Kapparot and the Day of Atonement

An interesting tradition in Orthodox Judaism is Kapporot (or kapparos), in which a rooster is waved over the heads of people, symbolically transferring sins to the rooster, which is then slaughtered.  Many Jews oppose it as barbaric.  It is apparently a vestigial remain of the Yom Kippur sacrifice.  Here are some sites about this ritual:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kapparos
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/kapparot.html

Some videos (Note: Some of these display the slaughtering of the chickens.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xwu1giSLoI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpTTk-o88-I&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYQmgu3M0VQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUDcgfDG-0o

Panorama of Temple Mount

Taken by me on the eve of the Day of Atonement, 2009.

http://gigapan.org/gigapans/33607/

Temple Mount Incident

Reports indicate that some Jewish Haredim associated with Third Temple Movements entered the Temple Mount/Haram to pray as part of Yom Kippur.  Muslims objected, and clashes occurred.

http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSLR406084

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ioi_0jtO9RjMwPNRoXNCndRPRq3gD9AVKFI80

Western Wall

A "gigapan" I took of the Western Wall can be found here.

http://gigapan.org/gigapans/33486/

It allows you to zoom in to quite high resolution on any part of the picture.

Hurva Synagogue, Jerusalem

The Hurva Synagogue was the main synagogue for Ashkenazi Jews for centuries.  It was destroyed in the 1948 war, but is now under reconstruction.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurva_Synagogue

Temple Miqve

A large miqve (ritual purificaiton pool) was discovered recently in archaeological excavations near the Western Wall. It was used for priests and Jews to ritually purify themselves by immersion before ascending to the temple.

http://www.antiquities.org.il/about_eng.asp?Modul_id=14

Blogging blues

Sorry I haven't been doing much the past week.  I took a fall and wrenched some muscles in my back and right arm, making computer work painful.  I'm on the mend and should have some more stuff soon.