In the sun-baked town of Netivot, nestled in Israel’s southern periphery, Rabbi Gil Manor had a vision: to ignite people’s anticipation for redemption. His solution? A unique, self-assembly Lego model of the Holy Temple. “I believe the Moshiach will come in our lifetime,” he says with unwavering conviction.
Rabbi Gil Manor, now 47 and a father of five, serves as a Chabad emissary in Netivot. Born in Nahariya to a traditional family, young Gil wasn’t raised to observe Jewish commandments. That changed when he was eight years old, marking the beginning of his path to faith.
“It was a Friday evening,” Gil recalls. “I was playing with my friends outside our apartment building when I saw our neighbor coming down, dressed in his finest clothes. Curious, I asked him where he was going. He told me he was wearing his Sabbath clothes and heading to the synagogue.”
Intrigued, the following week, Gil asked his mother to dress him up too. He waited for his neighbor and asked to join him. “That was my first time in a synagogue,” he says. “It was during the first Lebanon war in 1982.”
The synagogue community embraced young Gil, offering him a warm welcome that would shape his future. “I felt drawn to the place, to the prayers. Each prayer service was an experience for me,” he says fondly.
His newfound passion led him to request a transfer to a religious school the following year. “Both schools shaped my life positively,” he reflects.
As Gil’s interest in religious life grew, his family began to follow suit. His father didn’t oppose his son’s new path, and his mother became more observant herself. Later, his siblings also embraced a more religious lifestyle, with some even transferring to Chabad educational institutions in the north.
Gil’s spiritual journey continued to unfold through his teenage years and early adulthood. His mother, seeking guidance for her son’s education, consulted with the local Chabad emissary, Rabbi Israel Butman of blessed memory. “Rabbi Butman recommended that I study at the Chabad Yeshiva in Lod,” Gil remembers. This advice would prove pivotal in shaping his future.
Following this recommendation, Gil’s path became clearer. “Rabbi Baruch Wilhelm taught me Talmud,” Gil recalls with gratitude, “and I was fortunate to be accepted into the Chabad Yeshiva in Lod.”
This yeshiva experience was transformative for Gil. “It shaped my life,” he says, “until I became a Chabad emissary myself, serving under the chief emissary in Netivot, Rabbi Yashar Edrei.”
About five years ago, Gil began a journey that would lead to his innovative Lego Temple project. He started organizing activities for children about the Holy Temple. “I saw how fascinated the children were,” he explains, “and how engaging with the Temple strengthened their faith in the coming of the Moshiach.”
This inspiration led him to develop a Lego model of the Temple, consisting of 1,590 pieces. “The idea was that every child could build the Temple with their own hands,” he says. The project required precision in construction, with Gil investing extensive study to ensure accuracy. He also prepared a detailed album explaining each stage of construction and the function of every Temple detail.
Finding a Lego factory that met their requirements wasn’t easy. “But thank G-d,” Gil says, “we saw the fruits of our labor when the work was completed.”
The final model was launched a few months ago, and the responses have been deeply moving. One mother, Noa, shared a touching story about her child’s prayer: “We bought our son the Lego Temple kit as an Afikoman gift (a special gift given to children during the Passover Seder). It’s the most amazing gift I’ve ever seen. When my son finished building the Temple, he said, ‘Just as I prayed for the completion of the Lego Temple, we should pray for the real Temple.’ It was simply touching.”
Gil invested two and a half years in learning, development, and construction of this project. “I saw G-d’s hand guiding us at every step,” he reflects. “When I think about it, I’m confident the Moshiach will come in our time. Many people today are engaged with the Temple, each in their own way, and I have no doubt that G-d sees this and derives great satisfaction from it.”
He concludes with a heartfelt prayer: “May we soon celebrate together the dedication of the Third Temple!”
Adapted from Sichat Hashavua
