Temple Mount Tomorrow

Moshe Gafni

Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash 90

The Arutz Sheva news site has reported that only two Knesset members, Yehuda Glick, and Shuli Moalem-Refaeli, have notified the Knesset that they plan to visit the Temple Mount tomorrow.  Both Yehuda and Moalem have visited the mount in the past. 

On October 29, 2014 Glick survived an assassination attempt after speaking at an annual Temple Mount event at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center.  Five days after the assassination attempt, Moalem visited the Temple Mount when she was confronted and verbally accosted after ascending the steps to visit the Dome of the Rock.   Even then she made it clear that she planned to continue visits to the mount.  According to Moalem,

“I don’t plan to stop. I think the response to the horrible assassination attempt [of Temple Mount activist Yehuda Glick last week] should be to increase rights of Jews on the Temple Mount, not to go backwards.”  She also stated, “I  think the Temple Mount is a place for prayer for all those who want to go there—Christians, Muslim, Jewish, or anyone else….We continue to say we have a right to pray in the holiest place for Jews. Our national and religious rights must be expressed. God willing, more people will join this process.”

Reflections  

The religious right of the Jews to pray on the Temple Mount is one thing.  The national right of the Jews over the Temple Mount seems to be another.  It seems that this would be nothing less than Israel taking sovereign control of the mount.  At present, the Waqf has sovereignty over the Temple Mount, though Israel is responsible for its security.  If the claim for Jewish national right is a claim for sovereign control, it is no wonder why some Jewish authorities condemn the decision to allow the trial pilot program on Tuesday.

Another Knesset member Moshe Gafni strongly condemned the program to the Temple Mount saying,

“I strongly condemn this terrible decision and protest it. It testifies to the foolishness, nationalism, ignorance, absolute irresponsibility, and more than anything the reverence for God.”

Gafni argues that it is the Jews, who are visiting the Temple Mount, that are to blame for the new Palestinian intifada (uprising). 

Tuesday's Ascent

In October 2015, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prohibited members of the Israeli Parliament (the Knesset) from visiting the Temple Mount.  However, this upcoming week the Knesset members will be allowed to visit the mount on Tuesday in a kind of one day trial.  This decision has not been received favorably by everyone.  According to the Arutz Sheva news site, Senior Muslim and Christian clerics in Jerusalem have issued a statement in which they condemn the decision by the Israeli government arguing that it is illegal and provocative. 

Yehudah Glick protested outside the Temple Mount near the Gate of the Tribes.

The Gate of the Tribes (on the north east corner of the Temple Mount)

Yehudah Glick, who is an Israeli Knesset lawmaker, protested the Government’s ongoing restriction that prohibits Knesset members from visiting the Temple Mount.  Glick set up a make-shift office just outside the Gate of the Tribes.  He said that the protest was only for one day, and that, “I’m here to protest the fact that the prime minister won’t enable police to allow us to enter the Temple Mount,” adding that, “I suffer every day I can’t enter the Temple Mount.”  He argued that, “The Jewish God is inclusive… He wants to see the prayer of Muslims and Jews and Christians and Indonesians and Mexicans,” and that, “We don’t want to harm the Muslims, on the contrary… when I see a Muslim praying at the Temple Mount it fills my heart with great joy. It shows me the fulfillment of the prophecies of our prophets.”

Knesset member Yehudah Glick sets up a make-shift office outside an entrance Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City, August 14, 2017. (AFP Photo/Menahem Kahana)

August 8, 2017 -- Rebuilding the Third Temple: A Perplexing, Enigmatic, Uncertain Certainty

Olive Trees on the Temple Mount

Do you remember when I said the majority of Jewish rabbis are opposed to building a third Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount?  Well, in the words of Paul Harvey, here is “the rest of the story.”   As early as November 15, 2016, an article reported that Hillel Weiss, professor at Bar Ilan University in Tel Aviv, Israel wrote newly elected President Trump and Russian President Putin urging them to work together to help rebuild the temple on the Temple Mount.

In a video on You Tube, dated November 24, 2016, Professor Weiss states in a side note  during a lecture that, “the heart of king and ministers are in the hand of God (of SHEM).  And He impose on them, like on Cyrus, and when the Sanhedrin gives [its] announcement […] implied, […] demand—not with a petition of kneeling on the knees—to Trump and Putin to declare that [the stated goal?] of building the temple now, the first goal, the first must [that will?] save the world from great wars and holocaust, and destructions, it is a short cut.  In any case, the temple will be established and all the prophets will come” (see video: 17:30-18:35).

August 6, 2017 -- Yaakov Lappin, the Temple Mount, and Fake News

I recently came across an article on “Fake News” as being the cause that triggered the Temple Mount crisis last month.  According to Yaakov Lappin, a military and strategic news correspondent, the reason for the demonstrations was the claim that, “Israel wants to take over the holy site and destroy the mosque to make way for a third Temple.”  This is a false narrative that distorts the truth, being imaginary, inaccurate, or simply false propaganda.  It distorts the smooth edges of the truth.  It introduces distortions into the false narrative.  For example, though there are groups of people both inside and outside Israel who promote the building of a third temple or synagogues on the site, there are those who say it could be done without destroying the Al-Aqsa Mosque.  Furthermore, the Israeli government has stated clearly that they will not change the “Status Quo” meaning they are not calling for the destruction of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in order to build a third temple.  Now it certainly seems possible that the idea might have been entertained in the minds of some Israeli officials at some point or another.  However, Prime Minister Netanyahu has repeatedly reaffirmed the “Status Quo.”  If the Israeli government ever changed their minds, this would indeed be alarming, but only then would it be public and opened to honest discussion.    

