Since Rosh Chodesh Menachem Av 5773, hundreds of Jews have been visiting Har Bayis daily. Srugim reports that police have been cooperative and working to accommodate larger groups of Jewish visitors.
Police are not detaining visitors at the entrance for long security checks and police are permitting large groups instead of separating visitors into smaller groups as is the norm.
Rabbonim who have led some of the groups remain optimistic that “visiting the holy site in line with Halachic limitations will hasten bringing the Geula”.
It must be noted that according to the Poskei Hador one is absolutely forbidden to visit the Temple Mount, and there is an Issur Kares for one that goes there.
Four years ago on Sukkos, Israeli President Shimon Peres paid a visit to the Sukkah of Maran Hagon Rav Elyashiv ZATZAL, where Rav Elyashiv called on the President to prevent Jews from visiting Har HaBayis, stating it is an act that that is viewed as extremely provocative by the goyim. Maran stated everything possible must be done to avoid a religious war, and the provocateurs are playing with fire.
Maran is quoted as explaining to the president that Halacha forbids going onto Har HaBayis but today, it is more than this, it is an act that may lead to a religious war and bloodshed.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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3 Responses
Rav Elyashuv’s Psak needs no support or haskoma. However as a point of interest, Rav Ovadyah Yosef Shlita has two shiurim in 2 different seforim wher he talks about going onto Har Habayis. One shiur deals with the general topic of going on Har Habayis, and he goes thru all of the opinions and the final Psak is that it is ossur.
In that Shiur he relates that R’ Moshe Montifiore ZAL went with his Rebbi onto Har Habayis and he was placed in Cherem for that. He immediately ran to the Rov of Yerushalayim in tears and trembling in fear and said he went because he was told that there was no prohibition to go there. If he would have known the Psak of the Rabboney Yerushalayim he never would have gone. With that explanation the Cherem was lifted! After all he was a Yoray Shomayim and he demonstrated it. (For more details look in the sefer Masa Ovadya)
In another sefer Rav Ovadya Yosef addresses those that say there are places on the Temple Mount which are not prohibited by halacha. He goes thru all the opinions as only he can do and shows that there is really no pleace where every opinion agrees is permitted. As such he says anyplace one goes some Rishon Paskens that it is ossur. Therefore no one is allowed to go anywhere. (See Chazon Ovadya on the 3 weeks and hespedim)
Who can argue on Rav Elyashiv zal and Yibodel L’Chayim on Rav Ovadya Yosef Shlita?????
It is true that most leading poskim say that they should not ascend Har HaBayis, but please don’t make the claim that they enter those areeas for which they are punishable by korais.
Yosey – many of the Rishonim were under the impression that the Kotel is the wall of the Azara, and not the Har HaBayis; that’s why they hold that anywhere beyond that is an Issur Kares, since we’re all Tamei Meis at this point. That view has been clearly and demonstrably shown to be in error based on the digging around the area; accordingly, virtually all modern Poskim hold that one can go to the Kotel without going to a Mikva (there are exceptions – Rav Chaim Zimmerman Z”L’s psak was that we need to be choshesh for the Kotel being a wall of the Azara, or for it having been moved over the generations; for that reason, his female descendants do not visit the Kotel until they are married, and some only once a month even then).
I discussed this issue with a major American “Yeshivish” Rosh Yeshiva. He agreed that there are clearly places on the Har HaBayis where, me’ikur hadin, one is allowed to go – and we DO know what those areas are. There are other places where it is clear that we are NOT allowed to go. Finally, there are those places that we have a Safek about, and it is therefore Assur to go there. That being said, his view is that while it is Mutar to go onto certain places, one SHOULD NOT go there anyway, for a multitude of reasons. He told me that the one time someone asked him and he said they could go was when an Israeli police officer asked, and he told him how to be Noheg (except during riots – there, the Halachos of Piku’ach Nefesh are the ones that control).
I therefore agree therefore with Poster # 2, Menachem Melamed – most (Chareidi) Poskim say not to go, but to say that it is an Issur Kares to go anywhere on the Har Habayis is just plain wrong. I personally would not go, but those who do – at least with proper preparation and being careful where they walk – have on whom to be Somech. YWN’s regular refrain that “Poskei Hador” maintain that it is an Issur Kares is not correct; I’d expect more from them, to be honest.
an Israeli Yid