Members of Reestablished Sanhedrin Ascend Temple Mount

In a dramatic but unpublicized move Monday, members of the newly established Sanhedrin ascended the Temple Mount, Judaism’s holiest site.

Close to fifty recently ordained “samuchim,” members of the Sanhedrin, lined up at the foot of the Temple Mount Monday morning. The men, many ascending the Temple Mount for the first time, had immersed in mikvaot (ritual baths) that morning and planned to ascend as a group. Despite prior approval from the Israeli police who oversee entry to the Mount, the officers barred the group from entering the Mount together, saying they could only ascend in groups of ten.

The Sanhedrin, a religious assembly of 71 sages that sat from the time of the Holy Temple through 425 CE, was the highest Jewish legal-judicial tribunal in the Land of Israel. The great court used to convene in one of the Temple’s chambers in Jerusalem. On October 14, the Sanhedrin was reestablished for the first time in 1,600 years, at the site of its last meeting in Tiberius.

“There is a special mitzvah, not connected to time, but tied to our presence in Israel, to establish a Sanhedrin,” Rabbi Meir HaLevi (no relation), one of the 71 members of the new Sanhedrin, told Israel National Radio’s Weekend Edition. “The Rambam [12th century Torah scholar Maimonides] describes the process exactly in [his seminal work codifying Jewish Law] the Mishna Torah. When he wrote it there was no Sanhedrin, and he therefore outlines the steps necessary to establish one. When there is a majority of rabbis, in Israel, who authorize one person to be a ‘samuch,’ an authority, he can then reestablish the Sanhedrin.”

Those behind the revival of the Sanhedrin stress that the revival of the legal body is not optional, but mandated by the Torah. “We don’t have a choice,” says Rabbi Richman, “it is a religious mandate for us to establish a Sanhedrin.”

The Sanhedrin was reestablished through the ordination of a rabbi agreed-upon by the majority of prominent rabbis in Israel and approved as “fitting to serve” by former Chief Sefardi Rabbi Ovadia Yosef and leading Ashkenazi Rabbi Shalom Elyashiv. That rabbi, who is then considered to have received authentic ordination as handed down from Moses, was then able to give ordination to 70 others, making up the quorum of 71 necessary for the Sanhedrin.

“Even Mordechai HaYehudi, from the Purim story, was only accepted, as it is written, ‘by the majority of his brethren,’ not by everybody, because anyone who deals with public issues can not be unanimously accepted,” HaLevi explained.

The rabbis behind the Sanhedrin’s reconstitution claim that, like the State of Israel, the old-new Sanhedrin is a work-in-progress. They see it as a vessel that, once established, will reach the stature and authority that it once had.

The first members requested that their names not be published, so as to allow it to grow without public criticism of individuals,” HaLevi said. “We want to give it time to develop and strengthen the institution, giving a chance for more rabbis to join.” He added that each of the current members of the Sanhedrin has agreed to be a conditional member until a more knowledgeable rabbi joins, taking his place.

Rabbi Richman, also a member of the Sanhedrin, hopes the body will bring about a revolution in Jewish jurisprudence. Declining to discuss exactly what issues are on the Sanhedrin’s agenda, Richman said that one of the main long-term goals of the Sanhedrin, which includes members of Ashkenazi, Sefardi, Hasidic, National-Religious and Haredi communities, is to reunify Jewish observance in Israel.

“We Jews went into exiles all over the world,” HaLevi told INR’s Weekend Edition. “Every community established its own court. We are talking about more than 50 different legal systems developing apart from one another. Part of our return to Israel is the reunification of our Jewish practices.”

There is a tradition (Tractate Megillah 17b, Rashi) that the Sanhedrin will be restored after a partial ingathering of the Jewish exiles, but before Jerusalem is completely rebuilt and restored. There is also a Talmudic tradition (Eruvin 43b; Maharatz Chajas ad loc; Rashash , Sanhedrin 13b) that Elijah the Prophet will present himself before a duly-ordained Sanhedrin when he announces the coming of the Messiah, meaning that – despite common misconceptions - a Sanhedrin is a pre-, not post-messianic institution.

