New Research Challenges Belief That Foundation Stone Lies Beneath Jerusalem's Dome of the Rock
A widely held belief among tourists, historians, archaeologists, and religious scholars is that the Foundation Stone, the spiritual cornerstone from which the world was created, lies beneath the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. This assumption also underpins religious practices regarding the sanctity of the site and access rules. However, Rabbi Barak Shergai challenges this consensus in his new book "The Beauty of the World," published by Tzuf, arguing that the Dome of the Rock is not connected to the Foundation Stone.
Shergai's research draws on classical Jewish sources, including the Talmud and early commentators, to distinguish between the terms "rock" (sela) and "stone" (even). He explains that "rock" refers to the bedrock or mountain itself, while "stone" denotes a movable or separate stone. This distinction is crucial in Jewish law, especially regarding ritual purity and impurity. Shergai cites Mishnah passages and medieval authorities like Rambam and Rashi to support this differentiation.
According to Shergai, the Foundation Stone mentioned in the Mishnah as the site where the Ark of the Covenant rested was a separate stone, not the bedrock under the Dome of the Rock. He further notes that this stone was destroyed during the destruction of the Temple, a fact reflected in the Jerusalem Talmud's reference to the cessation of the "Foundation Stone" and the related custom of women refraining from drinking water.
Shergai also disputes the common notion that the Temple stood at the highest point of the Temple Mount, showing that classical sources indicate otherwise. His book combines traditional textual analysis with modern research to clarify the Temple's location and the true nature of the Foundation Stone.
This new perspective invites reconsideration of long-standing assumptions about one of Judaism's holiest sites and may impact religious and historical understanding of the Temple Mount. Further exploration of Shergai's findings and their implications is anticipated.
