Israel, Occult and Jerusalem's Holy Temple

Over the past 12 years I have repeatedly visited Jerusalem’s City of David, often as frequently as 5 or 6 times each year. I have extensively studied the mountain on which it is located and continue to do so. I am fascinated by the evolving nature of discovery as excavations, especially at my favorite site, the oldest on the mountain continue to reveal amazing secrets of its past.

I have come to experience, through a review of Jewish history as influenced by archaeology that my imaginative realization is increasingly complete. Notwithstanding departures from varying opinions, I find myself defending the past from distortion. Perhaps my ambition deters me, but I am compelled by a certain responsibility to push forward regardless.

Background

Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 14:15:2
...R’ Yosi haGalili said ‘when Israel entered the Red Sea, mount Moriah was already uprooted from its place with Yitchak's altar built upon it and its woodpile in place.

Israel's historical record is replete with fiendish enemies who sought the nation's destruction. Laban, the father in law of Israel’s progenitor Jacob was intent on usurping his future national heritage. On Israel’s exile in Egypt, Pharaoh and his occultist advisors were alarmed at their record population growth and the ethnic cleansing that followed is made abundantly clear. After leaving Egypt following some impressive early war victories Israel amassed on the east bank of the Jordan. The opposing sentiment of the seven Canaanite clans who had occupied Israel’s land was well established. Israel had risen and was coming back to reclaim its land, eternal cities and Jerusalem!

By the time Moses sent his select men to explore the land Israel was expecting to enter, the fortified walls surrounding ancient Jerusalem and at the Gihon Spring, its water source had already been constructed. Some of Moses men complained of massive towers, walls and giants that saw them as mere insects. Indeed having spent a few years wandering the desert, the imposing construction would have been daunting. On the scale of pyramids, the stacked one tonne boulders rose 50 meters from the valley floor, up the steep incline to meet the reinforced stone walls that surrounded the city on the summit of the ridge.

Although the seemingly impenetrable fortress at the Gihon Spring had deflated the report of the explorers, the archaeology reveals it did not protect the water, which flowed freely into the valley floor. Perhaps the fortress protected city folks while they accessed water, but it’s grand scale, specific location, offset to the south of the spring and relativity to other important artifacts on the High Ridge establish a serious intellectual and academic challenge. Why was it built?

To understand this we must briefly consider occultist opposition to Israel through the competitive progeny of Abraham’s father Terah, descendant of Noah’s son Shem. The principal occultists included Og, Laban and Balaam who through Egypt’s Pharaoh (descendant of Noah’s son Ham) and the Moabite king - Balak, cast their influence far and wide. Their astrological skills were extraordinary, Balaam was considered a prophet of the highest order, even beyond Moses.

Abraham and Sarah were fathered by Terah to different wives; Pharaoh fathered Hagar who became Abraham’s second wife; Laban Abraham’s great nephew; Og became Abraham’s right hand man, but later he or his reincarnate rebelled. Balaam, Laban’s reincarnate; and Balak descended from Moses father-in-law, but rebelled to unite Midian and Moab against Israel. Ham’s son Canaan was cursed by Noah and the seven sons of Canaan had occupied most of the land to which Israel was returning. However, if Israel had only one nemesis it was Amalek the nation God commanded them to destroy including women, children and cattle. The Zohar, Israel’s seminal mystical work attributes Balaam and Balak as the principal proponents for motivating the nation - Amalek.

Hatred of Israel was palpable among the member nations of occultist rhetoric. Inevitably Israel’s rising through their holy disposition, miraculous events and motivation to reoccupy their inherited land caused these opponents to strengthen their resolve. Israel’s most holy site, the place Shem-Melchizedek, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob connected to their future progeny was considered to be their source of power and the permanent location of Israel’s future temple in Jerusalem. It’s no wonder Israel’s nemesis co-conspirators wanted to stop them and they acted by encasing the eastern slope of Mount Moriah in a mausoleum of massive boulders.

Archaeology

The archaeology at the Gihon spans Chalcolithic through Iron age and is highly concentrated. I adapted Parker’s map below to highlight each of the layers ascending from the valley floor up the eastern face of Mount Moriah to the structures on the High Ridge.

The double grey ‘Line of the Citadel Twin Wall’ (Area 2) on the map above can be seen in point of view from the photo (below) where Eli Shukron is standing at around 20 meters above the valley floor. Behind him (right of image) is the Gihon Spring House. The distant light in the far background emanates a further 30 meters from the top of the High Ridge. On the left and right (north) remnants of the wall scattered over the bedrock, up to the High Ridge and down to the valley floor, where its foundations remain intact.

