A Haaretz News Report: Religious Zionist rabbis and yeshiva students are planning to continue their visits to the Temple Mount, according to Rabbi Avraham Wasserman, one of the organizers of Sunday’s high-profile visit.
“This is a process,” said the rabbi, who heads the Ramat Gan Yeshiva. “After so many years in which people got used to it being forbidden to ascend the Temple Mount, explanatory work and lengthy preparations are needed to bring the public to the mount in purity, after fulfilling all the halakhic requirements.”
According to Chief Rabbi of Haifa She’ar Yeshuv Cohen, who once headed a panel appointed by the Chief Rabbinate to study the Temple Mount issue, the problem is knowing exactly which areas of the mount Jews are permitted to enter under Jewish law.
The panel he headed reached no conclusions on this issue, but Cohen says it would be possible to solve this problem by locating the site of the synagogue that existed on the mount for 400 years after the Second Temple was destroyed. He personally believes that visits to the mount should be permitted, but since he is currently a member of the Chief Rabbinical Council, “I am not taking an official stance.”
Though the rabbis’ visit Sunday had an enormous impact on the religious Zionist community, the two most important religious Zionist rabbis – Avraham Shapira and Mordechai Eliyahu – declined to participate, and their position on the issue remains unclear. Another prominent religious Zionist rabbi, Shlomo Aviner, unequivocally forbids ascending the mount.
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17 Responses
The headline looks like something out of Iran or al Jazira
The story said the zionists Rabbis decided to make it unforbidden to enter the Temple area.
So haaretz was better?
“Religious Zionists to continue visits to Temple Mount”
What is the purpose to ascend to the mount?
Why would a person want to see the place of the Bais Hamikdash, which is desolate and full of Arabs praying in their mosque? Instead let us open to the public the area of the Kotel Hakatan, install an aron, mechitza and have seating available for tefilla 24/7.
In HaAretz’s context, “Zionist” is laudatory. They mean it in the sense that these Rabbis are also Zionists.
I agree with previous posters that we’re better off not messing around with the Kodesh HaKadashim, despite R’ Akiva rejoicing that since the desolation prophecy was fulfilled, he is now certain that the rebuilding prophecy will be fulfilled. May we all merit to see the rebuilding of the Bais Hamikdash BiVias goel tzedek bimhaira viYameinu, Amein.
Moshe, YW is better than Haaretz. YW’s headline is accurate and uncontroversial as far s I can see.
Their ascension has nothing to do with Torah nor Halacha. It has to do with politics, pure and simple. They are going to incite the Arabs to riot. They should rather be called rodfim!
Yasher Kochachem for the news item regarding the Har HaBayis, in connection with the liberation of Yerushalyim Ir HaKodesh TVBB”A 40 years ago.
I believe you and your audience of Bnei and Bnos Torah will be very interested in the Hodaah VeAzharah document of Elul 5727 — signed by nearly all of the Gedolai Yisrael at that time — declaring that ANY AND ALL ENTRY TO THE HAR HABAYIS IS FORBIDDEN: SAFEK ISUR KARES R”L! To the best of my knowledge, that PSAK HALACHAH IS STILL IN EFFECT!
A URL to the document is:
http://www.ou.org/publications/ja/5762summer/TEMPLEMO.PDF
(Please see the center of the last page there.)
Before you all jump the gun & assume that these Rabbis are only motivated by political considerations, and disregard the Halacha, perhaps you can read a better account of this here:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/122425
There is a danger of losing the Temple Mount and all of Yerushalayim Ir HaKodesh to Hamas and the Arabs. Is that what you want? And notice a much more appropriate headline: “Rabbis Call for Temple Mount Visits.”
Yom Yerushalayim Sameach!
I think it’s important for some segment of the religious world to show that Jews have a connection to the Temple Mount, not just the Kotel. By visiting an area of the Temple Mount that is known to be permissible according to halacha, these rabbis are showing that the Jews are not giving up their connection to the Temple Mount.
There is another group that goes up for Mincha every Tuesday afternoon. Before the current situation it was very common for Jews to visit the Temple Mount.
Putting Halacha questions aside for the moment, once again there is a problem that Jews can’t go to a place IN THEIR OWN COUNTRY without worrying about the arabs & the rest of the world. In todays NY SUN paper there is an article that is written by a Jew who points out that the Temple Mount should be returned to the arabs because it is more holy to them. The author states only a few “ultra- orthodox rabbis” think the mount is important to us. He further states that Moshiach will not mind if we wait for him to come before we go up there. Sometimes a Jew is another Jews worst enemy. The Ribono Shel Olam watches this & we ask why Moshiach is not here yet? Yidden wake up !!!!
Moshe, I think the position that entering the Temple area is permitted is relatively new even to those zionist Rabbis who take it. The general consensus, even amongst most religious zionists, is that it is impermissible to enter the area.
There is no halachic authority of the past or present that does not agree that there are permitted areas and forbidden areas of Har Habayit.
