The number of visits by religious Jews to Har Habayis rose by 75 percent in 2017 compared to 2016, according to figures published Tuesday, 15 Teves, by the religious-nationalist Yirei (יראה) organization that encourages this increase.
If last year, a total of 14,626 people who consider themselves religious, went up to Har Habayis, that number reached 25,628 this year. The previous years also show that this is a consistent and continuous increase: in 2015 there were 11,001 visits to Har Habayis and in 2014 it was 11,754 visits.
In 2009, a total of 5,658 religious Jews visited. Despite the piskei halacha of Gedolei Yisrael of today and the past, the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, prohibiting visiting Har Habayis, the number of religious Jews doing so continues to climb.
Haaretz quotes the spokesman of the Har Habayis Organizations, who claims that the increase in visits also reflects the continued change in the religious and chareidi society regarding the Har Habayis. “This year the dam was broken regarding the religious and even chareidi tzibur,” Assaf Fried said.
As is well known, a small chareidi group began to ascend the mountain regularly, despite the halakhic prohibition to enter Har Habayis, while the students of the chardal Har Hamor Yeshiva have recently been campaigning against the rise of religious Jews visiting the holy site.
Fried added: “Three years ago, when you came to Har Habayis, you would know that you were coming to the battlefield, you would know that they would greet you with shouts while today, a Jew visiting the site knows he is wanted”.
He added that the increase in the number of visits also contributed to the change in police policy toward the religious Jews led by Jerusalem District Commander Yoram Halevy and Police Commissioner Roni Alshich. In the past year, the police have almost completely abolished the restrictions on the size of the groups that visit Har Habayis, they permit going atop the platform near the Dome of the Rock and have significantly shortened security inspection and waiting time.”
YWN NOTES: Gedolei Yisrael over the generations and the Chief Rabbinate of Israel prohibit visiting Har Habayis, which they explain carries the punishment of karess.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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9 Responses
B”H that we have great Rabbonim like Rav Meir Mazuz, Rav Dov Lior, and Rav Yaakov Meidan to analyze this issue afresh, given the clear archaeological evidence and new political realities, to teach us that it is not only permitted, but a MITZVAH to go to the permitted areas!
While there are reputable Poskim who allow ascending on the Har HaBayis after going to the Mikva, I am not aware of ANY Poskim who allow going onto the platform that currently contains the Dome of the Rock, and those who do so would seem to be acting incorrectly. That is almost definitely the Makom HaAzara, and there is an Issur Kares to go there while Tamei Meis. The rest of the Har HaBayis is, Me’ikar Hadin, Muttar to a Tamei Meis who has removed all other forms of Tuma via a Mikva – the main question is where exactly is the Makom HaAzara.
an Israeli Yid
I am always astounded how Yeshiva world news always feels obligated to add the caption: “Gedolei Yisrael over the generations and the Chief Rabbinate of Israel prohibit visiting Har Habayis, which they explain carries the punishment of karess”. Does anyone not grasp how ludicrous this statement is? Aside from being false and a lie, it also implies that we will never build the Beit Hamikdash; if its assur to go up to Har habayit (which it is most definitely not) how can we ever build the Mikdash? Also, nowhere in Halachah does it say that one who goes up to Har habayit receives Karet. This is a fabrication of Halacha. Only if one entered the Azarah and is Tameh met does he receive karet. One may even bring a dead person onto Har habayit (הלכות היאת המקדש ג:ד).
The chief Rabbinate of Israel has never officially discussed the Har Habayit issue and have never and I mean never written any Halacha treatise as to why it is assur (I urge you to check). The reason is simple because it’s not assur. I challenge anyone to find me one תשובה that explains why it is assur to go up to Har habayit that isn’t laced with golus Hashkafah instead of proper Halachah. There is a very good reason why charedim are starting to go up in large numbers, ken yirboo.
Of course it’s muttar……….if you find a parah aduma.
Good luck in your search!
and it’s not just tumas meis, it’s other tumah as well
@Shlomo 2 – What do “political realities” have to do with halachic permissibility?
@ Abbah –
1) We are all, for all intents and purposes, considered timei meis.
2) Where the azarah is is not clear.
(Gedolim of the past knew how to measure.)
3) The third bayis will not be built by Man, but will rather descend from heaven.
My links above apply as well to the questions asked by “Student of Torah.”
It would be mutar to go up onto har habais, and even to go into the makom haheichl itself, in order to build the bais, because tumah hutrah b’tzibor. Now, however, people aren’t going on har habais for the avodah’ so that heter wouldn’t apply.
Anyway, even to just go on har habais you have to go to the mikvah twice – the day before, before sunset, so that you have he’erev shemesh and are tahor, and then again in the morning because of the gezarah of the chachamim (see shitas R’ Yehudah in the beginning of the 2nd perek of yoma).
It scares me that so many people go on har habais nowadays, even if they are right that it is just har habais, with having gone to the mikvah only that morning – and are seemingly over on an issur kareis.