 

Dating significant constructions, the map distinguishes between area 1 and 2 that roughly divide in half. Area 1 is arguably the oldest location on the mountain, the rudimentary Cave Room marked ‘K’ dates to the Early Bronze Age perhaps as old as 5000 years. The deep cut tunnel marked ‘E’ descends into the bedrock below ground ‘Levels’ as marked on the map, it can be attributed to a similar time and may have originated as part of the artesian aquifer on mountain. The area, rooms and artifacts on the High Ridge marked ‘G’ are dated to the middle or late bronze age around 4000-3800 years. Large cut boulders in Area 1 marked “Broken Steps” that once connected the High Ridge (‘G’) to the Upper Gihon Pool below ‘P’ were purposefully destroyed as indicated by the order of their fall. Area 2 is later, more sophisticated dated to around 3700 years including construction of the Citadel Twin Wall.

Notwithstanding the theory of purposeful destruction, surprisingly some of the most sensitive artifacts on the High Ridge were well preserved. The preservation seems to have been facilitated by rock/wall fill discovered between and separating the rooms of area ‘G’ from the point the Citadel Twin Wall meets the High Ridge. This fits with the theory of division of areas 1 from 2. Further passage between the Twin Walls from the High Ridge was discovered to its north, just before the steep tunnel descent at the second ‘E’ (from top) on the map.

Given the Broken Steps and preservation of artifacts on the High Ridge, it appears there was a concerted effort to disconnect the lower levels of area 2 from the High Ridge. We cannot be certain of the time of this separation, but we can be more certain that the Twin Walls were constructed in part to conceal or divert traffic away from the previously constructed High Ridge and its artifacts.   

The High Ridge may have once been used extensively for worship, but by the time the Twin Wall abutting the surrounding city wall was constructed, city folks in the area no longer used it or its use was forbidden. If this theory is correct then no artifacts from periods later than ~3700 are unlikely to be discovered around ‘G’ on the bedrock of the High Ridge. If use and access to the High Ridge were not permitted, it would add further support the theory and evidence that the influence of Israel and its monotheistic practices were being locked out, buried and its holiest site permanently altered. Lead Archaeologist, Eli Shukron noted the packed, soft earth discovered around the rooms on the High Ridge, including ‘G’ appeared to support continued preservation at some time in the post first temple era.

The Twin Wall construction abandoned area ‘G’ on the High Ridge. Once a regularly used holy site was locked outside the city wall and the external, inaccessible south face of the Twin Wall - red line in image above. Access through the Twin Wall was contained to the middle passage. On the valley floor, the previously constructed Upper Gihon Pool could be used, but the steps that one led from the pool to the High Ridge had been broken to disconnect people of the city and anyone who dared attempt the climb.

Conclusion

This important site on the east face of Mount Moriah contains artifacts for holy Jewish Temple worship, but the only temple ever referred at this site and in this time, could be the Beit El (House of God) that Jacob once dedicated to fulfill his covenant. We must struggle with the prospect that the first temple of Solomon and the second of Zerubbabel, Ezra and Nehemiah were built in a different location on the mountain.

Right of return and the curse of the aberrant covenant

Separation barrier dividing Israel

“...and your descendants shall inherit the gates of their enemies”. The meaning of this verse from Gen. 22:16-18 remained cryptic to me until I stumbled across a shocking explanation that unlocked the mystery. First; this promise was made to Abraham for overcoming his natural instinct to fulfill the will of God and offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice. Second; prior context is important because the binding of Isaac and offering is introduced by the statement  “...and it was after these events”. What events?

The events refer to the inter-tribal pact Abraham made with Abi Melech (Father King) in Aza (modern Gaza) allowing Abi Melech’s living descendants to stay in the land, importantly  Gaza, Hebron and Shalem (Jerusalem). Immediately after offering Isaac, Sarah died and Abraham returned to Hebron to bury his wife. Notwithstanding Abraham’s  inheritance of the land through his direct descendant Shem or Malchi Tzedek (King of Justice), he upheld the pact. He negotiated with Abi Melech’s relative Ephron, King of the Hittites to buy the grave-cave plot in Hebron known as Machpelah. Later, after Isaac’s water wells were destroyed by Abi Melech’s shepherds, for a renewed promise of peace Isaac extended Abraham's pact to include the living and future descendants of Abi Melech.

Fast forward 400 years to the time Israel returned from Egypt. Then, a tumultuous 300 years followed when Israel was mostly preoccupied settling their land. It is known as the time of Israel’s appointed judges, one of whom was Samson. Most people know the famous story of Samson and his Philistine wife Delilah, in which she convinced him to reveal his hair as the secret source of his strength. When he was sleeping she cut it, which led to imprisonment and death during his redemptive act, the destruction of the idolatrous Philistine temple of Dagon in Gaza.

In one other lesser known story that occurred immediately before Samson met Delilah, he ripped out the heavy doors held between the stone gates of the Philistine city and marched them on his shoulders to the mountain opposite Hebron, a distance of 60 Kilometers. We are not told much more about this episode, so it puzzled me for some time as I paged through various books looking for clues. We can suppose that the mountain opposite Hebron was Kiryat Arba or Alonei Mamre the original dwelling place of Abraham. So, what was Samson trying to demonstrate by his obvious and purposeful actions?     

