48 years after the Chief Rabbinate of Israel placed the sign at the entrance to Har Habayis stating Jews may not enter the holy site, prominent rabbonim in the dati leumi community are working to have the sign changed. They are seeking a softer nussach to the sign, explaining while the Chief Rabbinate still prohibits visiting Har Habayis, there are prominent rabbonim who today disagree.
The rabbonim are not looking to replace the sign with one that says visiting is permitted, but to explain there are rabbonim who permitted visiting. The current signs says;
הודעה ואזהרה. אסור לפי דין תורה לכל אדם להיכנס לשטח הר הבית מפאת קדושתו
The insignia of the Chief Rabbinate appears as well and the growing number of people who visit Har Habayis feel the sign must be amended to include “some rabbis permit this”.
A few weeks ago someone placed a sticker on the sign which says covers the portion that says “The Torah prohibits one from visiting Har Habayis” with “The Torah prohibits a tamei person from visiting Har Habayis”.
Rav of the Kosel and Holy Sites Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz filed a police complaint over the sticker affixed to the sign.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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11 Responses
How about..
Rabonim and Gedolim assur it
Rabbis are Matir it.
And there are those that say that you can drive a car on Shabbos to go shopping. Let’s put up a sign.
Why does it say “lechol adam”? Min hatorah, a goy can go anywhere he wants.
Also, now that I think about it, the issur for yidden is to go to certain parts of har habayis, and we don’t know where they are. It’s not technically ossur to go to har habayis per se.
They should put a sign saying one who enters various parts of Har Habayis is Chayiv Misa.
to #1 and #2: when i was a yeshiva bochur i believed that my rosh yeshiva was a greater gadol than all the other rabbonim combined and that my rosh yeshiva was a gadol while others were not and that my rosh yeshiva had a unique connection with what hashem wants from us and all the others were lesser rabbonim. then i grew up.
What a bunch of babies! Say it like it is! Don’t be wussy about it.
besalel #6: You still haven’t grown up.
I feel obliged to caution Jews not to go on Har Habayis. I ventured there once 40 years ago, without paying attention to the prohibition, and walked into the Dome of Rock, and I regret it deeply. A Jewish person has no need to go there. We experience Kedusha, by NOT going there these days, just as the Kedusha of Shabbat or any other type can only be experienced by adhering to restrictions. Even if you plan to be very careful, the best course is to avoid the risk of an extremely serious transgression. I know of no other way to do Teshuva for having tredded there than simply to discourage others from doing the same.
such hypocrisy. the chief rabbinate is kodosh vitahor and it’s a choiv gamur to listen to them when it works for the tzionim, but when their opinion doesnt shtim with what the right wing activists want, it’s all of a sudden ok to look elsewhere for a psak.
@rebbe Yid – “‘Adam atem’ atem k’ruyim Adam, v’ein umos ha’olam k’ruyim Adam.”