Jerusalem – Israel’s Sephardi chief rabbi and Jordan’s foreign minister criticized the record number of Jews who visited the Temple Mount on Tisha b’Av.
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In a public message on Tuesday afternoon, Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef said, according to Israel National News, that on ninth day of Av, the day the Temple was destroyed, “it is imperative to recall that the pilgrimage to the Temple Mount is forbidden by Jewish law. Those Jews who ascend to the Temple Mount desecrate its sanctity.”
By the end of visiting hours that day, some 1,300 Jews had visited the site. On Jerusalem Day, in May, some 900 Jews visited the Temple Mount, setting the previous record.
On Tuesday, at an emergency Executive Committee meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi criticized the large number of visitors and said more unrest at the Temple Mount was likely.
“The number of extremists who stormed Al-Aqsa today stands at a record number, greater than any other since the beginning of the Israeli occupation in 1967,” Safadi told the meeting in Istanbul, which included foreign ministers from 57 countries .
“Many more dangerous crises will erupt as a result of continued Israeli violations if Israel does not uproot the sources of the tension, if the occupation doesn’t end, if East Jerusalem is not independent and not the capital of the sovereign Palestinian State along the 1967 lines,” Safadi also said, The Times of Israel reported.
Tens of thousands also visited the Western Wall throughout the course of the day after thousands gathered at the site on Monday night to read the Book of Lamentations.
The mass influx of visitors comes after nearly two weeks of tensions roiled the site over increased security measures, including metal detectors, following an attack on the Temple Mount that left two Israel Police officers and their three Arab-Israeli gunmen dead.
So here its not an anti Zionist like myself and thousands other likeminded Yiddn saying the psak of the Torah that ascending theTemple Mt is forbidden. Now its not the Satmar person saying it. Its THEIR Rabbi. The chief Rabbi ordained by the Zionist government. He also states the obvious, that its assur to ascend the Mount.
You (UN)holy Zionists ascending the Mt on a day of mourning is a double mourning. You dont care of a Torahs psak plus youre endangering the lives of yiddn all over the world with your provocative behavior. What a sham!
Rabbi Yakov Yosef – the Rambam walked onto Har Habayes and he writes so himself.
Maybe you are wrong saying it is forbidden? If you don’t want to go up, that is your prerogative , but other who do – have on whom to lean on.
By putting the Halachic ruling of our rabbis in the same sentence as the rabid anti jewish minister as if they are on equal standing is disgusting.
When Jermiyah Hanavi was alarming and warning the Jews that they are doing wrong things and some Fals Prophets were giving a Pesak that they OK and don’t follow rules of Jermiyah, that caused the Chorban.
Now with the going up on the area we’re it’s prohibited by Halacha. These Jews are causing a Danger to all Jews .
If Hashem will punish the whole Jewish Community like in time of Jermiyah.
It’s forbidden to ascend to the har habayis because it may bring bloodshed g-d forbid.The unlearned arabs only know what it being told to them by their anti semitic teachers.Historically speaking these arabs wanted jews to go up and keep the oil lamps lit and the place clean since they conquered it It was never a place that they gave honor to,only in the modern period have they stolen the specialness of the place It is the work of israel to give the correct history to the world.
There are two terms being interchanged:
1)Makom HaMikdash – where no one argues it is absolutely forbidden to go.
2)Har HaBayit – this is the large platform where the Dome of the Rock and the Mosque sit.
Har HaBayit is significantly larger – nearly twice as large as the Makom HaMikdash.
Those who go up on Har HaBayit walk at the outskirts of the platform no where close to the Makom Hamikdash. They immerse in a mikvah before ascending.
The guides who give tours show the approximate boundaries of the Makom HaMikdash and stay far away from the prohibited areas.
Many Rabbonim who have studied all of the issues of the boundaries of the Makom Hamikdash have ruled exactly where it is permitted to go.
We are fortunate that many of our Gedolim has studied the boundaries of the Makom Hamikdash for hundreds of years. Even before the return to Eretz Yisrael was a dream.
Unlike everyone else posting, I’ve been up there and see how ridiculous the claims are.