We know Samson was a nazarite from birth, totally committed to God and the appointed leader of the rear guard tribe Dan. We also know that Dan was the last tribe to settle its allotted land, but that due to Philistine resistance, reinforced by the earlier covenants with Abraham and Isaac they were unable to conquer it. Similar resistance was met in Hebron and Jerusalem, which Israel’s tribes were also unable to conquer. Further, the other tribes, who had previously joined the collective struggle of re-occupation abandoned their effort to support the last tribe Dan. This forced the burgeoning tribe to look for land and in their transient state their leaders restlessly sought solutions ultimately part re-locating in Laish, near today’s Golan Heights.

The recurring theme through the stories of Samson are of strength and resistance almost tangential is his role as highest judge of the tribes. Carrying the gate of Gaza representing the region allotted to tribe Dan, Samson was crying out in desperation that his tribe and his nation confront the effect of the aberrant covenant of Abraham and Isaac by defeating their Philistine enemy. In protest he marched the door of Gaza to the home of Abraham, reminding the nation that they had not yet fulfilled their obligation to settle the entire land, Samson was protesting Israel’s continuing and erroneous regard for the aberrant covenant.    

“...and it was after these events”  Abraham demonstrated his faith by offering Isaac “...and your descendants shall inherit the gates of their enemies”, but not in Samson’s time! Dejected he leaked his secret to Delilah, destroyed the temple of Dagon where he died.  Approximately 300 years later David first ruled as King of Judaea in Hebron before he infiltrated the walled city of Jerusalem and obtained influence over Abi Melech’s descendant, the incumbent Jeubusite King, Araunah. Progressively King David increased his dominance eventually uniting Israels disparate tribes, however he too was distracted, unable to rectify the allotment of tribe Dan by conquering Gaza.  

Almost 3000 years have passed since Israel relinquished the opportunity to fully realize the benefits of their entire land. In 2005 the order by Arik Sharon to dismantle Gush Katif and the towns built around Gaza by Jewish families was the last real opportunity to overcome the curse of the aberrant covenants that continues to prevent Israel from its rightful return to Gaza, Hebron and parts of Jerusalem. Perhaps Israel will once again merit a leader that is capable to finally rectify the past and strong enough to resist foreign diplomatic offers of security for fragile short term peace. Inevitably we must look forward to a generation that will be united in its demand for full restoration of the Israel’s inheritance to restore the rights of all its tribes and bring order to its land. Maybe that will that be Generation 5800?

Come into My garden...

The apex of Mount of Olives cemetery pointing to Gihon Spring 

Jewish scholars related the 'neck' to the Temple location in Jerusalem. King Solomon's Song of Songs (4:4)  translated from its Hebrew origin to: "Your neck is the tower of David, built as an ornament." Rabbi Chaim Vital, a student of 15th century Rabbi, Yitzchak Luria, known as The Ari quoted this verse to explain the secret meaning of Exodus 12:40 which describes the children of Israel as they left exile; "And the dwelling of the Israelite's in Egypt was 430 years."

Rabbi Vital attributes five disciplines that distinguish God from His inconceivable state to His state in nature. Rabbi Vital explains that God's name "Elo(h)im", which connotes restraint or discipline represents His natural manifestation. Because Hebrew letters are also numbers, the value of this name equals 86. Rabbi Vital brings this together by multiplying the 5 states of restraint by 86, which equals 430. Moreover, 86, God's constricted state numerically equates with the Hebrew word - 'hateva' meaning "The Natural."  

A few lines after Song of Songs relates the tower of David to 'the neck', the following line appears; "I have come into My garden, My sister, My bride". Rabbi Menachem Schneerson known as - The Rebbe, drew inspiration from this for his inaugural recital of Basi LeGani, the last work by his father-in-law before his death. A year later, The Rebbe presented his recital of the work on his acceptance and transition to the seventh and final Rebbe of Lubavitch. Basi LeGani describes the brilliance of release from exile relating its realization to the Temple in which God's name, in His ultimate 'inconceivable' state, is exclusively revealed.

The neck is the body's constricted conduit between the head and the heart. At the front it houses, vessels for speech, nourishment, blood and breath (known as Joseph), at the rear the protective spine feeds brain signals to the heart and body (known as Pharaoh). In the time it takes for a signal to pass from heart through neck to brain, Jewish mystics suggest the expression of emotion to thought to physical action is exposed to potential disruption. Overcoming this potential shortcoming is a free choice, moreover it is a choice in which one's state-of-mind is critical to the least disrupted outcome. 

In these verses, the Hebrew word used for the neck's ornament is 'talpiot', which is allegorically expressed by the sages as a contraction of two words that mean, "the heap (that was and will again be) beautiful" or "the mount (which and to which) all mouths (will) pray." The mystical interpretation of the adornment to the neck could fill many books, but I wish to focus here only on its related geo-physical implication. 

In Jerusalem's City of David there exists a 'heap' or 'mound,' the subject of much excavation over the past 30 years. Today, this heap is known as the 'tower' and it is built over Jerusalem's only perennial spring known as Gihon. Recent excavations revealed archaeological features so powerful they could literally rock the world. The findings contain bronze-age bedrock structures extensively used for sacrificial worship which were fortified and concealed to protect their sanctity. From these original structures the City of David and Jerusalem grew into the city it is today. 

