Jerusalem – Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, considered to be one of the greatest living Jewish law experts, has reiterated his previously expressed opinion that it is halachically forbidden for Jews to ascend to the Temple Mount.
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Peres, who makes it a practice to pay Succot visits to the Chief Rabbis of Israel as well as to Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, had not previously called on Eliashiv.
Peres raised the Temple Mount issue in light of renewed hostilities between Muslim religious authorities and small groups of Jews who choose to ignore the halachic prohibitions, thereby provoking Muslim antagonism, such as the call by Muslim leaders to safeguard the Temple Mount area.
Such calls were issued recently after the pre-Yom Kippur visit by a group of non-Muslims to the compound sparked disturbances on the mount and elsewhere in the Old City. The security concerns prompted by those calls, as well as by the discovery of wheelbarrows filled with rocks in the Aksa Mosque, led police to restrict access to the compound, which in turn, led to more Arab riots in the capital. Access to the mount was still restricted Thursday to Muslim men over 50 with Israeli ID cards and to women.
Arab rumors have since been circulating regarding Israel excavating under the Temple Mount and Jews’ plans to ascend the mount, and there was even a claim of Jewish plans to build a synagogue there.
Aside from halachic prohibitions, said Elyashiv, it was important to consider that any provocations on the part of Jews who are determined to reach the Temple Mount could lead to needless bloodshed and further condemnation of Israel by the nations of the world.
Nonetheless, there are those in the religious camp who disagree with Eliashiv. Yehuda Glick, director of the Temple Institute has been arrested several times this year for encouraging Jews to ascend the Temple Mount. The Temple Institute is dedicated to the construction of a Third Temple on the Temple Mount “to serve as a royal house of prayer.”
Aspirations of this kind have aroused the fears and ire of the Islamic Waqf which has managed the Temple Mount continuously since 1187, and prompted riots in the old city earlier this week.
In light of the recent clashes between Arab rioters and security forces in Jerusalem, Palestinian leaders, among them Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, have accused Israel of trying to ‘Judaize’ the capital.
Peres noted that the voice of such a renowned and revered authority as Elyashiv should be heard and heeded.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Elyashiv gave Peres a special blessing, saying to him: “As President you need a special blessing to steer the nation on the right course in these difficult times.”
It’s a well known factor that any jew stepping onto Har Habayis will not live to see his days. meaning he will die and be cut off from klal yisroel.
This is the first common sense psak that I’ve seen from Eliyashav in a long time. He properly concludes that aside from any halachic considerations about whether or not we may go up to har habayis until zman moishiach(which rabbonim clearly disagree on)now is not the time to provoke the moslems. His deference to islamic sensitivities is to be greatly commended.
I’m not qualiifed to dsicuss whether this p’sak is correct or not. Nor is it my place second guess a p’sak from so venerable a posek as R. Elyashiv. But I’m concerned about the publicity atached to it. In Jerusalem, where everything has political overtones, such a p’sak might serve to strengthen the hands of Arabs who seek to control the entire city to the extreme detriment of the Jewish people. That R. Elyashiv gave a p’sak is one thing. But why publicise it quite so much?
In my humble opinion, R’ Eliashiv’s psak is 100% correct. If the Bais Hamikdosh was still standing, would Jews wander onto the Har Habayis? No. The fact that the Bais Hamikdosh is not there doesn’t change the kedusha of the Har Habayis one bit.
Let the Arabs control the Har Habayis. The fact that they’re there and we’re not should be a painful reminder of our Golus and what our aveiros as Jews cost us. Im Yirtza Hashem someday soon, Moshiach will come and Hashem will boot the Arabs off the Har Habayis and bring the third Bais Hamikdosh to that spot. Until we merit such salvation, let the Arabs be the “caretakers” of the Har Habayis for indeed that is all they are.
“Access to the mount was still restricted Thursday to Muslim men over 50 with Israeli ID cards and to women.”
I wish Americans would see the good in this. Profiling is a good thing, and ends up protecting innocent lives. The Israelis have it right on this one!
ok, so peres gets a “psak” from harav elyashiv, shlita. big deal. those who go up to the har habayis do not except this psak at all. they have their own rabbonim who in their world are considered just as great. and don’t anyone here go and bash the tzionish gedolim. you may not agree, but they are giants.
what i think is funny is that peres didn’t ask for a psak about, say, keeping shabbos, sitting in a sukkah, or any of the myriad of halachos this torah hater disregards!
“Abbas, have accused Israel of trying to ‘Judaize’ the capital”
Maybe because its the capital of a Jewish state?!?
At least this time the naysayers can’t say it was Rav Elyashiv’s inner circle that made the Psak. It appears to be his.
I’m wondering if Dr. (Rabbi) Tendler will now listen to the psak of the POISEK HADOR.
well said
Does any halachic authority hold that it is OK for Arabs to be there, have their house of worship there, and to be allowed to destroy any sign of the Jewish Temple on that site? If Jews are not allowed there then CERTAINLY non-Jews are not allowed. Why wasn’t that said to Peres? Why didn’t Rabbi Elyashiv tell him that ARABS are Forbidden To Visit Temple Mt? Why is there no mention in the article that it is totally against the directives of the Torah for Arabs to control the Temple Mt.? They do not even have a right according to Torah to be in control anywhere in the land of Israel. It would be a Mitzvah for Jews to throw the Arabs out! But don’t expect to hear that from most of those who are considered our so-called leaders.
If you relize reb eliyashiv is covering his eyes: the reason: אסור להסתכל בפני רשע
והגרי”ש מקפיד לא להסתכל על שום אדם שאינו שומר תומ”צ
If, however, you wear Crocs on tisha be-av, your wife wears an Indian hair shaitel,you use a Tzommet approved elevator on Shabbos, etc , etc, etc, this p’sak might not apply to you. Chachomim hizaharu bedivreichem!
Peres, an ochel nevaylos utrayfos,mechalel Shabbos be-farhessia, is interested in daas Torah re: the Temple Mount! and Rav Elyashiv Shlita is his newly acquired Posek: al tashlichanu le-ais ziknah….: