One of the most striking portents recorded in rabbinic literature is the extinguishing of the western lamp (ner ma‘aravi) of the Temple menorah. The Babylonian Talmud reports:

“Our Rabbis taught: During the last forty years before the destruction of the Temple the lot [for the Lord] did not come up in the right hand; nor did the crimson-coloured strap become white; nor did the westernmost light shine; and the doors of the Hekal would open by themselves, until R. Johanan b. Zakkai rebuked them, saying: Hekal, Hekal, why dost thou alarm thyself? I know about thee that thou wilt be destroyed, for Zechariah ben Iddo has already prophesied concerning thee: ‘Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars.’” (b. Yoma 39b, Soncino ed.)

The “western lamp” (ner ma‘aravî) refers to the central or chief light of the seven-branched menorah, which according to tradition miraculously burned longer than the others, serving as a sign of the Divine Presence (Shekinah) in Israel (cf. Shabbat 22b).
From it, the other lamps were relit each evening. This symbolism also connects with the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah), established to commemorate the rededication of the Temple in the days of the Maccabees (1 Macc 4:36–59; 2 Macc 10:1–8). Central to the Hanukkah tradition was the menorah and its lights, representing God’s continuing presence with His people. Significantly, the Gospel of John records that Jesus Himself went up to Jerusalem for the Feast of Dedication:

“At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon” (John 10:22–23, NASB).

Its continual burning symbolized the eternal presence of God among His people. Rabbinic tradition states that beginning around 30 AD, the western lamp repeatedly went out despite priestly efforts to keep it burning (Yoma 39b). The extinguishing of this lamp therefore symbolized that the Shekhinah no longer dwelt in the Temple, paralleling God’s glory departing from the sanctuary (cf. Ezekiel 10:18–19).

The Babylonian Talmud testifies:

“Our Rabbis taught: During the last forty years before the destruction of the Temple the lot [‘for the Lord’] did not come up in the right hand; nor did the crimson-coloured strap become white; nor did the westernmost light shine; and the doors of the Hekal would open by themselves…” (b. Yoma 39b, Soncino ed.)

Two signs here directly concern the Yom Kippur rituals:

1. The Lot Always Fell in the Left Hand
   On Yom Kippur, two goats were chosen by lot: one “for the Lord” to be sacrificed, and the other “for Azazel” (Lev 16:8–10). According to Mishnah Yoma 4:1, the high priest would place his hands into two urns and draw out the lots. It was considered a favorable omen if the lot “for the Lord” appeared in the priest’s right hand. The Talmud records that for forty years before the Temple’s destruction, this never occurred — the lot for the Lord always appeared in the left hand, signifying divine rejection.

2. The Crimson Thread Did Not Turn White
   A crimson thread (or wool strip) was tied around the horns of the scapegoat (sa‘ir la-‘Azazel) before it was led into the wilderness. Another strip was placed at the entrance of the Temple. Tradition held that when God accepted Israel’s atonement, the strip would miraculously turn white, symbolically fulfilling Isaiah 1:18: “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.”
   The Mishnah recalls this custom:

   “Originally they used to tie the thread of crimson wool on the entrance of the Ulam (Temple porch) without. When the goat had reached the wilderness, the thread became white, and they knew that the commandment concerning it had been fulfilled…” (m. Yoma 6:8, Danby trans.).

Yet the Talmud declares that from about 30 AD onward, the thread never again turned white (b. Yoma 39b). .Year after year, it remained crimson, publicly displaying that atonement was no longer being granted to the nation through the Temple rites.

The failure of these two central Yom Kippur signs suggested that the atoning efficacy of the rituals had ceased. In Jewish thought, the right hand represents blessing and divine favor (cf. Psalm 16:11; Isaiah 41:10). As Jacob Milgrom observes in his commentary on Leviticus, these omens were “interpreted as evidence that the nation’s sins were no longer being forgiven through the sacrificial system” (Milgrom, Leviticus 23–27, Anchor Bible, 2001, p. 2557).

Thus, from the rabbinic perspective, the very liturgical acts designed to secure forgiveness and reconciliation with God were, from about AD 30 onward, met with divine silence. From a Christian perspective, this date strikingly coincides with the crucifixion of Jesus, whose death is interpreted as the once-for-all atonement that rendered the Yom Kippur sacrifices obsolete (cf. Heb 9:11–12).

The massive gates of the Temple, plated with gold and bronze and requiring many men to open and shut, were observed to open by themselves at night during this same period. The Babylonian Talmud reports:

“Our Rabbis taught: During the last forty years before the destruction of the Temple … the doors of the Hekal would open by themselves, until Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai rebuked them, saying: ‘Hekal, Hekal, why dost thou alarm thyself? I know well that thine end is to be destroyed, for Zechariah ben Iddo has already prophesied concerning thee: Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars [Zech. 11:1].’” (b. Yoma 39b, Soncino ed.)

The Jerusalem Talmud preserves the same tradition in slightly different words:

“Forty years before the destruction of the Temple … the Temple doors opened of themselves, until Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai rebuked them and said: ‘Temple, Temple, why do you frighten yourself? I know your end is to be destroyed, as it is written: Open your doors, O Lebanon, and fire shall devour your cedars (Zech. 11:1).’” (y. Yoma 43c; Neusner trans.).

This tradition directly ties the supernatural opening of the Temple gates to Zechariah 11:1, a prophetic text depicting divine judgment and destruction. The Jewish historian Josephus, writing in the first century, offers independent testimony:

“Moreover, the eastern gate of the inner [court of the] Temple, which was of brass, and vastly heavy, and had been with difficulty shut by twenty men, and rested upon a basis armed with iron, and had bolts fastened very deep into the firm floor, which was there made of one entire stone, was seen to be opened of its own accord about the sixth hour of the night.” (Jewish War 6.5.3 §293; Whiston trans.).

Josephus notes that many regarded this as a portent of impending disaster. n Jewish apocalyptic symbolism, the unbidden opening of the Temple gates implied that God had abandoned His sanctuary, leaving it vulnerable to judgment