Preparation for Third Temple

Has the Ark of the Covenant been discovered?
The Holy Ark is, according to Judaism, the holiest religious object. It rested in a special room in the Temple called “The Holy of Holies” and only one person, the High Priest, saw it once each year on the most sacred Jewish holiday, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
When the Babylonians destroyed the first Temple they took many of the vessels with them to Babylonia. Yet the whereabouts of the Ark of the Covenant remained unknown. Jewish sources discuss a hiding spot where king Yoshiyahu (631-609 BCE) put the Ark in order to safeguard it from the Babylonian invasion. From that point there has been no evidence of its location and there have been many hypotheses about what befell it. There was no Ark in the second temple as it could not be found.

With the return of the Jewish People to their homeland, there has been a renewed interest in the Holy Temple, its vessels and purpose in today’s world. An institute has been established to recreate vessels and garments from the Temple. Yet the Holy Ark lays hidden, piqueing Jewish and non-Jewish interest alike. The midrash, an ancient Jewish source promises the Jewish People: “When the Jewish people are gathered in from the exiles from the four corners of the world, they will suddenly find the holy vessels of the Temple.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvRQv1DdgI4

Rare Temple-Quality Wine Anticipates Messiah Prophecy and Paves Way for Third Temple
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz January 18, 2017 , 11:30 am
“And in this mountain will Hashem of hosts make unto all peoples a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.” Isaiah 25:6 (The Israel Bible™)

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Illustrative: vineyard. (Shutterstock.com)
Last week, 30 bottles of wine were delivered to the nascent Sanhedrin, setting in place one more necessary element for the Temple service – and one which is specifically mentioned in prophecy as a precursor to the Messiah.

Grapes are one of the seven species in which Israel is especially blessed.

A land of wheat and barley, and vines and fig-trees and pomegranates; a land of olive-trees and honey. Deuteronomy 8:8

But the fruit has more biblical significance than many realize. The return of grapes to Israel, notably absent during Islamic rule, when alcohol was prohibited, is prophesied by Micah to herald the coming of the Messiah.

But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig-tree; and none shall make them afraid; for the mouth of Hashem of hosts hath spoken. Micah 4:4

Wine is also integral to the Temple service. Though it is forbidden for priests to drink wine in the Temple, a wine libation was offered in the Temple every morning as part of the daily service. A quarter hin (approximately one quart) of wine was poured on the altar.

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Organic vineyard in the Golan Heights. Normally, grapes are grown above the ground. (Wikipedia Commons)
In preparation for the Third Temple, Rabbi Hillel Weiss, spokesman for the Sanhedrin, set out to find wine that is kosher for use in the Temple. Wine has special status in Judaism, as it is required for the Sabbath, holidays like Passover, and rituals like weddings and circumcisions. The requirements for wine to be considered kosher for everyday consumption are more stringent than for any food. The process, from crushing the grapes until bottling, must be performed entirely by Sabbath-observant Jews.

The wine industry in Israel is flourishing, with hundreds of wineries producing over ten million bottles annually. But producing wine holy enough for the Temple has its own stringencies, and the vintage Rabbi Weiss sought could not be found in any store.

First, Rabbi Weiss had to find a suitable vineyard. Normally, grape vines are grown above the ground, on wires suspended between frames. Grapes for use in Temple wine must be grown directly on the ground, a method not often used nowadays.

But then Rabbi Weiss heard of a such a vineyard belonging to a pre-army high school in Yatir, south of Hebron. Moshe Hagger, the school’s principal, worked professionally in a winery before entering education and the high school keeps a vineyard for educational purposes.

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“The vineyard is organic, though this is for idealistic reasons and not due to Temple requirements,” Hagger explained to Breaking Israel News. “No machines are used when we harvest the grapes or make the wine. The students stomp the grapes

with their feet. We don’t add any other elements or chemicals in the process. Fermentation is caused by the naturally occurring yeast on the skin of the grapes.”

The modern state of Israel has led to the return of many of the Torah commandments connected with agriculture. During the shmittah (sabbatical) year, it is forbidden to work the land in any way. Some farmers rely on a loophole called Heter Mechirah, in which the land is symbolically sold to a non-Jew.

“In the shmittah year, we don’t harvest,” Hagger said. “I don’t think we should sell the land for even one moment, even if it is a symbolic sale.”

The small vineyard produced 60 bottles, 30 of which were acquired by Rabbi Weiss for the Sanhedrin. Rabbi Weiss opened one bottle and was amazed at the quality of the wine.

“I had hoped the wine would be exceptional. Not only was wine an essential part of the Temple service, but ancient Israel was known for producing the best wine,” said Rabbi Weiss.

Archeological evidence shows that wine was produced throughout ancient Israel. Ancient stone wine-presses are found all over

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Wine is tithed at the Psagot Winery. (Courtesy Psagot)
the country, proof that wine was made in Israel thousands of years before it arrived in Europe.

