Full-Dress Kohen Sighted on Temple Mount

Full-Dress Kohen Sighted on Temple Mount

Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz

The Temple Institute announced a remarkable development that brought Israel one step closer to the Third Temple. For the first time since the Temple stood in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago, a kohen (male descendant of Biblical Aaron the High Priest) ascended to the Temple Mount wearing the Biblically mandated Kohanic garments. While on the mount, the Kohen joined in a prayer quorum and gave the priestly blessing to those gathered.

The Temple Institute prepared the garments in preparation for the return of the Temple service.

This impressive feat was accomplished despite the numerous extra-legal restrictions placed on Jews at the site.  There is no law preventing Jews from praying on the Temple Mount, and the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Jewish prayer several times. Jews do pray at the site in inconspicuous manners and out of sight from the Arabs, but the police frequently prevent this from happening. On Tuesday, Jews prayed freely in minyanim (quorums of ten).  

On the first day of Rosh Hashanah, a group of Jews smuggled shofarot (ritual rams’ horns) onto the Temple Mount and, despite police efforts to stop them, blew all of the requisite shofar blasts for the holiday. Jews have recently begun performing the commandment of prostrating themselves on the stones of the Temple. In June, a Jewish man wore tefillin (phylacteries) at the site.