Photo of the Day/Israel 365

[phkrause]

 

Natasha Pnini’s breathtaking photograph of a sunset over the Land of Israel.

[phkrause]

 

Masada is an ancient fortification on top of an isolated rock at the Judean desert. It was the place of the famous siege in the Jewish Roman war.

[phkrause]

 

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This photo by Boruch Len featured the Banias Springs in the Golan Heights, one of Israel’s wonders in the north. The spring emerges at the foot of Mount Hermon and serves as a main tributary into the Jordan River.

[phkrause]

 

This vibrant photo by Boruch Len shows flower picking in the Elah Valley. This beautiful area of Israel, west of Jerusalem, is rich with history and is where David fought Goliath.

[phkrause]

 

Pomegranates in the Land of Israel by Zvi Moss, our incredible 13 year old photographer. A Jewish custom on Rosh Hashanah is to eat from a pomegranate and recite a prayer, “may our merits be as abundant as the seeds of the pomegranate.”

[phkrause]

 

A young Israeli boy gives Shofar blowing a shot. The colorful painted wall reads “Shanah Tovah!” (“A Good New Year!”)

[phkrause]

 

Young Israeli soldiers dip apples in honey with prayers for a “sweet” and peaceful Jewish New Year.

[phkrause]

 

Rosh Pina, a beautiful village nestled in the Galilee mountains. Doorway of Love (although you probably won't print this part- see the hearts?)

[phkrause]

 

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This photo show tens of thousands of Jews on Sukkot particpating in the Bircat Kohanim - the Priestly blessings that are said daily in Israel.

[phkrause]

 

Dancing with the Torah in the Aish HaTorah Buiding in Jerusalem.

[phkrause]

 

This lovely photo by Noam Chen reminds us to pray for the peace of Jerusaelm.

[phkrause]

 

The mountains of Ein Gedi by Yehoshua Halevi. Amongst the rocks and caverns, flowing water can be found, and if you’re lucky, you may spot ibexes and other animals coming to the rivers to drink.

[phkrause]

 

Rebecca Kowalsky’s photo of the remains of the Southern Wall by the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Dating back to the Second Temple, this section of the wall was first discovered in the late 19th century, with ongoing excavations to this day.

[phkrause]

 

A beautiful picture by Noam Chen of the Jerusalem neighborhood of Yemin Moshe with it's famous windmill on the right.

[phkrause]

 

During last year’s massive snowstorm in Jerusalem, United Hatzalah volunteers went above and beyond the call of duty to help those trapped or injured in their homes and on the roads.

[debbym]

On 12/10/2016 at 0:38 PM, phkrause said:

 

Grace and Rick Knelsen’s photo of the pure gold Menorah, designed to meet all biblical requirements for the future Temple! It sits in the Old City of Jerusalem, overlooking the Western Wall.

if the temple were rebuilt, is there an expectation they would resume also the sacrifices? 

[phkrause]

2 minutes ago, debbym said:

if the temple were rebuilt, is there an expectation they would resume also the sacrifices? 

Yes, unfortunately they do!

[debbym]

 

from  http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=66

 

"The current raging debate within Judaism is exactly who has the authority to begin the rebuilding process of the Temple itself? Is it God, the Messiah or someone else? Nobody really knows and there is no consensus on this absolutely vital issue within Judaism.

 

Without resolution of who has the authority to rebuild there can be no Temple, and these are the reasons why.

 

The question of who has the authority to begin the rebuilding process exists because nobody today really knows exactly where the Holy of Holies from the Second Temple was located on the Temple Mount. This is the reason why Jews are forbidden from entering the precise area where the second Temple was built, lest they inadvertently stand on the sacred and consecrated area which housed the Holy of Holies. To do so, even inadvertently, is punishable by death under Mosaic Law.

 

The second major stumbling block is that all Jews are currently ritually impure, which also prevents any Jews from entering the precise area where the Temple used to stand. In order to become ritually pure Jews would need the ashes of a Red Heifer, administered by a priest who could trace his family and ancestral lineage back far enough to validate his claim to priesthood. No such priest exists who can trace his lineage to this exacting standard. The reason is that when Israel and Judah were dispersed to the four corners of the world, all lineage records were lost.

 

This therefore means that under Mosaic Law there are no priests eligible to administer the ashes of a Red Heifer and therefore able to make Jews ritually pure enough to enter the Temple complex area. It is a terrible Catch-22 situation.

 

The next major problem concerns the Altar of the Temple itself, specifically the location of the Altar. The Law of Moses is very precise about exactly where the Altar must be located. It cannot go just anywhere; it needs to be in exactly the right place. When they built the Second Temple the Jews used reliable witnesses who could testify to the correct spot. In fact, the prophets Haggai, Zephaniah and Malachi are believed within Judaism to have been the three witnesses used to verify the Altars correct location.

 

No such witnesses exist today. Even if a Temple could be built, they could never offer sacrifice as they simply do not know where to locate the Altar. They have absolutely no idea where it should go; no idea whatsoever.

Assuming that they were able to rebuild the Temple in exactly the right spot and then locate the Altar allowing for sacrifice, also in exactly the right spot, the Temple would still need Priests whose genealogy can be absolutely determined and verified. No such verification exists anymore. It would be a Temple with no priests.

 

The next major issue is the High Priest. There can be no functioning Temple without a functioning High Priest. To appoint a High Priest there needs to be a Sanhedrin, 70 - 71 ordained Rabbis acting as the Supreme Council of all Israel. There can currently be no Sanhedrin that satisfies Mosaic Law because each Rabbi must satisfy Mosaic Ordination, which was transmitted from Rabbi to Rabbi since the time of Moses. Mosaic Ordination ceased in 358 AD because of persecution. 

 

Although a re-established Sanhedrin was set up in 2004 it still lacks the religious and governmental authority needed to take the process forward. There can be no legitimate Sanhedrin and therefore no legitimate High Priest.

 

[Note: the priesthood was a familial thing, i.e. you were born into it; not ordained to it. All the priests were Levites; of the Tribe (family) of Levi.  This problem of identifying legitimate priests is now being simplified through the use of DNA]

 

These problems would seem insurmountable. There is no human solution to them.  On the face of things then, there can be no Temple.

Read more at http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=66#qlDVKokdA9Q0KFVZ.99

 

[phkrause]

 

Uri Baruch’s captured this colorful scene of a ceramic stall at the Bezalel Street Fair, a wonderful art festival on Friday’s in Jerusalem.

[phkrause]

 

The GuterGang children from Oak Park, Michigan made a huge Snow Menorah!!

[phkrause]

 

This image, by Igor Farberov, shows a beautiful sunset in Israel, marking a moment of sanctity and inspiration.

[phkrause]

 

Sultan’s Pool, a huge reservoir actually built by Herod the Great, can be found in the Valley of Hinnom, or Gei Ben Hinnom in Hebrew. The prophet Jeremiah (7:31; 32:35) tells us how people sacrificed their children there to idolatrous worship.

[phkrause]

 

This stunning photo shows snow in front of the Western Wall.