When God Returns Zion To Its Place!

Zohar (Beshalach 2:55b) teaches that Zion is the psycho-spiritual attribute of Foundation, the Yesod that in reality is activated by separating the inner 'periya' of the Jewish circumcision from the outer 'orla' representing Malchut, Kingdom, Jerusalem, then by folding them over, together they manifest Jewish covenantal reality. The Book of Creation, Sefer Yetzirah relates these to the covenant of holy tongue, language and its use of Hebrew's holy letters, that aspire for pure speech.

The Kedushat Levi explains that this type of "speaking" (speech) was expressed by Joseph The Righteous, Yosef Hatzadik refusal to "suckle" from impure sources (a reference to his struggle in Egypt). The letters of Josef and Zion share the same numerical value or gematria '156' both represent Yesod, the organ of Israel's covenant which Yosef guarded and maintained in purity avoiding foreign, impure influences (both physical and spiritual).

The Lesson: Rav Levi Yitzchak teaches that the mouth, that is destined to "speak to the Shechinah" (Divine Presence) must be guarded against impurity, just as Yosef guarded himself in Egypt.

By following the laws of kashrut as stated in Shemini, Jews sanctify their mouths to ensure they are worthy of connection to God, mirroring Yosef’s righteousness. Immediately prior, also, in Shemini, Nadav and Avihu died brining a foreign fire into the Holy of Holies and later, from Balak the midrash and Zohar describe how their souls were converged into Pinchas who uniquely became elevated to the Priesthood as a Kohen and who was ultimately reincarnated and became The Prophet Eliyahu Tishbi.

Every Passover Jews pour a cup of wine then walk it to their front doors where they call outside for Eliyahu's return, which is thought to be the event that precedes Messianic return (Moshiach). The same Eliyahu is welcomed at every Jewish Circumcision, The Covenant, who comes to spiritually observe the separation of periya and orla of every brit milah.

This perpetual Jewish ritual connecting covenant with speech, Zion with Joseph manifests in the future King David Messianic reality when Eliyahu returns to tell about the imminent realization of Moshiach in the world. This is the time that Zion will be fully revealed and the Shechina, representing God's presence, is restored as the prevailing and dominant feature manifest in reality.

The prophet Isaiah, Yeshayahu states; בשוב ה״ ציון" (52:8)" which literally means "God will return Zion". Commentators debate comparative translations of similar verses, but all other grammar relating to this return include prefix or suffix letters that indicate God will return. However, here God will return Zion, which we can comprehend in the lofty psycho-spiritual realm, but we must also understand it in reality. 

Zion is mentioned first in 2 Samuel 5:7–9 which says: “David captured the stronghold of Zion and renamed it City of David…Whoever would strike the Jebusites, let him go up the water channel (TZiNoR).” The site is the “stronghold of Zion” captured via the water channel.

"Stronghold of Zion" could mean adjacent (nearby) or surrounding Zion, but close in proximity. So, we are left to ponder whether David ever located the physical Zion that the stronghold protected or what may have happened to it?

When David captured the "stronghold of Zion", the Jebusite village was a settlement on the upper ridge on the lower (southern) slope of Mount Moriah immediately above, in line with the spring of En Shemesh, first mentioned in Joshua 15:7 a few hundred years prior. 

However, II_Samuel.5.9 tells us the stronghold was renamed City of David, later 1 Kings 8:1 says the City of David is Zion and much later Isaiah 52.8 says God will return Zion

King David had been anointed seven years prior to his arrival at the Stronghold, so what compelled him to come to this Mount Moriah location, conquer the stronghold and invoke the name Zion? 

As we have already discussed, the ancient psycho-spiritual-reality converging Zion and Jerusalem was already entrenched in indigenous tribal Israelite culture. The name Salem emanated at Abraham tithing Malchi-Tzedek, the High Priest of Salem and later at the binding of Isaac Abraham added the name Yireh to the same site together constituting Yireh-Salem: Jerusalem.

On Davids arrival at the mountain, his coining the word "Zion" declared it as the integral objective of his mission. But, the stronghold was a lesser substitute for a Zion that was not ready to be returned. Instead the City of David became its substitute. Once the first temple had been built Zion began to drift from its anchor and its location on Mount Moriah shifted from the original location by which Jerusalem had once obtained its name.

After the events that established Yireh-Salem Tanach reserved the definite article “HaMakom” (“The Place”) for its Moriah location, which permanently identified it as the altar of Isaac's binding -  Akedah. But, almost 1000 years later, King David made a surprise announcement: “This is the altar for the burnt-offerings of Israel”, it broke the chain and shifted Zion to the mountain summit “on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to David his father, at the place that David had appointed, on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.”

Jewish Law and Tradition establish Zion, the inner Foundation and Jerusalem, the outer Kingdom by absolute precision, fixed by Divine designation, tribal boundaries, and physical features that can be verified against text. They are in fact not only places reserved for the psycho-spiritual-realm, their convergence must also, both occupy the same place in the physical realm and when they do, "God will return Zion" to its place! 

