• "In Ethiopia, members of this group refer to themselves as Beta Israel . . . They practice an early form of Judaism; the chief rabbis of Israel have recognized them as Jews. Until brought to Israel, they lived in the provinces around Lake Tana. According to their tradition, their ancestors were Jerusalem notables who came with Menelik, the son of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, when he returned home."

"They said that he brought Judaic customs and civil law to Ethiopia. The lion of Judah was the symbol of the emperor of Ethiopia." (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)

"Operation Solomon" was the name of a remarkable plan to bring these Jews to Israel. In the early 'Nineties' fifteen thousand Ethiopian Jews were airlifted to Israel in thirty-one hours. One 747 Jumbo had more than eleven hundred of them on one flight. In order to keep count and due to the basic illiteracy of Hebrew, each had a number stuck to his clothing. When they landed, two, unnumbered disembarked, newborn babies!

The Ethiopian's Judaism differs from the Western Rabbinical Judaism that most Jews relate to. It is possible, through anthropological studies to catch a closer glimpse of Judaism as it might have been three thousand years ago.

Because of Solomon's fame as a wise king, a wide variety of poetry and wisdom works have been attributed to him.

• "The Song of Songs, a joyous tribute to life and love, was written in his youth; Proverbs, a more serious and scholarly work, was produced in his middle age, and Ecclesiastes, on the surface a very cynical book, was written by Solomon in his final years."

"ECCLESIASTES or Kohelet, is one of the five Megillot. It has won enduring popularity because of its wise maxims and its counsel on life. "Ecclesiastes" from the Greek and "Kohelet" in Hebrew, mean leader or teacher of a group."

"Traditionally, the Book is ascribed to King Solomon, and is included among the Writings of the Bible. Its wisdom has been a continuing source of inspiration. Some of the maxims are: He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; Sweet is the sleep of a laboring man...; To every thing there are a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven. A time to be born and a time to die; ... a time to weep and a time to laugh;... a time to love and a time to hate;... a time for war and a time for peace." (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)

There are symbols in modern Judaism that purportedly date back to David's and Solomon's times. One of the most popular is known by non-Jews as The Star of David. Those of the House of Israel call it the Magen David, the sign or shield of David.

• "MAGEN DAVID ("Shield of David"), the six-pointed star, has become the generally accepted emblem of the Jewish people. Tradition tells us that King David wore a magen David on his shield, and that King Solomon had the symbol inscribed on his ring in place of the name of God to give him dominion over demons. In spite of its long history, it is however only recently that the magen David has become an exclusively Jewish symbol."

"During the early Middle Ages, Christians decorated their churches and cathedrals with the magen David. For Muslims it was a magical sign; in Arabic sources the magen David was also known as the "seal of Solomon" and this alternative name was taken over by Jewish groups as well." (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)

The Magen David is always shown as two triangles, interwoven. One possible explanation is that the two triangles represent a characterization of the Urim and Thummim. According to statements attributed to Joseph Smith, the Urim and Thummim were two triangular stones connected by a silver bow. One pointed up and the other pointed down. Superimposed they make a fascinating Magen David!

According to a paper given at Hebrew University by John Tvedtnes, now Senior Researcher at FARMS (BYU), the words Urim and Thummim may come from Egyptian words similar to "RMMM" and "TMMM," one meaning yes or act upon it (positive), the other a more negative meaning (leave it alone).

Since the Urim and Thummin were revelatory tools, it is possible that they represent or operate on a simple principle of revelation. The answer is yes or no.

• "But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right." (DC 9:8)

As popular as the Magen David is, the official symbol of the State of Israel is the seven branched Menorah.

• "God showed Moses the prototype of the menorah when He handed down the Torah on Mount Sinai: from the central shaft of the menorah six branches, three on either side, curved upwards, making seven branches in all; it was carved from one solid piece of gold. It was a sacred object to be used only in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple, and no imitation was permitted."

"The original menorah was 18 handbreadths high and burned in the Tabernacle as a perpetual light. When Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem, he placed ten golden menorot inside it, probably in addition to the menorah of Moses. Both these and the original menorah were destroyed completely when the First Temple was desecrated in 586 B.C.E." (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)

After Solomon built the Temple, the holiday of Sukkoth was used to keep the remembrance of the building and dedication of the Temple.

• "SUKKOTH (Hebrew for "huts" or "tabernacles"), a seven-day festival beginning on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei, which falls in September or October. (In the Diaspora an extra eighth day is celebrated.) One of its main observances is living temporarily in huts, called Sukkoth, resembling those in which the Children of Israel dwelt during their forty years in the wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt."