At this excavation a small, single monument, a sliver of stone, remarkably (since no other like it in Israel has survived) remains standing after 3570 years. Supported in a frame of 12 stones, it marks the spot where Jacob slept on the night he was exiled, from Israel while fleeing his brother and the spot where he returned to accept his ultimate name Israel. Whilst this small stone is indeed monumental, its source (according to Midrash) was from stones of the adjacent altar ramp. This altar had been used well before Abraham offered his son Isaac, and that makes this location earth-shattering because, according to the scholarly works, yet contrary to all expectations, it would also mark the spot for Jerusalem's third and final Temple. 

Topographically, the exposed bedrock of Mount Moriah, this sacred mountain, visible in its entirety in the bronze-age, would have resembled a head and neck when viewed from the southern approach. Additionally, the location of the tower or fortress of David's citadel would approximate the ornament adorning the neck. King David re-conquered this mountain on which Jebusites, with help from Israel's enemies had built a fortified city. From their he planned the first Temple, never knowing, realizing or revealing the true location of this altar. David's son, Solomon, eventually built the Temple on the head of Mount Moriah within the approximate boundaries of today's Temple Mount where the second temple was also built. 

If we pay attention to the preponderance of evidence from the Bible's exegesis, the location of the tower of David as the neck's ornament marks "the heap (that was and will again be) beautiful" or "the mount (which and to which) all mouths pray", yet this is the site which King David denied us when determining his temple plans. Reconstructing the evidence, it is likely that, ~200 years after King David, King Hezekiah realized what David had done. He would have discovered this while diverting the water of the Gihon, extending the city walls, and he built around the tower of David to mark, protect and hide this holy site for future generations. In doing so, his grief almost killed him, miraculously he was granted another 15 years. 

The shocking archaeological revelations at this location may be a significant catalyst to change the status quo and existing states of mind just as The Rebbe rescued orthodox Judaism from its post holocaust demise. As such it presents enormous difficulties and challenges especially among religious Jews who are likely to dismiss this revelation reverting to their customary orthodox interpretations of the Temple's location. In many ways our realization of the rectified state-of-mind and its expression is the final redemption in which we all accept that knowledge constitutes a completion of our exiled state.

Mystics and scholars of the Hebrew Torah who left a trail of clues did so to promote this rectified state of exile emphasizing the holistic perspective: A world devoid of happenstance where every occurrence has its Divine purpose. Their writings stare in Israel's face, unequivocally declaring its sole and exclusive, indigenous right to the garden, the land of its people. Other than for momentary abandonment's through exile since the time of Joshua, more than 3000 years ago Jerusalem has been kept by Jews. Now Israel and its leaders must boldly pursue its inherent, often unexpected wisdom to dismiss with conviction foreign leaders who demand Israel's exiled state continues. Now is the time to finally take its rightful place as the nation by whom other nations are inspired and to complete the glorious mission to build God's House started by Jacob so many years ago.

Gedaliah who, the determined Jew?

Tzitzit (fringes) cut from clothes of tribe Dan soldiers - The Megiddo Ivory

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob re-claimed Canaanite occupied land which amplified tensions among the local tribal kings and regional powers. Ancient Canaanites were never dull, especially on the south coast, which was hotly contested by invaders from north, south and east. Egyptians and Libyans controlled the coastal trade route north through Gaza to Megiddo and inland. Along the flat plains to the northeast competition was against their Hittite families, but after 300 years returning Israelites under Joshua wrested control of most of the land. Then, some 500 years later came the Assyrians, Babylonians and Persians advancing from the north to control access into Egypt and north Africa. Alternative access along the Jordan river and Dead Sea, although important, was more hostile.

During their 250 year Egyptian sojourn, Jacob’s small family grew to a slave-community of millions living in the eastern Nile delta.  During their 40 year nomadic journey to the promised land they built a temporary sanctuary and nurtured their fledgling national identity. Their exodus vacated Egypt's Nile delta which became exposed to infiltrators. Torah, the Hebrew Bible became Israel - the nations' constitutional and cultural manifesto. By the time Moses died, he had forged Torah’s principles of law and worship into the collective national psyche, but its open framework enabled fiercely competitive intra-tribal identities to express themselves in priority to apparent national interests.

Moses tasked Joshua to conquer the promised land for the 12 tribes of Israel to settle. Joshua accomplished this by leading each tribe through successive victories over 31 regional kings, each a descendant of Canaan son of Egypt’s founder Mitzrayim, the son of Ham. Ham’s brother Shem was originally granted this land by his father Noah. Their brother Yafeth was given land north and east of Canaan in modern Iraq and Iran. The three regions belonging to Ham (Egypt), Shem (dubiously Canaan) and Yafeth (Mesopotamia) constituted the fertile crescent. The division of this valuable continental junction established the basis for significant regional rivalry.

