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Despite PM Netanyahu's opposition to this, the government is looking to pass a law that would require all behavior to comply with the orders of the Chief Rabbinate at the Holy Places in Israel, including the Kotel... this would disallow women from using Torah scrolls or laying tefilling and donning tallit at the Kotel, appropriate attire, among other behaviors we have seen and some have fought over. Netanyahu is pushing for them to drop the vote on this law proposal, but so far many of the ministers are saying they are going to push it forward despite Netanyahu's opposition to it.

MK Avi Maoz (Noam) has propsoed a law that will require compliance with the Chief Rabbinate's decrees or directives at the Holy Sites, including the Kotel. Maoz would have this be punishable by up to 7 years of prison for non-compliance.

One potential side effect of passage of this law would be Jews going to Har Habayit. The Chief Rabbinate has always been opposed to Jews going to Har Habayit and has issued directives against Jewish ascent. If the law passes and Jews go up anyway, we could see frum Jews being arrested for going to Har Habayit, and that is regardless of how they act up there or what they do (until now Jews could be and were detained on Har Habayit for visibly praying or doing other "provocative" things, though this has been lessened since Minister Ben Gvir took office as Minister of National Security).

I am not sure what the official legal status of Har Habayit is in Israeli law - I think it only has status as a holy site for Muslims, not as a Jewish holy site, so that might actually be its saving grace for Jews. If it is not a holy site it might not fall under the authrity of the Chief Rabbinate. Strange that it is not considered a holy site, but that is what I understand its status is...

As far as the Kotel, where does it begin and where does it end? Will the same rules apply to the Kotel Hakattan (it should)? What about the plaza leading to the Kotel? Can the women make their minyan in the plaza without threat of arrest? if people are dressed inappropriately in the plaza can they be arrested?

At the end of the day, I cant see it being a good thing to see people arrested for praying, for not wearing stockings (if the Rabbanut decides that is appropriate attire for a holy site) or for other such behaviors. Once the genie is out of the box, not sure it will be so easy to put back in, and while the goal is against the Reform from doing their things, it will quickly affect others as well... will this take away the right for Israel to express outrage when other countries ban prayer in certain places or ban circumcision unless done in certain ways?

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right-wing activist Yair Ansbacher went up on Har Habayit today and form that side unfurled a couple of signs to hang form the top of the Kotel. They are hard to make out form the picture but one is a sign with the names of the 12 tribes of Israel and the other is a sign that says מי לה' אלי - who is for Hashem, join with me! Ansbacher was detained.

We all knew that one day the Kotel would be littered with plaques of who sponsored which rock.. these signs are the first step towards that...

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Last night, the night of Tisha B'Av, at the Kotel Hamaaravi (The Western Wall), we met the fox of the famous midrash of Rabbi Akiva that was seen walking among the ruins of Jerusalem and it is perhaps trying to pass along a message to us. History is the only science that can perhaps prophesize the future. Dont make the same mistakes that were made in the generation of the destruction of the Second Temple. Don't be so right, be brothers.

Barak Blumenthal captured the moment

At the ceremony some young Haredim catcalled them and got into arguments and said things like this country is ours, you leftists are traitors, we dont want you here. While some of the arguments are not easy to hear clearly as they all talk, nay scream, over each other, I also heard one say "I dont hate Arabs, but I hate you and your type that love Arabs more than us"

wow. what hubris they have because the Haredi parties have some political power right now. Yeah, sure, they are kids, maybe stupid kids, but in this time of extreme divisiveness this type of attitude seems to be more and more common

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2 questions:

1. don't they have 3 children? where are the other two? did they just not want to get up that early?

2. what happened to the poor kids arm? refuah shleima

and a bonus joke for a 3rd question, is she wearing red to sympathize with the Handmaids Tale protestors?

Shas released a statement, in light of PM Netanyahu's statement about the Kotel tzniyus law not being advanced, along with the official killing of the bill - they said, "we bless PM Netanyahu for his message that the status quo at the Kotel will be kept. We were pushed to propose this law due to the Supreme Court not allowing further delays in the debate of the subject. There was never any intention to place criminal sanctions on clothing or musical instruments at the Kotel. This was cheap demagoguery."

So they were "forced" to propose a law that they didnt want to propose, and they wrote it in a way that said there would be criminal repercussions, but they didnt mean it and everyone should have known that, and the public that went crazy over it was just cheap demagoguery. It's their fault, not ours! And thank you Mr Netanyahu for confirming that the law we proposed is worthless and bad and things will simply stay the same instead of being changed the way we requested.

I guess they are thanking Netanyahu for saving them from themselves.

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I had my say about this two weeks ago when the idea was just floated, but now MK Deri has decided to advance this law and supposedly, according to news reports, has agreement for support among all coalition members, even ones who spoke out against it, at least to pass its first reading. 

It is going to be laws like this that will at some point bring down the government. the extreme right or extreme religious members of the coalition are going to keep pushing crazy laws like this. At some point Netanyahu will say no. He'll probably freeze this one as well after the first passing. The Likud doesn't want it, Likud voters don't want it, and Netanyahu doesn't want it, but he is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Right now he has to give Deri this little victory, but at some point he wont be able to continue advancing these types of laws and at some point that will cause a coalition crisis.

