand at the wall and pray along with visitors from around the world. Being in Jerusalem felt very special, but standing at the Western Wall helped me feel closer to God.

Many Jews observe the holiday Tisha B’Av, also called the Day of Lamentation (see “Other Religious Events”). This holiday follows a three-week mourning period, which commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Temples. It is a day to fast and to mourn the loss of the temples as well as what they signified in Jewish history.