Maimonides rules in Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Beit HaBechirah 2:1: “The altar is [to be constructed] in a very precise location, which may never be changed, as it is said: ‘This is the altar for the burnt-offerings of Israel.' This ruling ties Akedah to the incident that caused King David to build an altar at the foot of the Angel of Death that was standing on a threshing floor on the summit of Mount Moriah. Crucially, well before King David, Tanach makes it clear the site of the Akedah altar was a specific, pre-existing altar, not a threshing floor and no apparent association with Zion or Yireh-Salem. 

Walking up to the site of Akeda or the threshing floor can only ever, geo-physically, be made by approaching from the south or east in order to preserve a sense of psycho-spiritual rising up or elevation known as 'aliya-la-regel'. Some 300 years before King David, Joshua’s tribal boundaries fixed Benjamins Southeast corner on the adjacent northern border of tribe Judah. Benjamin was Joseph's brother and as such is also represented by the lower aspect of Foundation - Yesod and that is precisely where the psycho-spiritual connection between Foundation and Kingdom manifests. It is through Benjamin that the connection between David and Joseph becomes permanent.

Joshua 15:7 The boundary ascended from the Valley of Achor to Debir and turned north to Gilgal, facing the Ascent of Adummim that is south of the wadi; from there the boundary continued to the Waters of En-shemesh and ran on to En-rogel.

Joshua 15:8 (Judah’s northern border): “The boundary went up the Valley of the Son of Hinnom to the southern slope of the Jebusite city, that is Jerusalem and climbed to the crest of the mountain west of the Hinnom Valley at its northern end, at the Valley of Rephaim.”

Joshua 18:16 (Benjamin’s southern border): “The border went down to the foot of the mountain that lies before the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, which is in the Valley of Rephaim on the north; it continued down the Valley of Hinnom to the slope of the Jebusite on the south, and descended to En Rogel.”

These verses place the boundary at the southern slope of the Jebusite city (Jerusalem), the Valley of Hinnom, and En Rogel—the exact area of the Gihon Spring (also called En Shemesh) and the eastern slope of Mount Moriah.

The Gemara (*Zevachim* 53b) explicitly adopts these Joshua boundaries, albeit to explain the second temple altar design: “What is the reason that there was no base on the southeast corner of the altar? … Because it was not in the portion of land of the one who tears, i.e., the tribe of Benjamin … The part of the altar in Judah’s portion was the southeast corner of the base, and therefore there was no base on that corner.” 

On the eastern slope of Mount Moriah, directly above the Gihon Spring (En Shemesh) in the City of David, a rock-cut altar platform, carved from bedrock was discovered along with other significant features in a Stone Temple complex. These features align with the texts:

- Bedrock walls enclose the north, west, and south sides; the southeast corner is open—precisely as required by the Joshua boundaries and *Zevachim* 53b.

- It lies adjacent to the ancient TZiNoR water channel between En Shemesh and En Rogel described in 2 Samuel 5:8 and Joshua 18:16.

- Its location on the Judah-Benjamin border fulfills the tribal division codified in Joshua 15 and 18, with the southeast corner intersecting the boundary exactly as mapped in the excavations.

No other site on Mount Moriah combines these elements: the Joshua-defined border coordinates, the TZiNoR water channel, the open southeast corner, the bedrock foundation demanded by Halacha, and the pre-existing “ha-mizbeach” altar identified by Chizkuni.

When Zion and Jerusalem align in the psycho-spiritual and physical realm Joseph's higher Foundation will unite with Benjamin, then Zion will be returned and Kingdom in Jerusalem will rise again, forever!

Torah In Middle Bronze Age Archaeology

Jewish Male Circumcision At 8 Days Old

Israelite rituals that preceded the Old Testament were transcribed into it and many have been retained through the ages including by today's contemporary Orthodox Jews. For example; post wedding celebrations are held by families and friends each day for seven days, the practice was first described by Jacob's father-in-law. Or male circumcision on the eighth day after birth was instituted by Abraham for his son Isaac. Or the passage of Levite priesthood that continues to be passed from father to son in todays Jewish communities. Each of these rituals began hundreds of years before Moses transcribed the Old Testament. Ongoing practice of Biblical traditions underlie the authenticity of orthodox Judaism. 

One such glaring example relates temple worship and was recently discovered in a stone temple carved in the bedrock of Mount Moriah's eastern slope - we will call this complex Temple Zero since it precedes Jerusalem's First and Second Temple. Carbon dated evidence from the bedrock surface proves that Temple Zero was not used for worship after1535 BCE, at the time Jacobs Family emigrated from the region. The small number of artifacts discovered in Temple Zero and their periods obfuscated clues as too how the site was originally used, but its original Middle Bronze Age, bedrock bound, features strongly relate to Biblical writings, Jewish laws, customs and traditions.

View the videos captured on the recent tour of Temple Zero

The most essential and uniquely Jewish feature, is Temple Zero's western orientation, precisely defined by the altar platform (Room 1 above) and matzevah (room 4). No other Middle Bronze Age cultic structure with a western orientation exists in Israel. All other cults, of this time, faced east to pay homage to the sun. Monotheism, attributed to Abraham and the high priest of Salem, Malchi-Tzedek to whom Abraham tithed, turned against the sun.

