To Ascend the Temple Mount, or Not to Ascend? That is the Question.

י״א לחודש השמיני תשע״ה

ערוץ 7: "להפסיק את העליות להר הבית"
רבה של מעלה אדומים קורא להפסיק את מה שהוא מכנה "פרובוקציה". לדבריו, "הם מבעירים את ירושלים".

בני טוקר, ד' בחשון תשע"ה, 28/10/14

רבה של מעלה אדומים, קורא בשיחה עם ערוץ 7 להפסיק מיד את העליות להר הבית, לאור הבעיות הביטחוניות וההלכתיות שנגרמות כתוצאה מכך.

לדבריו, "מדובר בפרובוקציה שתבעיר עוד יותר את מזרח ירושלים, מה החכמה שאתה עולה ומחר תושבים יהודים חוטפים בקבוקי תבערה?"

הרב נגארי מזכיר, כי תופעת העלייה להר הבית יוצרת בעיות הלכתיות רבות, "מה עם כל אותם אלה שעולים ללא טהרה? זאת בדיוק הסיבה שזקני הדור החל מהרב קוק זצ"ל אסרו לעלות להר".

"הם ראו את כל המכלול של הבעיות כולל את העובדה שאנחנו לא יודעים בדיוק מהם המקומות המותרים. זקני הדור כולם אסרו כולל הרבנות הראשית, אלה שמתירים זה רבנים צעירים", טוען הרב נגארי.

הרב נגארי סבור שמי שעולה היום להר הבית יוצא נפסד, "אתה רואה את כל היהודים שעולים היום להר הבית ומתבזים, צועקים עליהם והם אפילו לא יכולים לפתוח סידור".

Esser Agaroth (2¢) Translation:

Arutz 7: "Stop the Ascensions to the Temple Mount."

Benny Toker, 7 Heshwan 5775, Oct. 18, 2014

Rb. Mordechai Negari

In a conversation with Arutz 7, the Rabbi of Ma'aleh Adumim, called for an immediate cease to ascensions to Har HaBayith (Temple Mount), in light of the security and halachic (Torah legal) problems caused as a result.

He said, "This is a provocation that will further ignite East Jerusalem, what is the wisdom in your ascending [Har HaBayith] and grab tomorrow Jewish residents [of Jerusalem] having Molotov cocktails thrown at them?"

Rabbi Negari mentions that the phenomenon of ascension to the Temple Mount creates many halachic problems, "What about all those who ascend without being in a [proper] state of purity? This is exactly the reason why elders of the generation, beginning with Rabbi Kook ztz"l, forbade ascension to the Temple Mount."

"They saw the whole gamut of problems including the fact that we do not know exactly which places are permissible. The Elders of the Generation, all of them forbade it, including the Chief Rabbinate, those who have permitted this are Rabbanim Tze'irim (young rabbis)," claims Rabbi Negari.

Rabbi Negari is of the opinion that whoever ascends the Temple Mount today comes out losing, "You see all Jews ascending the Temple Mount today are abasing themselves, being yelled at, and they can not even open a prayer book."

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
Interesting use of the term "Young Rabbis," perhaps a reference to the Ramba"m's employment of the term. It is not a nice thing to call someone; it is an insult. Does Rabbi Negari really have the hutzpah (gall) to call rabbis such as Rabbi Moshe Tendler a rav tza'ir?



Perhaps, instead, he should sit down with such individuals, with whom he has objections, and discuss the issue, sharing each others halachic justifications for their respective stances regarding Har HaBayith. But, no, for that might risk giving their positions legitimacy.

Rb. Yisra'el Ariel

If Rabbi Negari cannot respect that MK Moshe Feiglin, or for that matter, Yehuda Glick has done the necessary research regarding the permissibility of ascending Har HaBayith, then perhaps he could see his way clear to melamed zekhut (give the benefit of the doubt) regarding Rabbi Tendler and Rabbi Yisra'el Ariel, head of the Temple Institute..

Nope. Probably not. because by such an act, Rabbi Negari would be granting legitimacy to the "other guy's" position. And we can't have that, can we?

The Mamlakhtim (diehard State loyalists) have been traditionally against ascending Har HaBayith, but not for any reason other than the Israeli Government would prefer that we did not.

Minister Naftali Bennett

Rabbi Negari's concerns for any stragglers risking the bringing of impurity to Har HaBayith, mainly secular Jews, touring Israel from abroad, can be easily prevented. The government's Religious Affairs Ministry simply has to require Jews to immerse themselves in an approved miqwah* before ascending. Since the Israeli Police seems to be so readily available when it comes to surveilling Jews, police officers standing at the gates can check their receipts signed by the miqwah attendant. Of course, since the Ministry of Religious Affairs is currently headed by Naftali Bennett (Jewish Home), so I am not holding my breath.

*Not all men's miqwaoth are suitable for immersing before ascending Har HaBayith.

Times of Israel: Rightist MK visits Temple Mount as police brace for unrest
Police say five Jewish visitors were detained for ‘disturbing the peace’

Times of Israel staff, November 2, 2014

Police prepared for possible violence Sunday morning as authorities reopened access to the Temple Mount to Jews after a ban of several days.

MK Moshe Feiglin
Flanked by riot police on the Temple Mount
November 2, 2014/ט׳ חשון תשע״ה

Ignoring a plea from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to his coalition colleagues to calm tensions surrounding the Temple Mount issue, Likud MK Moshe Feiglin entered the compound along with a number of other Jewish visitors Sunday morning.

However, police said they detained five Jewish visitors for “disturbing the peace.” Israeli news outlet Ynet reported that one Jewish man was detained in the Temple Mount compound and four others were detained while trying to reach the site via the Lions’ gate.

Dozens of other Jewish visitors along with Feiglin were also allowed onto the site, which had been closed since Thursday in the wake of the shooting of an activist who campaigned for Jewish rights on the holy site [Yehuda Glick].

Feiglin was blocked from the area by police on Thursday as police shut the site to both Jews and Muslims for the first time in decades.

Feiglin spoke at a rally attended by several hundred people in central Jerusalem’s Safra Square on Saturday night to pray for the recovery of Yehudah Glick, who was severely injured in an attempted assassination on Wednesday night, and to back Glick’s demands for the right to Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount. (cont.)

Just like Rabbi Negari said, Jews are not even allowed to open a prayer book, let alone pray.

Netanyahu on Saturday called on all Knesset members to work to calm tensions surrounding the Temple Mount. The prime minister spoke with Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein and asked for his assistance in reining in MKs on this issue and helping ensure they display responsibility and restraint, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.

Display responsibilty and restraint?

Translation: Continue to allow the rest of the world step all over us.

Fortunately, there is at least one member of the government who does not, and is more concerned about Am Yisra'el and Eretz Yisra'el, than about holding onto to job.