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“Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto Hashem.” Leviticus 23:27 (The Israel Bible™)
While today, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, means long hours of intense prayer, the modern holiday service is really a stand-in for Biblical sacrifices performed by the High Priest as he entered the Holy of Holies in the Temple in order to beg forgiveness for the Jewish people. While the Temple was standing, thousands would gather to witness the holy offerings and pray for atonement. Though the Temple was not built this year, many significant events have brought us closer than ever before to its prophesied rebuilding, and all over the world, Jews are praying that this time next year, the Yom Kippur service will take place in the Third Temple!
In preparation for the High Holidays, the nascent Sanhedrin selected Rabbi Meir Kahane in August to perform the function of the High Priest, should the need arise. Rabbi Kahane has led many reenactments of the Temple Service, and is prepared to perform the service. If a Yom Kippur service is performed on the Temple Mount this year, Rabbi Kahane will not be acting alone. The Temple Institute has initiated a registry of Kohanim (priests) and an institute to educate them, bringing us closer than ever to actualizing our 2,000-year-old dream.
In a remarkable journey that took 1,100 years, a sardonyx was rediscovered in September that many experts believe is actually from the High Priest’s breastplate. The engraving of a Hebrew letter ‘bet’ floats below the surface and has baffled scientists, who have no idea how the engraving came to be. The stone was acquired in Jerusalem in 1189 by a French Templar Knight and was passed down from generation to generation. It has finally resurfaced, and a group of businessmen is working to bring it back home to Jerusalem.
A new attraction at the Kotel Plaza has Temple-minded tourists going wild. A project from The Temple Mount Heritage Foundation and ArchTour opened September 19, recreating the Second Temple in a virtual reality 3-D experience. The virtual tour begins in the Old City marketplace, entering the Temple courtyard through the southern gate, and brings the visitor right into the Temple, where he witnesses the Temple service, up-close and firsthand.
The nascent Sanhedrin jump-started the Torah commandment of counting the 50-year Jubilee cycle as Rosh Hashana went out last year. Not only did this give Jews an opportunity to perform an additional Torah mitzvah, but it officially marked the third arrival of the Jews in the Promised Land. The Sanhedrin counted the first year in a closed room with only a few people to witness it. This year, this special Torah commandment was performed by thousands of Jews, as they marked the second year of the 50-year cycle with its proper blessing, not heard for over 2,000 years.
A group of archaeologists and volunteers pieced together spectacular marble tiles from the Second Temple courtyard, giving incontrovertible proof that the Temple Mount was home to the Jewish Temples. The tiles were found in piles of refuse taken from the Temple Mount during illegal construction by the Waqf (Muslim Authority). A group of archaeologists and volunteers dedicated themselves to saving the irreplaceable artifacts endangered by the intentionally reckless actions of the Waqf. In September, they completed the painstaking process of piecing together the tile fragments. The result: a glimpse of the glory that once was the Temple.
“And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel.” Exodus 28:9 (The Israel Bible™)
Sometimes incredible stories are actually true, and in this case, experts agree that a small onyx stone, claimed to be given to a Knight Templar over 1,000 years ago and handed down through one family from generation to generation, is actually what the present owner claims: a gem from the breastplate of the High Priest in Jerusalem.
The garments of the High Priest. (Library of Congress)
A Magical, Prophetic Stone?
The stones of the choshen mishpat, the High Priest’s breastplate, were referred to in the Bible as the urim v’tummim, a phrase that defies translation.
And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aharon’s heart Exodus 28:30
The Talmud (Yoma 73a) describes how questions were put to the breastplate, and the stones would light up to spell out the answer. The book of Samuel lists the urim v’tummim as one of the three forms of divine communication: dreams, prophets, and the urim v’tummim.
And when Shaul inquired of Hashem, Hashem answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets. I Samuel 28:6
Urim v’tummim (WikiCommons)
According to the Talmud (Yoma 21b), the urim v’tummim were lost when Jerusalem was sacked by the Babylonians. The Book of Ezra mentions that individuals who were unable to prove, after the Babylonian captivity had ended, that they were descended from the priesthood before the captivity began, were required to wait until priests in possession of urim v’tummim were discovered.
In addition to the 12 stones mounted on the breastplate were two sardonyx stones fixed in gold settings on the shoulders of the High Priest.
And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, to be stones of memorial for the children of Israel; and Aharon shall bear their names before Hashem upon his two shoulders for a memorial. Exodus 28:12
Experts believe this is one of those stones. If this is so, contained within it is the power of prophecy and it may play an important role in returning the Priestly Caste to serve in the Temple.
