Arabs rioted at Har Habayis on Thursday, Yom Haatzmaut, in response to hundreds of Jews visiting the site for the first time in almost two weeks, after Prime Minister Naftali Bennett banned Jews from visiting the site during Ramadan [to appease the Islamist Ra’am party.]
Dozens of Arabs rioted, throwing stones and other objects at the police. They also screamed at the visitors: “With spirit, with blood, we’ll redeem Al-Aqsa” and “Allahu Akbar.”
Police used riot control methods to disperse the crowd and the Arabs entered the mosque, where as per usual in recent days, they began to riot and hurl objects, desecrating and causing damage to their own mosque.
By 5 p.m. on Thursday almost 1,000 Jews had visited Har HaBayis. The Jews who visited reported that the site has been heavily damaged. The police arrested 20 Arabs and two police officers were lightly injured.
One of the visitors at the site was Yamina MK Yom Tov Kalfon, leading to tensions within the coalition from the Ra’am party. The Shura council is reportedly on the verge of a decision to force the Ra’am party to resign from the coalition over issues regarding Har Habayis.
Over the past two days, Hamas threatened to escalate violence against Israel if Jews resumed visiting Har Habayis. The video below shows Arabs inside the mosque playing a speech by a Hamas leader threatening Israel over Har HaBayis.
Gedolei HaPoskim throughout the ages including Gedolei Hador Shlita today have ruled it is absolutely forbidden to visit Har Habayis, even if one does so in line with Halacha including tevila. This is also the ruling of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. This is an Issur Kares.
Thirteen years ago on Sukkos, then President Shimon Peres paid a visit to the Sukka of the late Posek Hador, Maran HaGaon 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.
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18 Responses
YWN – your addendum is both contradictory and, as it happens, wrong. Specifically, you state that “Gedolei HaPoskim throughout the ages including Gedolei Hador Shlita today have ruled it is absolutely forbidden to visit Har Habayis, even if one does so in line with Halacha including tevila. This is also the ruling of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. This is an Issur Kares.” If it is “in line with Halacha”, then it is, by definition, not “absolutely forbidden” – thus, the contradiction. Next, you state that “This is an Issur Kares” – this statement is absolutely incorrect, assuming one has properly prepared and gone to a Mikva. The only remaining Issur Kares then is going into the Makom HaAzara – and while we don’t know with absolute certainty exactly where it was, there are places where we know it absolutely was not.
That doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a good idea for people to go up there, and Gedolei HaPoskim have different views on this – and there are very strong grounds for stating that people should NOT go up. However, distorting Halacha to prevent people going up is never the right answer.
an Israeli Yid
if us yidden (the Am Hashem) are prohibited from going up to the Har Habayis because of trampling on kedusha & potential Kareth, then WHY ON EARTH are the Yishmaelishe Chayos allowed to trample all around OUR HAR HABAYIS while they follow are religion of Kefira & Sheker and are completely tomeih. (oh, yeah and they are also goyim so there not allowed to be there anyway even if they were ger toshav and didn’t hate the jews)
the rabbonim and gedolei hador should tell the IL govt with as much zeal/force they use against jews going up to visit – to prevent the arabs from doing the same and desecrating hashems dwelling place. (not to mention the fact that they pray for our destruction while they’re up there)
follow “A” religion of Kefira & Sheker*
These people would be doing more of a service to the Jewish People by spending the time in a Beis Midrash and learning Torah. Why do they insist on going up there and causing trouble??
We Yidden act as per Halacha.
If Gedolim say do not enter Har Habais because it will inflate Jewish hate. Then we listen.
But if “Hamas threatened to escalate violence” and “State of Israel” with it Trojan Horses are totally incompetent and indebted to Israeli Arab ISIS who murder with machine guns in TelAviv and every where they feel they can murder a Jew,
Then the conditions for not going up as per Rabbis is no longer applicable.
The RELIGIOUS WAR STARTED WHEN JEW HATING BEN GOURION SAID “Blessed are the bullets” that kill Jews and ordered to fire on the ship that was bringing in ammunition to fight the Arabs and to sink it.
THE RELIGIOUS WAR STARTED WHEN MOSHE DAYAN HANDED THE HAR HABAIS AND HEBRON MACHPELA TO JEW MURDERING ARABS.
Religious war is not between Jews and Arabs.
The religious war is between the ever so politically powerful left government who fed children of survivers of hollocost pork and cut their peyos.
Going up to the mountain is forbidden.
