Philologos
Bible Prophecy Research
Misc Study: Flowing Water from Foundation Stone on Temple Mount?
Submitted by: research-bpr@philologos.org
Date: May, 1999
URL: http://philologos.org/bpr/files/Misc_Studies/ms027.htm
Flowing Water from Foundation Stone on Temple Mount?
RUMORS CONTINUE TO FLOW
Rumors of flowing water from the Foundation Stone on the Temple Mount have cost at least
one man a few hours of freedom. Rabbi Yosef Elbaum, who regularly takes visitors on tours
to Halakhically-permitted areas of the Temple Mount, was arrested yesterday when he
attempted to verify the rumors of the flowing water. He took his usual route, and when a
policeman ordered him to veer off the path and walk in a Halakhically-forbidden area,
Rabbi Elbaum refused. The policeman arrested him, and he was released only a few hours
later. Rabbi Elbaum was unable to verify the truth of the rumors.
Speaking with Arutz-7 today, Rabbi Elbaum said, "The Book of Ezekiel mentions that water will begin flowing from the Foundation Rock, after chapters on the construction of the Beit HaMikdash (Holy Temple). We have heard rumors of foreign press reports over the past week that waters have started to flow from the Rock, and that it is impossible to locate the source or to stop the flow." Rabbi Elbaum said that, from the answers to his inquiries on the topic during his walk yesterday, and from the fact that he was arrested on "such a baseless charge," he suspects that the policemen and the Waqf personnel were attempting to hide something from him.
(Arutz Sheva News Service (http://www.a7.org),
Wednesday, May 5, 1999, Iyar 19, 5759)
Ezekiel 47:1-12
Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters
issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house
stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the
house, at the south side of the altar. Then brought he me out of the way of the gate
northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh
eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side. And when the man that had
the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me
through the waters; the waters were to the ankles. Again he measured a thousand, and
brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand,
and brought me through; the waters were to the loins. Afterward he measured a thousand;
and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim
in, a river that could not be passed over. And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen
this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river. Now when I
had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on
the other. Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go
down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the
waters shall be healed. And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which
moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great
multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and
every thing shall live whither the river cometh. And it shall come to pass, that the
fishers shall stand upon it from En-gedi even unto En-eglaim; they shall be a place to
spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great
sea, exceeding many. But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be
healed; they shall be given to salt. And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side
and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall
the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months,
because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for
meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.
Psalm 46:4
There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy
place of the tabernacles of the most High.
Zechariah 13-14:16
In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the
inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. And it shall come to pass in that
day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land,
and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean
spirit to pass out of the land. And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet
prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not
live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the LORD: and his father and his mother that
begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth. And it shall come to pass in that
day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he hath prophesied;
neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive: But he shall say, I am no prophet, I
am an husbandman; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth. And one shall say unto
him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was
wounded in the house of my friends. Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the
man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be
scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. And it shall come to pass, that
in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third
shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine
them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name,
and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.
Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal; yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark; But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light. And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one. All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin's gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king's winepresses. And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited. And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth. And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour. And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance. And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague. And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
Revelation 22:1-2,17
And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out
of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side
of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded
her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the
nations...And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And
let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
Babylonian Talmud, Yoma, 77b, 78a
R. Phinehas in the name of R. Huna of Sepphoris said: The spring that issues from
the Holy of Holies in its beginning resembles the antennae of locusts; as it reaches the
entrance to the Sanctuary it becomes as the thread of the warp; as it reaches the
Ulam,(24) it becomes as the thread of the woof; as it reaches the entrance to the [Temple]
court, it becomes as large as the mouth of a small flask, that is meant by what we
learned: R. Eliezer b. Jacob said: [Hence] go forth the waters which will bubble forth
from under the threshold of the Sanctuary.(1) From there onwards it becomes bigger, rising
higher and higher, until it reaches the entrance to the House of David.(2) As soon as it
reaches the entrance to the house of David, it becomes even as a swiftly running brook, in
which men and women afflicted with gonorrhoea, menstruating women, and women after
childbirth bathe, as it is said: In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house
of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for purification and for sprinkling.(3)
(24) The Main Hall leading into the interior of the
Sanctuary.
(1) Mid. III, 6. A play on pakh (pitcher) as if derived from pakhakh (to bubble forth).
(2) I.e., Zion, outside Jerusalem, the fortress in the wall of the Holy City.
(3) All of which need a ritual immersion to regain their purity. Zech. XIII, 1.
