Kosel Rav Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz and Jerusalem police commanders have turned to chareidim and the Women of the Wall organization (WoW) in the hope the Wednesday morning, 2 Rosh Chodesh Elul 5773 morning events will pass without confrontation or violence. As the organization has done for the past years, the WoW will be arriving to hold their prayer service on rosh chodesh. The organization plans to blow shofar and hopes to read from a Sefer Torah, both acts not permitted for the women by Rabbi Rabinowitz. As is their custom, many women also wear tallis and tefilin.
On the other side, in line with instructions from Gedolei Yisrael, thousands of bnos yisrael are expected to arrive at 06:30 for shachris to show how real Jewish women act at the Kosel. The seminary girls are instructed to avoid confrontation with WoW participants at all costs to avoid a chilul Hashem chas v’sholom.
In recent months the tensions at the Kosel during the WoW rosh chodesh event has been palpable, at times leading to physical violence and arrests. Police fear the Elul event may reach unprecedented levels of conflict and violence. Police point out it is also the last day of the Muslim month of Ramadan.
Police are more concerned of confrontations between Jews and Muslims, and therefore, senior Jerusalem commanders have turned to chareidi rabbonim and askanim asking them not to send the girls to daven shachris on Wednesday morning. Police asked WoW leaders to have the group arrive but without wearing tallis and tefilin as is their custom – hoping to avoid actions that will be interpreted as provocative.
The chareidim were willing to comply with the police request but WoW was not. When the chareidim heard the women were intent on disgracing the Kosel once again, they informed police the bnos yisrael would come as planned to stand up for Kiddush Hashem.
To add to the concerns of police, Har Habayis organizations have announced a protest tefilla event outside the gate to the Holy Site in response to the closure to non-Muslims. Four prominent dati leumi rabbonim signed a kol korei calling on that tzibur to come and daven at the site in a sign of protest over the closure of Har Habayis to Jews. The rabbonim who signed include Rabbi Dov Lior, Rabbi Nachum Eliezer Rabinowitz, Rabbi David Chai HaKohen and Rabbi Yuval Sherlow. This event is set for -7:30 at the Mughrabi Gate.
The Har Habayis event police fear may spark Islamic violence.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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17 Responses
albeit his inability to go up a notch and draw stronger straightforward conclusions
R.ari koretzky,
U.of M. campus kiruv
I find it ironic when I encounter more whispered suspicion about my kiruv efforts from orthodox students than from secular brethren …
Many from the Modern Orthodox community feel morally unjustifed imparting their beliefs to others.
Yet accusations that those in kiruv “brainwash”and “push theiragenda ‘on students so dramatically misrepresents the facts on the
ground;every experienced mekarev that I know – and I many- respectsthe deep humanity of his students ,encourages balanced,measured and
emotionally healthy growth ,and promotes honest dialogue about topic that emerges …
Sadly,…many in the Modern Orthodox community,who in the HIRschian tradition could most credibly wage intellectual battle on behalf of Torah ideology ,refrain from doing so.Instead they critique kiruv in a manner that belies either their own insecurities of belief,or their .. concern
that imparting these beliefs to others compromise their intellectual integrity or inappropriately influence others
how is women putting tzitzis or tefillin – which the Gemara and Rambam says we do not be moiche against – ”defile” the kosel but having tzahal induction ceremonies and the tzioni flag not defile it when the gemara clearly says we cannot have a state before Moshiach?!
Does it really make sense to repeat this ritual circus every rosh chodesh and drag several thousand girls to the kosel before dawn to block access to the WoW. Each month they get more publicity and greater public sympathy. If they were just ignored, even the media would tire quickly of the novelty of seeing a woman with tallis/tefillin and reading from a sefer torah. Let the girls enjoy their vacation now during bein hazmanim and let these misguided women daven in accordance with their own hashkafah.
#1 if u would know a little Hirsch you would NEVER connect him with MO chas vesholom .Look at his anti Isreal remarks at the beggining of Voeschanan ,in the Original Hirsch transalated by his GS Isaac Levy. Not the panderd version by the Appologist Oratz,waterd down version. RSRH was a Rightwing vigelanti,not a YU type. U dont know his life mission was AOUSTRIIT ,that is exteem anti Z as you can get WAKE UP regards Susan Bloom
To #2: Wearing tallis by those woman who have complied with their full obligation of Shulchan Orach, including learning & observing all the laws of Tznius, is praiseworthy. However, those who are not at this level, but feel that the Torah is “incomplete” by denying women Mitzvos that men are obligated in, are displaying APIKORSUS [Teshuva of Rav Moshe Feinstein]. These woman are definitely Apikorsim who opinions deserve no sympathy. Also, trhe Gemarah [end of Kesuvos] does not mention anything about a “state before Moshiach” — it says that the Jews may not go up to land of Israel “beChomah” — Rashi: majority of Jews forcing their way to Land of Israel. Please don’t misquote Gemarahs – it is derech Hamines.