Dan was the last tribe Joshua assisted to settle their land. It was a difficult allocation for the hotly contested (south of modern day Tel Aviv), but important Egyptian coastal trade route through Gaza, Ashkelon and Ashdod. The 64,000 eligible members of Dan constituted one family known as the Shuchamites, the descendants of Dan’s son Chushim. Dan's initial land allocation required them to expand south into areas occupied by the Philistines (descendants of Mitzrayim’s grandson). However, a previous tribal pact entered by Abraham and Isaac provided Philistine immunity in Gaza and for their Hittite and Jebusite cousins in Hevron and Jerusalem. Toward the end of the period of Israel’s Judges (a few hundred years after Joshua), Samson - a judge from the tribe of Dan married a Philistine woman Delilah, which changed the course of history at the time.

Garment of captured Shasu 
presented to foreign king

Absent a new ruler or king there was little cohesiveness among the incongruous tribes of Israel. Dissatisfied and left to fend for themselves, the seniors of tribe Dan snaked a path north through Israel's tribal territories in search of easy to conquer land in the north. During the same period Pharaoh Merenptah was pushing north through Israeli tribal land to attack the northernmost Hittites at the Battle of Kadesh. Tribal Dan, known to the Egyptians as the Shasu, conquered Laish in Israel’s north and settled the area between the Golan Heights and Damascus. Dan's territory was split between the south west (Gaza) and north east (Golan) of Israel. Dan, the disgruntled rear guard of Israel were exposed to continuous conflict, contact and trade with Israel's foreign invaders and neighbors. Their victories over local kings and dominance over trade routes heightened competition with other, tribes and nations, which led to regional tensions between Egypt and their burgeoning northern Hittite and Assyrian foes. The Hittites and Assyrians, predecessors of the Babylonians and Greeks, descended from Yafeth and shared a common Cuneiform language.

Around a hundred years later King David consolidated Israel’s disparate tribes briefly establishing a united kingdom and paving the way for his son King Solomon to finally realize the dream of Israel at peace with a permanent temple in Jerusalem. However, peace between the tribes endured only Solomon’s reign. Immediately thereafter the northern tribes under Solomon's exiled treasurer Yerovam split from those in the south under Solomon's son Rechavam. Dan's divided territory and presence straddled the split nation. Around 300 years later this division led to prophecies of Yeshayahu (Isaiah) and Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) who predicted the destruction of Jerusalem by the Assyrians and its ultimate destruction by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar.

Under the Babylonians Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah, a righteous Jew to rule in Jerusalem as his proxy. However, at Jewish New Year festivities he was murdered by fellow Jew - Ishmael ben Nethaniah who had prearranged the attack and following massacre of Gedaliah's supporters. The remaining Jews who had not already been exiled to Babylon were killed or fled to Egypt. Orthodox Jews observe the fast of Gedaliah immediately after Rosh HaShana in the 10 days of repentance preceding Yom Kippur, perhaps to recall some or all of Israel's sordid, competitive, self effacing history.

Peace does not come easy, not for a lack of trying, but the unification King David had tried so hard to realize in the middle of Israel's history was not to be. Now at the end of that history Jews the world over have found new and creative ways to consolidate their disparate views. As communications  compress the world and apparent circumstances force people to accept the essential ingredients that unify, forge and strengthen national identity Israel is empowered.

One Rock!

A quick lesson in topography for those who are not familiar. The map of two mountains flattens at their respective summits, one colored green the other blue. The concentric lines surrounding each represents the slope from summit to valley below. This image captures the undulating hills, each with a summit, slope and valley, huddled in Jerusalem’s holy basin.

 Ancient Jerusalem's Holy Basin

The mountain subject of this essay is Mount Moriah, the Eastern Hill, with summit colored green, valley boundary in red - it is a single rock, a monolith! On the summit stands the Dome of the Rock, an Islamic shrine to Caliph Omar who conquered Jerusalem in 637 CE.

To its south, Al Aqsa Mosque, further south the Ophel followed by City of David and to its east, the perennial Gihon Spring.

According to Jewish tradition Mount Moriah is the foundation stone of the entire world, yet this tradition was reduced through history and to this day, most people believe the foundation stone to be a rock on the summit somewhere under the Dome of the Rock. This location was designated as the place the Holy of Holies once stood during the period of the first and second temples of Jerusalem. The rectangular area around the summit of Mount Moriah are the remains of the Temple Mount constructed by King Herod toward the end of the second temple era.

I have no doubt King David once built an altar on the summit of Mount Moriah (in the green zone) in accordance with Jewish tradition and no doubt the Holy of Holies of the first and second temples were built on that approximate location within the bounds of the Temple Mount. However, I deeply question whether the King did so to conceal the true location until its rightful time. You see according to Jewish law, then and now, the Holy of Holies obtains its location from the holy altar. For the temple to be a permanent fixture the altar must be located on the place Abraham offered his son Isaac as a sacrifice, the place to which his son Jacob returned and made a covenant to build the House of God.