1 Chronicles 28:9 And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve Him with a whole heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts; if thou seek Him, He will be found of thee; but if thou forsake Him, He will cast thee off for ever. 10 Take heed now; for the Lord hath chosen thee to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong, and do it.' 11 Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch of the temple, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper rooms thereof, and of the inner chambers thereof, and of the place of the ark-cover; 12 and the pattern of all that he had by the spirit, for the courts of the house of the Lord, and for all the chambers round about, for the treasuries of the house of God, and for the treasuries of the hallowed things; 13 also for the courses of the priests and the Levites, and for all the work of the service of the house of the Lord, and for all the vessels of service in the house of the Lord: 14 of gold by weight for the vessels of gold, for all vessels of every kind of service; of silver for all the vessels of silver by weight, for all vessels of every kind of service; 15 by weight also for the candlesticks of gold, and for the lamps thereof, of gold, by weight for every candlestick and for the lamps thereof; and for the candlesticks of silver, silver by weight for every candlestick and for the lamps thereof, according to the use of every candlestick; 16 and the gold by weight for the tables of showbread, for every table; and silver for the tables of silver; 17 and the flesh-hooks, and the basins, and the jars, of pure gold; and for the golden bowls by weight for every bowl; and for the silver bowls by weight for every bowl; 18 and for the altar of incense refined gold by weight; and gold for the pattern of the chariot, even the cherubim, that spread out their wings, and covered the ark of the covenant of the Lord. 19 'All this do I give thee in writing, as the Lord hath made me wise by His hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern.' 20 And David said to Solomon his son: 'Be strong and of good courage, and do it; fear not, nor be dismayed; for the Lord God, even my God, is with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord be finished. 21 And, behold, there are the courses of the priests and the Levites, for all the service of the house of God; and there shall be with thee in all manner of work every willing man that hath skill, for any manner of service; also the captains and all the people will be wholly at thy commandment.' (JPS)

1 Chronicles 28:18 and for the altar of incense, refined gold by weight; and the pattern of the chariot of the cherubim of gold, which spread out [their wings] and cover the ark of the covenant of Jehovah. 19 All this [said David,] in writing, by Jehovah's hand upon me, instructing as to all the works of the pattern. (Darby)

When one looks at all of this in detail and compares it with what is recorded about the temple that Solomon actually built (see 2 Chronicles 3:2 below), it becomes evident that Solomon’s Temple, furnishings and instruments were not constructed according to the specifications that David left for them. For example, the walls in Solomon’s Temple were overlaid completely with gold while the plans of Jehovah that David left called for at least some of them to be overlaid with silver. Furthermore, David’s specifications listed many gold and silver items that Solomon actually made of bronze. There is no mention whatsoever that Solomon made anything out of silver. Remember that the Spirit of the Lord gave the plans for the temple to David similar to the way that Moses received the instructions for building the tent tabernacle and all of its furnishings and instruments. David left plans for "gold for [things of] gold, and silver for [things of] silver" while Solomon actually made the things of gold out of gold or bronze and things of silver out of gold or bronze.

There is more would you like to read it.
Then go to http://www.aeragon.com/itz/07-TempleOfDoom-01.htm
Ops4 God BLess America!

The verses I cited were clear. God gave David the specs, and he passed them on to Solomon. Solomon built the temple, and scripture says that it was built "according to all its specifications". Nitpicking this is no different than other forms of "higher criticism" which attempt to discredit scripture.

Your link makes an interesting interpretation of this verse:

2 Chronicles 9:20 And all king Solomon's drinking-vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; silver was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon.

He says, " Some of these items were also supposed to be made of silver, but there is no mention of anything actually being made of silver." From this he assumes that nothing was made of silver. But it can more readily be understood that they didn't "account of" silver in the days of Solomon. Just because it wasn't specifically mentioned doesn't mean that they weren't made.

In fact, the entire thesis is based upon an absence of evidence. But an absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.

Are you aware that the author of your link believes that the Euro is the Mark of the Beast?

Fascinating business. As a Christian, I believe that Jesus was and is the promised Messiah of the Jews. But it seems evident to me that God must have His reasons for so evidently continuing to extend His grace and favor to those Jews who, in good faith, have decided to remain in the Covenant of Moses.

Throughout the Hebrew Bible God repeatedly states that His Covenant will remain forever. St. Paul, although he converted to Christ, echoes this assertion in one of his Epistles. The Covenant is forever. What this seems to say is that God still has a place in His providential plan for the Jews 2000 years after the birth of Christianity.

I'm not a great believer in various specific theories about the end times. Jesus tells us that "no man knows the day nor the hour thereof." What the Jews decide to do in matters like the Temple and the Sanhedrin is between them and God. But I watch with considerable interest and sympathy and in hope that all will be for the best.

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