#3 – the women are not just misguided – it is Apikorsus. As for the obligation of how/if/when to protest this Apikorsus — see your Local Orthodox Rav.
“Gadolhadorah” – a gadol hador understands it. To get to a level of recognition of the decisions of True Gedoilim you need to study talmud in depth 12 hrs a day for 5 consecutive years. Do you question your doctor when he/she writes you a prescription?!?! You need medical background for that. And a serious one. Or get an alternative opinion from another doctor. So too here, ask another Gadol, not amateurs.
They were doing it for 10 years and until we started fighting them this year, no one knew they existed.
#2… Where in the gemara does that state “clearly?”. No place.
The Radak and the Ramban both say that there will be a kibbutz of Jews in EY before Moshiach comes. See also, R’ Avraham of Vilna, the Vilna Gaon’s son, on his commentary on Tehilim #121, that Moshiach’s role will not be to gather Jews into EY. He says that CLEARLY. You’re confusing the shvuos in Meseches Ksubos with what you said. Those shvuos are not clear either. In fact there’s a girsa that has the word ‘yirchaku” instead of “yidcheku” in one of the shvuos, which changes its meaning entirely.
There’s also R’ Hillel in Meseches Sanhedrin who holds that Moshiach will not come as the redeemer, meaning that Hashem himself will do the ingathering. Although we don’t pasken like that, suffice it to say that based on these and other commentaries, you cannot with certainty know Moshiach’s role.
Finally, Israel has come to pass, people are slowly but surely making aliyah, the country is B”H growing. If all this contraadicts what you’ve been taught, then you need to re-examine your shitah. This is the major problem for those who hold like you. They cannot reconcile the reality with their shita. Therefore, they throw mud and assign all the evils of the world on Zionism, because it gives them no peace. They’d rather it disappear chas vesholom than see if they themselves are wrong. Please read Eim Habonim Semaeicha by Rav Teichtal H”YD who explains all this.There’s a wonderful English translation by R’ Moshe Lichtman.
IDF induction at the Kotel ( with a tzioni flag) is a beautiful moving experiece. To see these these young holy soldiers affirm their dedication to help protect their brothers and sisters and in front of the Kotel yet, after 2,000 years in diaspora is sublime. Hodo Lashem Ki Tov Ki Leolam Chasdo..!
Lo Soguro, I’m not calling you out on anything you said above, but it’s hard for me to grasp how “we” can pasken on who (or Who) will do the ingathering. It sounds to me like asmakhta. In any case, Parashat ha-Tshuva (Nitzavim-Va-Yelekh) and Yirmiyahu appear to speak of micro-management by Hashem Himself.
#4… You’re right about R’ Hirsch. But it’s important to understand the circumstances in which he lived in Germany. He didn’t want to upset the position of Jews who lived there, having been granted some rights and liberties. He was afarid of government reaction had he supported a Zionist movement. It’s important to consider the environment of a Gadol at the time he says something. That’s why , as a rule but not always, we pasken according to most RECENT dayanim.
#7 Perhaps this feminist group existed for 10 years but they certainly did NOT bring in a Torah and blow shofar at the Kotel disturbing women and men. It’s they’re latest shtik since they got support from the newly formed extreme anti-charedi government.
You girls were used as pawns by your rabbis and rebbetzins to make a splash and I don’t know what else. As a mother, I would never have allowed you to dance as a puppet on a string, you would’ve stayed at home rather and davened there.
What have you accomplished? Nothing.
Dear Mechanmim :::
Do not use our children to make a brouhaha so that you can look good.
#11 ziongate: Well, well, well. 1) The most recent dayanim have nearly unanimously paskened that we reject zionism. 2) Since you say we look at R’ Hirsch based on his times, we also look at his muttaring secular studies based on his times in Germany, and realize even he would oppose secular studies today.
#7 interjection: The WoW reshoyim were arrested month after month for many years until a few months ago. They were never ignored. It was only when the police stopped arresting them and let them get away with their rishus, starting a few months ago, that this blew up.
Naftush… Thanks or reading my post.. We don’t have to pasken. The point is that it’s happeneng before our eyes.At least the start of the ingathering. Maybe Moshiach will do the rest , or like R’Avrohom of Vilna writes that he will just be the king after the in -gathering. Probably “pasken” is wrong word, but I got that from ArtScroll on R’ Hillel’s statement.
My main unspoken point was that since nobody knows how it will develop at the end, there is no need to call people kofrim or worse just because they believe what they see with their own two eyes—- Namely, the miracles unfolding in EY. Thanks.
Bogen.. Well, well…. 1) Which dayanim? At the very least it’s certainly NOT unanimous. I could give you a list if you want.
In any case , you can’t reject something that’s in front of you just because it doesn’t add up to your mistaken beliefs. If you do, your rejection is laughable.
2) How do you realize that R’ Hirsch would oppose secular studies today? Just because some of your DAYANIM oppose it?