An online petition originating in the United States is seeking support for a call to permit Jewish access to Har HaBayis on “fixed Jewish days,” including erev Pesach, Pesach, Shavuos, Sukkos, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Chanukah, 10 Teves, 17 Tammuz, 9 Av, Yom Yerushalayim, Yom HaAtzma’ut, and for Hakel following Shmitah year.
At the time of the writing of this article, 3,022 people have signed. Some of the organizations supporting the petition include the Chevron Fund, One Jerusalem, the Temple Institute and Manhigut Yehudit.
The exact text of the petition is as follows:
To: The State of Israel
The Temple Mount is the holiest place in the world to the Jewish people; yet Jews are denied the right to pray in groups, and even as individuals; this refusal is accompanied by their constant degradation, and they are granted no opportunity for any religious expression whatsoever on the Temple Mount.
It is our position that if the stature of the Jews on the Temple Mount were to change positively, in a manner that would reflect their status as law-abiding citizens, sons of the nation that is sovereign on the Mountain and as people who have basic human rights in the Jewish state, then the standing of the State of Israel would immediately improve. This would effect a positive change for the benefit and security of all its citizens.
Ever since the Six Day War, many Jews to whom the Temple Mount is precious (and what Jew does not hold the Temple Mount as precious?) have demanded the right to pray at this sacred site. These demands have been based on their understanding that arrangements could be made that would reflect the reality of the current situation. However, let it be known that the Jewish people will never accept the total refusal of Jewish communal prayer on the Mountain.
We demand that the Government of Israel allow the Jewish people to have freedom of religious expression on the Temple Mount. Additionally, the government must establish special fixed days for Jewish communal prayer in fixed locations on the Temple Mount. This move will serve as evidence of Jewish sovereignty on the Mount.
*The Three Pilgrimage Festivals of Israel which are Sukkot, Pesach and Shavuot.
*The 14th of Nisan, the eve of Passover, is the day on which our holy Torah obligates each Jew to bring the Passover offering (it should be noted that this right has already been recognized by Israel’s High Court of Justice, #2955/07 ).
*Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur
*The eight days of Chanukah
*The Three Fast Days of the 10th of Tevet, the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av
*Israel Independence Day and Jerusalem Day
*The Hakhel Ceremony at the conclusion of the Sabbatical Year
This will serve as a preliminary step in confirming the Jewish people’s inexorable connection with the Temple Mount, location of the Holy Temple, under the sovereignty of the people of Israel.
Sincerely,
The Undersigned.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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12 Responses
What good will this do if we are forbidden (by KORES)to go on Har Habayis?
#1 there should have been a link to the article quoting the gedolim that it is ossur to go on Har Habayis. (Last year R’ Ovadyah Yosef printed a CHAZON OVADYAH on the taanesim. in it he has a section with halochos and minhagim of the Kosel Maaravi. In that section he discusses the different opinions of where the Kosel is and whether one may even touch the Kosel. [his final P’sak is that one may certainly touch the Kosel and those that so not are Machmir way beyond the “border”] He the discusses the matter of going on the Har Habayis. Again he quotes all of the opinions and his final P’sak is that is is certainly prohibbited. (See pages 454 – 457) To argue on him one would have to address every opinion he quotes, not a task to be undertaken lightly. IMHO)
#2 Online petitions are absolutely worthless! They are not legally valid, they are a scam to collect email addresses for spammers. NEVER sign one.
why a petition to the govt of the state of iserael. better a petition to george bush!
All this while some in the govt of the m’dina try to deny the existance of a Bais Hamikdash on Har HaBayis????
Aliyah LeHar HaBayis (i.e., the entire Temple Mount) is Assur (forbidden), according to a recent Psak from HaRabbonim Shalom Elyashiv, Chaim Kanievsky, and Ovadia Yosef SHLIT”A:
http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/article.php?s=Tendler
They were reaffirming a Psak from forty years ago, signed by over fifty Gedolei HaRabbonim:
http://www.ou.org/publications/ja/5762summer/TEMPLEMO.PDF
Hakhel?? Is Chabad involved in this?
Rabbi Moshe Tendler SHLITA paskened that it IS OK to go up there. He is Rav Moshe’s son-in-law!!! Additionally, he seems to be doing ok after his visit, he hasnt been punished from above.
Avraham, There were many gelolei harabbonim who did not sign it also.
Mark, What are u talking about, who in the govt has denied that there was a bais hamikdash on har habayis? An Arab MK maybe.
#5 Thank you!
Just because they open it to jews does not mean that one must go. The gov’t did not close it for halachic reasons, rather for political ones. As such, this is a polictical statement/petition and not a halachic concern.
As for R’ Ovadia Yosef, has he ever answered the 100’s of sources quoted by the Satmer Rebbe about the issur of the Medina?
“Some of the organizations supporting the petition include the Chevron Fund, One Jerusalem, the Temple Institute and Manhigut Yehudit.”
Following up on Comment No. 5:
Now that we are in Chodesh Elul and we have in this week’s Parshas Shoftim the Mitzvah of “VeShamarta Laasos KeChol Asher Yorucha” [Dvarim 17:10] —
Please join me in contacting the above sponsoring organizations and requesting that they withdraw this petition. If they refuse, we will boycott them.
#10. you are actually incorrect.
I cant quote sources, bec. unfortunately I dont remember them.
But I DO remember reading that when har habayis was recaptured in 67′ there was some sort of tumult as the rabbanim realized that this would cause big problems as it is assur to go up there. Therefore they closed it Jews.
Clearly I could be wrong about this, but I read about this in the Mishpacha magazine (which is generally a credible source)