Discovery: Too Incredible to Believe
In 2000, Dr. James Strange, a noted professor in religious studies and archaeology, traveled to South Africa. An acquaintance suggested Dr. Strange contact a family she had met there and if he could, help them with a pro-bono appraisal of a gemstone. They were of humble means and Dr. Strange was a certified appraiser whose services were highly sought after.
Dr. Strange met with the family, intending to humor them. Instead, he was astounded by what they showed him. “I was indeed amazed at the gemstone,” Dr. Strange told Breaking Israel News. The stone itself was nothing special. A semi-precious sardonyx, it had little intrinsic worth.
The sardonyx stone, with the inscription visible inside. (Courtesy of owner)
But Dr. Strange was puzzled by the object he held in his hands. “I was unaware that anyone in the late Middle Ages had the technology to cut a hemisphere in such a medium, so I tried to exhaust all other explanations,” he said.
Even more astounding than the cut of the stone was the inexplicable inscription inside the stone, visible through the clear surface: two letters in ancient Hebrew. Dr. Stone wrote in his appraisal of the gem, “There is no modern or ancient technology known to me by which an artisan could produce the inscription, as it is not cut into the surface of the stone.”
Dr. Strange was an expert but when faced with such a mystery, he sought help. He turned to Ian Campbell, Director of the Independent Coloured Stones Laboratory in Johannesburg and a leading South African gemologist. Campbell was equally dumbfounded.
He studied the stone, trying to ascertain its origin. The owner’s story placing it on the High Priest’s breastplate were too incredible. But the family had documentation that traced its descent from a Crusader-period male ancestor who had been in the Holy Land in the Middle Ages and claimed the stone was a reward from the High Priest. Could it be true?
The Thousand-Year Story
According to the Auret family tradition, the ancestor, named Croiz Arneet deTarn Auret, received the stone from “the High Priest” in gratitude for his part in freeing Jerusalem around 1189. The custodianship of the stone was passed on in the Auret family through the male line until the nineteenth century. That tradition was broken when Abraham Auret passed away in 1889, bequeathing the stone to his daughter, Christina Elizabeth.
After her marriage to William James Hurst, the stone left the Auret name, and has been passed on from mother to daughter ever since. Meticulously recorded family trees and genealogical reports corroborate the story. The stone was passed on as an inheritance and is presently owned by an elderly woman in South Africa, who wishes to remain anonymous.
It has been strongly transmitted to each member of the family through the centuries that it was God’s hand that inserted the mysterious inscription inside the stone.
Experts Agree
The mystery of the writing remained. Dr. Strange noted that the stone had no external markings, so it clearly hadn’t been set in a ring or a necklace. He was forced to conclude that it had probably been set in a large plate or breastplate. He dated production of the stone to approximately the 5th century BCE.
As an appraiser, Dr. Strange could not erase all doubt, but he could certainly evaluate it as a one-of-a-kind. He appraised the stone’s value at $175-$225 million.
The sardonyx stone. in the papyrus casket in which it was carried (Courtesy of owner)
The gemologist, Mr. Campbell, photomicrographed (photographing via a microscope) the stone, confirming it had not been cut open to make the inscription. When asked to estimate the value of the stone, Mr. Campbell wrote, “How does one logically go about putting a value to something like a proven religious artifact that is a ‘one of’ article?”
He estimated that $200 million was a “fair starting point”.
The owner of the stone also consulted Professor M. Sharon from the University of Witwatersrand. The professor, an expert in ancient Hebrew, was given a photo of the stone. The blurry photographs hinted at something astounding but he had to be sure. Intrigued, he asked to examine the actual stone.
In his written report, he said that when he held it to the light, he was amazed to see very clearly inside the stone itself, two letters in ancient Hebrew. The letters seemed to be engraved or burnt into the heart of the stone.
“Due to the clarity of the letters and their fine definition it would be incredible if they are a coincidental natural formation in the stone,” he stated in his notarized report. “The lack of any apparent sign of interference with the surface makes the existence of the letters inside the stone a real enigma.”
He noted the inscriptions in ancient Hebrew script of what he described as “the equivalent of our ‘B’ and ‘K’.” He identified the style of script, dating it to be from the year 1000 BCE, give or take 200-300 years.
