This week, when Jews around the world mourn the destruction of the First and Second Temples, some may also think back on two rabbi-scholars who died this spring, both known for helping us understand the ritual practices of the First Temple, as well as Ezekiel’s prophecies about its destruction.

In May, on the eve of Shavuot, while most Orthodox Jews were preparing for the upcoming holiday, a few representatives from Young Israel of Beverly Hills (YIBH) were in a Santa Monica courtroom. They were finishing up the second day of a trial that, they hoped, would bring to a close a bitterly fought dispute that had been dogging their congregation for more than two years.