Here’s a Test of Significant Proportions

According to Israel National News, a group of Jews have petitioned the Jerusalem District Police (again) to allow them to make the biblically proscribed Passover lamb sacrifice ON the Temple Mount.

In some sense this petition will once again be a test of Israel’s sovereignty over the Temple Mount, but to what degree is unclear because of the issue of political expediency. I don’t believe for a minute that the government of Israel is willing to face the wrath of the Islamic world in order to allow a minority Jewish group to practice a religious ceremony on the Temple Mount. They haven’t in the past, and I don’t expect that to change in  the near future.

Recent history (only the last few months is necessary) gives us a small example of what would happen if such a ceremony were to take place: Jews arrested for praying on Temple Mount, or declaration of Israeli heritage sites in Bethlehem and Hebron sparks clashes.

And it should be noted that if the ceremony is allowed to happen, the opposition will not be from the Islamic world alone.

One Hour to Go

About an hour before the sacrifice, this community
elder is waiting anxiously, knife in hand.

Two Hours to Go


Last week at the Samaritan Passover, the sheep were escorted in about two hours before the sacrifice.

Signs of Passover

There’s kosher, then there’s kosher for Passover. Kosher for Passover indicates that the rules governing the absence of leven (i.e. yeast) have been closely followed.

If a food/drink vendor in Israel wants any business at all during Passover, he must display some type of signage that indicates proper observance of the rules on any machines that dispense food or drinks. It’s helpful if said products also have some type of clear labeling regarding Passover observance.

Usually signs appear more official than the one above, which seems to have been created on a home computer. It lacks any official stamps or names of rabbinic authorities, but seems to have done the trick because I saw several patrons look at it before purchasing items from the machine in the picture below. You can see the kosher sign on the top right hand corner of the machine.

A Great Truth, A Great Hope