January 2013: The Temple Institute moved a giant copper laver, or wash basin, to the new headquarters of its exhibit of Temple articles. The Temple Organizations HQ congratulated the Temple Institute for its new headquarters and wished its employees “to see their vessels being moved again soon, this time to their appointed place, the Temple…” A statement by the Temple Institute stated the basin, which is 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) tall and 2.8 meters (9.1 foot) in diameter is kosher for use in the Third Temple and can be used to purify 12 priests at once.

The new basin has advanced systems that make it possible to overcome certain problems in Jewish law, as was done at the time of the Second Temple. The laver, a large vessel which appears like a kettle, was the first vessel which the priests had contact with every day, for they had to sanctify their hands and feet with its waters before commencing any sacred task in the Holy Temple.

The original laver which was constructed for the desert tabernacle in Moses’ time included two spigots for releasing the water. In the era of the Second Temple, the High Priest Ben Katin fashioned 12 faucets for the laver, so that the entire shift who participate in the offering of the daily sacrifice may sanctify themselves at once.

The Midrash relates that the original laver was made from the contributions of the righteous women of Israel, who donated their shiny mirrors towards this cause. These mirrors, made of highly polished copper, were melted down and it was from these that the laver was created. This act of sacrifice and the fact that the women cared more about fulfilling G-d’s word than about their own appearance was precious in the eyes of G-d. He declared that the laver must be of copper throughout the ages, to invoke the merit of these righteous women.

September 2012: A large rock-hewn water reservoir dating to the First Temple period was discovered in the archaeological excavations that are being conducted in the Jerusalem Archaeological Garden, at the foot of Robinson’s Arch near the Western Wall Plaza. The reservoir has an approximate capacity of 250 cubic meters and is therefore one of the largest water reservoirs from the First Temple period to be discovered so far in Jerusalem. Presumably it was used by the general public. According to archaeologists, the reservoir and a channel leading into it may be one mentioned in the Book of Joel. The channel runs from the Shiloach (Siloam Pool) to a point beneath Robinson’s Arch.

The route of the channel was fixed in the center of the main valley that extends from north to south over the length of the ancient city of Jerusalem, parallel to the Isrealite Temple Mount. In his description of Jerusalem during the Second Temple period, Josephus refers to the valley by its Greek name “Tyropoeon,” which scholars believe means “Valley of the Cheese-makers.” Another interpretation identifies the valley with the “Valley of the Decision,” mentioned in the Book of Joel.

It became apparent while excavating the channel that during the construction of this enormous engineering enterprise, its builders had to remove earlier structures that were situated along the route of the channel and “pass through” existing rock-hewn installations that were located along it. An extraordinary installation that was exposed in recent weeks is a large water reservoir treated with several layers of plaster, which probably dates to the First Temple period.

According to Eli Shukron, the excavation director on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, “to the best of our knowledge this is the first time that a water reservoir of this kind has been exposed in an archaeological excavation. The exposure of the current reservoir, as well as smaller cisterns that were revealed along the Tyropoeon Valley, unequivocally indicates that Jerusalem’s water consumption in the First Temple period was not solely based on the output of the Gihon Spring water works, but also on more available water resources such as the one we have just discovered.”

The excavations at the site are being carried out by the Israel Antiquities Authority, underwritten by the Ir David Foundation and in cooperation with the Nature and Parks Authority. The reservoir will be officially presented together with other finds from this past year at the 13th annual conference on the “City of David Studies of Ancient Jerusalem,” to be held in Jerusalem. Antiquities Authority officials stated that the group was preparing to open up part of the find to visitors.The excavation, during the course of which the reservoir was discovered, is part of an archaeological project, in which the entire drainage channel of Jerusalem dating to the Second Temple period is being exposed.

July 2012: An appeal has been filed with the High Court for the immediate suspension of Muslim work on the Foundation Stone, the holiest place on the Temple Mount, the holiest Biblical site in the world. The Stone is considered the place where Adam, Noah and Abraham carried out their sacrifices and it is the location where the Israelite High Priest (Kohen Gadol) entered the Holy of Holies just once a year, on Yom Kippur.
The Muslim Waqf, has violated all previous bonds of propriety and erected scaffolding on the Rock itself, known in Hebrew as the Even HaShtia (pronounced EH-ven HaShtee-AH). The Waqf is carrying out construction on the Dome of the Rock [non-Biblical mosque], which was built over the Foundation Stone.The Islamic Waqf has desecrated “the heart of the heart of the Temple Mount and has damaged the sensitivities of the Jewish People,” the petition stated. Quoting a poet, “There are people with a heart of stone and there are stones with the heart of man.”

The question arises as to whether Muslim Waqf is attempting to destroy all traces of the Temple Mount Biblical documentation and including the presence of the Divine Authority [God] in this Holy Place?