The unofficial tzniyus police of Mea Shearim never worked out well for anyone. I wonder if this can turn out any differently even though it will be official. I would be curious what type of reaction this law, if it will pass, will cause among the people. Will there be some form of protest with so many choosing to stay away from the Kotel? Will we see the annual slichos during Elul with much smaller crowds of people with much less participation of the traditional and non-religious? Will we see a form of protest of thousands going tot he Kotel in attire that does not meet the laws of tzniyus -women wearing pants and short sleeves and the like and daring the police to arrest thousands of women? or will the people just accept it and behave accordingly? If someone does get arrested, say a woman for wearing slacks at the Kotel, will she be able to defend herself in court with her lawyer claiming that her rabbi says these pants are allowed for women, even if other rabbis say they cant be? Are we going to have secular judges deciding what Jewish law should and shouldn't include?

Is this entirely to be directed at women or will this be enforced against men as well - no shorts perhaps? shirts with no sleeves will get you arrested? Will this cause an uprising of the women, having a law passed just against them?

Shas MKs, led by MK Ariel Buso and Minister Michael Malkieli, have proposed a law that I hope desperately PM Netanyahu will shoot down and stop it dead in its tracks.

Buso has proposed a law that apply prison time of up to 6 months or a fine of up to 10,000nis for a various list of infractions. The list of infractions includes davening in a mixed minyan, and another infraction being going to the Kotel in immodest dress.

First, how will immodest dress be defined, and by who?

Second, does the State of Israel really want to be arresting people for praying to God, even if it is in a way I dont agree with?

Third, enforcement (of the dress code) will be by definition almost entirely selective, so it likely wont stand up in court anyway.

I must say, this is probably one of the worst law proposals I have ever heard.

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They always told me how valuable our prayers are... now I believe it...

what's your best caption?

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The ushers must prevent mechitzas from being brought down to the plaza, though if force is needed, they have no such authority and police must be called in.

sources: Kikar, Kol Hai News

Obviously this is in light of recent incidents at the egalitarian plaza, and also with Tisha B'Av coming and the memories of the incident there on Tisha B'Av last year.

I am not quite sure if this has the status of executive order and what the actual law is, what authority this letter has. Considering Avi Maoz of Noam party has said he is going to bring mechitzas down there tonight I am guessing we will soon find out.

To exaggerate a bit, a rule saying "no mechitzas allowed" is reminiscent of the British Mandate... but the truth is this areas was designated for egalitarian prayer and the rule is only needed because of the provocations caused by other people, similar to the rule at the Kotel of not bringing in Torah scrolls from the outside...

do Haredi activists and action seekers go down to the "Reform kotel" and fight with worshippers there because the Women of the Wall have been making their minyan at the Kotel or do the Women of the Wall make their disruptive minyanim at the Kotel because Haredim go down and disturb worshippers at the Reform Kotel?

When the WoW and other groups fight over the Kotel area they are told to go down to the area designated for them - the Reform Kotel as it has come to be known. When people use the egalitarian area the Haredim come down (sometimes) and ight with them and make trouble down there.

According to TOI, dozens of extremists, though from the pictures they just look like regular Haredi people not like how we normally think of who the extremists are, went down to the egalitarian plaza and disrupted a bar mitzva in process calling the people names, blowing whistles and tearing up their siddurim.

The unique part of this story, that on its own happens often enough that it might not even be notable, is that one young man tore out some pages form a siddur and then used the pages to blow his nose. 

that's a mighty big flag brought out at the Yom Yerushalayim celebrations at the Kotel last night... 

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The topic raised was putting prayers and requests on notes into the Kotel - is it ok, not ok, acceptable, problematic?

Rav Avigdor Neventzahl,. rav of the Old City of Jerusalem, believed there is no source for this and no need as Hashem hears prayers, He doesn't read prayers.

Rav Bentzion Mutsafi paskened that Hashem does not need notes, He hears prayers, the Kotel is holy and sticking notes into the cracks in the stones or in between the stones can dislodge dirt and stone form the wall and that is a problem of "meila" - misappropriation of something holy.

On the other hand, the Ohr Hachayim Hakadosh was known for having sent a student to put a note int he Kotel on his behalf.

Rav Boaren paskened that it has become a minhag among the jewish people to put notes in so it is ok and even has a valid source.

Rav Shmuel Rabinovitz, rav of the Kotel and Holy sites of Israel, is in favor of the minhag.

Rav Chaim Kanievsky paskened, according to Kikar, that the note is not necessary - Hashem knows without the note. However it seems to me that it is not prohibited, just not necessary, as Rav Kanievsky is further quoted as saying that according to those who prohibit it, they would not be allowed to benefit from this - to me this sounds kind of pareve, saying it isnt necessary but isnt necessarily prohibited. He also said there is no need to specify a list of names specifically (on a note) as Hashem knows without that.

What I dont understand because of the comments of Hashem knows without the note - Hashem knows everything, whether we are explicit  or not, whether with the note or with prayers or with anything we might be asking for, so why is there ever a need to ask for something, to daven, to say a prayer for a sick person and mention him/her by name, etc. Hashem knows, so why would I need to say it? And if I do, why is the note any different?