More than six hundred years later this orientation found its way into the western facing structure and priestly practices in the Holy of Holies of the Tabernacle that Moses built, then into Jerusalem's permanent Temples. Finally synagogues of the world expressed this by facing prayer structures toward the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and priestly services turned their backs to the entrance. The cultic origins of Christianity enshrined the orientation of its priests and altars toward the rising sun in the east and in modern churches priests face toward the entrance. 

Until the temple in Jerusalem is rebuilt, the daily Orthodox ritual is to verbalize the prescribed sacrificial offerings of Jerusalem's temples. However, well before contemporary prayer was instituted, the Book of Leviticus, as evidenced by the 2000 year old burnt Leviticus scroll described sacrificial rites in detail, yet Temple Zero already facilitated many of these. Mostly these sacrificial rites are expounded in Jewish law requiring animals, wine, flour, oil and water. These laws describe that purity was retained only in stone or bedrock vessels. The construct and features of Temple Zero facilitated these rituals hundreds of years before the Leviticus text was transcribed by Moses.

The main elements of Jewish sacrifice includes oil, flour, wine and young domesticated sheep. Only unblemished animals could be sacrificed for the holy altar, this always biased selection to younger animals. Carved low in the bedrock of the room 5 (see below) that was once used to process slaughtered animals for the offering altar, we found a place to tether animals. The tether was low (~30cm) to the ground which supports its primary use for younger, smaller animals. 

Animal tether. Simulated use seen in image below

Olives would have been pressed to protect purity by flowing oil into a bedrock or a stone vessel that was not connected to a pipe or channel, typically used for vollumous production. These features are evident in the oil press (room 2) carved into the bedrock of the mountain. Once pressed oil would have been cupped out of the bedrock vessel into a stone vessel and immediately poured over refined or parched flour and offered with a sacrifice.

Pouring liquids onto corners of the altar included wine, water or blood that once flowed into a liquids channel to a pit or onto dust that was cleared daily and deposited outside the area of the temple. During slaughter blood from the animals neck was captured in a convex based stone vessel. At the base of the altar, a convex vessel would rest in its concave counterpart carved in the bedrock (see Room 1 below) in preparation for sprinkling blood of the sacrificed animal on the altar.  

The South-East (SE) corner of the foundation of the First and Second Temple altar drew on a tradition (Zevachim 53b) sourced in the biblical verse that it was in the tribal territory of Judah, the other corners were in Benjamin: “Benjamin is a wolf that tears apart; in the morning he devours the prey, and in the evening he divides the spoil” (Genesis 49:27). Now, based on Ronny Reich's declaration that the Gihon Spring was known as Ein Shemesh, the tradition conclusively followed the altar at Temple Zero. 

These rich features on the bedrock of Temple Zero support the Jewish origins of our pre-Biblical Israelite (Jacob) heritage and are uncannily aligned with the declaration in Deuteronomy 33:4 that:  

תּוֹרָ֥ה צִוָּה־לָ֖נוּ מֹשֶׁ֑ה מוֹרָשָׁ֖ה קְהִלַּ֥ת יַעֲקֹֽב׃ 

The Torah Moses charged us with is the heritage of the congregation of Jacob.

 

This Discovery Will Change The World!

Open water drain or channel

Organic fragments in drain

The next four paragraphs detail the video above

On the eastern slopes of Mount Moriah, within Ancient Jerusalem's City of David, archaeologists have uncovered a significant Middle Bronze Age water system. This system includes remnants of a reservoir and a rock-hewn channel that once fed water to two of four rooms hollowed out of bedrock. These rooms form part of an ancient rock-cut temple, situated 35 meters above the Gihon Spring.

Carbon dating of organic samples, carried out by Cambridge University and the Weizmann Institute, placed the construction and final use of the water channel between 1545 and 1535 BCE. The samples were extracted close to the plaster remains of an open drain, which ran from the elevated reservoir, along the bedrock slope into the rooms below. This system revealed that water last flowed through the channel more than 3,500 years ago, as confirmed by the landscape mapped by the Israel Antiquities Authority.

The most revealing samples, found directly beneath and just above the plastered drain, align precisely with the traditional biblical chronology of the final 30 years Jacob arrived into and lived in Canaan before relocating with his family to Egypt. The dating shows the water system was built and exclusively used during a narrow period that falls within these 30 years. Once Jacob departed, the temple complex was abandoned and became buried under falling sand and debris from the steep terrain. Subsequent occupants of the mountain built above it and it lay buried until King Uzziah's wall builders revealed it  almost 800 years later. 

Functionally, the water system was designed to cleanse blood and waste from two adjoining rooms—one used for slaughtering and processing animals, and the other for offering sacrifices on an altar made of stones. Between them lies a chamber with a standing stone, or matzevah. Given the channel’s dating, this standing stone can be confidently associated with the one Jacob erected at Beth El, after his divine encounter at Mount Moriah, when he finally received the name Israel (Genesis 35:7–15).

Count the fused stones on the front?

Compare the view from the back!

Senior archaeologist Ronny Reich, in his book Excavations in the City of David, opens with a chapter titled "A Moment in Which to Be Born." There, he notes that the spring east of the city—beneath the rock-cut temple—was never called Gihon in the Bible, but En Shemesh (Sun Spring). The spring is characterized as a seasonal gusher, intermittently surging like a pump—fitting the Hebrew word gihon, meaning “bursting forth.” However, each morning, to this day, sunlight, (shemesh in Hebrew) illuminates the entrance to the spring.

