Rabbi Arthur Segal: RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL: LEONTOPOLIS HEBREW TEMPLE IN EGYPT: JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL

RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL: LEONTOPOLIS HEBREW TEMPLE IN EGYPT: JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL

Shalom and Peace:

In our discussion of international Jewish communities, let's head to Egypt.

We know about Jerusalem's Two Hebraic Temples: Solomon's [950 BCE - 586 BCE], and Ezra's [516 BCE - 70 CE]. There were two others where Hebrew priests performed sacrifices.

The first was on Elephantine Island in Egypt's Nile River, near the Aswan dam. In 586 BCE, Hebrews, escaping Babylonians, fled to Elephantine Island, called Yeb. Hebrews lived on Yeb, since 650 BCE, when they escaped evil Hebrew King Mesashe. With Solomon's Temple destroyed, diaspora Hebrews, built Elephantine Island's Temple for worship.

When Persia defeated Babylon, allowing Hebrews to build a new Jerusalem Temple circa 516 BCE, the Elephantine Temple functioned with Cohan priests conducting animal and grain sacrifices per Levitical law. Leviticus never states a Temple must be in Jerusalem, nor is Jerusalem or a Temple mentioned. Hebraism was portable with a Mishkan and Arc with carrying poles. Circa 500 BCE when Persia controlled Egypt, Elephantine was a strategic Nile fort, with Hebrew-Persian soldiers.

Persians destroyed many Egyptian Temples but not Elephantine's Hebrew Temple. When damaged by Egyptians, Persia paid to fix the Temple. Elephantinians were denied help from their fellow Jerusalem Hebrews, documented in 407 BCE letters to Persian King Cambyses II.

From 580 BCE to 516 BCE, Elephantine's Temple was the only Hebrew Temple in existence. In Babylon, during this same time, Hebrews had no way of worshiping God, and prayer and good deeds replaced sacrifices, as Talmudic Rabbinic Judaism was formatted. But after 516 BCE, two Hebrew Temples existed!

The priests in Jerusalem's new Temple could not have a competing Temple. They believed, unlike today's Judaism, that God resided in the Temple. How could He reside in two? They petitioned Persia to close Elephantine Island's Temple. Persia needed the Jewish garrison, so they compromised. The Persians ordered the Elephantine Temple to offer only grain, not animal sacrifices.

When the Persians lost Egypt to the Greeks in 411 BCE, the Elephantine Temple was destroyed and the Hebrews left. The Ethiopian Jewish tradition claims they came to Ethiopia with the Ark of the Covenant. Others say they returned to Judea and never had the Ark.

Next month, we will discuss the second non-Jerusalem Temple, the Leontopolis (Heliopolis) Temple. Independence was as important then as now. Happy 4^th!

Rabbi Arthur Segal is an international lecturer, author, and teacher. Visit him at www.JewishSpiritualRenewal.org . Email at RabbiASegal@aol.com