Feb 3, 2022 By: yunews
Tova Ganzel and Shalom Holtz | Brill | 2021
Reviewed by Rabbi Dr. Stu Halpern
, edited by Tova Ganzel and Shalom Holtz, is a scholarly and comprehensive look at the intricacies and contexts of how God's home in Jerusalem was constructed and run. As the editors note, "as spaces for ritual performance," temples "tell us about ancient cultic practices: who did what, when, and how" and strive to connect the divine and human spheres in sacrifice and worship. Yuval Levavi's entry on "the sacred bureaucracy of Neo-Babylonian temples" examines a non-Jewish temple system. As the author notes, these temples too had a "well-defined hierarchical administrative structure," with the members of prestigious Babylonian families forming the backbone of the religious and administrative bureaucracy. Caroline Waerzeggers draws a comparison between the "tiny fractions of temple service" ancient Babylonian sources attest to, not dissimilar to tractate Taanit 68a's mention of shares as small as half a day assigned to family houses. Avraham Faust examines the concept of the temple in contrast to the four-space houses typical of the time and emphasizes how, unlike private homes, the temple is hierarchical, with no room for impure individuals and no ideological emphasis on equality. As Faust concludes, "while the ideology of simplicity and egalitarianism is fine for humans, God is not part of it - he is above all others." Gary A. Anderson offers a close reading of the literary artistry of the Bible's descriptions of God's appearance in the Tabernacle, the predecessor of the Jerusalem Temple, in Exodus 40 and Leviticus 8. The preponderance of the number seven is meant to hearken back to the creation story, with the building of the Tabernacle meant to be presented as its culmination. Simeon Chavel's contribution offers a fascinating analysis of the phrase "mikdash me'at," conventionally understood to refer to synagogues. As Chavel notes, in its original context in Ezekiel 11:16, the phrase might have signified that, post-destruction, the holy site would be accessible only to a few (me'at), be reduced in its usage (downgraded, in a sense), or that Israelites would be relegated to possessing miniature models of the Jerusalem Temple as a way of recalling the actual one that once stood. As this collection makes clear, the Jerusalem Temple's spiritual power remains a source of fascination and relevance even millennia after the building's physical destruction. As contributor Eyal Regev puts it, "The effect of the Temple or the cult on the worshipers may be much greater than its architecture, rituals, and practices. Even after the Temple no longer exists, its religious symbolism remains." To read more Straus Center book reviews, click here. You can learn more about the Straus Center and sign up for our newsletter . Be sure to also like us on , follow us on and and connect with us on .
