Why Mt. Moriah Became Temple Mount

Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the LORD appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. II Chronicles 3:1

There is a delightful tradition regarding why Mt. Moriah was chosen to be the location of the Holy Temple. The story emphasizes the importance placed on the values of love and unselfishness between family members.

Israel Kosta relates that the site on which the Temple was built was once the property of two brothers. One had a wife and children, the other did not. They lived together in one house--happy, quiet, and satisfied with the portions which they inherited from their father. Together they worked the fields with the sweat of their brows.

And the harvest came. The brothers bound their sheaves and brought them to the threshing floor. There they divided the crops of the field in two parts equally between them, and left them.

That night, the brother who had no family lay upon his bed and thought: I am alone...but my brother has a wife and children.Why should my share be equal to his? And he rose from his bed, went stealthily out into the threshing floor, took from the stalks of his own sheath, and added them to the sheath of his brother.

That same night, the other brother turned to his wife and said: "It is not right that we have divided the crop into two equal parts, one for me and one for my brother. He is alone and has no other joy or happiness, only the yield of the field. Therefore, come with me, my wife, and we will secretly take from our share and add to his." And they did so.

In the morning the brothers went out into the threshing floor, and they wondered that the sheaves were still equal. Each one decided to himself to investigate. During the night each one rose from his bed to repeat his deed. And they met each other in the threshing floor, each with his sheaves in his arms. Thus the mystery was explained. The brothers embraced and kissed each other.

And the Lord looked with favor on this threshing floor where the two brothers conceived their good thoughts...and the children of Israel chose it for the site of their holy Temple.