Sunday, January 16, 2022

Temple Mount - What the rabbis say

 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/temple-mount-what-our-rabbis-really-say-598372

 The issue of whether or not it is permitted to go up to the Temple Mount today is hotly debated. The majority of leading rabbis say it is outright forbidden or at least practically not advisable.

Leading rabbis, including previous chief rabbis Ovadia Yosef and Mordechai Eliyahu, Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, chief rabbis of Jerusalem Aryeh Stern and Shlomo Omar, Asher Weiss, Zalman Nehemiah Goldberg, have all said that it is forbidden to go up. The reasons they cite are that we are not 100% sure of the exact areas that are permitted to enter and that there is the concern that, by permitting ascending the Temple Mount, many who don't know or practice the complicated laws will come to transgress them – which will desecrate the holiest site in the Jewish religion and turn it into a tourist attraction.
Other rabbis, such as Moshe Feinstein, said that it was theoretically permitted, but not practically advisable in our generation. The leader of American Modern Orthodoxy, Rabbi Herschel Schachter said it would only be permitted if the Israeli Rabbinate permitted it, which they have not done. Other leaders of mainstream Orthodoxy in Israel, including rabbis Aharon Lichtenstein and Yehuda Amital, did not support going up to the Temple Mount at the present time.
Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik, the previous leader of American Orthodoxy gave a very practical response - To ask the police and security forces if it was advisable. Beyond the black-and-white question according to Jewish law, Soloveitchik determined that maintaining law and order is a prime concern.
Despite this, other well respected rabbis have followed Goren's line, arguing that since we do know the precise measurements of where it is permitted to ascend, it is permitted according to Jewish law. These rabbis, often from the right-wing of the religious-Zionist community, include rabbis Nahum Rabinovitch, Dov Lior, Eliezer Melamed, Yaakov Medan and Moshe Tendler.

27 comments :

  1. In rav Goren's book on the subject, he brings the various halachic sources, including the Raavad, but states that he is basing his approach only on the Rambam. My question is, why would the Rambam be dominant, if Raavad has a different opinion? (To be clear to my usual detractors, I asked a question now, and did not make any psak or recommendation).

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  2. Even Sir Moses Montefiore cried and apologized for going on the Temple Mount after he was informed the rabbonim oppose it.

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  3. The first thing to remember is that the current Temple platform where the Muslim buildings sit is larger than the area the Temple, may it be speedily rebuilt, occupied. Therefore, someone ascending to the platform who walks around the edges of the area along the inner sides of the walls will not enter any part of the Temple.
    However, it is also possible that our enemies comfortably occupying that space is a reminder to us: if we were truly united, perhaps God would clear them off and let us get about the rebuilding already.

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  4. The prohibition of entering, is not only to the former area of the actual Temple BUILDING. The prohibition also extends to various areas of the Temple MOUNT.

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  5. Safek Kareis D'Oraisa Lechumra.

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  6. If one goes to a mikveh right before and then ascends but stays along the wall, there's no issue. Herod enlarged the platform without the approval of the Sanhedrin so there's no Temple-based qedusha there.

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  7. Safek D'Oraisa Lechumra
    Sources:
    https://www.yeshiva.org.il/wiki/index.php/%D7%A1%D7%A4%D7%99%D7%A7%D7%90_%D7%93%D7%90%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%99%D7%AA%D7%90_%D7%9C%D7%97%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%A8%D7%90

    With specific reference to ascending the Temple mount; see Rav Yitzchak Hakohen Kook z”l, in his Responsa “Mishpat Kohen” (96:1).
    https://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=22302&st=&pgnum=199

    It’s also important to note, that Rav Kook z”l, goes on (ibid. 96:6-7) to analyze the Ra’avad’s gloss to the Rambam, and he posits that even the Ra’avad would prohibit ascending the Temple mount today; surely due to a M’drabanan prohibition, possibly M’doraisa (Lav, and Assei), and possibly even Karais applies, even according to the Ra’avad.
    https://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=22302&st=&pgnum=222&hilite=

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  8. I'm not taking a position here in the overall debate. My comment only intended to correct an implied misconception from your comment, AS IF the prohibition of entering the Temple Mount, extends only to the former area of the actual Temple BUILDING.
    That is incorrect.

    But since you mentioned the notion of immersing in a Mikvah, and ascending the Temple Mount, while staying near the wall, it should be noted, that those who rely on the position of Rabbi Goren, should be aware, that in his own opinion, as delineated in the last map in his sefer, under the heading “Places allowed to be entered according to all opinions”, he only allows to walk in the southern area (Al Aqsa Mosque), and does NOT allow walking around the entire Temple Mount.