Reich used this En Shemesh identification to resolve a longstanding difficulty in interpreting a boundary passage in the Book of Joshua. That passage describes a point where the tribal borders of Judah and Benjamin converge—precisely where, by design, the altar’s raised bedrock foundation sits. This location supports Reich's identification and reinforces the site's significance.

Note the South East corner of the altar foundation

Importantly, the southeastern corner of the altars' foundation marks a location that complies not only with Reich’s En Shemesh boundary but also with traditional Jewish law. This stands in contrast to the First and Second Temple altars, which were situated further up the mountain—on today’s Temple Mount. Those higher placements do not align with either the En Shemesh boundary or the location of the ancient spring.

Furthermore, the altar’s westward orientation matches the description in Maimonides' Guide for the Perplexed (Part 3, Chapter 45 page 355), which asserts that while the ancient world worshipped facing east (toward the sun), Abraham, on Mount Moriah, turned west—toward the future Sanctuary—his back to the sun.

This altar foundation, composed of native bedrock, would have supported temporary assemblies of stones during sacrifices. This matches the description in Genesis 35:7, where Jacob names the place El-Bethel, commemorating God’s earlier revelation to him at that spot, during his flight from Esau—22 years prior—when he had the dream of the stairway to heaven and erected a matzevah.

The terminus post quem (TPQ) probability
of overlap with Jacob is more than 90%.

How then, can we reconcile this matzevah, altar and water system—dated to Jacob’s time—with the later First Temple altar built by Solomon on the summit of Mount Moriah? The answer lies in David’s repentance. According to 1 Chronicles 21:17 (and 2 Samuel 24), David, after his census error, was instructed by the prophet Gad to ascend Mount Moriah’s summit and erect an altar. David purchased the land from the Jebusite king—who had controlled the upper slopes of the mountain—and the summit eventually became the site of the Temple Mount. Unlike Jacob’s site, David’s altar was initially chosen to atone for David's specific transgression.

The newly discovered altar and its associated temple, located lower on the eastern slope—above En Shemesh—thus appear to be the original site associated with Jacob, Isaac, Abraham, and carbon dating supports even the priest-king Melchizedek. These overlapping uses of this distinct sacred site poses deep theological and historical questions.

Approximately 600 years before King David

Today, the location of the ancient temple remains at the heart of Israel’s struggles. Militant Islamic groups often depict the Temple Mount—home to the Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque—in their imagery. Tradition holds that this mountaintop is where Abraham bound Isaac. Yet, with the discovery of this rock-cut temple—complete with altar foundation, Jacob’s matzevah, and west-facing orientation—perhaps it is time to reconsider the true site for Israel’s final temple: not the summit of Mount Moriah, but its eastern slope, where ancient topography, archaeology, and scripture converge.

Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, known as The Alter Rebbe, in his seminal work Torah OR explains in his chassidic discourse "V'shavti B'sholom" on Vayeitzei that the stone Jacob set represents letters that will converge into the higher and lower names of God at a time in the future when the Knowledge of God is everywhere and spread to the extremities of the earth, then we can safely celebrate our differences, and this stone, that we have finally re-discovered will be the House of God as elaborated further by Rabbi YY Jacobsen. 

Timeline of Jacob at Jerusalem's Stone Temple

Biblical events and archaeology, on the eastern slope of Mount Moriah are complex.  Here, I constructed this dual timeline, from creation with Gregorian dating.

According to Biblical chronology Jacob's first encounter on Mount Moriah took place in 1573 BCE. Twenty two years later, in 1551 BCE, he returned with his family to Mount Moriah. Some 30 years later Jacob immigrated to Egypt, where his descendants remained for 250 years before they returned to their ancestral land.

The overlapping 10 year construction and use of the water channel (1545-1535 BCE) within the 30 year time of Jacob makes this discovery remarkable particularly because of its exciting context with the rock-cut-temple and matzevah, stone pillar found within the stone temple location. According to the Bible Jacob erected a matzevah at this location (Genesis 35:14). See video explainer.

Part One
Biblical Dating

Part Two
Archaeology

The video weaves the time bound elements of this remarkable discovery at the City of David, Jerusalem.

My Journey to Israel.

Of the roughly 100 trips I have made to Israel over the last 20 years, this one was the most challenging, physically, mentally and spiritually. The day I landed, a ceasefire had come into effect and on the following day I visited the shiva home of Eitan Dishon z’l a brave combat soldier. His mother and father could not stop thanking me enough for expanding the neighborhood of Nof Tzion where they live. Eitan had come home the weekend before, his Dad proudly showed off pictures standing proud with his son. He visited his grandparents and friends before returning to base. On the fateful day, driving the troop carrier, he popped his head through the hatch to observe broader surroundings only to be hit at the back of the head by a sniper in a nearby building. After that the IDF flattened more buildings to protect troops in vehicles like Etian’s. 

