Sukkot 2006

The Pool of Shiloach 

The Pool of Shiloach is described in the account of the man born blind:

Now as Yahusha was passing by, he saw a man who had been blind from birth.  His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who committed the sin that caused him to be born blind, this man or his parents?"  Yahusha answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but he was born blind so that the acts of Elohim may be revealed through what happens to him.  We must perform the deeds of the one who sent me as long as it is daytime. Night is coming when no one can work.  As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."  Having said this, he spat on the ground and made some mud with the saliva. He smeared the mud on the blind man's eyes  and said to him, "Go wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated "sent"). So the blind man went away and washed, and came back seeing (Yochanan 9:1-7).

As we exited out of Hezekiah's tunnel, we come into this area and "pool"  It was for a long time thought that this is the Pool of Shiloach (Siloam).  Many have visited this "pool" and thought it to be the actual pool mentioned in Scripture. (The Muslims sometimes pour raw sewage into this "pool" just to defile it and demonstrate their contempt for Jews and Christians)

A look back toward the exit of Hezekiah's Tunnel:

But if we move further along the path of the water, it comes out a short distance away.  There is a man standing in front of another "pool"  To the right of that pool of water is the beginning of the excavation of the genuine Pool of Shiloach.

To the right of that pool, are steps leading down (and to the right in this pic) into the real Pool of Shiloach:

In this picture, we can better see the 5 steps (on left) down to a landing about 7 feet wide, and then another set of steps down:

In the best picture of all, you can see 5 steps, a landing, 5 steps, a landing and then the beginning of another set of steps.  This is the eastern edge of the Pool of Shiloach.  The Arabs have not allowed the Jews to continue excavation, but the Pool is probably close to Olympic in size.

Here is a view of the corner of the Pool:

And when we exited this area, we went around the ground where the pool sits and back in the direction of Yerushalayim.  But looking back, the trees covering this ground would need to be removed to uncover the rest of the Pool of Shiloach.