Nine Days Wrap Up for 2026

I am in the process of importing my 3D model of the Beis Hamikdash into the Unity game engine to create an app that will allow the user to explore the entire Beis Hamikdash. For a few of my Nine Days programs this year I showed a fuller preview of the Unity Beis Hamikdash.

Shavuos 2026 at Darchei Tzedek

Why would anyone need a life-size replica of the Outer Altar from the Second Temple? Beside the obvious bragging rights, it makes it much easier to demonstrate how far the Kohanim threw the entrails of the bird olah when it was performed on the southwest corner. And that is just one of the many hands-on demonstrations that were featured in this year's Shavuos night shiur titled: Fascinating Facts from the Daily Avodah.

The Terry Elan Memorial Lecture 2026: Running a Regel

To mark my father's yahrtzeit on 29 Shevat I delivered a new slideshow titled Running a Regel: The Logistics of Hosting Klal Yisrael for Yom Tov. See the full video below!

The Terry Elan Memorial Lecture 2025: Music of the Mikdash

To mark my father's yahrtzeit on 29 Shevat I delivered a new slideshow titled Music of the Mikdash: Reconstructing the musical instruments of the Leviim and recapturing the lost Song of Zion. See the full video below!

Preview of the Terry Elan Memorial Lecture 2025

On Sunday, March 2, 2025, I will be delivering a lecture in memory of my father IYH. The title is Music of the Mikdash: Reconstructing the musical instruments of the Leviim and recapturing the lost Song of Zion.

The Terry Elan Memorial Lecture 2024: Beis Hamikdash Underground

To mark my father's yahrtzeit on 29 Shevat I delivered a new slideshow titled Beis Hamikdash Underground: The secret — and not-so-secret — architecture beneath the Second Beis Hamikdash.

Preview of the Terry Elan Memorial Lecture 2024

On Sunday, February 11, 2024, I will be delivering a lecture in memory of my father IYH. The title is Beis Hamikdash Underground: The secret — and not-so-secret — architecture beneath the second Beis Hamikdash

Slideshow at the Talmudical Academy 4th Grade

 This week I had the opportunity to speak to Rabbi Sruly Slansky's fourth grade class at the Talmudical Academy of Baltimore. The boys just completed Mishnayos Succah and were curious to learn more about the Simchas Beis Hashoeavah, the Nisuch Hamayim, and where these events took place in the Beis Hamikdash.

TOST Back in Stock

The next shipment of The Original Second Temple has just arrived in New York and the books are now back in stock. I would like to thank all of the readers from around the world who sent in questions and comments on the first edition, and many of those corrections made their way into this second revised edition.

Please visit The Book tab for more info about the book and how to get a copy.

The Terry Elan Memorial Lecture 2023: House of Shadow and Light

To mark my father's yahrtzeit on 29 Shevat I delivered a new slideshow titled House of Shadow and Light. This shiur explores the relationship between the path of the sun and the structure of the Beis Hamikdash. The slideshow covers some topics from earlier blog posts, some ideas discussed in my book, as well as some brand new material.

The video now has closed captions thanks to the efforts of Martha Goodman and the Disability and Inclusion Services, Macks Center for Jewish Connections in Baltimore, MD.

Model Ma'arachah on Display

When visitors to the Ner Yisroel neighborhood now walk by the site of the yeshivah's annual Lag Ba'omer bonfire, they will see more than just scattered wood and charred logs. Some volunteers used a little imagination and a lot of hard work to transform those "spent firebrands" into a hands-on learning experience.

Second Beis Hamikdash App Preview

With the accessibility of 3D drawing and rendering tools nowadays, combined with fast hardware and free gaming engines, it has never been easier to create an immersive experience that really brings places and buildings to life. I imported the 3D models of the Beis Hamikdash that I used to create the illustrations for my book into the Unity game engine and have been tinkering with turning it into a full-fledged app that will, at the very least, allow people to walk around and explore the Mikdash at their own speed and interest. 

The world of apps lets you do, basically, anything you can imagine. This Second Temple app could be leveraged as a Kohen training course, part of a school curriculum, or just plain old edutainment. Since I don't have a full team of artists and programmers working for me just yet, the progress has been slow. Below you can check out a small preview of what I've put together so far. If the idea catches the interest of the right people, it could speed up development and make this app a reality.

Beis Hamikdash Experience is now online

By popular demand from my mother and others of the general public, the virtual Beis Hamikdash presentation that I helped create for the Daf Yomi siyum of Maseches Yoma is now on my Vimeo page.

Siyum on Yoma by Ki Heim Chayeinu

Coming up this Thursday the daf yomi will be finishing Maseches Yoma. To celebrate this momentous siyum, the organization Ki Heim Chayeinu (a division of the National Agudah) put together a program that includes a number of speakers, entertainers, and me. Read on for a behind-the-scenes look at some of the material I prepared.

Inside Artscroll Interview

Artscroll's new edition of Avodas HaKorbanos takes the reader through a day in the life of the Beis Hamikdash with an elucidated text, explanatory notes, and diagrams. I contributed to this volume by helping out with the diagrams. For that, I was invited to be interviewed on Inside Artscroll, their video podcast series where, as they like to say, "The books you read and the people who write them come to life!" I had a chance to talk about this book, how I got started with Artscroll, and about my personal work on the Beis Hamikdash.

The Ship Has Arrived!

 In early March, after some brief delays, the ship carrying The Original Second Temple arrived off the coast of New York.

TOST shipping container location on March 8, 2021

TOST is about to be served!

After many years in the making, my book on the Beis Hamikdash is about to be released in stores, BH! The Original Second Temple is a hard cover, full-color compendium of my work on the Second Beis Hamikdash. It features over 270 pages of detailed explanations, more than 130 diagrams and illustrations, and numerous source citations and footnotes to make the study of the Beis Hamikdash accessible to all.

The Original Second Temple is being printed and distributed by Feldheim. The printing has just been completed in Israel and the book is due to arrive in America in late February 2021. Please visit the updated Book tab for more information and for special offers on the abridged Digital Edition available now!

Yom Kippur Avodah Slideshow Excerpt

During this past Aseres Yemei Teshuvah I was invited by Rabbi Abba Zvi Naiman to bring my Yom Kippur Avodah slideshow to the Bais Medrash of Ranchleigh. In this presentation I walk through the daily schedule of the Beis Hamikdash on Yom Kippur and show what happened and where.

Meet the Maker: Jbrick Comes to Baltimore!

It's not that often that I get to see Lego® and the Beis Hamikdash come together (outside of my own house, that is). Last week Bnos Yisroel of Baltimore was honored to host Yitzy Kasowitz of Jbrick and his Second Temple Lego® model. I stopped in to meet Mr. Kasowitz and see his impressive model for myself.

Loaves and Lambs on Shavuos Night

This year I gave my second-annual presentation "Loaves and Lambs" at Cong. Darchei Tzedek on the first night of Shavuos. This class is a virtual walkthrough of the sacrificial service performed in the Temple on Shavuos. It covers the Mussaf offerings, the Shtei Halechem (two loaves of wheat flour brought on Shavuos), and the offerings which accompany the Shtei Halechem.