The ceasefire produced days of quiet and reflection. We had held BBQ’s in the north where it is often difficult to secure meat supplies, but Sydney resident Louis Goldstein’s son Yossi and his platoon got to eat a meal fit for a king. I filled most days with meetings, property, technology, visiting half empty offices, Jerusalem, TelAviv dealing with a busy schedule. One of my meetings was with my close friend Didi, one of my lawyers, for the past 20 years, a member of Jerusalem’s city council. His brother, an absolute lion of a man, Yossi Hershkowitz z’l had been killed in the days before I arrived. We spent time talking about his great achievements and how sorely he would be missed. 

Through the week I began to sense how traumatized people were, even the toughest people closest to me, lawyers, accountants, counsellors, politicians, business associates. Everyone was affected, but no-one knew how far reaching this would be.  

I spent some time with the legendary Dovi Meyer, he was running from pillar to post handing out tzedakah checks to families whose kids had fallen in battle, or running concerts, BBQ’s and other events. Still he and I found a few times to catch up, with the usual crew at the cigar shop in Mamilla. 

On my first Friday, just before Shabbat I made my regular trip to the City of David’s, Gihon Spring, a mikvah tucked in a crevice of a cave at the base of Mount Moriah adjacent to Silwan. The mikvah has been there since the dawn of time. Midrashim states that Adam sat in that mikvah, continuously for 130 years, after ‘the sin’ in Gan Eden. There I met my friend Moshe Weiz, a giant in Torah, Rosh Yeshiva and General in the IDF, responsible for troop movements in Yehuda and Shomron. He said something that stuck: These are great days we are living through. Immediately I understood what he was saying. How can we know anything of the reasons for a demonic massacre of our people, or of our hostages caged in tunnels, or spreading voices of denial and abounding antisemitism? Are we so blind not to see the awakening consciousness behind the common morality of the Jewish people. 

Afterall it was Bilam, the world’s greatest demon who was once compelled to pronounce: “How precious are your tents O’Jacob, your dwelling places O’Israel”.

My moments under the cold waters of that mikvah were special, they always are. 

Before I could blink it was Shabbat. At Beis Menachem, we made kiddush and sat through a very reflective fabreing. At 6AM the next morning we jumped into my CEO’s car heading south. Along the way we stopped in Netivot to catch the 7:30 AM Shacharit Minyan. Driving through the town, you could spot the missile hits that had previously damaged the odd building. Along the way we stopped at the graveyard of 2300 cars that had been destroyed by the more than 3000 terrorists, blood thirsty Gazan’s and the journalists who accompanied them. Each car tagged, many had burned to a rusty shell. Zaka volunteers had searched and carefully logged every car for clues of body parts that would identify victims. 

We stopped at Kibbutz Alumim where 60 terrorists had been eliminated by brave residents, a skeleton crew of IDF and citizen responders among whom two heroic brothers, who had rushed to the rescue only to be killed al pi’ kiddush Hashem. 17 Thai and Nepalese farm workers were slaughtered, the rest kidnapped. Of the 17, 8 were knifed to death in a safe room. The others shot and burned in their bunks. Farm equipment was torched, milking facilities destroyed, clearly an objective was to destroy the symbolisms of Israel infrastructure. For the next few hours we sat watching security system videos that were time-sync edits of the camera captures from the first terrorists entering the kibbutz and the brave battles to contain them.

As we drove past the forest of the Nova festival site a road-sign over the bridge informed us we were in “Eretz Gerar ”, the very place Philistine King Avimelech and his General Phichol had once come to demand a peace pact with Isaac after they had attacked Isaac and stopped up his wells. Why did they come to demand peace? Because Isaac had been blessed, they were defeated by his continuous success in everything he did and their moral ineptitude scared them. Perhaps, here is a lesson to be learned through Israel’s abundant modern day successes, perhaps we should terrorize them with our most successful people, in all areas of life, until they fear that God is with us. 

At Tzehilim infantry base we arranged a BBQ for a few hundred soldiers. There I was shocked to discover the degree of our resolve. Religious or secular, men and women soldiers who had been living in tents, on the ground or on foam mattresses for the past 54 days, I asked them whether they wanted to go home. Their answers reflected a consistent almost monotonous tone; “yes, but we’re not ready until we finish the job. 

The next day, a special group convened to give birth to Project “Israel Slingshot”. Fundraisers, web developers, intelligence, media buying experts and marketers all came together with one common goal; defeat online antisemitism! A few days later Amichai Chikli, Diaspora and Hasbara Minister met with us to endorse the initiative and provide initial matching support. We’re raising donations to buy media impressions, via open-web exchanges, presently reaching audiences with ads for Stand With US and other pro-Israeli messaging on sites like Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya, CNN Arabic, Sky News, etc. Imagine getting an Israel activist message that celebrates successful Jews, 3 times a day or more, everyday, wherever you are on the open web, for years to come! Every $1 raised buys 1000 impressions, with matching 2000. With the right pro-Jewish messages, over time, that will reduce ignorance, make a dent and break the cycle of social media echo chambers. 

Besides this action packed agenda, it was very special to host Malcolm and Dani Daitz on a tour of the excavation I have been very close to for the past 14 years. The place I believe everyone will one day recognize as being the stone that Jacob erected the night after his famous stairway to heaven dream. In context, that stone sits among four bedrock rooms of a stone temple, carved into the eastern slope of Mount Moriah, immediately above the Gihon Spring. 

