Interview in Hamodia

This past Succos, the Hamodia (one of the largest Jewish newspapers) ran a feature on my Beis Hamikdash-related work.
 

Elevation of the Kohen on the Mount of Olives

The Kohen standing on the Mount of Olives had to be able to see the entrance of the Sanctuary as he sprinkled the blood of the Red Cow. The Gemara explains that to do so he would need to look over the eastern gate of the Temple Mount, because if he looked through that gate the elevations of the Temple were such that he could not see the Sanctuary entrance. It can be shown, however, that there is a very simple way to see the Sanctuary entrance by looking through the gate.

Locating the Courtyard Upon the Temple Mount

Even though Tractate Middos does contain a lot of detailed measurements for the Second Temple, one of the places where the Tanna is vague is when he describes the location of the Courtyard upon the Temple Mount. The Mishnah does not give explicit numbers but rather states that the southern area (that is, the area between the southern Temple Mount wall and the Courtyard) was larger than the eastern area, and the eastern area was larger than the northern area, and the smallest area was in the west. I looked for a simple mathematical way to calculate the range of possible locations where the Courtyard could have been placed, but I didn't find one.

Second Temple Print Arrived from Shapeways

My print of the Pocket Size Second Temple just came in from Shapeways and it turned out even better than expected.

Pocket Second Temple Model now on Shapeways

In order to bring my Pocket Second Temple model to people who do not have their own 3D printers, I have moved a copy of it to Shapeways.com.

Pocket Size Second Temple Model

One of the projects I have been busy working on is a digital model of the Second Temple suitable for 3D printing. My first "offering" is now available on thingiverse.com.