But after the romans cut the Holy Temple curtains and did the disposable acts in the Makom Kodesh, and now the Arabs are destroying their own Masjidi and preach and ACTUALLY MURDER JEWS RAMDOLY WITH MACHINE GUN BECAUSE THEY ARE HELPED BY THE WEAK JEWS WHO WANT TO BRAKE THE HALACHA AND BRING CLOSER ZENOS TO MAIN PLAZA, “WOW”, I believe we must revisit the Paskin!!!!!!
Not the way to merit Siyata Dishmaya by violating Halacha and inciting the Umos Haolam.
There’s no legitimate religious reason to want to visit Har Habayos. Even besides the Issur. So going up isn’t about Avodas Hashem. Maybe it’s about “Atzmaut”….
The end of this article words the history of Psak on this topic as if there were no “Gedolei Haposkim” who permit it. Searching google for “did rambam visit har habayit” shows that the Psak here is not nearly as conclusive as this article claims.
Ziyuf Hatora is far worse…
A lot of confusion here let’s make some seder:
There is no Issur Kares for Aliyah to Har Habayis, it’s just Amaratzus and misinformation. ALL agree to that.
There is an Issur Kares for going into the Azara nowadays (Lefi most Rishonim) BUT if you do the research you will find that there pretty much NO pikpuk as to where the Azara is. (At any rate the Police will not let a Jewish looking person to go anywhere near the Azara, its considered an insult to Islam). So there is no Issur Betzem in going to Har Habyis
As for the argument that it’s causing trouble for the Yidden,
As an introduction, people need to realize that Tzidkus & Chassidus is NOT Malchus – looks like 2000 years of Galus made people mix up the two.
Case in point Yishai (Dovids father) NEVER did a Chet in his life!! (He was one of the 4 see Gemara בבא בתרא יז ע”א) However he was not a Melech. Dovid Hamelech was.
Dovid Hamelech is the one who as king, the first thing he does is to attempt to bring the Aron Hakodesh to its permanent resting place in Yerushalayim.
Dovid Hamelech is the one who buys and secures the property for building the Mikdash and dedicates his whole life to prepping for the project his Son Shlomo will complete.
This is important because a melech is a political player and knows how to fight wars and all that come along with it whereas many Tzadikkim don’t and shouldn’t.
Coming back to Har Habyis
The root of all Arab connection to Eretz Yisrael and hence many years long fight over it comes from the fact that they reside in the “Master Bedroom” of Eretz Yisroel – Har Habyis. Their entire Yenika comes from there because so long as they have the Master BR, then its their home and its us Yidden who are the guests who they are trying to throw out. As soon as we cut the cord and remove them from the source of it all, we have established that it’s OUR home and they are the guests and Arabs understand that very well.
Unfortunately the current Israeli govt has not taken significant action to maintain sovereignty over Har Habyis ever since handing it over to the Wakf after ’67
By going up there and Davening, besides for being a super powerful Segula for Teflilla, more than anywhere else in the world, it’s a way to force the Govt to change policy. The more people go the more they have to take back control. If we’d all go that would mean it’s ours and not theirs and the fight would be over.
Yes there would be a fight when that happens, perhaps a big one, but Yidden as a people are not scared to fight, Hashem Ish Milchama is the mantra throughout the Tanach.
Once we win that fight we will never again have these terrible attacks.
Now you all understand why we are waiting for Mashiach
Tzadikkim we have plenty of BH.
Mashiach is not your proverbial Tzaddik,. Mashiach is a term referring specifically to Malchus, and a true Melech al pi Torah we are sorely lacking – which is why we find ourselves in the mess we are in today.
May Hashem send us Mashiach, the one who will lead the fight, win it, build the Mikdash on Har Habyis, speedily in our days. Amen.
@lakewoodcomment and @anIsraeliYid
You make very good points – after i should point out that after mikveh you also need nightfall (mdrbanan for past cheil) and a niddah must wait ’till next nightfall.
And, no, it’s not ok that the goyim are there – just we have no control. we ‘should’ have control over ourselves.
Ra’avad holds today no kedusha, no isur at all, also bamo mutar. We hold like rambam – kares and bamos asur – same kedusha.
@lakewoodcomment
VERY GOOD piece, at least according to Rambam, based off of R Akiva’s support for Bar Kochba.
However, it should be noted that there is alot of support throughout Jewish Rabbinic literature that the redemption will come directly from Hashem without human intervention at all (example: Tanchuma end of Achare and many other sources).
If you dont like that (or believe in that kind of stuff), then i cant help you except say – follow rambam end of hilchos melachim – moshiach will fight (isaiah 11:4 will klll rasha with his breath).
Very big sugya.
originally most ppl held like R akiva (but not R Elazar Hamodai), but over the golus yrs, ppl started bringing support for the miraculous approach.
