An Israeli Rabbi is claiming that the key to rebuilding the Jewish Temple is genetics, and through DNA, they can re-establish the Hebrew priesthood.
“Genetics connects modern Judaism to the Bible, confirming 3,000 years of Jewish tradition,” explained Rabbi Yaakov Kleiman to Breaking Israel News. “This is an amazing testament to God’s covenant and the Jewish people. Despite more than 2,000 years of exile we have maintained our religion, our customs, our Torah, and our genetic identity.”
Kleiman, who opened the Center for Kohanim in Jerusalem nine years ago, authored a book on DNA evidence of the priesthood. Kohanim, or priests, are Jewish men who are thought to be the descendants of Aaron.
According to Kleiman the tools needed to uncover the bloodline have only come about in recent years; genetic researchers in Haifa, discovered markers that are passed from father to son, and that indicate Jewish ancestry whose family traditions hold that they are descended from the biblical priestly class.
“According to prophecy, there will be a Third Temple, and when there is, we will need to identify the priests,” Kleiman said. “Kohanim are the manpower of the Temple. Without them, it is an empty building.”
He cites Ezekiel 44:15 as the authority.
“This scientific proof is an affirmation that, as the Torah said, the priestly covenant would be eternal,” the rabbi said, citing also the Book of Numbers 25:13.
As for discovering the Levites, the genetic tool proved ineffective.
“Levi is the same concept and you would expect the same genetic markers but there is not the same percentage of the J group, the genetic marker showing that Jews originated in the Middle East,” he said. “This indicated that the tradition of being a Levi is not as strong as that of kohanim.”
