The painter Elisha Katz documented himself building the Temple in the heart of 21st century Jerusalem • For 12 hours he created an impressive image of the dream of Jews for generations to come.

Any traditionalist who visits the Old City of Jerusalem on the eve of Tisha B'Av, can not help but wonder what the Third Temple will look like. The fact that on the mountain there are now mosques and the old city is built as one piece, challenges the thought and provides food for thought.

The painter Elisha Katz decided that he was not satisfied with the question - and tried to paint the answer, while documenting the creative process, moment after moment, in rapid motion.

Illustration and photography: Elisha Katz

"I've been around for a long time with this idea of ​​painting the Third Temple," he explains, "I learned the shape of the Third Temple as it is described in Ezekiel's prophecies. "True to all the details in the contemporary Jerusalem landscape. I did not even uproot the trees. I let my imagination fill in only what was missing."

"I chose to paint the temple at dusk, a moment after sunset, because in this light everything is softer and more pleasant and the result is also more visually interesting, what's more, at night our imagination works cleaner and stronger. We have already seen the temple, but this painting "It really is something new. No one has yet painted the Third Temple in such lighting and with the authentic view of Jerusalem as it looks now, with all the buildings that exist today and so on."

And how long did it take?

"I worked on the painting for 12 hours in a row, really without a break, until I was able to get the end result I wanted." The final painting is offered for sale.