Joseph Good is now teaching on the Soreg, the dividing wall on the Temple Mount which was the furthest place for which non-Jews could enter, and the place which Paul was accused of taking non-Jews past in the account in the book of Acts. He is comparing the descriptions of the Mishna with Josephus and resolving discrepancies between the two accounts.
Joseph Good is now asking the question “where were the toilets” in the Temple complex. It may seem a little crass, but it is actually a very good, practical question of which there are several problems in resolving the issues revolving around the topic. His current working texts are from b.Yoma 32 and 33.
Aaron Eby suggested that I live blog from the conference (today would be the only day, since the rest of the week will be holy days), so I thought I would give it a small attempt…
Currently, I am sitting & listening to Joseph Good teach his second session on the Temple. He recently recovered from technical difficulties (thanks to Jeremy & Joel) and is back on track. He is speaking about the specifications of the Monumental Stairway & showing photos from the 1800s to present of the area.
Again, this year, we are spending Shavuot with FFOZ at their Shavuot Conference in Hudson, WI. We got in just a couple of hours before sessions began last night and were in a whirlwind to get settled before the first session.
The theme for this year’s conference is the Beit HaMikdash (The Temple). Boaz Michael opened up the conference with a discussion of the significance of Psalm 84 in relationship to the Temple as a segue into the next session, lead by Joseph Good of Hatikva Ministries. Mr. Good will be leading the bulk of all of the sessions this year, as his knowledge of the Temple is encyclopedic. His past and current work with the Temple Institute are a testimony of his extensive knowledge on the subject. (On a side note, he mentioned last night that he was going to have to go next week to tell the constituents of the Temple Institute that their placement of the new bronze Laver is incorrect. Do you know anyone else respected enough in this area to be able to do that? Wow…)
Mr. Good gave us roughly a two-hour introductory session last night an an orientation to the minute details involved in Temple Research. I was fortunate to meet a few people from Mr. Good’s congregation a few years ago, and their description for listening to his teaching is probably the best I have heard. They said it’s like drinking from a fire hydrant. This is definitely the case. At the end of the session last night he asked, “Does anyone have any questions?” to which the response was a hearty round of laughter. We all knew that there was no time to ask all of the questions that were necessary and we would just have to make due and try to take as many notes as possible.
Lastly, I am also looking forward to hearing another speaker which I haven’t heard in a while. Grant Luton, from Akron, OH, is scheduled to speak as well this weekend. My family and I were privileged to spend time with his family and congregation a few years back and enjoyed ourselves immensely. We look forward to this time as well. I’ll try to keep you posted here and there. Blessings!
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