The Second Holy Temple, built 70 years after the destruction of the First Temple, stood for 420 years until being set on fire by the Romans. A structure of immense physical and spiritual grandeur, it served as a constant reminder to the Jewish People that G‑d dwelled among them. Read on for 13 facts about this center of Jewish life that lives on in thought, study, and anticipation.
1. It Took 21 Years to Build
In 370 BCE (3391), the Persian king Cyrus the Great authorized the Jews to rebuild the Holy Temple that had been destroyed by the Babylonians,1 but construction ground to a halt due to interference by the Samaritans.2 In 353 BCE (3408), the Jews began building again—at first independently, and soon after with the approval of King Darius.3 The Second Temple was completed in 349 BCE (3412).
2. Five Elements Were Missing
The Talmud identifies five key elements from the First Temple that were absent from the Second Temple: the Holy Ark, the heavenly fire on the altar, the Divine Presence, the spirit of prophecy, and the ability to receive Divine guidance through the breastplate.4 Nevertheless, every Jew entering the Second Temple experienced an elevated sense of Divine awareness,5 further enhanced by the 10 daily miracles that occurred there.6
3. It Was Greater Than the First
In 353 BCE, G‑d instructed the prophet Haggai to encourage the Temple builders to continue their sacred work. “Some of them are old enough to recall the First Temple,” G‑d said. “They might think the current structure is puny in comparison. But let them be strengthened: This Temple will be greater than the first!”7
In what way was the Second Temple greater? In a tangible sense, the Talmud explains, it exceeded the first in both longevity and height: While the First Temple stood for 410 years, the second stood for 420 (353 BCE–69 CE/3408–3829), and its sanctuary was 10 cubits taller than that of the first.8
A Chassidic teaching provides a deeper understanding. The Second Temple replaced the first, which was destroyed due to the Jewish people’s sins. It was thus akin to a baal teshuvah, someone who mends the past by replacing it with a better future. And just like a penitent can reach spiritual levels unattainable by a tzaddik (a righteous person who has never sinned), so was the Second Temple greater spiritually than the first.9
4. It Was a Hybrid
When the Babylonian exiles prepared to rebuild the Temple, they had two templates to work from: the description of the First Temple in the Book of Kings, and the cryptic portrayal of the yet-to-be-built Third Temple in the Book of Ezekiel. Ultimately, they followed the outline of the First Temple, integrating elements from the third.10
5. Two Tractates Describe It
Remarkably, although the Second Temple has not been with us for close to 2,000 years, we know exactly what it looked like and what took place there. An entire Talmudic tractate, Tractate Middot, is dedicated to recording its structure for posterity, down to its exact dimensions and the names and locations of its many gates and rooms. Another tractate, Tractate Tamid, describes the daily schedule of the Second Temple, providing a fascinating glimpse into Temple life.
Study Tractate Middot and Tractate Tamid
6. It Was Shaped Like a Lion
Tractate Middot states that the Temple was shaped like a lion,11 based on the verse referring to the Temple as “Ariel” (“lion of G‑d”).12 What does this mean? According to the accepted tradition, the Temple anteroom extended on either side, giving the appearance of a maned lion, with its head wider than its body. Maimonides, however, adopts a unique approach in which the Temple was square, with the walls simply narrowing slightly toward the back.13
7. Pilgrims Visited 3 Times a Year From As Far as Babylon
The Holy Temple was the center of Jewish life, not only in Jerusalem but across the world. Three times a year, for Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot, Jews were enjoined to go on a pilgrimage to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem,14 where they would bring sacrifices15 and imbibe a potent dose of spiritual energy. In the Second Temple period, when many Jews lived beyond the borders of the Holy Land, Jews would travel from as far as Babylonia for these thrice-yearly pilgrimages.16
8. It Was Violated by the Greeks
The first 200 years of the Second Temple was a period of relative peace, with the Jews treated fairly by the reigning Persian and Greek monarchs. All this changed when Antiochus IV ascended the throne. Intent on destroying Jewish life and religion, his armies ransacked the Temple, defiled its oil, and sacrificed a swine on the altar. Matityahu the Hasmonean and his sons could not sit idly in face of such desecration. Leading a small army, they achieved a miraculous victory, after which they cleaned up the Temple and lit the menorah, resulting in the holiday of Hanukkah.17
Read: 11 Facts About Antiochus
9. It Was Renovated by Herod
Herod the Great was a former Idumean slave who ruled Judea from 36 BCE–1 CE (3725–3761). Although he was a cruel autocrat who ruled with ruthless brutality, he undertook the ambitious project of renovating the Second Temple which had fallen into disrepair as an attempt to atone for his brutality. Using marble of various hues giving the appearance of waves of the sea, the result was so impressive that the Talmud declares, “He who has not seen Herod’s edifice has never seen a beautiful structure in his life.”18
Read: Herod the Great
10. It Was Destroyed by the Romans
The Hasmonean revolt succeeded in casting off the yoke of Greek authority and restoring Jewish autonomy. However, even before Herod’s times, Judea gradually fell under Roman influence, eventually becoming a mere vassal of the Roman Empire. As Roman oppression worsened, a new revolt erupted, ending very differently from the Hasmonean revolt. The Roman emperor Nero sent his general Vespasian to quash the uprising, later followed by Titus.19 The tragic results were the breaching of Jerusalem’s walls on the 17th of Tammuz, and the destruction of the Holy Temple three weeks later on the Ninth of Av.
Read: What is Tisha B’Av?
11. Part of Its Outer Wall Survived
Although the Temple structure itself was completely demolished, segments of the retaining wall surrounding the Temple Mount survived, famous today as the Western Wall. Archeologists continue to uncover many artifacts from the Temple period, finding—among other things—ancient ash believed to originate from the Roman conflagration of the Temple and Jerusalem.
12. It Teaches a Lesson in Love and Unity
While the First Temple was destroyed due to idol worship, illicit relationships, and murder, our Sages attribute the destruction of the Second Temple to the baseless hatred that prevailed among Jews. If the Jews had been united, they would have merited G‑d's protection and withstood the Romans. It was the factionalism and infighting among the Jews of that time that ultimately brought about the destruction of the Second Holy Temple.20
13. A Third Will Follow—Very Soon!
In a landmark vision, Ezekiel is transported to the Temple Mount where an angel gives him a tour of the Third Temple, which he proceeds to describe at length (albeit in veiled terms).21 Indeed, the building of a Third Temple that will outshine the first two is one of the high points of the Messianic Era.22 The 9th of Av will then be transformed from a day of mourning to a holiday of rejoicing.23 May we merit to see it speedily, this very year!
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