The First Temple
Religious Studies: KS3, topic 1.2.19
The First Temple
The first Jewish temple was called the Tabernacle and contained some important holy items.
Building a Tabernacle
- Jews believe in a God that has no physical form.
- This creates challenges as it is easier to accept something you can see.
- After the Israelites worshipped the Golden Calf Idol, God commanded Moses to build a Tabernacle.
- The Tabernacle was a mobile temple dedicated to the worship of God.
- The Tabernacle would give the people a physical form to focus on.
Sacrifice in the Temple
- The furniture in the Temple had symbolic meaning.
- The altar on which animals were sacrificed was not because God gets hungry.
- The idea of sacrifice is to take something precious and dedicate it to God.
Holy items in the Temple
- The menorah - which is a 7 branched candelabra used in Jewish rituals.
- Even though God does not need our candles to see, the symbolic message is that God is the light of the world.
- The holiest item of all was the Ark containing the original Ten Commandments.
- The first complete Torah scroll written by Moses was also in the Temple.
The Tabernacle's journey
- This Tabernacle travelled for 40 years in the desert.
- When Moses died the people crossed over into the Holy Land of Israel and the Tabernacle was still used to worship God.
Test yourself on The First Temple
Which false idol did the Israelites worship before God commanded Moses to build a Tabernacle?
How many years did the Tabernacle travel in the desert?