Dr. Joan Goodnick Westenholz’s sketch of the inscription. (Courtesy of owner)
In 1994, Dr. Joan Goodnick Westenholz, who served as Chief Curator at the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem, examined the stone. She concluded, “It is a unique object that has no similar or identical counterpart; it is the only one of its kind in the world.”
Dr. Goodnick Westenholz believed that the gem was “priceless”, estimating the date of the stone’s production to be approximately the 7th century BCE. She noted the inscription “in the shape of a possible letter is a ninth century form of an archaic Hebrew letter bet.”
In her notarized report, she observed next to the letter bet “what can be perceived as the image of a wolf.” She noted that the wolf corresponded to the blessing Jacob gave Benjamin.
Binyamin is a wolf that raveneth; in the morning he devoureth the prey, and at even he divideth the spoil. Genesis 49:27
But Is It True?
Dr. Westenholz , Dr. M. Sharon, and Ian Campbell have since passed away, but Breaking Israel News was able to confirm that their statements and documentation were genuine. Campbell’s apprentice, Jeremy Rothon, confirmed the original appraisal and told Breaking Israel News that he was well aware of the stone’s heritage. It had made an enormous impression on Campbell and he had discussed it at length with his student.
Dr. Strange remembers the stone very well, and is more convinced than ever of its authenticity. “A lot of water has flowed under the bridge since then,” Dr. Strange told Breaking Israel News. “I calculated then that if it were a fraud, then one or more very similar others would show up on the international market rather soon, but to my knowledge none has.”
He called for new examination of the gem. “I think this object needs a new appraisal and as many scientific tests as possible to determine whether it is genuine,” said Dr. Strange. “If it turns out to be an artifact important to the history of the Jewish people, then that is truly wonderful. If it turns out to be a masterful fraud, then I will be pained that I was duped.”
The Journey Home
Aharon the High Priest. (Wikimedia Commons)
The present owner has contracted with a South African businessman to find investors who are willing to purchase the stone and bring it home to Israel. Both parties prefer to remain anonymous. When he saw the stone and understood what it was, the businessman was dismayed, understanding that it could easily turn into a commodity, an object of greed. He recognized that this small stone was an enormous part of Jewish history and set out to find an investor who would recompense the owner with the intention of bringing it to Israel and donating it to the Temple.
“I’ve been involved with deals like this before,” he told Breaking Israel News. “There are pieces of Egyptian heritage in museums all over the world. People find something and sell it, without thinking about what it is. That is what is done and it is a shame, even more so with this stone. Several people have been trying to buy or sell this stone, turning it into a business. All I really wanted to do was get the stone back to Israel where it belongs.”
Many people have begun to discount the Jewish connection to Israel and the Temple Mount, claiming the Jewish Temples are fairytale accounts. This small stone and its miraculous engraving that once lit up the High Priest’s breastplate are proof that the Temple stood in Jerusalem, and may signal the return of more artifacts that have been misplaced, waiting to return home.
“And the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break its neck. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before Me empty.” (Exodus 34:20)
The firstborn donkey redeemed in a rare Biblical ritual on Mt. Zion. (Courtesy Behadrey Haredim)
There are many Torah commandments (mitzvot) that even the most observant Jew living outside of Israel will never see or perform. Some of these mitzvot are making a comeback and having a most unanticipated effect.
Last Saturday night, a baby donkey was brought to the Tomb of King David on Mount Zion to be redeemed. What many consider an obscure agricultural ritual turned into a joyous celebration that ended with passionate cries for the coming of the Messiah.
Petter Chamor (redeeming a firstborn donkey) is mentioned three times in the Torah (Exodus 13:13; Exodus 34:20; Numbers 18:15). Redeeming the firstborn donkey is necessary since, when it is born, it is considered Hekdesh, or sanctified, and belonging to God via his emissary, the kohen, or high priest. The owner of the donkey’s mother has the right to use the donkey after he redeems it by giving a sheep to the priest in its place.
The story begins with a man from Bnei Berak who owned a jenny – a female donkey – which gave birth to a foal. He approached Rabbi Berger, the rabbi of King David’s Tomb, which is located in Jerusalem’s Old City.
Rabbi Berger told Breaking Israel News that the man wanted to redeem the donkey in the place that symbolizes the unity of Israel under one king. As Rabbi Berger explained, “This is the place where the entire nation of Israel will be redeemed, so it is only fitting.”
