# Why don't the Jews build another Temple? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 20, 2016, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-the-jews-build-another-temple/760444 "2016-07-20T19:37:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2016, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-the-jews-build-another-temple/760444/81 "2016-07-22T20:49:14Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > As I say, go ask a Talmud student or Rabbi, and be prepared to discuss. For a _long_ time. With cites. Lots and lots of cites. > > . But there must be a few Cohens that think they are the linear descendants of the last High Priest? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2016, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-the-jews-build-another-temple/760444/82 "2016-07-22T20:51:00Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > And, in fine SD tradition, a highly technical thread (in parts) on Jewish Rabbinical thought sidles into Friday night… > > Shabbat Shalom, dudes, see you Saturday night! Hmm, but isnt instruction and Talmudic discourse allowed during the Shabbos? ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2016, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-the-jews-build-another-temple/760444/83 "2016-07-22T21:03:07Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > But there must be a few Cohens that think they are the linear descendants of the last High Priest? Yes, although I doubt they all think of themselves that way, _all_ Cohens, including Louis Cohen the doofus down the hall, _are_ descendants of the High Priest. ---
**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:** [July 22, 2016, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-the-jews-build-another-temple/760444/84 "2016-07-22T21:05:19Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Hmm, but isnt instruction and Talmudic discourse allowed during the Shabbos? Typing those keys and making sparks (using electricity) is work, forbidden on Shabbos. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2016, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-the-jews-build-another-temple/760444/85 "2016-07-22T21:06:43Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Hmm, but isnt instruction and Talmudic discourse allowed during the Shabbos? Wow, not only allowed, but the greatest gift of all: discussing Torah (including Taldmud, ethics, spiritual stuff, is not only a mitzvah (commandment) for every moment possible, but one of the gifts of Sabbath: time. Just getting online or writing about it then is a no-no, which also is part of recognizing Shabbat as Shabbat in all its loveliness. ETA: whoops, “loveliness” is witnessing… ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2016, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-the-jews-build-another-temple/760444/86 "2016-07-22T21:24:30Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Typing those keys and making sparks (using electricity) is work, forbidden on Shabbos. If you were conversing with a Goy 😉 who just happened to transcribe those thoughts onto a MB?😛 And your account just happened to be open? ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2016, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-the-jews-build-another-temple/760444/87 "2016-07-22T21:40:56Z")
You screw one goat… ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2016, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-the-jews-build-another-temple/760444/88 "2016-07-22T22:19:03Z")
DrDeth: > [@](#): > > There’s a item there that looks rather Ark-like. If you’re referring to that box with two things sticking out of it on the far right, that’s a pair of trumpets being carried in a frame. > [@](#): > > But there must be a few Cohens that think they are the linear descendants of the last High Priest? In all honesty, probably not. During that era of Jewish history, the office was politicized, and the appointees tended to be whoever the Romans liked best, and the last of them, [Phineas bar Samuel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phannias_ben_Samuel) doesn’t seem to have been particularly well-regarded. I have no idea is anyone, after the office became a political appointment, ever kept track of who the “real” High Priest should be, the way descendants of some deposed dynasties continue keep track of who the “would-be king” is. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2016, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-the-jews-build-another-temple/760444/89 "2016-07-23T00:58:16Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > No, it sounds like how a great nation, in living functioning at one time, and in an extraordinary case of 2000 year exile and change, organizes and administers some of the most critical structures which define and govern itself. > > Bomb the White House, Congress, and Supreme Court (God forbid), and scatter all the population of the US. Assuming you can keep an underground movement of patriots to stick together under extreme pressure, shall we say, if you think discussing with love and urgency what made America America, and the idea of America is business correspondence, go ahead. > > I doubt your descendants would consider themselves American any more. Maybe. Whoa. Didn’t mean to ruffle your feathers. My Methodist upbringing didn’t stress those parts of the OT, so it didn’t occur to me till years later how integral they were to society back then. Sorry if I’m a little skeptical such values from several millenia ago can apply today. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2016, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-the-jews-build-another-temple/760444/90 "2016-07-23T11:33:41Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > If you were conversing with a Goy 😉 who just happened to transcribe those thoughts onto a MB?😛 And your account just happened to be open? Ah, the useful _shabbos goy!_ ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2016, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-the-jews-build-another-temple/760444/91 "2016-07-23T11:41:48Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > Sorry if I’m a little skeptical such values from several millenia ago can apply today. Still, you do have to kind of just stand back in awe and applaud the Jewish people for sheer stick-around-ness. They must be contenders for the world record in that regard. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Quatro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bc8723/32.png) [@Mr\_Quatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Quatro)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2016, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-the-jews-build-another-temple/760444/92 "2016-07-23T14:36:14Z")