The tradition of this rock can be traced back to many texts, but one in particular, the story of Jacob recalls Pirkei deRabbi Eliezer (chapter 35); ‘Now Jacob, on his journey from the house of his father, re-experiences that awe, a déjà vu of his father’s binding. Arrested upon his journey by a sudden sunset, he experiences a primal fear, "How awesome is this place!" (Genesis 28:17). While sleeping the vision of a ‘ladder’ is intended to be a palliative for that fear, a vision of the foundation of the temple, Beit Elokim (House of God), in that place. There Jacob sets up a monument of twelve-stones-fused-into-one to mark the spot.

Matzevah or monument of Jacob's covenant

According to Pirkei deRabbi Eliezer, what did God do? He stretched out His right foot [symbolic of eternity] and sank the stone deep into the earth, as one sets a keystone into an arch. Accordingly, the stone is called, even hashtya, the Foundation Stone, and there is the navel of the world and from there the whole Earth was stretched out [in the Act of Creation], and, upon that stone the temple of God stands.’

The unique stone in the image above is more than 3500 years old and was re-discovered in 2009. Somehow it is stable, sunken into the bedrock and surrounded by small boulders facing east on a high (upper) ridge, on the neck of Mount Moriah, west of the Gihon Spring. It has survived like no other artifact in the City of David. In context, as seen in the image below, it sits in one of four stone carved bedrock chambers exclusively dedicated for holy worship. They contain a grain press an oil press, features for processing small animals and an altar.

Upper Ridge West of the Gihon Spring

Archaeologist Eli Shukron of the Israel Antiquities Authority discovered the stone, known as a matzevah. He recorded it was surrounded by soft, tightly packed earth, it and the entire upper ridge had been purposefully buried (based on other artifacts found in the layers above) by one of the last kings of Judah. Ongoing excavations at the site continue to yield first and second temple items, but soon for the first time in more than 2500 years, the area highlighted in green between the bedrock and this worship complex will be excavated and may inform us of its holy purpose.

Mount Moriah is associated with “HaMakom” meaning “The Place”, but where exactly on the mountain is the place? Where did Jacob locate his matzevah and dream of the ladder that extended to heaven on which angels were climbing up and down. According to tradition it is the head or summit, but according to more mystical sources the place is and will always be the neck. In time we will find out more, but for now the search continues to discover the special purpose of this holy place.

Once We Were Kings!

This article presents an edited explanation based on the teachings of the Vilna Gaon (Rabbi Eliyahu ben Shlomo Zalman) commenting on The Zohar by Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai. The commentary is drawn from the Book Sod Ha'chashmal and focuses on an "end of days" prophecy from the Book of Daniel.

The Prophecy of Daniel 8:22

The prophecy in Daniel 8:22 states:

"One was broken and four came instead."

This is interpreted to mean:

• Four kingdoms will arise from a single nation, but they will lack its original power.
• When these kingdoms reach their end and the "measure of transgressions" is fulfilled, a king will arise with the following characteristics:
  • Impudent and skilled in intrigue.
  • Possessing great strength, but not through his own power.
  • Extraordinarily destructive, prospering in his actions.
  • Destroying the mighty and the holy people.
  • Using cunning and deceit successfully.
  • Making grand plans and destroying many unexpectedly.
  • Rising against the "chief of chiefs" but ultimately being broken "not by human hands."

The Zohar and the 44 Kings of Edom

According to The Zohar, there will be 44 kings of Edom, with the 45th king not arising. In Hebrew numerology (gematria), the number 45 corresponds to geula (redemption). The Zohar provides specific signs about the 44th king of Edom, noting his three inherent lineages:

• Eisav (Esau): Jacob's son.
• Yishmael: Abraham's first son with Hagar, Pharaoh's daughter.
• Ham: Noah's son.

Some interpret this as a possible allusion to President Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States, elected in 2008.

Why Edom is America

The traditional view identifies Edom with Rome, but this interpretation argues that Edom is America. The reasoning includes:

• Nations using the eagle on their flags or coat of arms are considered descendants of Esau and part of Edom.
• The United States is seen as the last great Edomic nation.

The Vilna Gaon, commenting on The Zohar, connects this to Daniel 12:12:

"The signs of Moshiach (Messiah) will be seen in the 1290th year; lucky is the one who lives and sees the year 1335."

The difference between 1290 and 1335 is 45, hinting at geula (redemption).

Yishmael's Time in the Holy Land

The Zohar recounts a dialogue between Yishmael and Hashem (G-d):

• When Yishmael died, his soul demanded that his descendants live in the Holy Land (Israel), claiming his status as Abraham's son.
• Hashem granted this request due to Yishmael's brit (covenant through circumcision), but because his circumcision was imperfect (lacking priya, the separation of the foreskin's inner and outer layers), his descendants' time in Israel would be limited.
• Hashem promised Yishmael 100 years for each of his 13 years (the age at which he was circumcised), totaling 1300 years.
• Ten years before this period ends, a sign would indicate the nearing end of Yishmael's time in Israel and the beginning of the Jews' unlimited time in their land.

