Finding the Jug

“… when the Syrian-Greeks entered the Temple, they defiled all the oils. When the Hasmoneans were victorious and defeated them, they searched and found only one jug of oil which had the seal of the Kohain Gadol (High Priest). It contained only enough oil for one day, yet a miracle occurred and the Menorah burned for eight days. The following year, these days were designated as a Festival with Hallel and thanksgiving”

(Shabbos 21b).

Have you ever wondered where that jug of oil was found? I have. It must have been hidden very well, which is why the enemy didn’t discover it. I think I have found exactly where the Hasmoneans discovered that famous jug of oil. This is the story of how I discovered its secret hiding place.

The story begins in the early 1860s, which was a bit before my time. More than half of Jerusalem’s Jewish and Christian populations were suffering from the ill effects of the city’s polluted water supply. Jerusalem had no source of fresh water and the inhabitants had to rely on inground storage pools, called cisterns, which contained the winter’s rainfall. The municipal cisterns were often located next to cemeteries or garbage dumps that made the brackish water unfit for human consumption.

The British Survey

On September 12^th 1864, a team of six British surveyors began examining the polluted water supply of the Holy City, with the cooperation of the Turkish officials. It should be noted that the cooperation of the Turks was not due to any compassionate health concern, but rather because of the constant flow of bribes from community leaders. British philanthropist Sir Moses Montefiore was also instrumental in obtaining the nec­essary permission and cooperation of the local Jewish authorities (the Jews were a majority in Jerusalem at the time). The sur­veying team was granted total access to all areas of the Holy City, including the Temple Mount.

The expedition was headed by Charles Wilson, a twenty-eight-year-old captain in the British Royal Engineer Corps, chosen because of his intimate knowledge of ancient history, his familiarity with the infant science of archaeology, and his expertise in surveying. Wilson had been granted a unique opportunity. In the past, the Turkish administrators had never allowed any type of scientific exploration or investigation of the holy sites. It was rare for non-Muslims to be granted entrance to Har HaBayis, the Temple Mount.