Rabbi Wolfson Refutes Rabbi Barak Shragai
A Picture of Rabbi Wolfson pointing out the bedrock. (The picture linked to a video)
-
The Theory Being Challenged: Rabbi Barak Shragai published a book (Noyo Shel Olam), reviving a 30-year-old theory by researcher Tuvia Sagiv. This theory claims the Temple was located on the southern side of the Temple Mount rather than at the traditional location of the Dome of the Rock, and that its ruins lie over 10 meters below ground level .
-
The Refutation: Rabbi Wolfson points out an immediate physical contradiction: visible natural bedrock (Sela Em) on the surface at that location .
-
Conclusion: Because the natural bedrock is visibly exposed on the current ground surface, the Temple could not have existed 10 meters underneath it. Rabbi Wolfson asserts that the theory contradicts Jewish tradition, common logic, and observable physical reality . He concludes that this southern area served as the ascending pathway up to the Temple and the Holy of Holies, ending with a prayer for the rebuild of the Temple
Further suggested reading: