"I've Always Felt a Connection to the Temple"

From a young age, Asher Cohen (29, a resident of Ashdod, married with a son) always felt a strong connection to the Temple. It was not clear to him why. He grew up in a secular-traditional household and was educated in secular institutions, and longing for the Temple was not part of the daily routine of those around him. “Deep inside, there was always a connection,” he says. “There were inner feelings urging me to do something about it.”

That “something” happened about six months ago, after Cohen got married, moved to Ashdod, and was looking for a job at the time. “I said, ‘Hashem, You’ve placed in my heart the feeling that something needs to be done so that the Temple will be rebuilt in our days. I’m making such a move—please help me,’” he recalls. “Indeed, after six months, the website was already live. The Temple animations are my work, there are virtual drawings by someone I found abroad, and I’ve had interesting collaborations, including with a Japanese non-Jew. I experienced clear miracles—Hashem opened a path for me to reach people who helped me enlighten the many.”

Today, the Temple Mount website contains a wide range of information on the topic—from animations and videos to fascinating articles and virtual tours that illustrate, as much as possible through an internet site, the inner essence of the Temple.

One of the factors that deepened Cohen’s connection to the Temple was a dream he had at the age of 23. “On my birthday, I said to Hashem, ‘What do You want me to do in Your world? What’s my purpose?’ After that, I dreamed that I was in an open space and saw a large copper vessel with wheels, and a man dressed in white and blue showing me glowing coals inside. Two years ago, I went to the Temple Institute in Jerusalem and was amazed to see the same copper vessel with wheels from my dream, known as the Peschter. They transport coals from the altar on which incense is offered. I have no explanation for it.”

Today, he is fully observant of the Torah and mitzvot. “I grew up in secular institutions, but when I met my wife two years ago, I decided to take action—I committed to wearing a kippah and tzitzit and to a religious lifestyle, and since then I have been happy. Shabbat, tefillin, kashrut, prayers—everything that’s needed.”

What are the reactions to the site?

“I see that it warms hearts. I receive many messages from people who watch the virtual tours and are deeply moved. They say that, for the first time, they understand what they are praying for every day. For me, the most important thing is enlightening the many, and that gives me the strength to continue.”