Nov 2, 2014
Picture(s) of the Day
MK Moshe Feiglin (Likud) went up this morning to Har Habayit, in the aftermath of the assassination attempt on the life of Temple Mount activist Yehuda Glick..
photo credit: Luke Reuters on Twitter
I would note that where Feiglin is walking in these pictures is right outside the Dome of the Rock and is an area where most people who ascend Har Habayit do not walk.
It is not my place to explain or justify what he does, but in an attempt to clarify - Feiglin is walking there using the din of "kibbush". Meaning, the normal restrictions of where one can walk on Har Habayit are waved for the need to conquer the area. Out of necessity. The gemara also talks about people entering the heichal in unusual ways for the purpose of maintenance.
I have been up with other people who have said we go up as conquerors and can walk there, and they did, but most ascenders avoid that area. I admit, I have been tempted to do this as well, because I think at least part of what we do by ascending and showing presence has an aspect of kibbush, considering the situation, but so far I have not actually gone there.
photo credit: Luke Reuters on Twitter
I would note that where Feiglin is walking in these pictures is right outside the Dome of the Rock and is an area where most people who ascend Har Habayit do not walk.
It is not my place to explain or justify what he does, but in an attempt to clarify - Feiglin is walking there using the din of "kibbush". Meaning, the normal restrictions of where one can walk on Har Habayit are waved for the need to conquer the area. Out of necessity. The gemara also talks about people entering the heichal in unusual ways for the purpose of maintenance.
I have been up with other people who have said we go up as conquerors and can walk there, and they did, but most ascenders avoid that area. I admit, I have been tempted to do this as well, because I think at least part of what we do by ascending and showing presence has an aspect of kibbush, considering the situation, but so far I have not actually gone there.
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How exactly is he (or anyone, for that matter) conquering Har Habayit simply by simply walking around up there, be it on the perimeter or at ground zero?
ReplyDeleteby being there, especially as a representative of the government, against the wishes of the Muslims. it is a sign of authority.
ReplyDeleteGimme a break. It may be an ''in your face'', but what kind authority is it when you have to walk around with armed guards protecting you from the Arabs, who, by the way, can roam freely and do and say whatever they want on the Temple Mount.
ReplyDeleteAnd in any case, a brief show of authority (even though that's not the case here) is very different from conquering the place.
Technically, the place is already 'conquered'/liberated. The problem is the application of that fact. That is where Jews going up becomes important, and the presence of an armed escort may actually enhance the application. The armed escort implies (sadly, I doubt they would follow through) "we can come when we want, and do what we want, and if you dare to obstruct or intimidate us - we are able to suppress your efforts." Again, I suspect that things would play out differently; but no matter. Consider this: if MK Feiglin had gone up alone, he might have been injured or killed. An act of impunity. The fact that the police serve as a deterrent is indeed a display that they have power in play, if they need or choose to wield it.
ReplyDeletePer the Mishnah in Middos, Har Habayis hamekudeshes is 500 by 500 amos. Depending on where the Mikdash sat, and depending on how you define the size of an amah, there is area on the Upper Platform that is Har Habayis and NOT the azarah - meaning one may walk on parts of the Upper Platform today following immersion without violating an issur kareis. At most, maybe he walked in the cheil, which is assur mi'derabanan but does not impose kareis.
ReplyDeleteSo you don't even need to get into any justifications of "kibbush."
That being said, as someone who does go up to the Temple Mt. for religious reasons, I don't like when Feiglin and others politicize it.
I would suggest that 99% of people that go up to Har Habayis do so for political reasons, e.g., "we have to show the Arabs that this is ours."
DeleteThat is very much a religious value. A definite divorce/seperation of religion and politics is a Christian notion; not a notion applicable to a sovereign Jewish society in the land of Israel.
DeleteMordechai, there is religious leadership (Kohanim, Levi'im, Sanhedrin) and there is political leadership (Malchus). See Ramban to 49:10 commenting on the Chashmonaim for an example of the separation of religion and State.
DeleteAlso, please don't conflate today's political scene with an ideal Torah society, rooted in Halacha.
**Should be Ramban to Genesis 49:10.
DeleteThis is what Moshe Feiglan wrote on his facbook page back in 2013 to explain why he feels that he is allowed to go there:
ReplyDeleteMoshe Feiglin: In the introduction to his book "Har Habayit" Rabbi Shlomo Goren, zatza"l, writes: "There is no doubt that in a case such as this, when there is the danger that non-Jews will take control of Mount Moriah, it is permissible to even enter the azarah (outer court) so as not to afford the non-Jews any type of affinity on G-d's mountain; for the ascent of Jews on the Mount under these circumstances is considered conquering and possession and the prevention of foreigners from taking control of it."
From the moment that I became a Knesset Member, a representative of Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel - I felt that Rabbi Goren's words obligate me to enter every place on the Temple Mount. This morning, I did so and did not even begin to imagine how right I was. It turns out the the Dome of the Rock (which is not a mosque) was closed to Jews and tourists two years ago. "Only Moslems can enter," said the wakf guard when I courteously asked to enter. I explained to the police officer there that according to law, it is prohibited to prevent a Knesset Member entry into any place - and certainly not in a place where entry is permitted to other citizens. The officer's reply was astonishing: "This place belongs to the Moslem wakf."
He said it. The innermost heart of the Land of Israel, the site of the Holy of Holies, has effectively been given over to Moslem sovereignty - simply because Jews do not enter there due to its holiness.
It is important to emphasize that I am not calling upon Jews to begin to enter the areas of the Temple Mount forbidden by Jewish law. There is a difference between me as a Knesset Member and the general public. However, this morning's exchange was a clear admission of the loss of Jewish sovereignty on the Mount. We must all change the situation with our feet - by ascent to the parts of the Temple Mount permitted by Jewish law.
I plan to address the Attorney General today for a quick clarification of the status of our sovereignty on the Temple Mount and the violation of the law by Israel's police