May it be Thy will that the Temple be speedily rebuilt in our days . . .
That plea to God, recited three times a day in Jewish prayers, expresses a yearning that makes Jerusalem's Temple Mount potentially the most volatile 35 acres on earth. Though 19 centuries have passed since Roman troops obliterated Herod's gilded Temple, the Mount remains the object of intense Jewish reverence. But for the past 13 centuries the same trapezoidal tract has also been Islam's holiest site after Mecca and Medina: its Al Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock honor the spot whence the Prophet Muhammad is said to have ascended to the seventh heaven. Christians too hold in awe this place where Jesus walked. Now a controversy has arisen over whether, and when, a new Jewish Temple should be built.
Temple reconstruction was no issue until 1967, when Israel captured the Mount and the Old City. Eager to preserve peace, Israel continues to allow Muslims to administer the site. They permit no Jew or Christian to pray openly on the holy ground, nor will they consider allowing even the simplest synagogue or church. The merest hint of rebuilding the Temple is considered an outrage by the Prophet's followers, who, in the words of an official at Al Aqsa, "will defend the Islamic holy places to the last drop of their blood."
Jewish sensitivities also hinder reconstruction. Israel's Chief Rabbis forbid Jews to set foot on the Mount lest they accidentally step on the site of the ancient Holy of Holies, where only the high priest entered, once a year. In addition, there are various views over how and when a new Temple could or should be raised. The Babylonian Talmud offers conflicting opinions, but Rashi, the great medieval sage, insisted that the Temple must descend directly from heaven when the Messiah comes. On the other hand, tradition holds that God's biblical command to build the Temple is irrevocable, and the Jerusalem Talmud says Jews may construct an intermediate edifice before the Messianic era. A 1983 newspaper poll showed that a surprising 18.3% of Israelis thought it was time to rebuild; a mere 3% wanted to wait for the Messiah.
Next week Israel's Ministry of Religious Affairs will sponsor a first ever Conference of Temple Research to discuss whether contemporary Jews are obligated to rebuild. However, several small organizations in Jerusalem . believe the question is settled. They are zealously making preparations for the new Temple in spite of the doctrinal obstacles and the certainty of provoking Muslim fury.
These groups eschew violence but offer no explanation of what should be done about the Muslim shrines that now occupy the holy ground. They point out that animal sacrifices and other aspects of Temple worship are so ingrained in Judaism that they take up a third of the 613 biblical commandments, plus major portions of the Talmud and the daily ritual. Temple restoration is also a fixation for literal-minded Protestants, who deem a new Temple the precondition for Christ's Second Coming.