Redeeming of the firstborn donkey. (Courtesy Behadrey Haredim)
The rabbi was thrilled by the prospect of performing the rare commandment, and arranged for it to be done at the most auspicious time for the Kingdom of David: Saturday night after the Sabbath ends. A special feast, accompanied by music, is usually held at that time at the Tomb of David, but with the addition of one tiny foal, this became an extra-special occasion.
Rabbi Simcha Hacohen Kook, Chief Rabbi of Rehovot and the Hurva Synagogue in Jerusalem, served as the kohanic emissary to receive the young donkey. Other esteemed rabbis, among them Rabbi Aharon Yitzchak Stern and Rabbi Shalom Arush, attended the ceremony as well.
The small donkey was decorated and adorned with a crown, since, as Rabbi Berger explained, “This donkey, by bringing about this mitzvah, connects us to God, so it is fitting we should honor it and make it beautiful.”
Alongside the donkey stood a sheep that would be given in its place to redeem it. The owner of the donkey stood in front of Rabbi Simcha Hacohen Kook, and requested to redeem the donkey.
He then recited the blessing:
Blessed art thou, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with his commandments, and commanded us to redeem the firstborn donkey.
Redeeming of the firstborn donkey. (Courtesy Behadrey Haredim)
Then he recited the blessing of shehechayanu, a blessing which is said on special occasions when one is celebrating a “first”. The blessing thanks God for sustaining the reciter until this auspicious moment.
Document attesting to the redemption and “exchange” of the donkey. (Courtesy Behadrey Haredim)
Rabbi Berger described the great excitement of the gathered crowd when they heard the rare blessing. Those gathered chanted together, “God, just as you redeemed this donkey, please redeem all of Israel and bring moshiach (messiah) now!”
Breaking Israel News asked Rabbi Berger about the significance of the mitzvah. He explained that it was connected to the Exodus from Egypt, which is one of the major principles of Judaism.
“The Torah says that we do the mitzvah of redeeming the firstborn of a donkey in memory of the final plague in Egypt, in which the firstborn of Egypt were killed (Exodus 11:5). We know that every Jew who has a first-born son must redeem him for this reason as well,” Rabbi Berger said.
The rabbi explained why the donkey, out of all the animals, was chosen for remembering the Exodus. “The Talmud (oral law) says that the mitzvah is a reward for the donkey, a merit it is given through helping Israel connect to God,” he told Breaking Israel News. “It earned this reward by helping Israel carry the Jews and all the wealth out of Egypt. In the Torah, gratitude is very important, so we must show gratitude to the donkeys that carried us out.”
Redeeming of the firstborn donkey. (Courtesy Behadrey Haredim)
In these days which seem to clearly be paving the way for the messiah, it is exciting to see that every creature, great and small, will play a part.
An attendee takes a selfie with the redeemed donkey. (Courtesy Behadrey Haredim)
The gathering celebrates after the redemption of the donkey. (Courtesy Behadrey Haredim)
I will give them in My house and in My walls a place and a name, better than sons and daughters; an everlasting name I will give him, which will not be discontinued.
Alexander, originally a Greek name, is one of the few names that has origins outside the Jewish faith, but has been made an official Hebrew name and widely adopted by many Jews on account of a fascinating story that occurred over two thousand years ago. During his conquest of the region, Alexander the Great met the High Priest of the Temple in Jerusalem, dismounted from his horse and bowed to the ground. Alexander explained that he had seen the High Priest in a dream who had assured him victory and prosperity. In appreciation to the Jews, Alexander peacefully absorbed the Land of Israel into his growing empire and the Jewish community responded by naming all baby boys born that year Alexander.
Get ready to learn some amazing Hebrew word connections between Sukkot and God's attribute of mercy, and the days of Judgement on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
Sukkot can be felt everywhere in Israel, and a special effort was made to erect Sukkahs alongside the nation's soup kitchens for the poor. The most frequented sukkah is adjacent to the Colel Chabad soup kitchen just above the Western Wall Plaza.
Show your support for Israel in fashion! These nail stickers, featuring images of Israeli flags, symbols and famous landmarks, go over your manicure and last for 10 days.
Hi there, just want to let you know that as a family of 11 (Grandpa + Grandma 2 married daughters and 7 grandkids) we all have started reading Torah portions and keeping the Sabbath, love the idea of back to our Hebrew Roots. One son in law take tours to Israel every year since 2006. We love Israel, from South-Africa. Be blessed. Riaan + Helen Greyling
I enjoy reading everything that you send to us, the news and the pictures. Thank you. Orietta G Weinstein