Then the inevitable, the ceasefire was lifted and before I knew it, Shabbos was upon us, back to the Gihon spring. A very special Shabbos, Yud Tes Kislev, The holiday of redemption. Yahrzeit of the Maggid, the day the Alter Rebbe was released from prison. The Kiddush and fabreing continued until Ma’ariv, if only we could have taken some pictures of Chassidim slouching on tables filled with empty plates, bottles and l'chaim. 

The news after Shabbos wasn’t good, several soldiers fell. Sadly, along with thousands, I attended the Levya of 22 year old Sergeant First Class, Ben Zussuman from Jerusalem. The words of Ben’s mother Sarit echoed through Israel and world media - in Hebrew she said: 

“We are a people who want to live, not like our enemies, who are lowly and miserable, cowards, Nazis, who together with their accomplices sanctify death. We will live, and thrive, and build…We have to be successful. It's either us or them. Either the Nazis and their accomplices, or us.

Do you hear, people of Israel?  World, do you hear? Or do you hear, our cowardly and evil and death thirsty enemies?

The Nation of Israel lives, Am Yisroel Chai, for all of eternity, for ever and ever, standing tall, head held high, now more than ever. Be strong, believe, pursue goodness -- demand goodness, and we will win.”

Happy Hanukkah! 

Water, Water Everywhere, Will Archaeologists Drink?

The water channel behind rock-cut-rooms
was dated 600 years before King David

On the eastern slopes of Mount Moriah in the City of David, a Middle Bronze Age water system included remnants of a reservoir and a water channel that was carbon dated to 1535 BCE. No other evidence of water supply to rooms of the rock-cut-temple was found, yet despite this some archaeologists still insist that the rock-cut-temple should instead be dated to the Iron Age. 

The evolution of Mount Moriah 

Over simplification and context myopia, distorts academic understanding at this complex, ancient location. However, the video below offers a comprehensive contextual explanation. Before viewing, it's important to illustrate the passage of water as it once flowed to the rooms, more than 3500 years ago  during the Middle Bronze Age (follow the Area U/C map below). 

Room 2 (with tethered animal for slaughter) 

Room 1 (with impression of sacrificial altar on platform)

Water passage. Room 2 (center-foreground)
 Room 1 (upper right-background)

 

Area U water system leading to
 Area C rooms (1 and 2) also in next image

The video explains that the rock-cut-temple was active up until 1500 BCE (Middle Bronze), then buried, out of site until 700 BCE (Iron), exposed at that time, reburied during wall construction and finally excavated 13 years ago. From this Middle Bronze period through the early Iron Age there is an absence of evidence at this installation. 

The next video explains more about the archaeological detail relative to the context of the temple that existed 700 years before the Temple of Solomon on Mount Moriah and why King David never discovered it. 

We Found “The Altar” of Isaac's Akeda!

The verse in Vayera, Genesis 22:9 states "אֶת־הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חַ", (et-ha-mizbei-ach) "the altar", deploying the absolute noun.

וַיָּבֹ֗אוּ אֶֽל־הַמָּקוֹם֮ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אָֽמַר־ל֣וֹ הָאֱלֹהִים֒ וַיִּ֨בֶן שָׁ֤ם אַבְרָהָם֙ אֶת־הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חַ וַֽיַּעֲרֹ֖ךְ אֶת־הָעֵצִ֑ים וַֽיַּעֲקֹד֙ אֶת־יִצְחָ֣ק בְּנ֔וֹ וַיָּ֤שֶׂם אֹתוֹ֙ עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חַ מִמַּ֖עַל לָעֵצִֽים׃ 

They arrived at the place of which God had told him. Abraham built the altar there; he laid out the wood; he bound his son Isaac; he laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 

The 13th century commentator Chizkuni states:  'את המזבח', 'the altar'. The Torah wrote: 'the altar' with the prefix letter ה which meant that it was the altar that had previously served such a purpose. According to our tradition, Adam, Abel, Noah and his son, had all offered offerings to G-d on that same altar. 

Why would Abraham have to have built an altar if this verse refers to the altar by absolute noun? Every altar is established on a bedrock foundation, a plinth, which later became requirement under Jewish law. The bedrock plinth supported boulders and stones assembled on it. The plinth or foundation constituted bedrock with boulders together constituting "the altar" on which a sacrifice would be offered. So, where is this altar?

Ronny Reich the longest serving lead archaeologist at Jerusalem's CIty of David opened his recent work "Excavations in the City of David" with a chapter; "A moment in which to be born", by explaining that the spring, east of the City, was never called Gihon, as it is known today, instead the Bible called it En Shemesh (Sun Spring). I completely agree. But, the spring was also classified as a gihon meaning a perennial, intermittent gusher, resembling a pump, sometimes gushing, other times flowing, appropriately and descriptively a gihon (meaning; bursting forth or gushing in Hebrew).

Morning sun shines on En Shemesh

Ronny related En Shemesh to sun worshippers of Jeremiah 8:2 and "horses...of the sun abolished by Josiah" (2 Kings 23:11) and that "perhaps at that time the name En Shemesh (Sun Spring) was abolished" along with idolatry that adored the sun.  Well Ronny, that is entirely possible, but equally unnecessary because the morning sun still shines on that spring, to this very day and its name "En Shemesh" does not necessarily associate it with idolatry.  

