I have been reading about the Western Wall, a holy site in Judaism, and wonder?

Question:

I have been reading about the Western Wall, a holy site in Judaism, and wonder?

how accurate is the story of its destruction? Is that what really happened? Is the reason why it hasn't been restored because of religious beliefs such as the coming of the Messiah (a belief in Judaism as I understand it)?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

The first temple (Solomon's Temple) was destroyed on the 9th day of the 9th month (the month of "Av" in the Jewish calendar) in 586 (BCE) by the Persians.

In the year 70 (CE) the second temple (Herrod's Temple) was destroyed by the Romans, once again on the 9th of Av. This led to the Jewish expulsions known as the diaspora. In the intervening centuries the Temple Mount (where both temples stood -- a location chosen by both David and Solomon) stood empty.

But with the rise of Islam, the mount was taken over by Muslims who maintain that the prophet Mohammed had a vision on this mount, and was taken to heaven from this place. They built a mosque of the location of the two temples (The Dome of the Rock) and it still stands to this day.

The reason the third temple has not been built is because it would need to be built on the temple mount which is occupied by the mosque. The muslims hold this ground to be holy and are not about to give it up. And the Israelis are not about to destroy the third holiest shrine in Islam, because they know it will mean war with the entire Muslim world.

So all that remains of the second temple is part of the retaining wall at the very base of the mount. This is as close as the Jews can get to having the temple -- and so the "Western Wall" is a place of pilgrimage to Jews the world over.

The actual rebuilding of the physical temple is now of importance only to a small handful of ultra-orthodox Jews. Most other Jews see Israel proper as "The Third Temple." Many Jewish scholars harkening back to the prophet Jeremiah (who said that the time would come when Jews would no longer require the Ark of the Covenent as a symbol of God's presence among men) concur with this belief. The state of Israel, they maintain, IS the third temple.

Hope this answer helps. Cheers, mate.