Commentary on the OT, Keil & Delitzsch
Zechariah 13:1
"In that day will a fountain be opened to the house of David, and to the inhabitants
of Jerusalem, for sin and uncleanness." As the Lord Himself pours out the spirit of
supplication upin Israel, so does He also provide the means of purification from sin. A
fountain is opened, when its stream of water bursts forth from the bosom of the earth. The
water, which flows from the fountain opened by the Lord, is a water of sprinkling, with
which sin and uncleanness are removed. The figure is taken partly from the water used for
the purification of the Levites at their consecration, which is called sin-water, or water
of absolution, in Numbers 8:7, and partly from the sprinkling-water prepared from the
sacrificial ashes of the red heifer for purification from the defilement of death, which
is called water of uncleanness, i.e. water which removed uncleanness, in Numbers 19:9.
Just as bodily uncleanness is a figure used to denote spiritual uncleanness, the
defilement of sin, so is earthly sprinkling-water a symbol of the spiritual water by which
sin is removed. By this water we have to understand not only grace in general, but the
spiritual sprinkling-water, which is prepared through the sacrificial death of Christ,
through the blood that He shed for sin, and which is sprinkled upon us for the cleansing
away of sin in the gracious water of baptism. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from
all sin.
The house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem represent the whole nation here... This cleansing will be followed by a new life in fellowship with God, since the Lord will remove everything that could hinder sanctification."
Water confirmed flowing from Temple Mount Rock
Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: Temple Mount Faithful
Tue May 18 , 1999 -- One of the most exciting events over the last few days has been the news of the water flowing from the holy rock of Abraham and Isaac on the Temple Mount which was in the midst of the First and Second Temples. According to what we now know, the water is definitely flowing from under the rock. The Arabs on the Temple Mount deny this and have tried to stop the flow by many means but have not succeeded. What we now know is that they are trying to bring in special pumps to stop the flow. In any case, the water continues to flow. Nothing can stop it. This special news has caused much excitement in Israel. Since the destruction of the Second Temple the Jewish People have anticipated this event with great desire and prayers because we always knew that this would be one of the signs of the last days and the redemption of Israel and that the Third Temple is soon to be built and Mashiach ben David is soon to come. Now, at the climax of the major redemptional process of Israel, this major godly event has occurred before our very eyes. This event will show everyone in the world who is trying to stop G-d's determination to redeem the people of Israel, to cancel the last signs of pagan, foreign presence on the Temple Mount, the holy hill of G-d, and any foreign occupation in the land which G-d promised to Israel alone in an eternal covenant. We are expecting more major godly events and redemptional miracles with the people and land of Israel. The water which is now coming from the holy rock on the Temple Mount is again bringing a testimony from G-d. Everyone who loves the G-d of Israel, trusts and worships Him, should be strong and walk together with the G-d of Israel and not fear anyone, only trust Him and they will have the privilege of seeing the accomplishment of this wonderful godly process of the redemption of Israel and all the world. This is the real significance that everyone should give to their lives in these last days. The G-d of Israel is expecting you to do so and to be blessed by being a part of this exciting redemptional event. Editor's note: For the VERY prophetic signifance of this water, read Ezekiel 47:1-12 which describes conditions in the millenial reign of Jesus Christ, Mashiach ben David.
Date forwarded: Tue, 25 May 1999 12:15:47 -0400
From: Temple Mount Faithful (gershon@templemountfaithful.org)
Update on the Water from the Temple Mount Islamic Diggings and Remains on the Temple Mount
Important news about the water flowing from the Temple Mount comes from the Israeli newspaper, HaTsofer. In the 15th May edition of the Journal, (pg 5) Eliazer Sheffer states that his Arab neighbour, Mohammed shared with him very secretly, and very emotionally, that water had started to flow from the rock on the Temple Mount. Mohammed told him that he had not seen it himself, but that he had heard that the Islamic Mufti of Jerusalem is very concerned by this happening because, according to Islamic writings, this is a good sign for the Jews and a bad sign for the Muslims. People who we have sent to check the situation could not see the water but the information that we have received and which was spread throughout Israel states that the Arabs on the Temple Mount have done everything possible to stop the flow of water, including by means of special pumps that they brought in for the purpose.
