Make a left onto Misgav Ladach Street, walk a few minutes and on your right is a very interesting exhibit. All through Hebrew school, or day school and yeshiva high school, you learn about the Temple and its many complicated, confusing vessels. If you're lucky you even get to make a model out of cardboard and shiny gold paper. But this is almost the real McCoy!!! A recent addition is a model of the "kiyor". the washing basin which was used by the priests in the Temple. It is currently on exhibit next to the Jewsih quarter parking lot, by the entrance to the Four Sephardic Synagogues.

Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, long time Rova resident, happened to be in the right place at the wrong time. June '67 the young paratrooper found himself on the Temple Mount as the Old City of Jerusalem fell back into Jewish hands after 19 years. There he was guarding the Mosque waiting for the orders to let the walls come tumbling down when he was told by Moshe Dayan that he was giving the Temple Mount back to the hands of the Wakf. Quite shocked that the government wasn't planning to rebuild the Third Temple, Rabbi Ariel decided (a few years down the line) to help move things along in a peaceful and educational manner by teaching about its heritage through recreating the Temple vessels according to the traditional sources with real gold, silver and bronze. Aside from vessels, the institute has a model of the Second Temple, a really neat audio-visual presentation and an impressive gallery of oil paintings depicting the daily service in the Temple. English tours must be ordered in advance.

Hours are Sun.-Thurs. 9:00-5:00 and Fri. 9:00-12:30. Admission is 20 for adults and 15 for children. Tel: 626-4545. You can learn more about the Temple Institute at the website www.templeinstitute.org .