There are 4 areas of Har Habayit,
1 The Azara = Karet
2 The Ezrat Nashim = Issur Dirabanan
3. The rest of Har Habayit = 100% Mutar, but one must immerse in a Mikvah and no leather shoes
4 The Tosefet Hordus = No special status
Since Herod more than doubled the size of Har Habayit and we know where the additions are, mainly on the south and north, so we can walk from the editons in to Har Babayit proper, knowing that we just left the editions means that we can not be anywhere near the Makom Hamikdash and if we walk along from the south to the north via the eastern wall of Har Habayit there is still no chance that one will tread even near the Makom Hamikdash.
A map can be seen at
http://www.templeinstitute.org/birds_eye.htm
I read in a sefer that even Chacham Ovadiya Yosef wrote that in theory if the rabbanim would mark off the permissible areas of Har Habayit it would be permissible to ascend. Also It is very well known that Rav Mordechi Eliyahu has repeatedly called for a Shul to be built on the permitted areas and said ” “If the boundaries would be drawn, it is possible to enter the permitted areas but it is necessary to have stone markers or a fence.”
The entire debate is not can one enter Har Habayit in a halachic manner, the question is can we stop the ignorant masses from treading on the forbidden places. If the Rabbanim had full control of Har Habayit and could set clear boundaries around the forbidden areas, then the debate would be finished and everyone would ascend in great joy and fear. This is our mission to advocate and push for the Israeli government to give Har Habayit the same status and they do the Kotel and put Har Habayit under the authority of the rabbanim.
Our Sages tell us: “To build the Temple, to make repairs and continued maintenance, or to remove something impure all constitute positive reasons for entering the forbidden areas of the Temple.” (Tractate Eruvim 105a, Torat Kohanim Emor 3,11 and the Rambam, Laws of the Temple 7,23, etc.) Also the Rambam wrote: “You are permitted to bring a dead body onto the Temple Mount and there is no need to even mention that a person impure from contact with a dead body can enter.” (Rambam, Laws of the Temple, Chapter 7, Law 15) If one can bring a dead body onto Har Habayit than certainly anyone else can enter, and if one can even enter the Azara in order to “remove something impure” than certainly we can enter Har Habayit to try to lessen and ultimately remove the sovereignty of the Goyim from the Holy Mountain.
This was the way that HaRav Shlomo Goren, ztl, former Chief Rabbi of Israel, decided the Halacha, he wrote: “I hereby, notify that because of the danger of a takeover of the Temple Mount by the Moslems and despite the halakhic rules that would apply for the purpose of protecting the Jewish sovereignty it is not only permitted, but it is a holy Mitzvah to go up to the Temple Mount. We learn that to protect the Temple it is permitted to enter even the Holy of Holies. So much more so to enter the Temple Mount in order to stop an Arab takeover and protect our sovereignty, it is permitted and a commandment. Concerning us, when the purpose is to free the Temple Mount from a takeover by the goyim, the more Knesset members and other Jews that go up will bring a greater result. The suggestion is not to enter with leather shoes and to go to the Mikvah the same day.” In his Sefer ” Har Habayit” Rav Goren goes through every Rabbinic opinion concerning the exact location of the Temple and he maps out exactly where one can walk on the Har Habayit and safely avoid all possible spots where the Temple could have stood.
Aside from the commandment of removing the impure elements there is the positive Mitzvah of Morah Mikdash or showing reverence to the place of the Temple. When a Jew walks on the permissible parts of the Temple Mount he is actually fulfilling the positive commandment of Morah Mikdash. The Rambam clearly says that this command applies even when the Temple is not standing, and that we should fulfill it by “entering into the permitted areas” (Hilchot Beit HaBechira Ch. 7, 7). Chaim David Halevi, Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv & Jaffa, wrote: “The law pertaining to entering the Temple Mount is one of the simplest and clearest. It is known that we aren’t allowed to make a decree by ourselves, to forbid the permitted. It is incumbent upon the people in charge to devote their time and energies and make every effort possible to allow and encourage B’nai Yisrael to enter the permitted areas.” David Chaim Shlush, the Chief Rabbi of Netanya, wrote: “It is good to be accustomed to going up to the Temple Mount in our times to the permitted places.”
Avraham Shalom David, the Rabbi of Kiryat Moshe, Jerusalem, wrote: “I read the material on the Temple Mount and I, hereby, join the recommendation of the Chief Rabbi to go up to the Temple Mount to the permitted places and Hashem will be with you. Amen, it should be his will.”
Finally in regard to Harav Ariel, You owe him a great apology. I have never meets a man more concerned for the honor of Hashem and the Honor of Am Yisrael. The Rav is extremely concerned about people walking on the forbidden areas of Har Habayit, namely the Azara and the Ezrat Nashim, if you would go to the website there is a map on how to ascend while avoiding any problematic area. Most of the time we walk on the Tosefet Hordus or the editions of Har Habayit that King Herod made, which have no special Halachic status and when we at times cross into Har Habayit proper we know that we are not anywhere near the problematic areas. The Rav is very meticulous to teach people wanting to go up all of the Halachot regarding the ascent including how to prepare your body before the Tevilah, one must not only immerse in a Mikvah, but must make sure that there is no chatzitza on the body. Also that one not wear leather shoes while on the Har and all the other Halachot involved. There is even a Machloket whether to make a Bracha on the Tevilah, I had the privilege of going to Har Habayit with Rav Dov Lior, Rav of Kirat Arba, several years ago and if I am correct he made a Bracha before the he went into the Mikvah.