As we know, and our people have checked this and even photographed it, the Arabs, with the help of hundreds of workers from the Islamic Movement in Israel are busy with very intensive excavations on the Temple Mount, the purpose of which is to destroy the last remains of the First and Second Temples and in this way to deny the Jewish identity of the Temple Mount. According to one account, during these diggings they broke into one of the water sources and the water started to flow out of the rock and in trying to stop the flow, they temporarily diverted the water in another direction which is currently unknown. It is very well known that under the Temple Mount there are many water sources and it is not surprising that one or more of them started to flow out. This news which was spread all over Israel put joy and great hopes in the hearts of the Israelis as an important sign of redemption.
One of the most damaging excavations is being undertaken under the Israeli police station on the Temple Mount which is not far from the location of the First and Second Temples and the Holy of Holies. The Arabs do not allow any Israeli to check these diggings and it may be that the source of the water is from here and perhaps the purpose of these diggings is to discover important hidden remains and vessels from the Temple.
Another of the terrible excavations and destructions that the Arabs are undertaking on the Temple Mount is in the great and beautiful halls of the historic Hulda entrance to the Temple Mount through which millions of Jews used to enter the Temple Mount for pilgrimage and worship. We have recently written about this but people who were sent to again check the situation, were shocked to see that this barbaric work of destruction of one of the last remains of the Temple which has remained intact over the last 2000 years continues and even intensifies. More than this, during the diggings, the Arabs discovered other halls which had not previously been known about. These had also been part of the complex of the Second Temple. Our people also saw that covered trucks were going out from the diggings and we are very worried that they have discovered important vessels from the Temple that were hidden by the priests before the destruction of the Temple. The purpose of this work is, on one hand, to destroy and cancel the Jewish identity of the Temple Mount and, instead, to build a fourth mosque on the Temple Mount in the Hulda halls and other secret rooms. This is the same as the did in the past few years in the so-called Solomon Stables on the Temple Mount which were not stables but another important part of the Second Temple complex where they built the third mosque. This is a terrible abomination on the most holy place of the Jewish people and all the world. It is a criminal action against G-d Himself, the Jewish people and all mankind for whom this is the holiest and most important place in all the earth. It is a crime against Israeli laws and the destruction of very holy and important remains that are irreplaceable. It breaks the heart of everyone in Israel, especially because the Israeli governments are too weak to immediately stop it and bring the perpetrators to court. They are frightened of the Islamic and international reaction and we also blame the UN which so quickly reacts when Israel does something for her safety but agree with such a terrible, barbaric crime against mankind by keeping silent. Where is the President of the United States who, as a Christian, should know the holiness and importance of the Temple Mount and the remains of the Temple? Why does he react so quickly when Israel builds houses in Jerusalem for the honour of G-d and to glorify Him in His holy city, the capital of Israel and now he is silent?
This terrible news is breaking the hearts of all of us in The Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement and we have contacted the authorities in Israel to stop this barbaric destruction, theft of holy vessels and the building of more mosques in the most holy place of G-d, Israel and all mankind. If for any reason, this is not immediately stopped, we shall immediately make a petition to the Supreme Court of Israel. We are also going to send an urgent letter to the Security Council of the UN asking them to immediately stop this barbaric crime against all mankind, even though we don't expect that they will do anything as they are such good friends and supporters of the Arab enemies of Israel. But we shall do it nevertheless, because we want to show their hypocrisy to all the world. This terrible event occurs at a very critical time in Israel. On the one hand there is the major event of the godly redemption of Israel on the other hand there is the campaign and efforts of the enemies of Israel to stop this godly event and to destroy Israel and her historical godly values. Again we feel the need to warn all of them that they have bitter delusions if the expect to succeed in their anti-Israeli activities. They have never learnt anything from history especially their own experiences with the G-d and people of Israel. They want to forget what the G-d of Israel showed them and everyone in the world again and again, that only He controls the history of Israel and He will not allow anyone to touch His people or to stop His determination to accomplish the redemption of Israel. At the same time G-d is expecting us to undertake the battle for Him and for His prophetic plans with Israel and not to allow the destruction of the most holy remains of His house; to trust in Him alone and not to fear any power which will try to attack Israel in such a situation. Everyone in the wo[r]ld is called on to immediately send letters and to contact their leaders and governments, the government of Israel, and the UN to protest these barbaric activities and to ask them to immediately stop. G-d will never forgive us if we remain passive and silent.
TEMPLE MOUNT HOLY WATER?