Isaiah 53:1 (“Who would have believed…..”), and “am nosha bshem – tshuas olamim” when humans save us – its temporary – only Hashem can bring Tshuas olomim.
If you like ACTION – IM WITH YOU!! let’s fight!! but see Bava Kama ~60 Mikdash in fire etc…
Also, realize that you must use a mikveh that a Niddah or Ger would use, not a men’s mikveh which might not be kosher for Tvilah Min Hatorah
Furthermore, Mora Mikdash is D’oraysa as well – no shoes, wash feet etc…. Rambam, Beis Habechirah 7:1-7
Also, Tosfos yevamos 7b holds Tvul yom is only Drabanan asur past Ezras Nashim, but Rambam seems to holds all of har habayis needs Nightfall MDrabanan (Bias Hamikdash 3:6 and Beis Habechirah 7:17)
A women might need to bring korbanos – not fully sure.
Goyim are chayiv misah for sure! (Mishnah Keilim 1:8; Rambam, Bias Hamikdash 3:5)
Also, if we knew where the azarah is, then we should where the mizbeach is – in which we should have to bring korban pesach – ele mai, we dont know where it exactly it is – see Zvachim 43a need Prophecy for that
The 80% of Klal Yisroel that never left Mitzraim, they also thought that it was a wonderful and great idea to visit the Har HaBayis. Maybe they also knew exactly which inch is okay and which inch is not okay. They are still in Mitzraim.
What happens when there is a riot on Har HaBayis and everyone starts to run in a panic, are you so sure that you won’t by mistake run on an inch that is the real Chiyuv Kares. Oh of course you know everything.
If you were in the Empire State Building and you go to the basement and you find a room that says ” Danger do not enter High Voltage Area”, are you going to enter and simply you will be careful not to touch any live wires?
It would seem to me that it is assur to be mafkir the makom hashechinah. Why do we not hear of any solutions from the rabbis who assur? It is so easy to say something is assur and then to abandon it completely. But what right do these rabbis have to abandon Gods holy place. There is no greater chilul Hashem than what the Arabs are doing on Har Habayit. I find it disturbing that these rabbis feel holier by prohibiting Jews from defending Gods honor. Doesn’t Hashem come first?
The ignorance displayed by the above comments, who offer piskei halacha in very serious areas of halacha in which they lack the basics, is appalling.
Just to set the record straight, most gedolim of the yishuv of Eretz Yisroel since the talmidim of the Gra and Chasam Sofer have considered the entire area behind the kosel a safek in regard to the azarah’s exact location. Anywhere past the Kosel Hamaaravi is forbidden for someone who is not halachically pure.
Those who say a quick dip in the mikvah will do the trick are forgetting about tumas meis (who can only gain purity with a parah adumah), yoledes (who can only be purified by bringing a korbon), zav and zavah (who again need korbonos to be purified). These are all open halachos to anyone with even a rudimentary understanding of the laws of purity for kodesh. Please, please, do not spread your ignorance to other people. And people, please clarify these halachos with a competent rav, not through an online blog of bored amei haaretz.
To “the square” . The only am haaretz is you. Halacha dictates that one only need to go to the mikvah for a semial emmission and then may ascend to har habayit. It is a mefurash halacha in the rambam hilchot biat hamikdash 3:4 that even a dead person may be brought on har habayit. Only the area of the azarah is assur unless one is bringing a korban pesach in tumah which is also mutar since all of clal yisroel are tameh.
Those that go up stick to an area that is beyond a doubt the area of har habayit and in some parts outside of it; the extended area of Herod.
I ask that you not be מוציא לעז on those that go up and are mekayyem many mitzvot on har habayit.
לא תחנם
מורא מקדש
קידוש השם
תפילה
השתחווה
Perhaps if you spent more time learning about har habayit instead of deriding those that go up you will understand why it is so important. Perhaps you will ask your rabbis why they see fit to abandon Gods home and leave it to be desecrated by Arab animals on a daily basis.
Abbah, read my entire comment again. The entire “Har Habayit” beyond the Kosel is a safek kodesh.
Abbah, in addition, those pious Jews who go to the “Har Habayit” to be mekayem “many mitzvot” are vicious rotzchim who selfishly put all the Jews in Israel in danger. Every wave of terrorism since 2014 can be traced directly to “Har Habayit” activism and Jewish meddling on the Temple Mount. This is why our rabbis forbid any Jewish ascension to the Temple Mount. And don’t you dare open your vile mouth against our rabbis.
YWN, a little moderating would be nice. Please delete Abbah’s comment which speaks out against gedolim.
Moderating is a euphemism for censorship. I have no interest in rabbis per se only if they communicate the רצון השם.