# How is a new Jewish temple founded? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 27, 2025, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-a-new-jewish-temple-founded/1016212 "2025-03-27T17:52:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-a-new-jewish-temple-founded/1016212/21 "2025-03-27T20:24:47Z")
Bah. I’m under a curse this year or something. At this rate, I expect to tell somebody my name and be proven wrong on that too. OTOH, it does prove my other point- Two Jews, three opinions ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-a-new-jewish-temple-founded/1016212/22 "2025-03-27T20:25:00Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > Oh, yes, just _a_ temple. Certainly not _the_ Temple. I am not Jewish, but my understanding that “synagogue” is the term that is often used for small-t Jewish temples, to differentiate from The Temple. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-a-new-jewish-temple-founded/1016212/23 "2025-03-27T20:28:31Z")
I believe Reform Jews refer to their house of worship as a temple. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-a-new-jewish-temple-founded/1016212/24 "2025-03-27T20:35:38Z")
I’m not Jewish either but notice that many synagogues are called Temple [whatever]. Like Temple Beth El or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-a-new-jewish-temple-founded/1016212/25 "2025-03-27T20:37:10Z")
Yeah, temple can be any synagogue, while Temple is either the building in Jerusalem or the college in Philly. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-a-new-jewish-temple-founded/1016212/26 "2025-03-27T20:49:34Z")
The largest Jewish house of worship here in Olympia is a Reconstructionist congregation, and they call their building a temple, FWIW. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-a-new-jewish-temple-founded/1016212/27 "2025-03-27T21:00:14Z")
Orthodox and Conservative synagogues are more likely to use “Congregation.” Some have two names, like Brooklyn’s Kane Street Synagogue, a.k.a. Congregation Baith Israel Anshei Emes. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-a-new-jewish-temple-founded/1016212/28 "2025-03-27T21:15:55Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > Orthodox and Conservative synagogues are more likely to use “Congregation. I never noticed that before but it definitely tracks with my experience. TIL ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-a-new-jewish-temple-founded/1016212/29 "2025-03-27T21:53:17Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > So if a Temple is reconstructed but the Ark is not recovered, what makes the Temple official? A seriously religious Jew once explained to me that The Temple cannot be reconstructed because it would have to consecrated by a priests, but there are no priests because a priest can be ordained only the The Temple. He admitted that he could not explain how the first and second Temples were formed. Notice that a rabbi is not a priest; more like a professor. In partial answer to the OP, I will mention that I once attended a service (my niece’s Bat Mitzah) in a Quaker meeting house that the congregation rented every Friday night and Saturday. They did have some kind or portable ark. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-a-new-jewish-temple-founded/1016212/30 "2025-03-27T22:23:13Z")
There is also the problem that to be cleansed of ritual impurity, any priest would need to be cleansed with the ashes of a perfect red heifer. For once, we do know exactly what breed of cow this is. They are extinct. Various groups have been trying to recreate them explicitly for use in a new Temple for a long time now. The congregation I belong to is also a travelling synagogue. They also have a portable ark. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-a-new-jewish-temple-founded/1016212/31 "2025-03-27T22:48:19Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > A seriously religious Jew once explained to me that The Temple cannot be reconstructed because it would have to consecrated by a priests, but there are no priests because a priest can be ordained only the The Temple. He admitted that he could not explain how the first and second Temples were formed. Notice that a rabbi is not a priest; more like a professor. A Priest is a Cohen which is a hereditary role, I think any Jewish male of the Cohen line would be eligible to do it, just as any Cohen can say the Cohen only lines in prayers at synagogue. I’m not aware of any other requirements that would need to be met? As noted they have to be pure, but that doesn’t require a Temple specifically to achieve. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-a-new-jewish-temple-founded/1016212/32 "2025-03-27T22:52:00Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > A Priest is a Cohen which is a hereditary role, I think any Jewish male of the Cohen line would be eligible to do it, just as any Cohen can say the Cohen only lines in prayers at synagogue. I’m not aware of any other requirements that would need to be met? IIRC from Telushkin’s Jewish Literacy, a kohain must be without deformity or physical blemish. ---
**Author:** ![DemonTree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demontree/32/8646_2.png) [@DemonTree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DemonTree)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-a-new-jewish-temple-founded/1016212/33 "2025-03-27T22:56:08Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > A Priest is a Cohen which is a hereditary role, I think any Jewish male of the Cohen line would be eligible to do it, just as any Cohen can say the Cohen only lines in prayers at synagogue. I’m not aware of any other requirements that would need to be met? As noted they have to be pure, but that doesn’t require a Temple specifically to achieve. Is this anyone with the surname Cohen? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-a-new-jewish-temple-founded/1016212/34 "2025-03-27T22:57:14Z")
Cohen, Cohn, Korman, Korofsky…. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-a-new-jewish-temple-founded/1016212/35 "2025-03-27T23:00:48Z")