TO: Friends (and friends of friends) of Bridges for
Peace
FROM: Clarence H. Wagner, Jr., International Director - Jerusalem
DATE: June 11, 1999
Editor's note: We have been receiving so many letters asking about rumors of a "miraculous" flow of water coming from the Temple Mount, that we decided to go and check it out for ourselves. I went with my husband, Tom Brimmer, to the site. Following is his analysis of the subject. - Becky Brimmer
I love a good mystery. For weeks we've been hearing about water flowing from the Temple Mount. What in the world is going on? On June 5th, 1999, I decided to visit the places I had heard about and take a look for myself. One report told of dampness around the rock in the Dome of the Rock. Another spoke of holy water being collected in the tunnel next to the Western (Wailing) Wall. Yet another spoke of water flowing from the top of the Temple Mount and that the Moslem authorities were unable to control it. I decided to visit the El Aksa mosque, the Dome of the Rock, the tunnel, the Eastern Gate and the southern face of the Temple Mount retaining wall.
Our group consisted of Becky, who was on assignment for Bridges For Peace, Dennis, who was acting as escort for two young women who were curious, and myself who just couldn't resist.
Our first stop was the top of the Temple Mount. There was no water flowing. We moved on to the El Aksa mosque and there was no water there either. Next, we went to the Dome of the Rock where we actually went in and under the rock. We took our shoes off and walked in our socks. We could not possibly miss any dampness on the floor. We did not notice any water. Then we went out to the inside side of the Eastern Gate. Here we did see some water. There were two hoses and we could hear a pump. There was just a small trickle of water coming from the two hoses. We decided to leave the top of the mountain and go down to the wall on the western side. There we did see a trickle of water dripping into the tunnel on the men's side of the prayer area. Someone had placed a cup under the dripping and they were collecting water to be given away as holy water.
Well, that's all the water there is to report about on the Temple Mount. It is not a breathtaking fulfillment of Biblical prophecy as far as we could tell. The question remains, is it anything at all?
The Bible predicts water flowing from the Temple Mount in Zechariah 14:4-9, "And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south. And you will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee just as you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD, my God, will come, {and} all the holy ones with Him! And it will come about in that day that there will be no light; the luminaries will dwindle. For it will be a unique day which is known to the LORD, neither day nor night, but it will come about that at evening time there will be light. And it will come about in that day that living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter. And the LORD will be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be {the only} one, and His name {the only} one." (NAS)
Even a cursory look at the preceding passage will convince almost anyone that this prophecy has not been fully fulfilled at any time in history. If you are looking for literal fulfillment of biblical prophecy, this is one that should be ahead of us on the time line. It has a lot of details. The flowing of water is only one of them. Yet, we can see that the element of water does exist.
Ezekiel 47 speaks of water flowing from under the threshold of the future Temple, on the southern side of the house, from south of the altar. He mentions that the house faces east and that the water flows as a trickle from the Eastern Gate on the south side of the gate. Naturally, the fact that there is no temple standing on the Temple Mount presents a small problem. There is no house at all on the mount that faces east. There are several small cupolas that might qualify but certainly nothing that could be mistaken for a temple with an altar of sacrifice.
On the other hand, there is a lot of illegal construction activity. We saw no less than hundreds of men busily moving stones and debris from a hidden building site under the El Aksa. There were many tons of cut stone near the eastern gate that were ready to be moved into place. We also know that there are a number of huge water cisterns cut into the stone of the mountain. It would take very little imagination to believe that one or more of these cisterns had been broken or was being drained for some reason. Last year a group of BFP staff visited Solomon's Stables on the Temple Mount. They had been completely renovated for use as overflow for the Al Aksa Mosque. It is likely that they are now turning cavernous cisterns into usable space.
OK, I'll attempt to draw a few conclusions. There are no streams or rivers of water flowing from the Temple Mount. The Bible prophecy that deals with the idea of water from the Temple requires a few additional details to be literally fulfilled. There is no physical Temple on the Temple mount. There is no deep valley across the Mount of Olives for the water to flow through. On the other hand, there is indeed a small amount of water present on both the east and western sides of the mountaintop. To complicate matters, there is a lot of illegal construction. Since the construction is not legal, there is no way a reporter can find accurate information about the possibility of a broken cistern or water being drained from other sources.
