U.S. Ambassador to Israel Jacob Lew made a private visit to the home of Harav Dov Landau shlit”a on Monday. During the meeting, Ambassador Lew conveyed a personal message from President Joe Biden, expressing the president’s opposition to Jewish visits to the Har Habayis.
The ambassador thanked the gadol hador for his ongoing efforts to maintain calm and prevent security escalations, particularly following recent tensions sparked by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s visit to the Har Habayis. Visits such as Ben-Gvir’s are in violation of halacha according to all major contemporary poskim – a position Rav Dovid reaffirmed to Ambassador Lew. It was under Rav Dov’s directive that the Hebrew-language Yated Ne’eman recently published an unusual headline in Arabic, condemning the visit and emphasizing its opposition.
Ben-Gvir’s remarks during his visit, where he suggested that a shul should be built on the Har Habayis, further inflamed tensions. Many rabbanim and Charedi political party leaders and members were angered by the suggestion, which they viewed as exacerbating an already delicate situation.
Monday’s meeting ended on a positive note, with Rav Dov wishing Ambassador Lew L’Shana Tova ahead of the upcoming new year.
This meeting between Ambassador Lew and Rav Dov was not their first. Upon his arrival in Israel, the ambassador visited the gadol to receive his a bracha.
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10 Responses
Ben Gavivr is a mindless zealot who seems intent on throwing gasoline on the fire knowing full well that it is likely to result in bloodshed. He should be politically neutralized asap before he achieves his objective.
I’m disgusted by this. Notice thus quote “expressing the president’s opposition to Jewish visits to the Har Habayis”. Who cares what any politician’s opinion is regarding “Har HaBait”!
Whatever one’s halachic or hashkafic views are, this is an internal Jewish issue not a political one. Going onto the Temple mount is obviously a machlochet, but allowing the Americans or anyone else to dictate to us where a Jew can go in Eretz Yisrael is a terrible Hillul Hashem. It was not so long ago the British did not allow Jews to even sit in chairs at the Kotel. Har Habait B”Yadeinu. Only Jews can decide who and how one enters the site.
@chaim_baruch,
You must be a hol- in-the-kippa.
Only a mizrachist would speak such utter codswallop.
This is not some “internal Jewish issue”, in fact there is no issue nor is it “obviously a machaloket”, it is obviously NOT a machaloket, it is outright assur and those that do it are chayav karet.
It is not an internal issue, it is simply assur and those that do it are ostracizing themselves from Torah Jewry, no difference what part of it.
The President as a leader of a world leading country is and has every right to be worried about the consequences of such an issur, besides being downright stupid and dangerous, in light of the fact that he’ll be the one sorting things out (from a political physical perspective).
But just like the resha’im the kofrim that took out Hashem from their shema (and replaced it with their zionist idols, battle crying shema yisrael hakotel shelanu hakotel echad afra lepumeh,) I am not surprised that selfish hegelianist rabid anti Semites covering themselves as “jews” couldn’t care less about any Jew other than “proving to the arabs” their point, to show them the kochi ve’etzem yadi.
The mishna in first perek of keilim says a tamei meis is asur in makom mikdash but mutar on har habayis, only a zav nida or Keri is asur on har habayis, therefore Rav moshe Feinstein igros moshe orech chaim 2 113 writes on the areas which are clearly not makom mikdash it is ok to walk on har habayis nowadays.
The reason gedolim are against is 2 reasons one is that some not religious will go as Keri or on places which can be makom mikdash. two is that it brings to tremendous danger, but they don’t say that there is a chiyuv kares if someone does like the proper halacha.
Not sure why halachik sources cannot be alowed by moderator
Where does it say that the Rambam went on the Temple Mount? And if he did so, why are some rabbis against going up?
Answer
It’s cited in the Mossad HaRav Kook edition of Igrot HaRambam, p. 79: “On Yom Shlishi, 4th of Cheshvan in the year 4926 since creation, we left Acco to go up to Y’rushalayim…..see there….. The main opposition today is because most who go up to Har HaBayit won’t do the necessary preparations of combing, cleaning and cuttings nail and hair, going to the mikveh without any chatzitza (men aren’t used to this), changing to house-slippers, etc. In addition, they may accidentally go into the area where tmei’ei mett (those who were in contact with the dead, which is just about all of us) aren’t allowed (and where mikveh doesn’t help). On the other hand, there are many religious who do go up and are very careful regarding the above, and they feel that if we don’t go, it’s like we’re leaving the Temple Mount in the hands of gentiles. They also feel that those non-observant who go up improperly and with shoes, will do so anyway, and it’s not because they misunderstand those religious who do go up.
HS thank you for your intelectual honesty. The RY RMF was clear. In fact, I think I saw the רמדט walking on the har.
@pure yiddishkeit
You are correct about one thing, I am as you say a “mizrachist”. I’m a proud and unapologetic member the Dati Leumi community of Israel. Regarding to Halachic issue. All agree, going onto to Har Habait at the location where the Mikdash stood is not permitted. This is the view of all poskim, Hareidim, Dati Leumi, Edot Hamizrach and Ashkenazi. Those Torah observant Jews who do ascend are keenly aware of which areas the Mikdash did not stand. That is where they go.
Regarding the political issue Joe Biden or any other world leader is free to express their concern about any aspect of Israeli policy. That does not mean we must listen to them. We are a sovereign nation. I’m sorry if the idea of Jewish nationalism does mix well with your understanding of “yiddishkeit”. Would you be so reverential to the American president if he asked us to limit access to the Kotel? What about building new a mikva in Pisgat Zeev or a Heder in Beitar. Both occupied according to his State department. If today, the government of Israel ruled that no Jew can go on Har Habait based on a ruling of the Rabbinate and other major poskim, I would be fine with that. Because it’s a case of Jews deciding for other Jews. However, that same government said “no Jew can go on Har Habait” because of political or economic pressure from the non-Jewish world, I would oppose such a law.
chaim_baruch is correct halachikly for anyone who understands the sugya, Rambam poskim etc. The idea of if we should go or not is a different question…. but the halacha doesn’t change, as I quoted Rav moshe Feinstein yesterday.
Trivia question: does anyone know a source that says its assur?