"This autumn festival was the last of the three "pilgrim" festivals connected with the farming year. From all corners of the Land of Israel throngs of pilgrims used to make their way up to Jerusalem carrying the gaily decorated baskets of fruit and grain which they brought to the Temple as a thanksgiving offering. At the gates of the city the townsfolk greeted them with music. The pilgrims then ascended the broad marble staircase that led from the City of David to the summit of the Temple Mount, where they would present their offerings to the Priests."

"This holiday was also the occasion for the consecration of the Temple built by Solomon and every seventh year on Sukkoth, the Torah was read by the king before the assembled people. In his vision of the end of days, the prophet Zechariah foretells that all the nations of the world will assemble for the festival of Sukkoth in Jerusalem to worship God." (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)

It was at this particular holiday season, in 1982, that the LDS Branch Meeting facility in Jerusalem was dedicated.

On the other hand, there is another holiday that is a reminder of the destruction of Solomon's Temple. Later, after Herod built the temple again, it was destroyed at almost the precise same date.

• "TISH'AH BE-AV (the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av, usually falling within the first week of August) is the traditional day of mourning for the destruction of the Temples in Jerusalem. It is the culmination of the three weeks of mourning that start on the 17th of Tammuz. On Tish'ah be-Av in the year 586 B.C.E., the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar stormed the great Temple built by Solomon, turned its marbled columns and gilded rooms into a useless pile of rubble and exiled Jerusalem's inhabitants."

"After long years of suffering and effort, the Jews managed to rebuild the Temple, which stood for more than 600 years as a symbol of spiritual and national unity. But on the ninth of Av, in the year 70 C.E., the walls of the Temple were once again broken through --- this time by the Romans --- and the Temple and all its structures were completely razed." (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)

Since Later-day Saints have such an intense interest in temple culture and its ritual symbolism, a few comments about the temple may be interesting.

There were curtains in the temple that the Sanhedrin sat behind when speaking with participants in the temple.

• ". . . the Great Sanhedrin was the name of the unique court consisting of . . . judges which sat in a special part of the Temple in Jerusalem. These judges had to know a great many languages in order to understand the witnesses and the litigants without an interpreter (who might change --- ever so slightly the original statement). They never saw the litigants or the accused, in case their judgment might be influenced by their appearance. (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)

Nowadays, a curtain or cloth is used to create a canopy (Huppah) under which marriages are performed. This cloth is usually a "Tallith," a garment that represents the clothing used in temple times with marks (four sets of strings with knots) that represent binding ourselves to keep the commandments.

• ". . . it was customary for the groom to cover the bride's head with his tallit as a symbol of sheltering her; and in modern-day Israel, for weddings of soldiers on active duty, it is not unusual to see a huppah constructed of a tallit supported by four . . . friends of the bride and groom. . . among Orthodox Jews, the preferred custom is to erect the huppah outside, or at least in a spot open to the sky, underneath the stars," (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)

A festive meal is always a part of Jewish weddings and the is a connection of the meal and the temple, as well.

• "With the destruction of the Second Temple sacrifices were no longer made. It was then said: "Now that there is no altar, a man's table . . . and prayer takes the place of the sacrifices."

"The Talmud describes in detail the various modes of conduct to be observed at meals. For example persons should engage in a discussion of Torah during the meal so that they will be "as though they had eaten at the table of God." Furthermore, the table is regarded as a substitute for the altar in the Temple, and therefore, it must be treated with reverence. Before any meal, the hands must be washed pronouncing the appropriate blessing over the washing, after which bread is eaten. The meal is concluded with the Grace after Meals."

". . . (a) benediction (after meals), called Boneh Yerushalayim . . . asks God to have mercy on Israel and to restore the Temple and the Kingdom of David. It includes a plea that He may always sustain and support Israel." (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)

The Dead Sea "Temple Scroll" describes a temple to be built in "Latter-days." The Essenes believed that they were in the Latter-day and referred to themselves as "Saints." The dimensions of the Temple they planned was similar to the dimensions described by Ezekiel. However, the outer dimension seems to include the entire walled city of Jerusalem.

• "LATTER-DAY TEMPLES FORETOLD. That temples and temple ordinances are essential to the (true) faith is well established in the Bible. Malachi predicted the coming of the Lord suddenly to his temple, in the day of vengeance, in the latter times, as a refiner and purifier. Ezekiel predicted the building of a temple in Jerusalem which will be used for ordinance work after the gathering of Israel from their long dispersion and when they are cleansed from their transgressions. John the Revelator saw the day when, after the earth is sanctified and celestialized, the presence of the Father and the Son in the New Jerusalem would take the place of the temple, for the whole city, due to their presence, would become a temple." (Doctrines of Salvation - Joseph Fielding Smith - Vol.2, Pg.244)