New Book Challenges Traditional Midrashim Linking Dome of the Rock to Jewish Temple Site

A recent book by Rabbi Barak Shargai, titled "Noy Olam," questions the authenticity of certain midrashic texts used to support the claim that the Islamic Dome of the Rock stands on the Jewish Temple's Foundation Stone. The book scrutinizes passages from the Midrash "Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer," particularly chapter 30, which some interpret as prophetic evidence that the Dome of the Rock is the Jewish Temple's cornerstone. Rabbi Shargai argues these texts were added centuries after the destruction of the Temple, noting that the Dome was completed in 691 CE by Caliph Abd al-Malik, suggesting the midrash was retroactively altered to fit this reality.

Additionally, the book examines another midrash, "Nistarot DeRabbi Shimon Bar Yochai," which references Arab rulers and events post-Muslim conquest, indicating it was likely composed during the Geonic or early medieval period rather than by Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai himself. Citing scholar Rabbi Zalman Koren, Shargai contends this midrash is not genuine prophecy but a later text written in a prophetic style, effectively a "prophecy after the fact."

The author also highlights that the controversial passage in "Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer" is absent from the 19th-century Radak edition, a significant commentary by a major Jewish scholar, further supporting the claim that it is a later addition. Rabbi Shargai concludes that the Temple Mount itself remains empty of any building, and the Dome of the Rock is not the original Temple site. He expresses hope for the eventual rebuilding of the Temple and the return of the divine presence to Zion.

This book offers a detailed historical and textual analysis that challenges traditional religious narratives about the Temple Mount's location and the Dome of the Rock's significance, sparking renewed debate on this sensitive topic.