Last week, a special tithing observance, known as trumot u’maasrot, was held at the Psagot Winery in the Jerusalem Hills. Attended by rabbis and management of the highest kosher supervision, known as B’datz, thousands​ of​ liters of quality wine were spilled ​out. When the Temple is rebuilt, these tithes, along with other agricultural tithes, will be brought to the Temple.

Rabbi Weiss believes that the rebirth of Israel’s wine industry is a sign of Messianic times.

“The quality of Israeli wine, absent from the world for so long, is clearly proof of the relationship between the Jewish people and the land,” Rabbi Weiss told Breaking Israel News. “The pinnacle of that relationship is when the Jews bring the bounty of the land, like wine, to the Temple.
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/82239/rare-temple-quality-wine-anticipates-messiah-prophecy-paves-way-third-temple/#wYtPLI3yFLkLi1TI.99

Prepare for Third Temple With Ritual Olive Oil Produced for Holy Offerings
By Tsivya Fox January 17, 2017 , 9:30 am

“And if thou bring an oblation of a meal offering baked in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with olive oil, or unleavened wafers spread with olive oil.” Leviticus 2:4 (The Israel Bible™)

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A Kohen (priest) lights the menorah replica on the holiday of Hanukkah in the Old City of Jerusalem (Photo: The Temple Movement)
Following the celebration of Hanukkah this past month, a unique opportunity opened to the public: the purchase of the remaining olive oil from the production of the ritually pure oil carefully prepared by the nascent Sanhedrin to light the Temple Menorah.

This oil may not be used for the Temple Menorah, but it can be used for lighting Shabbat candles, Hanukkah candles or oil lamps. It is also suitable for bringing a personal “meal-offering” when the Third Holy Temple in Jerusalem is rebuilt.

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Only 700 certified and numbered tins of this unique olive oil are available to the public through Galilee Green, a leading producer and exporter of high quality extra virgin olive oil from Israel. “We are honored to have been selected by the Mikdash Educational Center to help make this unique olive oil available to the public,” told Rabbi Shmuel Veffer, owner of Galilee Green, to Breaking Israel News. “This oil was specially harvested through hand-picking of the olives that were used to make the menorah oil for the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, which we all pray will be rebuilt very soon.”

The Mikdash Educational Center is a non-profit educational and religious organization dedicated to rekindling the flame of the Mikdash in the hearts of people. Mikdash usually refers to the ancient Holy Temple in Jerusalem and is a combination of two Hebrew words, makom (place) and kodesh (holy). The Mikdash was a holy place where God’s presence resided. A portion of the proceeds for selling the holy olive oil will go towards helping the Mikdash Educational Center.

The production of the holy olive oil for the menorah required following an intricate Biblically-ordained process. Due to the need for only the choicest olives to be used and the tedious process, producing enough oil for reenacting the Temple Hanukkah menorah lightings during the eight day holiday took several years.

“A dedicated team recreated the exact process used by priests when the Temple stood 2,000 years ago,” noted Rabbi Veffer. “The process involves the pounding of the olives to extract the special oil.”

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The time-consuming process comes from the Book of Exodus.

And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually. Exodus 27:20

Following the pounding, these choice olives sit for several days, allowing time for the oil to drain out naturally. “Since pressing the olives is not permitted for this special olive oil, the yield is very low. Once the menorah oil was produced, the remaining olives were made into 700 tins of this unique oil which are now available to the public,” continued Rabbi Veffer.

Everyone involved in the oil production and distribution pray for the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s Third Holy Temple “speedily in our days.” When the Temple is rebuilt, those who already have this oil have the opportunity to be first to use it to create a sacrificial meal offering to God.

In ancient Temple days, there were both animal and grain offerings. The grain, or flour offering (often translated as “meal offering”) is referred to in the Bible as minhah (מִנְחָה), which means “gift” and is an offering of thanks. This meal offering may only consist of fine flour, olive oil, salt and incense, usually frankincense. Sacrifices were suspended with the destruction of the second Holy Temple by the Romans in 70 C.E.

Sacrifices, in Hebrew, are called korbanot (קוֹרְבָּנוֹת). The root comes from the word karov (קָרוֹב) which means “to become closer”. The idea of sacrifices is that it is a means to come closer to God and express gratitude or ask forgiveness from the Almighty.

Making Galilee Green Temple Olive Oil

The burning of olive oil in the Temple’s Menorah was considered part of a ritual offering to God. Similarly, meal offerings were brought to a Temple priest who burned a part of it on the Temple’s altar.

“With the recent shameful UN Security Council Resolution 2334 that Jews have no Biblical right to Israel and that the holiest place in the world for the Jewish people, the Temple Mount belongs to the Arabs, now more than ever we must strive to connect to the Holy Temple and Jerusalem,” said Rabbi Veffer. “Getting this special olive oil is a real way to demonstrate our love of Israel and the Bible.”

Visit here to get your certified and numbered tin of Biblical olive oil.
Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/82172/prepare-third-temple-ritual-olive-oil-produced-holy-offerings/#FiyeIqeLKfvbGZ77.99