Well, someone might have such a surname for reasons other than descending patrilineally from Aaron, e.g. as a result of a name change, adoption, or marriage. And of course women are not priests, even if their last name is Cohen. But AIUI, even in the diaspora, Jews took great care to keep track of the lineage of Cohanim to make sure priests are available when they’re needed (i.e., when the Temple is rebuilt); so for those people generally accepted to be Cohanim by their peers, we can be reasonably certain that they do, in fact, have the required ancestry. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-a-new-jewish-temple-founded/1016212/36 "2025-03-27T23:01:25Z")
The ancient Hebrews made sacrifices at a number of “high places” which they believed to be holy. A lot of historical books of the Bible document the power struggle between the Temple in Jerusalem and worshippers who continued to use their local high places. By the time the second temple was built, all “mainstream” Jews accepted the Temple in Jerusalem as the only proper place for sacrifices. The remnants of other groups were considered heretics. Samaritans were one heretical group still knocking around Israel in the time of Jesus. In fact, there are still a few of them in Israel today, practicing what they believe is the true religion of Israel, given by God to Moses. > **[Samaritanism](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samaritanism)** > > Samaritanism (Hebrew: הַדָּת הַשּׁוֹמְרוֹנִית‎; Arabic: السامرية) is an Abrahamic monotheistic ethnic religion. It comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Samaritan people, who originate from the Hebrews and Israelites and began to emerge as a relatively distinct group after the Kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Neo-Assyrian Empire during the Iron Age. Central to the faith is the Samaritan Pentateuch, which Samaritans believe is the original and unchanged... And they still perform animal sacrifices in their holy place, which is Mount Gerizim. They also have a slightly different Torah than mainstream Jews. (And very different oral law.) ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-a-new-jewish-temple-founded/1016212/37 "2025-03-27T23:03:30Z")
There have even been generic studies of Jews who claim to be kohens, and they mostly share the same y chromosome. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-a-new-jewish-temple-founded/1016212/38 "2025-03-27T23:05:11Z")
Pretty much. The Jews have been treating the title “Cohen” like a last name longer than anyone else has been using last names: It’s passed down from father to son (though adoption doesn’t count). Of course, as with anyone, there are occasional, um, “non-paternity events”, but based on DNA evidence\*, not nearly as many as you’d expect. The word “Cohen” has been altered by various languages it’s passed through, so there are a number of variants now (another common one, in addition to what @hajario mentioned, is Kahn, no connection to Khan). \*The DNA evidence is based on the Y chromosome, which is also passed down from father to son, so theoretically, anyone who has that Y chromosome should be a Cohen, and vice-versa. The correlation isn’t perfect, but it’s very high. Presumably, if it ever came time to rebuild the Temple, the strictest Jews would require both the right name and the right Y chromosome, to be absolutely sure. ---
**Author:** ![DemonTree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demontree/32/8646_2.png) [@DemonTree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DemonTree)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-a-new-jewish-temple-founded/1016212/39 "2025-03-27T23:25:57Z")
Huh. Can’t get over the fact Borat is apparently some kind of priest. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-a-new-jewish-temple-founded/1016212/40 "2025-03-27T23:26:16Z")
IANAJ, but I think the theological catch-22 goes something like this; - The Third Temple would have to be built on the same spot as the previous two - No Jew can approach those grounds who is impure by dint of having contact with the body of a dead human or certain animals - All Jews are assumed to be thus impure, because the only way to remove this impurity is by being sprinkled with river water mixed with the ashes of a sacrificed red heifer, and the last stockpile of heifer ashes ran out centuries ago - Even if you had a ritually appropriate heifer or its ashes, the sacrifice and sprinkling needs to be done by a kohen who is not impure, and as above there are none of those, nor is there a temple to conduct the sacrifice in So first you’d need the heifer, then you’d need to raise a male descendant of Aaron in such a way that they never come into contact with a dead human or the other animals that confer such impurity, then convince enough highly-regarded rabbis of his purity, then find consecrated ground to perform the sacrifice on, and THEN you could get started rebuilding the Temple. I think waiting for the Messiah to show up might be easier. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-a-new-jewish-temple-founded/1016212.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-a-new-jewish-temple-founded/1016212.md?page=3)