I would be interested in knowing the chemical characteristics of the water being collected in the tunnel near the Western Wall Plaza. I have a suspicion that it is neither pure nor holy. The same is probably true of the water that seems to be coming from the eastern gate. (Thomas Brimmer, June 5, 1999)
Water from the rock on the Temple Mount
Weekend News Today (http://upway.com/cgi-bin/went)
By Andra Brack
Source: IsraelWire
Fri Jun 11,1999 -- Rumors concerning water flowing from the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City continue to circulate from time to time, but to date, ISRAELWIRE has not been able to confirm the accuracy of the reports. We feel it fitting to publicize the information provided below with kind permission of Or Somayach Institutions. In the Messianic era, says the Talmud, a trickle of water will begin flowing from the Holy Temple. This trickle will grow and grow until it becomes a gushing river. The Talmud cites a verse in Zachariah: "On that day a spring will be opened for the House of David and for the residents of Jerusalem." See also the book of Joel that: "And it will be on that day a fountain shall issue from the House of the L-rd." Maharasha explains that this river symbolizes King David's dynasty: Like a river flowing on and on, David's kingship will continue forever. Now, according to recent reports, a "mysterious" trickle of water is rumored to have begun from under "the rock" in the Moslem "Dome of the Rock" mosque on the Temple Mount. Even if true, this may or may not be significant. For one, the Talmud very specifically details how the trickle will emerge from the Temple, yet it's doubtful that "the Dome of the Rock" is indeed built upon the Temple site. In "Bet Hamikdash Hashlisli," Rabbi Shalom Dov Steinberg brings strong evidence that it is not. Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch, a leading Torah scholar of our day, agrees. Among other indications, electro-magnetic scans under the Temple mount reveal very deep hollows consistent with those described as having been under the Temple --these hollows however are not under the Dome of the Rock; rather they are under the clear, unbuilt section opposite the Western Wall. Interestingly, this fits with our tradition, recorded almost 2000 years ago in the Zohar, that no building will ever be built on the site of the Sanctuary except for the Temple!
...and the water that seems to be, well, leaking out from under the mosque on the Temple Mount.
In the beginning, there was only rumor. Getting confirmation of this intriguing occurrence was difficult, especially since the Arabs were not interested in going public with this one. Furthermore, in light of all the political-leaks these days, the secular Israeli media finds little reason to report on a water-leak, and on Arab property yet.
However, through a bizarre act of Divine Providence this week, I was actually able to speak to someone who has the inside scoop. Yes, the Temple mount is actually leaking. Yes, the Arabs are very concerned about it, and have even sectioned off the area into which the water is emerging (there are big fans set up to reduce moisture and dry carpets). Yes, they have even hired foreign engineers to solve the crisis, but to not avail, and for reasons they don't understand as of yet.
Of course, any sign of trouble for those who occupy the holiest place in the Jewish world--and the entire universe for that matter--is a long-awaited one for those yearning for Moshiach and Temple times. However, beyond such expectations, does the water have any meaning? If the water was the result of Arab excavations (now why would they be digging around there?), is that reason to raise a spiritual eyebrow in wonderment? Perhaps, when one considers the following:
"Then He returned me to the entrance of the House and behold! Water was coming out from under the threshold of the House to the east-for the House faced east-and the water was descending under the right hand wall of the House, south of the altar ..." (Yechezkel 47:1)
It is worthwhile to read the entire quote. According to the Talmud (Pesachim 22a), a stream used to flow through the Azarah (Interior Courtyard of the Temple), and its source was Ein Etam (Yerushalmi, Yoma 3:8); it continued to the Kidron Valley. However, Rebi Eliezer ben Ya'akov teaches that, at a future date (i.e., the time of Moshiach), this stream will be replaced by one coming out of the Holy of Holies on the Temple Mount. (My source, call him "Deep Water," told me that the wall on our side of the Temple Mount that supposedly corresponds to the Holy of Holies has been unusually moist!) In the time of Moshiach, this small stream will become a mighty torrent of blessing for all mankind, even sweetening the Dead Sea, and healing the sick and providing food for all. This is one flow we will not go against!
What to make of all of this? That is the $64,000 question that may be answered over the coming months. In the meantime, at least for those who have been wondering: There's water in them thar "hill"!
Perceptions - Parashas Pinchas: Going Against the
Flow?
Pinchas Winston, June 30, 1999
http://www.torah.org
One of our subscribers, Barbara, sent me the following url:
http://www.newkingdom.com/water.html
where you can see pictures of the Temple Mount and the water (there might be more pictures in the future):
"The following pictures were taken on June 23rd, 1999 at the temple mount in Jerusalem. The hose you see originates in a hole just North of the Dome. Is this Ezekiel 47 being fulfilled before our eyes?? You decide. To those who were skeptical of the water coming from the Mount....no apologies needed. I wouldn't have believed it either without seeing it with my own eyes."
June 30, 1999