The Temple Mount (Har HaBayit) is the hill in Jerusalem where the Temple once stood and, according to rabbinic literature, the site of several important events. Although the Temple no longer exists, the site retains holiness in Jewish law and thought. Today, the Dome of the Rock is built on the Temple Mount, and discussion persists as to where one is allowed to enter according to Jewish law.
Notable Sources
All Sources
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The Dimensions of the Temple Mount
MISHNAH
The dimensions of the Temple and the Temple Mount are described in the Mishnah, the first codification of Jewish law from the early third-century land of Israel. Tractate Middot discusses the significance of the direction from which one entered the Temple.
Hope Amidst Desolation
TALMUD
Prophecies throughout Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) predict both the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple and their rebuilding. The Babylonian Talmud relates different reactions of the ancient rabbis visiting the Temple Mount in light of these prophecies.
Microcosm of the Universe
JEWISH THOUGHT
In rabbinic literature, the Temple is understood as a microcosm of the world. Rabbi Moses Isserles, the 16th-century rabbi and scholar known for his glosses on the legal code Shulchan Arukh, points to specific ways in which this idea manifests itself.
The Heavenly Counterpart
KABBALAH
According to kabbalistic theology, there is a site in heaven corresponding to the earthly site of the Temple. The Zohar, a foundational work of Jewish mysticism, describes what happens in this heavenly sacred space.
Reverence at the Sacred Site
MIDRASH
The book of Leviticus instructs the Israelites to “fear [God’s] sanctuary.” The Sifra, an ancient midrash on the book of Leviticus from the land of Israel, discusses how one must act to show fear.
Who May Enter Sacred Spaces?
HALAKHAH
According to Jewish law, one who is ritually impure can spread that impurity in different ways. Rambam, in his famed 12th-century code of Jewish law, Mishneh Torah, delineates who may or may not enter the Temple Mount.
Mapping the Sacred Spaces of Jerusalem
RESPONSA
According to Jewish law, the Temple Mount retains its holiness even though the Templeno longer stands. Rabbi David ben Solomon ibn Zimra – better known as Radbaz – a medieval scholar and rabbi, discusses where entry is permitted on the Temple Mount after construction of the Dome of the Rock.
Prophecy of Desolation
TANAKH
Micah, a prophet during the First Temple period, prophecies the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, in response to corrupt religious practices.
Solomon's Temple, Temple Mount and the Western Wall. Jerusalem 1843/44
Solomon's Temple, Temple Mount and the Western Wall. Jerusalem 1843/44
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