The
Temple Mount in Jerusalem is a holy place for Jews, Christians
and Muslims. According to the Jewish faith, the Temple Mount
is where Abraham was asked
to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, in the ultimate test of his
commitment to God. According to Christianity, Jesus
was dedicated on the Temple Mount in accordance
with the Law of Moses. He referred to the Biblical Temple as
his Father's House, and was tempted by the Devil at the pinnacle
of the Temple Mount. According to Islam, the Prophet Mohammad
ascended
into Heaven from the edge of the Temple Mount.
"As
the navel is set in the centre of the human body,
so is the land of Israel the navel of the world... situated in the centre of
the world,
and Jerusalem in the centre of the land of Israel, and the sanctuary in the
centre of Jerusalem, and the holy place in the centre of the sanctuary, and
the ark in the centre of the holy place,
and the foundation stone before the holy place, because from it the world was
founded."
Midrash Tanchuma, Qedoshi |
