In a bold attempt to perform the Temple service, two activists ascended to the Temple Mount on Monday wearing Kohanic vestments and bringing two special loaves of bread intended as the Shavuoth offering. This marks the first time this Temple ceremony has been performed at the site since the destruction of the Jewish Temple.
Unfortunately, the ceremony was interrupted by Israeli police and Waqf officials.
“The Two Loaves sacrifice was offered at the site of the Temple courtyard and was properly elevated by a priest dressed in priestly garments, all under the halachic supervision and guidance of Rabbi Israel Ariel, head of the Temple Yeshiva and president of the Temple Institute,” the Temple Movement said in a statement.
“The priest sanctified his hands and feet in the courtyard area using a ritual vessel, and then received the bag containing the two loaves from someone else who managed to bring them to him despite Waqf’s attempts to prevent it. The priest succeeded in elevating the loaves before the police removed him from the courtyard area.”
There was no attempt to sacrifice animals or perform any other aspects of the Temple service.
Arab media incorrectly reported that the activists attempted to enter the “Aqsa Mosque”. There was no attempt to enter either the gold-domed Shrine of the Rock or the black-domed Aqsa Mosque at the southern edge of the Temple Mount Compound.
After the offering, Rabbi Israel Ariel recited the Shehecheyanu blessing, and the crowd responded with “Amen.”
The activists were detained and possibly arrested, though it is unclear on what grounds. Israeli law mandates equality and freedom of religion at all holy sites, including the Temple Mount.
In response, the “Returning to the Mount” movement stated: “We salute the activists who renewed the Temple service for the first time in 2,000 years. Renewing the priestly service and the offering of sacrifices on the Temple Mount is the only solution to end the multi-front war and bring back the hostages. We call on the Israeli government to pass a government decision tomorrow to resume the order of sacrificial services.”
On the first night after Passover, Jews begin counting the Omer, marking off seven complete weeks and culminating in the holiday of Shavuot (Festival of Weeks), which this year took place on June 2. Shavuot is an annual Jewish holiday, one of the three Biblically mandated pilgrimage festivals when, in Temple times, Jews ascended to Jerusalem. It is observed after the Jews complete the mitzvah (Torah commandment) of counting seven complete weeks.
You must count until the day after the seventh week—fifty days; then you shall bring an offering of new grain to Hashem. Leviticus 23:16
Shavuot is also referred to as Chag Habikurim (holiday of first fruits) in Numbers since it was the beginning of the period in which the bikurim (first fruits) were brought to Jerusalem.
An agricultural festival, Shavuot comes at the end of the winter during the grain harvest and as such, is observed in the Temple by an offering of two loaves of bread. Made from the choicest wheat, which was ground and sifted twelve times before being baked, it was brought as a Thanksgiving “wave offering” along with two lambs, as a central aspect of the national holiday.
Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals; they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto Hashem. (Leviticus 23:17)
The large loaves were specially shaped, rectangular, with four mini towers at each corner of the loaf.
All of the other grain offerings brought in the Temple were flat, pan bread, usually fried in oil. Even the Show Bread that was always present in the Temple, despite being quite large, was essentially matzah, unleavened bread.