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  9. The thing with the current platform is the extended area. The Western Wall was not a wall of Temple but an external wall beyond which was the actual wall and entry to the Temple.
    I personally don't up to the Mount either. I just don't like it when people say "Almost all poskim say..." when it's not actually true.

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  10. AFAIK, the consensus of the Poskim is that the Western Wall was built as a retaining wall for the Temple Mount, beyond which, the actual Temple was built. The wall itself is considered to on the Temple Mount itself, and any point further within.

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  11. Thanks, I thought you meant there's a separate category of safek kareis, apart from safek doraita. Maybe you will tell me there is.
    I haven't been on Har habayit, .
    And there is a further problem of preparing the ashes of the red heifer - since we are all presumed impure to prepare it.

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  12. Safek Kareis is an example of Safek D'Oraisa, which Halacha requires us to conduct ourselves Le'chumra.

    The Rambam (Parah Adumah 3:4) teaches, that historically, NINE red heifers were prepared, from the time they were commanded in this mitzvah, until the destruction of the Second Temple. Moshe Rabbeinu made the first one. The second one was made by Ezra, and seven more were made from Ezra, until the destruction of the Temple, and the TENTH one, will be made by the Messianic King.

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  13. Proud Conservative MomApril 14, 2021 at 6:56 PM

    That is what every Chareidi that I know of, holds to be true.

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  14. "The first was brought by Moses our teacher. The second was brought by Ezra. Seven others were offered until the destruction of the Second Temple. And the tenth will be brought by the king Mashiach"

    How did the single red heifer brought by Moses last for the entire 1st Commonwealth?

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  15. MISHNAH 5. IF THEY DID NOT FIND THE RESIDUE OF THE ASHES OF THE SEVEN [RED COWS]37 THEY PERFORMED THE SPRINKLING WITH THOSE OF SIX, OF FIVE, OF FOUR, OF THREE, OF TWO OR OF ONE, AND WHO PREPARED THESE?38 MOSES PREPARED THE FIRST, EZRA PREPARED THE SECOND, AND FIVE WERE PREPARED SINCE EZRA; SO R. MEIR. BUT THE SAGES STATED: SEVEN WERE PREPARED SINCE THE DAYS OF EZRA. AND WHO PREPARED THEM? SIMEON THE JUST AND JOHANAN THE HIGH PRIEST PREPARED TWO ELIEHOENAI THE SON OF HA-KOF AND HANAMEL THE EGYPTIAN AND ISHMAEL THE SON OF PIABI PREPARED ONE EACH.39

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  16. Good question.

    Rashi (Pesachim 78a, s.v. Mikal Chata’os) posits, that the ashes of the Red Heifer that Moshe made; didn’t get used up. This presumably was a miracle

    Rashi repeats this פםןמא in Masesches Yoma (4a, s.v. Mikal Chata’os).

    Some posit that ashes from Moshe’s Parah, were required to be added to each subsequent production of Parah Adumah.

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  17. https://www.jcpa.org/jpsr/s99-yc.htm

    Nice article on the subject, with much more detail

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  18. That's mu understanding. It's a retaining wall for the platform on which the Temple, including its actual walls, was built. The platform was enlarged under Herod but not al pi halakha so the qedushah of the area between the inside of the retaining wall and the location of the actual Temple walls is a safek

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  19. How odd, considering that there was once a shul up there centuries ago right next to the Al Aksa. Also that it seems "Jews don't go to the Temple Mount!" is only a recent innovation
    https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/israel-middle-east/articles/the-case-for-building-a-synagogue-on-the-temple-mount
    But again, history's a funny thing. We take it as a mantra that only Moshiach can rebuild the Temple except that's not the only popular view in Chazal or the Bible itself and it was already tried once, under Chazal's watch and Roman Emperor Julian's approval.

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  20. we are not great enough to do what they did centuries ago!

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  21. There is a Halachic mechanism for expanding the sanctity of the Temple Mount, to include greater areas than previously. Presumably, Herod's expansion, would have been done under the auspices of the Sanhedrin, which would mean that the prohibition for a "Tamei Mes" to go on the Temple Mount, would apply to any point there.

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  22. Proud Conservative MomApril 15, 2021 at 12:33 AM

    Thank you most kindly!
    I never knew this.

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  23. There's a whole procedure for expanding the Temple Mount area which Herod, IIRC, didn't not follow. He just went ahead and did it.

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  24. What does greatness matter? If it forbidden, it is forbidden for great people too.

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  25. it is called sarcasm

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