The silence that has hung over the Temple Mount for nearly two thousand years was broken last Thursday morning when three Levites ascended Judaism’s holiest site and sang the daily psalm. The moment marks an unprecedented restoration of an ancient Temple service that ceased with the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE.
The Levites who participated in the ascent described their experience in a statement: “We were moved today to fulfill (partially) our dream as sons of Levi – to sing the song of God on the holy mountain. Today, thank God, there are several organizations of Levites preparing for the day when we can stand again on the platform, and we invite our Levite brothers to inquire and join.”
The Beyadenu movement for the Temple Mount facilitated the event and helped make it accessible to the public as part of its activities to strengthen the living, values-based, and communal connection to the Temple Mount.