Who can ascend to the Temple Mount? There are at least three views: Glick, Lior, and Amar

On Tuesday Rabbi Yehuda Glick encouraged Jews to ascent to the Temple Mount even though they might not have bathed in the mikvah before going up.  This is a bit surprising since some rabbis prohibit Jews from presently going up to the Temple Mount, such as the Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, Shlomo Amar, issued in a recent  statement.  Others encourage the ascent provided Jews bath first in the mikvan.  For example, Rabbi Dov Lior, Rabbi Nachum Raninowitz, Rabbi Yisrael Rozen and others argue that anyone going up to the mount must comply with religious practices including the ritual bath, wearing shoes not made of leather, and avoiding areas prohibited by Jewish law, especially where the Holy of Holies is believed to have been located.  The rabbis stated, “it is a great merit to go up, and to be raised up, to the holy mountain in order to seek guidance for Zion and to strengthen our hold on this holy place.”

In comparison and contrast to Rabbi Dov Lior and the others, Rabbi Yehuda Glick agrees on the importance of ritual purification.

As the rabbis wrote, ascending to the Temple Mount requires ritual purification, this is what Halakha (Jewish law) obligates us to do and we are committed to halakha and see a great obligation to encourage the public to ascend properly.

Glick will again point the obligation of holiness and purity, but introduces a kind of via-media.  It is preferable to have Jewish people go up rather than have no Jewish presence at all on the mount.  Glick comments,

Our obligation, first and foremost is to ensure that the people of Israel go up to the Temple Mount, therefore, if you ask me, it is important they go up in holiness and purity, but it is preferable that people go up not in a state of purity rather than there be no Jewish presence on the mountain.

Claims are made that Iran supported and encouraged recent Temple Mount protests.

Members of the Knesset  have requested an investigation into allegations that Iran was involved in supporting and encouraging the Palestinian protests last month surrounding the Temple Mount.   According to Israel Hayom news site,

Tens of thousands of Temple Mount protesters were given prepackaged meals with notes saying: "With the help of Allah, Palestine will be liberated! Jerusalem is ours."

Palestinian security forces were aware of Iran’s involvement.  However,  President Mahmoud Abbas had ordered a freeze to Palestinian cooperation with Israel, thus preventing any communication of the information to Israeli officials. 

August 2, 2017 -- Unofficial Conversation from Jered Kushner on Temple Mount Crisis in the Middle East

I found a transcript and audio file of Jered Kushner's recent conversation from Monday, July 31, 2017 on the present Middle East and Temple Mount situation.  The audio file appears to been recorded unofficially.  It also appears that the White House has not responded to the taped conversation as of August 2, 2017.

Kushner on Middle East Peace

He makes an interesting comment when talking about the recent Temple Mount crisis.

"[A]ll these people make arguments about why they feel the way they do. So as tensions were really mounting, I don't know if everyone is familiar, but there were two people—two Israeli guards killed at the Temple Mount (and that's the first time in many, many, many years that that happened, so Israelis [unintelligible] putting up metal detectors on the Temple Mount, which is not an irrational thing to do. You know when you have—police officers were just killed, and weapons that were used to [unintelligible] the weapons to check them—so then what happens is they start inciting it."

Tisha B' Av, Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem Shlomo Amar, and Jared Kushner

Arutz Sheva 7 News

The Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, Shlomo Amar, issued a statement warning Jews that it is forbidden for them to ascent to the Temple Mount.  His comments come after a large number of Jews (over 1300) ascended to the mount on Tisha B’Av.  He said in his comments,

"There are people in our generation whose passionate love of the Land of Israel takes their good judgement from them, such that it is easy for them to commit a grave offense for which there is fear that a karet [cutting off] prohibition is entailed, as long as we don’t let go of our hold on the most sacred place for the People of Israel…. It is strictly forbidden to ascend the Temple Mount, and there is danger of transgressing the prohibition of karet, Heaven help us. And he who guards his soul will keep away.”

In other news, 100,000 visited the Western Wall near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem on Tisha B’Av.  It was also reported that Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, observed Tisha B’Av in the Chabad synagogue in Washington DC.

Over 1300 Jewish Visitors to Temple Mount on Tisha B’Av

The Times of Israel has reported that over 1300 Jewish visitors ascended the Temple Mount on Tuesday during Tisha B’Av, which is an increase in numbers from this time last year.  Following the crisis surrounding the Temple Mount the past two weeks, the Jewish ascent up to the mount is viewed differently.  For example, Sheikh Azzam Al Khatib, who is head of the Waqf and Al Aqsa affairs, is to have said, “this is unprecedented, unacceptable and should stop.”  Yehudah Glick argued that, Jews “were not afraid” to visit the Temple Mount and that, “the people of Israel are returning” to the site.  Chief Rabbi Yitahak Yosepf was critical of Jews visiting the Temple Mount saying, “It is necessary to remind them that ascending the Temple Mount is forbidden by Jewish law, and those Jews who ascend to the Temple Mount desecrate its sanctity.”

Jewish visitors wait to enter the Temple Mount complex in the Old City of Jerusalem, August 1, 2017. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)