Why build a new temple when the old one will do? St John’s vision Revelations 11:1-10 I was given a measuring stick like a rod, and I was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the people worshiping there. But do not measure the yard outside the temple. Leave it alone, because it has been given to those who are not God’s people. And they will trample on the holy city for forty-two months. And I will give power to my two witnesses to prophesy for one thousand two hundred sixty days, and they will be dressed in rough cloth to show their sadness.” These two witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. And if anyone tries to hurt them, fire comes from their mouths and kills their enemies. And if anyone tries to hurt them in whatever way, in that same way that person will die. These witnesses have the power to stop the sky from raining during the time they are prophesying. And they have power to make the waters become blood, and they have power to send every kind of trouble to the earth as many times as they want. When the two witnesses have finished telling their message, the beast that comes up from the bottomless pit will fight a war against them. He will defeat them and kill them. The bodies of the two witnesses will lie in the street of the great city where the Lord was killed. This city is named Sodom and Egypt, which has a spiritual meaning. Those from every race of people, tribe, language, and nation will look at the bodies of the two witnesses for three and one-half days, and they will refuse to bury them. People who live on the earth will rejoice and be happy because these two are dead. They will send each other gifts, because these two prophets brought much suffering to those who live on the earth. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2016, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-the-jews-build-another-temple/760444/93 "2016-07-23T16:11:41Z")
> [@Mr\_Quatro](#): > > Why build a new temple when the old one will do? The old one was destroyed along with most of the rest of Jerusalem after Titus, who would go on to be Emperor, but at that point was a general, took the city to end the Jewish revolt against Rome. So it doesn’t exist anymore. The only part left is the Western Wall, which is a retraining wall built by Herod when he expanded the temple. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2016, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-the-jews-build-another-temple/760444/94 "2016-07-23T21:56:29Z")
> [@Mr\_Quatro](#): > > Why build a new temple when the old one will do? > > St John’s vision > > Revelations 11:1-10 > I was given a measuring stick like a rod, and I was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the people worshiping there. But do not measure the yard outside the temple. Leave it alone, because it has been given to those who are not God’s people. And they will trample on the holy city for forty-two months. And I will give power to my two witnesses to prophesy for one thousand two hundred sixty days, and they will be dressed in rough cloth to show their sadness.” > These two witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. And if anyone tries to hurt them, fire comes from their mouths and kills their enemies. And if anyone tries to hurt them in whatever way, in that same way that person will die. These witnesses have the power to stop the sky from raining during the time they are prophesying. And they have power to make the waters become blood, and they have power to send every kind of trouble to the earth as many times as they want. > When the two witnesses have finished telling their message, the beast that comes up from the bottomless pit will fight a war against them. He will defeat them and kill them. The bodies of the two witnesses will lie in the street of the great city where the Lord was killed. This city is named Sodom and Egypt, which has a spiritual meaning. Those from every race of people, tribe, language, and nation will look at the bodies of the two witnesses for three and one-half days, and they will refuse to bury them. People who live on the earth will rejoice and be happy because these two are dead. They will send each other gifts, because these two prophets brought much suffering to those who live on the earth. Well, that clears everything up. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2016, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-the-jews-build-another-temple/760444/95 "2016-07-23T22:11:29Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > [QUOTE=Tony Sinclair] > > if they did build a third Temple, would all Jews from all over the world be required to visit it thrice yearly? Yup. You might want to think about investing in whatever companies are likely to get the contracts for road repairs and rest stops on routes to Jerusalem… [/QUOTE] Thank you. If I were a Muslim with control over the Temple Mount, I would immediately allow and encourage a new Temple to be built. Imagine the disruption, confusion, and expense if Jews all over the world had to make a thrice-yearly pilgrimage to Israel. It would certainly cut down on the money available for anti-Muslim political contributions, etc., and they could collect all kinds of taxes and tolls from those who did make the journey, while promoting it as an act of tolerance and conciliation. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2016, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-the-jews-build-another-temple/760444/96 "2016-07-24T01:14:03Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > Thank you. > > If I were a Muslim with control over the Temple Mount, I would immediately allow and encourage a new Temple to be built. Imagine the disruption, confusion, and expense if Jews all over the world had to make a thrice-yearly pilgrimage to Israel. It would certainly cut down on the money available for anti-Muslim political contributions, etc., and they could collect all kinds of taxes and tolls from those who did make the journey, while promoting it as an act of tolerance and conciliation. The “tearing down the Dome of the Rock” part of the plan might not win you many friends among your people. ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2016, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-the-jews-build-another-temple/760444/97 "2016-07-24T02:04:57Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > The “tearing down the Dome of the Rock” part of the plan might not win you many friends among your people. Some people now believe that the temple was not quite where the mosque is. There’s a theoretical possibility that the two could physically exist at the same time. No cite, just the fact that the person I heard it from certainly believed it. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2016, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-the-jews-build-another-temple/760444/98 "2016-07-24T04:45:55Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > Thank you. > > If I were a Muslim with control over the Temple Mount, I would immediately allow and encourage a new Temple to be built. Imagine the disruption, confusion, and expense if Jews all over the world had to make a thrice-yearly pilgrimage to Israel. It would certainly cut down on the money available for anti-Muslim political contributions, etc., and they could collect all kinds of taxes and tolls from those who did make the journey, while promoting it as an act of tolerance and conciliation. **Moderator Note** Let’s avoid political commentary like this and stick to the factual aspects of the question. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2016, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-the-jews-build-another-temple/760444/99 "2016-07-24T05:07:38Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > **Moderator Note** > > Let’s avoid political commentary like this and stick to the factual aspects of the question. > > Colibri > General Questions Moderator Sorry, forgot this was GQ. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2016, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-the-jews-build-another-temple/760444/100 "2016-07-24T16:04:06Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > No, by hand–if that’s what killing the [[.]/quote] from each cite but the last, and adding it a list of [[.]/quote]'s at the end, and checking by preview la million times to see I forgot one and they didn’t pair up. Added two [.] to clean up tags I came out pretty, artistic even. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-the-jews-build-another-temple/760444.md?page=4)