Rav Mazuz was asked "today there are people who go up to Har Habayit and they obviously go to the Ezrat Yisrael and rely on immersion in the mikva and on saying that they know the spot of the Kodesh Kodashim, and thereby calculate the area of Har Habayit that it permitted to enter. It is known that Rav Ovadia was against this and claimed that people were going into the area of the Kodesh Kodashim and Ezrat Kohanim that bears a prohibition punishable by 'karess' according to the Rambam. Is it allowed today to ascend Har Habayit, obviously in the permitted places and on condition of immersion in a mikva kosher for nida and after also having immersed ones clothes? And, is there a mitzva in bowing down today in the Ezrat Yisrael?"
Rav Mazuz answered that according to the halacha it is permitted, but one must know the correct measurements according to instructions from a 'chochom'. Regarding bowing down in Ezrat Yisrael, it appears today as if one is bowing to the Omar Mosque.
Also interesting is the question of immersing one's clothes. Rabbi Mazuz did not respond regarding that. I don't know anyone who does that. The only reason i can think of why one might need to is out of concern of being a 'zav'. If one is a 'zav', there are also other issues to be concerned about - such as immersion in a natural spring, immersion the day before rather than the same morning, and maybe others. the psak I was told is that nowadays we are not concerned about issues of 'zav' - unless someone has some particular illness, but not most people.
Also interesting, Rav Mazuz seems to be saying that one cannot bow on Har Habayit out of concern of appearingh to be bowing to the Mosque. It is almost irrelevant because the police are so strict about not letting people daven or bow - and they keep a much closer eye on jewish groups today than they used to. But, when the police were not keeping such a close eye on Jews, it was possible, and I have seen many people, including rabbis, bow, and I myself have as well. I have never heard such a concern as the one Rabbi Mazuz raises. The truth is, thinking about it, generally people bow down on the eastern side of the Mount, and in that area the Mosque cannot be seen. Maybe that is a solution to Rabbi Mazuz's concern.
source: YKR
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Any clothing made of wool or linen, at least, is tamei, because it was touched by tamei people (e.g. nidda). It doesn't have to have come from a zav. Anyway, a nidda has the pretty much the same halachos as a zav.
ReplyDeletewomen who are nida do not immerse their clothes. women who ascend har habayit have more rules to be attentive to, but I never heard of them needing to immerse their clothing.
DeleteYou mean before they go to the har habayis? Well, they should - it is forbidden to bring anything tamei there. Not all clothing can become tamei, but wool and linen definitely can. Even if a person who is an av hatuma touched clothing it is tamei and needs tevilah.
DeleteI'll have to check and see if women do that. men should really need to as well, assuming wives or mothers who are nidda have touched their clothes. have to look into this.
Delete"it is forbidden to bring anything tamei there."
ReplyDeleteyou are wrong.
if you are going to pasken a halacha in a blog comment, you should at least check it out before you do.
You are allowed to bring thing which are tamei onto har habayit
you are allowed to go up to har habayit when you are tamei met
you are allowed to bring a dead body up to har habayit.
but only a zav, zava or nidda are not allowed on har habayit - that's why you have to go to the mikva beforehand
and
you are not allowed to go to the makom hamikdash - past where the cheil was - if you are tamei met.
That's why many rabanim (including the rabanut) do not want anyone to go up anywhere on har habayit because 1. they might not toivel properly and 2 if you are not sure on what areas is part of the makon gamikdash.
The question (and answer) are quite incorrect. No one who goes up to the Har HaBayit halakhically goes anywhere near the Ezrat Yisrael; in fact, they don't even go near the Ezrat Nashim, which is also assur for Tamei Met. For the most part, they (we) stick to Herod's additions to the Temple Mount, which has no halakhic status whatsoever, and walk very slightly on the square halakhic Har HaBayit, which a T'vul Yom can enter. Those who are more confident of the archaeology go deeper get closer to the location of the Heyl, which a T'vul Yom can (but not a non-Jew) can also enter, but they generally don't cross it anyway. Again, no one gets near any of the Azarot- Nashim, Yisrael, Kohanim, and of course not the Heichal.
ReplyDelete