The Temple Mount

Eternal Connection: The Jewish People & the Temple Mount

From: unitedwithisrael.org

By: Rachel Avraham

The Jewish connection to the Temple Mount as a sacred Jewish holy site has existed since ancient times.
The Jewish people have a historical, religious, spiritual, and national connection to the Temple Mount area dating back to antiquity. For the Jewish people, it is the holiest site on the entire planet. It was the location of the creation of Adam, the binding of Isaac, as well as both the First and Second Temples. When the Jewish Temple existed, all Jews used to visit there to perform sacrifices to G-d three times per year, as commanded by G-d. It was the sacred building that housed the Ark of the Covenant in which the Ten Commandments were stored.

Archaeological treasures found there demonstrate that a Jewish Temple used to exist on the Temple Mount. While the Islamic Waqf has attempted to destroy such evidence, Israeli archaeologists have been able to rescue some of it, such as a fragment from a Herodian style Second Temple era sculptured stone that used to stand on the Temple Mount; a Babylonian arrow head attesting to the destruction of the First Temple; and the seal of a First Temple-era priestly family. The Western Wall also still stands today, as a visual reminder that a Jewish Temple used to exist on the Temple Mount.