Yated Neeman Editor Rabbi Yisrael Friedman is calling on the Government of Israel to close off Har Habayis to Jews before Pesach, warning the situation on the holy site places the entire Jewish People in danger.
The Yated request comes amid calls from Har Habayis activists to visit the holy site during Pesach, including a recent call made on Israel Radio by Rabbi Yehuda Glick. Simultaneously, the Muslim community has noticeably stepped up efforts to keep Jews off the site during Pesach, accompanied by threats they will not permit this to occur. Such calls have been released by PA (Palestinian Authority) officials, the Jerusalem Fatah Tanzim leader and Muslim activists, who continue to accuse Israel of trying to take over al-Aqsa Mosque.
Friedman also attacks the recent UNESCO decision in his column, the decision that views Har Habayis as an Islamic holy site to the exclusion of Jewish claims to the area, calling that decision “anti-Semitic”. He points out one requires a great measure of anti-Semitism to make such a bold statement, denying the Jewish People’s claim to Har Habayis. He feels that “the larger problem” is still the matter of Jews who are planning to visit the site during Pesach, an act he equates with throwing a match into a barrel of kerosene.
Friedman feels the Jews that talk about “davening on the holiest site to Judaism” are not really taking about tefilos, but rather they are working to advance their political agenda under the guise of a religious one.
He adds that the threat is not only a local one, explaining the entire Arab world is up in arms over the Har Habayis issue and continuing with these unwanted visits will only serve to stir the pot and fuel the fires against the Jews worldwide.
It must be noted: According to the Poskei Hador one is absolutely forbidden to visit Har Habayis, and there is an Isur Karess for one that goes there.
A number of years ago on Sukkos, President Shimon Peres paid a visit to the Sukkah of 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.
This is and remains the view of poskei hador. This is also the view of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. Among the rabbonim who share this view are HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky Shlita, HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Halevy Wosner ZATZAL, HaGaon HaRav Gershon Edelstein Shlita, Maran HaGaon HaRav Aaron Yehuda Leib Shteinman Shlita, Maran HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef ZT”L, Maran HaGaon HaRav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv ZT”L and many others.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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One Response
Other Poskei HaDor disagree, among them Rav Mazuz, as quoted in Yeshiva World News:
http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/headlines-breaking-stories/218422/hagaon-harav-mazuz-shlita-on-visiting-har-habayis.html
When it looks to the Nations that we do not stake our claim, can we blame UNESCO for drawing their own conclusions and saying we agree that it belongs to the Moslems?