Key Events and Offers

According to The Zohar, significant events align with this timeline:

• The Islamic conquest of Spain (considered part of Edom, the westernmost conquest of Europe) occurred in 711 CE. Adding 1290 years brings us to 2001, marked by the destruction of the Twin Towers in Edom's capital city (New York) before Rosh Hashanah.
• The Arabic Spring began in 2011, ten years later, signaling the decline of Yishmael's mazal (fortune) until their complete withdrawal from Israel's borders.

The Zohar describes:

"Yishmael will take a fiery sword and cut down two towers in the capital city of Edom right before Rosh Hashanah."

This is interpreted as the 9/11 attacks, followed by global conflict and suffering for Jews and Israel, with Yishmael's eventual fall.

The Reubenites and the Taliban

The Zohar states:

"When vav arouses toward heh, supernal wonders will arise in the world, and the Reubenites will instigate wars throughout the world."

The Reubenites are identified as Bnei Reuven (Children of Reuben) or Bani Rabbani, associated with the Taliban, who are influenced by Islam but retain some Jewish practices. They are seen as instigating global conflicts.

The Plague of Hail and Israel's Neighbors

The Vilna Gaon connects the prophecy to the Passover Haggadah, which describes the ten plagues, including hail. The midrash explains that the hailstones were not just fire within ice but slo'im (from selah, meaning a cliff).

• Some hailstones remained suspended in the air, destined to fall on Israel's enemies in the end of days.
• A grandson of Rabbi Rav Kook, Israel's first Chief Rabbi, interpreted sla'im as an acronym for Israel's neighboring countries:
  • Syria
  • Lebanon
  • A (Iraq)
  • Y (Yarden/Jordan)
  • M (Mitzrayim/Egypt)

These countries, not literal hail, are prophesied to fall. Rav Kook shared this insight seven years before the Arabic Spring (2011).

The Timeline of History

The text proposes a historical timeline centered on King David, crowned in the Hebrew year 2884 (circa 876 BCE):

• Adam: The beginning of history.
• David: The midpoint of history.
• Moshiach (Messiah): The end of history.

Doubling the midpoint year (2884 × 2 = 5768, or 2008 CE) marks the "end of history." In 2008, Barack Obama, the 44th President, was elected. The prophecy suggests the 45th king will not arise, possibly indicating:

• A woman president.
• A businessman president.
• A president who accepts Israel's foreign policy dictates.
• An unforeseen event.

Conclusion

We are living in remarkable times, where the "inherent character of man is revealed" as these prophetic events unfold.

Rebuilding Jerusalem's Temple

East Face of Mount Moriah  time of  Jacob (~1550 BCE)

On its eastern slope at the lower, southern end of Mount Moriah archaeology on a ridge above Jerusalem’s Gihon Spring leads to one striking conclusion: Features confirm the Matzevah (monument) as Jacob's stone, the one he anointed (Genesis 28:22) to mark his covenant at Beit El, Jerusalem (2Kings 23:4). Therefore, it is the beacon that will ultimately identify the location of the altar for Israel’s third temple!  

It has been confirmed that temple worship features carved into the bedrock preceded King Solomon, dating back to the middle bronze age. Further, that the ‘soft’ burial, between false walls protected the upper ridge for thousands of years until its recent discovery, as confirmed by lead archaeologist Eli Shukron.

East Face upper ridge detail - end of Early Bronze

Elements of the city wall (image below) may have been built above the upper ridge by Jebusites and their allies while Israel was exiled in Egypt. The fortress protruding into the valley below the city wall was constructed adjacent to the Gihon Spring starting in the middle bronze age. It was most likely developed by geopolitical allies to obfuscate and prevent access to the temple complex on the upper ridge, which was cut-off by its construction - see video.

Jebusite City (looking North), fortress over Gihon Spring
and assumed city wall at the time of Joshua (~1300 BCE)
(Temple Mount shown for context)

The next image cuts the mountain (north), immediately south of the Fortress over the Gihon Spring revealing several features in the bedrock. The Upper Gihon Pool cavity, above the deeper round chamber cut passage over the bedrock and up the eastern slope. Archaeologists discovered the cavity filled with refuse from the Iron Age, but it may have been constructed during the middle bronze age as the quarry source of of the adjacent (northern) Double Wall complex and fortress.

Mount Moriah  (north slice) at upper ridge and Gihon pool, outside of city wall

As seen in the image and below, the stairway extending from the Upper Ridge rooms containing the altar and matzevah (as identified toward the end of this article) to the bedrock that once filled the upper Gihon Pool cavity was cut as it arrived (to the pool). I believe this could be associated with the Millo and is not the stepped structure identified by Eilat Mazar. This is a different stairway ~10m south of the Double Wall or Fortified Corridor section of the Fortress over the Gihon Spring (excavated by Reich and Shukron).