Having said all this, Ronny used En Shemesh to reconcile a difficult Biblical passage describing the intersect, critical to the altar, on the northern boundary of tribe Judah with the southern boundary of Benjamin. Why is this important? Because the first and second temples did not comply with this map, but a recently discovered rock-cut-temple and its altar foundation or plinth, on the eastern slope of Mount Moriah, at the compliant location does. Could this be Akeida?

Map from Excavations in the City of David by Ronnie Reich and Eli Shukron

Looking South Kidron Valley

The Gemara (Zevachim 53b) asks: What is the reason that there was no base on the southeast corner of the altar? Rabbi Elazar says: Because it was not in the portion of land of the one who tears, i.e., the tribe of Benjamin, as he is described in the following manner: “Benjamin is a wolf that tears apart; in the morning he devours the prey, and in the evening he divides the spoil” (Genesis 49:27). As Rav Shmuel, son of Rav Yitzḥak, says: The altar would consume, i.e., occupy, one cubit of the portion of Judah. The part of the altar in Judah’s portion was the southeast corner of the base, and therefore there was no base on that corner. 

SE corner of the altar base or plinth.
Dotted line marks the boundary of Judah and Benjamin

In addition, there are numerous important Kabbalistic or mystical concepts and references to the southeast. But, here Ronny Reich conclusively resolved that the only portion of Judah's land that can possibly intersect the southeast corner of the altars' plinth was recently found at the rock-cut-temple, in the City of David and that was used at the time of the patriarchs. Further, the only water system at this site, an essential requirement for frequent temple sacrifices, was last used in 1535 BCE, during Jacob or Israel's last 30 years in the region before their immigration to Egypt. Here Chizkuni is critical because there is no prefix associated with 'the' altar King David designated further up the mountain, on the area of the Temple Mount. 

The 12th Century commentator Rashi, rendered the the altar base:

North (right), this image and the image above

Strikingly, the first and second temple altars on the Temple Mount summit of Mount Moriah did not qualify with the southeast. Four corners of those altars fell entirely in Benjamins territory. No portion of those altars touched Judah's territory as per Joshua's boundaries and Ronny Reich's map above and as stated in the Gamara. Anecdotally, given the geography of ancient Jerusalem an approach from the south or east would exclusively constitute going up to the altar.   

The fundamental and indigenous, tribal right to a permanent temple on tribal land, belonged to Benjamin. Why? Because, Benjamin did not participate in the sale of Joseph. But, it was never made clear to the leaders of tribe Benjamin whether the temple would be built on their southern or northern boundary and that opened grounds for the fiercest tribal competition. Ephraim (Joseph's son) demanded it be on their southern border with northernmost Benjamin, Judah demanded it be on their northern border adjacent to Benjamin's southernmost border. 

After Israel returned from Egypt, during the first 300 years of resettlement, a tragic plague ravaged the nation. To stop it, on Prophet Gad's advice King David repented and built 'an altar', on the summit of Mount Moriah at a location entirely inside Benjamins land, which opposed the ancestral claims of Ephraim. It was close to the border with Judah, but none of its corners fell within Judah's territory. The language difference for 'altar' used in Tanach is startling - מִזְבֵּ֔חַ (miz-bei-ach) without the ה (ha) prefix; not 'the altar', but he built 'an altar':

2 Samuel 24:18

וַיָּבֹא־גָ֥ד אֶל־דָּוִ֖ד בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֑וּא וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ל֗וֹ עֲלֵה֙ הָקֵ֤ם לַֽיהֹוָה֙ מִזְבֵּ֔חַ בְּגֹ֖רֶן (ארניה) [אֲרַ֥וְנָה] הַיְבֻסִֽי׃ 

Gad came to David the same day and said to him, “Go and set up an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 

David's altar was not described using the absolute noun because it was his personal altar, built on a threshing floor where no altar had previously existed. The preceding tragedy had coalesced the nation, all the tribes agreed with David's altar and they contributed to acquisition of the land. David's son Solomon built the First Temple on the summit of Mount Moriah, Jerusalem. 

Searching for the place of the original Akeida altar was abandoned, lost for more than 3500 years. Now that we have found it, we are compelled to build the altar, for the Third Temple, at the location of this bedrock plinth on the boundary between Judah and Benjamin that will once again intersect the original altar's South East corner.

 

Jerusalem's Temple Zero Opposes The Sun!

A brief about key Biblical events and their consistent interpretations, in Judaism, will help you to better consider the remarkable archaeological discoveries on the eastern slope of Mount Moriah, Ancient Jerusalem in the City of David. If the developing story continues it will be impossible to contain the importance of the location to the realm of special interests and tourism. 

Jerusalem's perennial water source, the Gihon Spring played a central role in ancient Jewish teachings about that unique location. After the events that diminished Adam and Eve's heightened spiritual state, it is taught Adam purified himself in the waters of the Gihon Spring for 130 years before they reunited and populated the pre-flood world. The olive branch of Noah's dove is said to come from the same mountainous area where Noah planted a vineyard. The Bible informs us that Abraham arrived to the "ancient hill" where he pitched his tent east of Beit El, west of Ai and built an altar, to which he returned. He tithed his wealth to MalchiTzedek, the high priest of Salem. It's taught that Abraham contributed "yira", meaning awe of that place, to constitute the name Yira-Salem, Jerusalem.

