World’s Largest Temple Model Inaugurated next to Temple Mount
by Yehudah Lev Kay
(IsraelNN.com) The world’s largest model of the Holy Temple was inaugurated Wednesday only a few hundred meters away from the Temple Mount, the site where the Temple existed up until 70 CE. The model, built at a scale of 1:60, was built by Michael Osanis for the Aish HaTorah Yeshiva in Jerusalem’s old city, and is displayed on the roof of its new museum, which at seven stories above the Western Wall plaza has a breathtaking view of the Temple Mount.
“We hope that seeing this model of the Temple, with the perspective of its actual location in the background, will give people a sense of the inspiration that people received when they entered the real Temple that stood here for almost 1,000 years,” said Ephraim Shore of Aish HaTorah.
The model, which was built after extensive consultation with experts, is also the first to include a hydraulic system that raises the sanctuary building at the heart of the Temple to offer a view of the contents of the Holy of Holies within, including the Menorah, the Table, the Inner Altar, and the Ark of the Covenant.
Temple Model / Israel news photo: Aish HaTorah
The Temple model sits on top of Aish HaTorah’s new Exploratorium museum, which explores how Judaism and Jewish ideas have changed the world and continue to impact humanity. The model is meant to show how these contributions “were nurtured, studied and exported to humanity from the center of our spiritual world, in the Temple,” according to Shore.
“There is a growing ignorance about the centrality of the Jewish connection to Jerusalem and the Temple Mount,” Shore explained. “The Temple model is the beginning of a project that it is hoped will help Jews connect with their heritage and provide non-Jews with the awareness of our rich and broad history in these holy places.”
Besides its yeshiva in Jerusalem, Aish HaTorah also operates an international network of 31 branches dedicated to revitalizing the Jewish people by providing opportunities for Jews of all backgrounds to discover their heritage.