 Steps to Upper Ridge cut from the Upper Gihon Pool

Upper ridge as it may have once looked (~1550 BCE)

Iron age King David would not have erected a matzevah because that practice ceased with Israel’s forefathers at the end of the Middle Bronze age, time of Jacob. Additionally, the bedrock was chiseled using stone implements not iron, a sure sign of its earlier Bronze Age origin. Further, middle bronze age pottery discovered around the site confirms its date. Finally the matzevah must have been naturally formed because it is thin, precisely honed and smoothed, well beyond the technology of that time.

Four rooms on the upper ridge  (click for enlarged version)

The impressive features of the upper ridge including, oil and grain press, vessel holders, small animal pen, animal processing area, matzevah, liquids channel and platform of the original altar are definitive signatures of holy worship. Only the bones of kosher animals were discovered in the Upper Gihon Pool below.

Oil remnants exist between the stones supporting Jacob's matzevah

The upper ridge location on the neck of Mount Moriah contradicts mainstream Jewish custom that the only place for the altar of the future temple can be on the summit of the mountain. This issue can be resolved in a number of ways according to the character and stature of Jewish law and custom, but it will take time before it is accepted as a valid location by the authoritative leaders of Israel. From the most ancient sources the neck of a mountain was always the location associated with the altar, but the first and second temple altar followed the location chosen by King David based on events of his life which opposed prevailing thought and present understanding of Jewish law.

As the excavation on the upper ridge nears completion the public will, for the first time in thousands of years be able to make decisions about this amazing discovery. Exposing this phenomenon may just be the beginning of an impressive transformation.  

I Hope Jihad Will Kill Your Apathy Before It Kills You!

A king once summoned a soothsayer to curse Israel. Sensitive to Ethereal opportunity his autospeak, absent of curse was muttered as blessing, a surprise to the king. Still he appealed to the king’s women to afflict Israel’s men via a sordid brand of sexual worship. The recollection ignores Israel’s aging leader whose Ethereal sensitivity had failed, but his most zealous defender arose to defeat the rebellion and kill the soothsayer.

I avoid suggestive images promoting decapitations, gratuitous violence and torture. I don’t need the details, the gruesome facts unjustified by insanity that promotes them. As the years roll on Islamic insurgents invent even more brutal affronts that seemingly meet the intention of their ridiculous ideologies. Still I don’t really want to see, but they just keep creeping directly into media and my social feeds. Now that I have seen so many, am I battle hardened?

Terrorism is such a genteel word considering it describes the acts of murderers, criminals and parasites who rob people of their dignity to further their spiteful cause. Polarizing world views is a well known tactic that progressively makes it ‘ok’ to terrorize for a ‘sympathetic’ cause - can that be correct? Are these images numbing my senses that they and the criminal enterprise behind them become palatable, even acceptable?

Israel’s former Justice Minister was recently asked by BBC of her activist parents - “they were terrorists weren’t they?” “No” she exclaimed they targeted their violence legitimately against the oppressive British Army, not the citizens of Britain or other countries. That BBC would stoop so low illustrates my point such a simple distinction, but the lines are blurred and distinctions already bleeding.

Where are our leaders with Ethereal sensitivity to the righteous cause? The US Supreme Court approved gay marriage declaring the institution that originated as a religious ideal altered forever. Notwithstanding a humans legal right to ‘Marriage’ equality, regardless of sexual preference lawmakers will blend distinction, insensitively eroding the once beautiful ideal of religious cultures and communities that enshrined it in their law.

A gunman shot British tourists in Tunisia. A suicide bomber blew up a mosque in Kuwait. Christians are beheaded in Syria. An angry mob tore down shelves in Tesco’s Birmingham supermarket, another looted stores in France, another burned objects in Sydney’s streets and angry mobs in London clashed with supporters. I’m no longer appalled, just desensitized, awaiting even more terrible moments that will spawn yet more horrific images as “Infidels” in civil societies are pushed aside or to breaking point.

Majorities that subject themselves to the insensitivity of dominant minority ideals and allow their representatives to succumb, signal weakness to even more violent insurgent benefactors. The psychotic condition signals support for those intent on fighting against the views of the majority. Democracies that fail to articulate cultural sensitivities and adopt representative, judicial and enforcement regimes that reflect real community ideals simply beam their collective willingness to concede to the will of opposing zealots. Jihad thrives on apathetic democracies with split personalities and valueless leaders who pursue their agendas at the expense of nationwide sensitivities for the majority. Inevitably the incongruous nature of government, administration and judiciary supports enemies of otherwise libertarian trending societies inviting them to popularize their opposing views to take command.

Your apathy ensures a Jihad will find you and when it does, it will inspire you to fight or lie down and die. Our dynamic world responds to these perceptions and in the end you will be forced to decide which form of zealotry you want for yourself and your future generations. Then, perhaps the world will see Israel’s tentative right shift for what it is and with some luck it will deal fatal blows to criminals whose public incitements prod the majority rule. Until radicals are marginalized and polarized in the civil societies in which they live and minorities respect majority sensitivities, dominance and Islamic terror win!