Locked Out of Har HaBayit, The Temple Mount, Just Because I'm a Jew!

Today was supposed to be a great day in my life. It was supposed to be my first time ever ascending Har HaBayit, The Temple Mount, the very holiest spot in the world for Jews!

I had been planning on going for years, but somehow never quite did. Last week when my neighbor Rachel Sela sent out an email that she'd be going the following Monday, yes that's today, I realized that I could make it, so I gave her a call to sign up. Rachel leads groups every few weeks. She said that it's rare for her groups to be forbidden entrance. My husband kept saying that they wouldn't let us in until the Muslim post-Ramadan holiday if over in another week plus. But I just felt like I had to go. It seemed so right during this difficult war we're in. I wanted to be closer to where the Beit HaMikdash, our Holy Temple had stood. Not even my beloved Shiloh Hakeduma, where the Ancient Mishkan Tabernacle had stood satisfied my craving for holiness. I wanted to take that next step.

Rachel and I had discussed the issue of entering Har HaBayit before. We both feel that since G-d gave it to us during the 1967 Six Days War, it's ungrateful, even sacrilegious, for us to ignore it. We the State of Israel should have totally taken over it then facilitating Jewish Prayer and access. Rabbi Shlomo Goren, ZaTz"L, who was the IDF Chief Rabbi at the time tried to institute Jewish study and prayer on Har HaBayit, but he was stymied by the government.

Here we are, almost a half a century since that great miraculous victory, and instead of embracing it and thanking G-d we gave it to the antisemitic, anti-Israel Muslims who profane the Holiest spot in the world twenty-four hours of the day, seven days a week, twelve months a year. And we wonder why G-d loses His Patience with us. And we dare to ask why He hasn't sent us the Moshiach, the Messiah. The truth is that the Moshiach was here in late Iyyar, early June, 1967, and He was locked out of the Temple Mount, Har HaBayit.

The Israeli Rabbinate declared it "too holy" for Jews but perfectly permissible to non-Jews.

There was a time when anyone appearing obviously Jewish was totally banned from entering Har HaBayit, but in recent years, Jews willing to accept the insulting, racist, antisemitic restrictions may enter. The main restriction is no prayers. Yes, you heard me right. A Jew who seems to be praying will be quickly and violently whisked away from the site of our Holy Temples.

This morning the three women who were with me didn't even get that close. We found the gate locked. There wasn't even a guard to speak to or argue with.

Finally Rachel did find a soldier and even called his superior, but they held fast to the ruling that until the Muslims finish their holiday season, Jews are banned from Har HaBayit, The Temple Mount.

Davka now, when our country is fighting for its survival, and our sons have been called to the front-line, we want to pray on the front-line of G-d's Land, and that is Har HaBayit.

We expect at least a minimum of freedom of religion in the only Jewish country in the world. We should have had been allowed in. This morning's experience will, G-d willing, bli neder, be expanded on in future blog posts, so please stay tuned.