The Holy Temple in Jerusalem

Book excerpt: The Holy Temple in Jerusalem presents a magnificent review of the beauty and splendor of the Holy Temple when it stood in Jerusalem. The book provides a generous glimpse of the Temple's glory and honor, as well as an understanding of the Divine service that was performed there during the Festivals and all year round. Through these pages the reader is afforded the opportunity to walk through the Temple's hallowed precincts, while observing the service of the priests. Rabbi Yisrael Ariel was born in 1939. He was raised in Jerusalem and studied in the Yeshivat Hesder 'Kerem B'Yavneh' as well as the 'Mercaz HaRav' Yeshiva. He was among the paratroopers who liberated the Temple Mount in the 1967 Six Day War. He served as Rabbi of the Jezreel Valley Regional Council and as Rabbi of the Sdei Yaakov community. With the advent of the Yom Kippur war, he served as Rabbi of the IDF Northern Command and was later one of the prominent Rabbis of the city of Yamit. He is author of the multi-volume Hebrew publication Otzar Eretz Yisrael (A Treasury of the Land of Israel), a study on the borders of the Land of Israel according to Biblical sources. Since founding the Temple Institute more than 3 decades ago, Rabbi Yisrael Ariel has dedicated his life towards activities and programs geared towards preparation for the Holy Temple. Every aspect of his work is involved in deepening the knowledge and awareness of the centrality and importance of the Temple throughout every level of society. In this framework Rabbi Ariel serves as the head of Yeshivat Beit haBechira which focuses on every aspect of Temple-related studies. On the background of these studies, Rabbi Ariel initiated this work, which offers the reader hundreds of detailed artistic renditions created by some of Israel's finest artists.