Chief Rabbi HaRav Yosef Yitzchak engaged in a scathing attack on National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Dati Leumi Rabbanim who allow their adherents to ascend to Har HaBayis.
HaRav Yosef’s words were said at his weekly shiur on Motzei Shabbos in the presence of HaGaon HaRav Yosef Efrati and HaGaon HaRav Binyamin Elyashiv in honor of the 11th yahrtzeit of their Rav and father, HaGaon HaRav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, z’tl, which falls out on Sunday night and Monday.
“There’s a government minister, I don’t want to mention his name,” HaRav Yitzchak said. “He’s not worthy of having his name mentioned in this place. He publicly enters Har HaBayis. He sins and causes others to sin.”
“Because of him, other people also go up to Har HaBayis. The Rav [his father, HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef, z’tl] fought a shared battle on this issue with HaGaon HaRav Elyashiv, z’tl. There were many battles in the past.”
HaRav Yosef also attacked HaRav Dov Lior, one of the leading Rabbanim of the Dati Leumi sector, for permitting the matter. “HaRav Dov Lior and all different types of Rabbanim who don’t reach the ankles of the Gedolei HaDor we had. Who are they compared to the Steipler? HaRav Shach, z’tl, Maran, z’tl, HaRav Elyashiv, z’tl. With all due respect, they’re not on the same level.”
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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10 Responses
“He’s not worthy of having his name mentioned in this place. “
Ooook.
HaRav Dov Lior and all different types of Rabbanim who don’t reach the ankles of the Gedolei HaDor we had.”
Who else can’t Sephardi chief rabbi mention in shul. ? Anyone from his political party ?
Btw is Ben gvir Sephardi ? Bc I’d nominate him for SCR if he was able to snag a semicha cert
Why not ?
Maybe post politics , or while still within ..
@Hymish
STick to politics.
Obviously jewish law isnt your thing.
The Good Rabbi was giving a Jewish class. Politics aside.
You dont have to believe in Judiasm, and its your choice if you want to be from the “leitzanei HaDor”. But dont expect people to take you seriously!
You want BG for Chief Rabbi?!
There are two issues with har habayis. Having people go up in a non halachik way which would make them chayiv Kareis. The other issue is that it angers the arabs when Jews go up.
The people that go up in a non halachik way are a real problem. In the same way that people that ride a bus in tel aviv on shabbos are a problem. Both need to be protested equally. If people go up in a halachik way, with a heter from their rav, then going/not going is no longer a halachik debate, but a political debate.
The other problem is angering the arabs. This is the reason why most people who are against going up to Har Habayit are actually against going up to Har Habayit. Where in the Torah is there a prohibition to anger arabs? As far as I see, there is only a mitzvah to conquer the entire land, and remove the arabs from the land.
If you believe that Jews shouldnt go up to Har Habayit because of the Kareis problem, but at the same time, feel no problem that there is a big Mosque standing on and defiling our Kodesh Kodashim, your hashkafa needs some fine tuning.
Rosh yeshivas chevron stated:
He is perhaps the greatest choti umachti es harabim of this dor
Rosh Yeshivas Chevron should stop inflaming the rhetoric (if he indeed said such a thing).
If Muslims succeed in taking [complete] control of Judaism’s holiest place — the Har HaBayit — then millions and billions of people will interpret that as meaning that the god of the Muslims has defeated the G*D of the Jews. Will that be a Kiddush HaShem or will that be the opposite of Kiddush HaShem?
If Muslims succeed in taking [complete] control of Judaism’s holiest place — the Har HaBayit — then millions and billions of people will interpret that as meaning that the Koran is true, and the Torah is false. Will that be a Kiddush HaShem or will that be the opposite of Kiddush HaShem?
I do not doubt that under NORMAL circumstances, it is prohibited to ascend the holy Har HaBayit.
However, we are NOT dealing with NORMAL circumstances!
We are confronted with a very strange situation, in which very-hostile non-Jews are seriously attempting to take the Har HaBayit away from Jews [permanently], and they are doing everything they can to erase the Jewish identity of the Har HaBayit, and replace it with a false non-Jewish identity [permanently].
Therefore, to save the Har HaBayit from falling into very hostile non-Jewish hands [permanently], and to save the Har HaBayit from being falsely re-defined as a non-Jewish house-of-worship [permanently], our distinguished Rabbis [may they live until 120 years] should temporarily forget the normal Halachah, until these serious dangers are past [IYH]. Then we can go back to the normal halachah, that prohibits anyone from ascending that most holy place.
richashu:
– I am not sure why you leave משום איבה / סקנת נפשות and ככל אשר יורוך outside the realm of Halacha?
– There is no mitzvah to conquer the land nowadays.
– Nobody here expressed any tolerance of a mosque on Har HaBayis (there is no clear indication it is on the spot of the Kodesh HaKodashim – according to Rishonim there was never anything built on that spot). Unfortunately though, the reality of Galus is we cannot do anything about it.
Rav David Yosef, Shlita, is a major Talmid Chacham with a way of speaking in public that is very similar to that of his father ZT”L, in that they both used strong language and hyperbole when discussing views that they disagreed with. Having said that, Rav Dov Lior, Shlita, and Rav Aryeh Stern, Shlita, are major Talmidei Chachamim and Poskim in their own right, and are very much Matir going up to the Har haBayis after proper preparation. As to whether they “reach the ankles of” the Gedolim Rav Yosef cites – I can’t say with certainty one way or the other, but under the principle of “Asei LECHA Rav”, it is wrong to try to say that everyone must follow one specific Rav because he’s the “Gadol haDor” – each individual is fully entitled to choose his own Rav and Posek to follow.
an Israeli Yid
SQUARE_ROOT :
The only Chillul HaShem is Jews not following halacha. (For further elucidation, see the Maharal’s explanation of the humility of Zecharia ben Avkulis – Gittin 56ש)
Har HaBayis has not been in Jewish hands since it was destroyed. By HaShem. Because Klal Yisroel didnt behave. Mosques have dominated the skyline for generations, and will continue to do so, as Bnei Yismael have a legitimate claim to the land as long as Bnei Yitzchok are, sadly, not living true Torah lives. It will become ours again when we do so.
No political narratives in the UN or the American media will change or decide Jewish Destiny. Only our bechirah will.