ARCHITECTURAL PLANS FOR HOLY TEMPLE SANCTUARY INAUGURATED
Less than two weeks ago, the Temple Institute's Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign came to its successful conclusion: With thanks to the Almighty, and with thanks to almost 900 supporters from around the world, over $100,000 was raised for the "Build the Third Temple" campaign. As stated throughout the campaign, these funds are designated for the specific purpose of continuing the program of preparing modern, state of the art architectural blueprints for the design of the Third Temple. These plans are an essential stage in the preparation for rebuilding. Now that the campaign target has been reached, the Temple Institute can begin to produce the operative plans for the entire Temple complex. This is a formidable task: the ultimate costs involved in planning the entire Temple structure will be many times the amount raised in this campaign, but we can now begin to systematically prepare the plans, one step at a time.
Today, 11 Tishrei 5775 (October 5 2014), history was made, as the directors of the Temple Institute met with the noted Jerusalem architect Shmuel Balsam to inaugurate this amazing project. Architect Balsam is not only an accomplished professional who has designed many award-winning building projects - he is also a learned rabbi, a great Torah scholar whose field of expertise is the Holy Temple. The architectural firm of Shmuel Balsam has already successfully completed plans for the Temple's Chamber of the Hewn Stone.
The significance of this meeting taking place today is not only timely, but powerfully prophetic as well. Our sages teach that the commandment of "And they shall take for Me an offering" (Ex. 25:1), and the commandment of "And they shall make for Me a Sanctuary, and I will dwelling among them" (verse 8) were given on this very day... the day after Yom Kippur! How fitting that on this very day, the day after Yom Kippur, at the beginning of a new year, serious plans were put into motion for the continuation - in our day - of these very commandments!
Recently we reported on another Temple-related 'first': the creation of pure vessels to contain olive oil for the kindling of the Temple menorah. Now, we can report on this next exciting stage: preparations to begin the plans for the Temple sanctuary. With G-d's help we shall look forward to posting updates on these developments as they become available. FB