For Rishon L’Tzion Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef Shlita the matter of rabbonim giving a heter for Jews to visit Har Habayis is not a trivial one, and he has spoken out against it once again. This time he does not target those who visit Har Habayis but the rabbonim who give a heter for doing so, in contradiction of Maran HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef ZT”L, the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, Maran HaGaon HaRav Yosef Sholom Elyashiv ZT”L and many other Gedolei Yisrael Shlita today.
Rabbi Yosef was speaking at a ceremony to launch a new mikve in Ramat HaSharon. He lashed out against rabbonim who permit visiting Har Habayis. “Bearded religious people with kippot on their heads and call themselves rabbi enter Har Habayis and incur kores”.
Rabbi Yosef added “One of the rabbis even dared to argue. I told him ‘with all due respect how can you disagree with Rav Elyashiv, with Maran my father, the Steipler, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach and the Gedolei Hador? We are talking about kores!”
The rav continued with his remarks, pointing out the special status of Am Yisrael because of the Torah. He related a story of years ago when a military parade was held in Haifa and a participant was holding a sign ‘Bnei Yisrael, like the other nations’. They meant we have an army and tanks, כוחי ועוצם ידי, and this was their slogan but we know and believe there have been miracles that have sustained yet we have lost so many and thousands were injured”.
Rav Yosef continued, addressing the question of reciting Hallel with or without a bracha, adding Chief Rabbi David Lau recites Hallel with a bracha while Maran HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef ZT”L did not. He added for those reciting with a bracha it is a bracha levatalah.
Rav Yosef added that years ago there was much excitement over Yom Yerushalayim but today, either one does not recite Hallel or one generally recites it without a bracha. “There is no doubt that we must praise and thank HKBH for all the miracles that occurred during the Six Day War but not by reciting Hallel with a bracha”.
The mikve dedicated in Ramat HaSharon is in memory of Maran HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef ZT”L.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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11 Responses
Because of the rule of “SAFEK BERACHOT LEHAKHEL” rabbi yitzchak yosef rules like that.
Another words, “WHEN IN DOUBT DO NOT BLESS”.
Because of the commandment of “LO TISA” we have to be very careful about saying HASHEM name in vain.
That was MARAN HACHAM OVADIA YOSEF’S FAMOUS SAYING
If I’m not mistaken, I believe that when Rav Yosef referred to the Chief Ashkenazic Rabbi saying Hallel with a Beracha, he was referring to Rav Goren – not Rav Lau.
The avodah zara called Zionism is swallowing up people, and has caught fire in the yeshiva community.
#3. Nu, that’s what Communism did in the 1900s, and the Enlightenment did a century earlier. This is nothing new.
“Once in seventy years, a star rises and confounds the sailors.” Horiyos 10a.
The gemara is not talking about a star, nor is it talking about sailors. V’hameivin yavin.
I cannot see on whose authority these rabbis permit ascending Har HaBayit.
All rabbis have to have a tradition passed down from a rav of consequence. The Rishon L’Tzion mentions a number of great rabbis associated with the chareidim but all the Zionist rabbis must refer their tradition to the founder, HaRav HaGaon Avraham Yitzhak Kook. HaRav Kook would not even put his hand inside the rocks of the Kotel, for fear of transgressing the law against entering the most sacred area of Har HaBayit while in a tamei state. Can one imagine what he would say about the actions of some of his spiritual descendants that actually go up!
Saying Hallel with a bracha is a “minor” issue relative to this transgression.
Woe to those who follow such rabbis and woe to those rabbis who let their excitement for a feeling of closeness lead them to transgression. We’ve waited many years, impatience will not lead us in the right path.
Albeit my opinion is of no consequence, I have to say that when shkotzim play soccer and screaming itbakh al yahud on the Har HaBayis, having Jews davening to emphasize our connection is not less of a need than having metalworkers in the Kodesh Kadashim.
Kevodo Bimkomo Munach. But please Hashem, send us back our original Gedolei Sepharad who were not tainted by the fanaticism of Ashkenaz!
We need to take things in context. R Ovadiah zt”l held that the brakha most Ashkenazim (other than in Nusach HaAri, for those not davening for the amud) will say tomorrow morning on Hallel b’dillug, is l’vattala. The Rama, among others, didn’t think so, though it manifests itself in Ashkenazic p’sak in certain ways.e.g., for someone in P’sukei d’Zimra when the tzibbur is up to Hallel. Ellu va-ellu divrei Elokim
Chayyim.
– and many yotz’ei Sefarad don’t pasken the same way either, saying a brakha (likro) on “half”- dillug (and the matbeia of “ligmor” on full hallel, as do most Edot Mizrach). People don’t all think alike, and if two rabbanim disagree, that doesn’t mean necessary that one has to be wrong. We have to gef used to that, if we want Mashiach to come. R Meshulem Roth, a godol well accepted in the yeshiva world, felt that a nes hatzala mimaves l’chayyim, to the tzibbur in Eretz Yisrael, might create a chiyyuv for hallel (and this should have nothing to do with politics), but he didn’t like the idea of everyone doing things differently – he wanted all the rabbanim to get together and be m’saken hallel. Politics being what they are, that didn’t happen. Complaining against those saying hallel has turned into an excuse for not recognizing the nisim of hatzala that HKBH has done in the past generation, which may
Cont’d
… be much more of a problem than saying hallel without a bracha – and it has gotten to the point that young b’nei yeshiva do not even KNOW about the nisim of survival, rabbim b’yad m’attim, let alone express appreciation to HKBH in whatever way they deem fit. From a musar standpoint, are these the kind of middos that we want to create? Ma-sei soton is an opinion, but by no means the prevalent opinion of g’dolim.
As I wrote before on many occasions, the Rabbis who go up to Har Habayit have on who to rely, the Ramba”m is said to have gone up, surely no one has the audacity to claim that he or any of the Jewish greats of the past who did go up on Har Habayit incurred Kores.