I think that Rav Ariel is right that it is tremendous Chillul Hashem that the goyim control Har Habayit and even greater Chillul Hashem that many “frum” Jews have no interest at all in controlling.
I have been privileged to visit our holiest site, Har Habayit numerous times. Each time that I go to the Mount of God, I think of the verse from Tehillim 24, “Who will go up to the Mount of the Lord and who will stand His holy place? One with clean hands and pure heart.” Before I can enter the Holy Mount, I am given a stern warning from the police, “If we catch you, swaying, praying, singing, dancing, bowing or closing your eyes, you will be arrested for incitement to violence.” Aside from this humiliation of being barred from praying on my own holiest site, I have to watch as the foreigners (Arabs), desecrate it. Did you know that Arab children play soccer and families gather for picnics, on the Holy Mount? So aside from the grave insult of not being aloud to pray, I have to watch these obscenities take place.
From the same place that the Kohanim (Temple priests) brought the holy sacrifices, Arabs now gather for picnics and soccer games.
From the same place that the Levits sang the sweet praises of the Lord, the Imam’s call for the death of our people and the destruction of our State.
Are these the type of people that should be allowed up on the Mount of the Lord? !
Are these the type of people who should be standing in His Holy Place?
I say enough! The time has come to end this humiliation.
It is time to demand that Jews be allowed to pray unrestricted on Har Habayit!
It is time to demand that the police put an end to the soccer games and the picnics, make the Arabs actually respect our holiest site!
It is time to demand that the police arrest and put on trial the Imamas who use Har Habayit daily call for our destruction!
When we as a nation do this, then we will have regained our national sanity and pride, but until them I cry for our self-inflicted shame.
With love of the Land, People and Torah of Israel,
Yosef Rabin
[email protected]
I have been privalged to ascend to Har Habayit many times.
If anyone is intrested in better understanding the issue of Har Habayit please feel free to contact me at [email protected]
With all due respect to your 40 page letter…..
I could not care if one is Chassidish, Sephardish, Litvish or whatever. Take the biggest Rebbes, Roshei Yeshivos, Rabbonim, Poskim etc etc etc….they NEVER thought of doing this!
Why are these few Rabbis doing this?
Do they think that they are greater that the BIGGEST poskim in the last 100 years? – Rav Moshe Feinstaein ZATZAL, Rav Shlomo Zalman Aurbach ZATZAL, YB”LCT Chacham Ovadia Yosef, Rav Eliyashiv and the rest of the GIANTs who I’ve omitted accidently!!!
Even JOSEPH – our good YW buddy – will agree! State , no State…..
This is a SAFEK KARES!!!
Why did Rav Shach not go there? Why did the Steipler not go there? Why did the Chazon Ish not go there? Why did Rav Kaduri not go there? Why did none of the Rebbes go there?
Do you have any answeres????
Re: Joe Schmo – Excellent point.
Re: Mr. Rabin:
“I say enough! The time has come to end this humiliation.
…
It is time to demand that the police arrest and put on trial the Imams who use Har Habayit [to] daily call for our destruction!
When we as a nation do this, then we will have regained our national sanity and pride, but until them I cry for our self-inflicted shame. ”
That is your mistake. The shame is that of a nation that was banished by Hashem roughly two thousand years ago when He destroyed His own Bais HaMikdash.
If by “your nation”, you mean “citizens of the State of Israel”, then you’ve got far more to do to gain any sort of “national sanity and pride”. How about defending your own people from wanton slaughter? How about letting your people live in peace and actually serve Hashem and not have to join your army at 18 years of age? Impossible. This is the Zionist sacrifice of…being a Zionist…in order to gain…being a Zionist.
May we all merit to take pride and joy in the true geula of Mashiach Tzidkeinu Bimheira Viyameinu, Amein.
I would like to make some facts clear.
The prohibition to go up to Har Habayit is a new one.
You will not find one rabinical opinion in all of the rabinical literature prior to the last 100-150 years that says that you are not allowed to go to Har Habayit.
The Rambam (one of the greatest poskim off all times) clearly said that a Tamei Met is allowed to go to Har Habayit.
The Radbaz gave a lengthy tsuva saying that we have no doubt regarding the location of the Temple. The rock under the golden dome is Even Hashtiya which is the location of Kodesh Hakdoshim. He clearly said that we are allowed to go to most areas of the Temple mount.
Until the last 100-150 there was no one who disputed these opinions.
It was for political reasons and reasons that have to do with Hashkafa that Rabbis in the recent generation have decided to change the halacha. They have no source to back their decision.
Thus the Rabbis who today permit going up to Har Habayit are simply following the Halacha as given to us by Chazal and Rishonim.