Unanimously teachers identify ancient Jerusalem's Mount Moriah as the place Abraham offered his son Isaac, as a sacrifice. That's where where Abraham turned to the West, that is, the site of the Sanctuary, and turned his back toward the sun contrary to common idolatrous practice. The Bible writes that Isaac's son Jacob "stumbled upon that place", he had realized it's inherent sanctity. There he erected a 'standing stone' on which he made a covenant to build 'Beit El" The House of God, the name he gave to that place. According to Biblical scholars, Jacob made his covenant in 1576 BCE.

Around 3250 years ago, 1250 BCE, Joshua restored the fledgling Jewish nation to its inherited land. 

300 years later, the Bible relates that King David reigned in Hebron for 7 years. Then, his army took control over the strategic water passage, underground in Mount Moriah. Water carriers used it daily as their route from the Gihon Spring into the upper city where the main population lived. With control over water David became King of this mountain. He established his palace and united his tribal Kingdom before his son King Solomon realized King David's dream to build Israel's first permanent temple.

Evolution of Mount Moriah

Paleolithic through the Iron Age 

Development of Mount Moriah and greater Jerusalem

Paleolithic and chalcolithic discoveries at Mount Moriah are few and concentrated around the Gihon Spring at the areas it emptied into the eastern valley. Toward the end of the Middle Bronze Age the scant populations in the eastern valley moved up the hill and the city began periods of expanded development. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob coincided with abundant Middle Bronze archaeology and Joshua with Late Bronze Age archaeology. King David coincided with the onset of the Iron Age (image of city top right).   

Iron Age terraces on
the steep easter slope

Cut through the mountain at the Gihon Spring
 and Iron Age, Israelite City Walls

In 2010 a major discovery was found under 20,000 cubic meters of rubble, half-way up the eastern slope. Buried under the Israelite City Wall lead archaeologist Eli Shukron discovered the remnants of a rock-cut temple, it surprised everyone. After several years of excavation insufficient evidence failed to establish the last used date of the temple. But, in 2018 a study by Weizmann Institute and Cambridge University conclusively resolved the 'last use' issue, by dating organic matter found under and on top of the man-made plaster layer lining a water channel that fed into one or more of the rooms.

 

North end

South end

The Temple Zero excavation (map below) illustrates the significant undertaking that produced the necessary elements for dating. The thick red wall on the northern end, W20005 is the remnant of the Israelite City Wall first built around the time of King Uzziah and Hezekiah, 2600-2700 years ago, 600-700 BCE. Originally the wall continued south, over the bedrock of the Temple Zero complex and joined remnant W20001 on the southern end.

The seeds and organic material from the water channel were located immediately adjacent to wall W17081, and Structure 17044. They were carbon dated to 1500-1600 BCE, 3500-3600 years ago indicating that the channel was last used at that time because the sample above the plaster was undisturbed until sometime in the Iron Age boulders (the red structures) secured it until its recent discovery. The carbon dated material clearly established 1500-1600 BCE as the water channels last date of use, which coincides with Biblical Jacob, the finding was contextual to other dated material, a  stunning result! 

Of thousands of artifacts discovered in the City of David only the standing stone or matzevah of Temple Zero remained complete and in situ, despite the massive Iron Age defensive wall that was built right over it the constructors preserved it in soft soil. It is the significant artifact in the temple that includes an oil press, grain press, altar for sacrifices, holding pen, animal processing, storage, water channel and all the features required of the Jewish temples that were built by and after King Solomon. 

Matzevah on Western Wall

Whether this is the standing stone Jacob, used to enter his covenant, is difficult to assess but, similar to the first and second temples, Temple Zero is oriented to oppose sun worship, which was the common practice of Bronze Age nations.

Altar platform on Western Wall

Priests performing morning services on the altar would have to have turned their backs to the sun, which would be an insult to sun-worshipers. Therefore, its unlikely the installation of this unique matzevah would have been inconsistent with the orientation of the altar and other features. 

Low tethers for young animals, below knee height.

Rituals adopted into Jewish culture emanated 1000 years before the formal establishment of the Torah Nation at Mount Sinai around 3300 years ago. The following 300+ years, before King David, the nation became more familiar with their Biblically prescribed laws, one of which prohibits the erection of a standing stone or matzevah, because of its post-Biblical association with idolatry. For Temple Zero to be Biblically compliant with Jewish law, its erection would have to precede Biblical law, when use of a matzevah was still permitted.

Another law requires that animals, offered as a sacrifice, must be older than 8 days old and unblemished. Typically this meant animals in their first year because they still retained perfect physical features. Tethers secured small animals, tied low on the bedrock walls (images above) and aided their inspection by priests prior to them being sacrificed and offered on the altar. 

The principal features of Temple Zero parallels Biblical law and Jewish ritual emphasized by dating the last use of the water channel to Jacob. The case for Temple Zero's existence and use prior to Jacob and the final form of its features, as recently discovered, invite complex questions related to Biblical events at this ancient location and whether the Jewish people and the modern nation of Israel are obligated by its emergence.