Aliyah to Har HaBayit, Ascending the Temple Mount, Can Rabbis be Wrong?

Bli neder I intend to write more about the כנס צהר Tzohar Conference I attended yesterday, but for now I'll just mention one of the most explosive exchanges I witnessed there. I went to the panel discussion about ascending the Temple Mount.

Yehuda Glick, Rav Yoel Bin-Nun, moderator- Arnon Segel

Despite the obvious mutual admiration between Yehuda Glick and Rav Yoel Bin-Nun, they disagree on the importance of Jews ascending Har HaBayit.

As is very well-known, Yehuda Glick is one of the leaders of those of us who believe that it's of the utmost importance, and permitted by Jewish Law, for Jews to enter the Temple Mount. Not long ago, he was almost killed by an Arab terrorist who shot him, using the excuse that Glick promoted Jewish presence on that Holy Place. It is a very large miracle that Glick is alive today. And as Glick mentioned yesterday, it was also a great miracle that in 1967, two million Israelis 2,000,000 succeeded in defeating two hundred million 200,000,000 Muslims.  Please remember that the war aim of Egypt, Syria and Jordan was the destruction of the State of Israel. And not only did we survive and were victorious but we liberated the holiest and most important places in the Jewish Homeland.

Yehuda Glick brought up the terrible situation in which Torah observant aka Orthodox and Chareidi rabbis have participated in the conspiracy to brainwash the Jewish People into believing that the Kotel hamaaravi, the Western Wall is the holiest place for the Jewish People, and that the Temple Mount is holiest for Islam.

IDF soldiers are now brought up to tour the Temple Mount and only shown it from a muslim perspective.

At the end of the program, one of the audience asked Glick how it could be that he is accusing prominent rabbis, including Rav Tzvi Yehuda Kook, ZaTza"L, of being wrong.

And Glick answered exactly the way my mind was going. He reminded the audience of how many of the great European rabbis prior to World War Two, when the Nazis were taking over, had told their congregations to stay put. And before then, with the beginning of the Zionist movement, most rabbis had declared it evil and told their followers not to join. Glick also brought up an important point, that the earlier Rav Kook, ZaTza"L, had been in the minority among rabbis and had been condemned for his stands re:Zionism and the Land of Israel. Davka, Tzohar follows the Jewish teachings of Rav Kook, so they shouldn't be afraid to be in the minority.

Considering that the main rationale of those rabbis who forbid ascending the Temple Mount is that one may accidentally enter areas of the Kodesh Kodeshim, Holy of Holies, I must say that my biggest surprise when I ascended the Temple Mount was to discover how enormous it it and how small a section is forbidden even by the most stringent measurements. 

Charlie Hebdo Shooting- The World Doesn't Get It! Arab-Muslim Terrorism All The Same!

The reactions to the murderous shooting attack on the Charlie Hebdo editorial staff have been, at least on the surface, on target.

At about 11 a.m. on Wednesday, gunmen in black ski masks with Kalashnikov weapons stormed the offices of the newspaper Charlie Hebdo and opened fire on an editorial meeting before fleeing in one car and then hijacking and escaping in another. By the time it was over, at least 12 people were killed and another 11 injured—four critically—in the deadliest terror attack in France in recent memory. Among the dead was editor Stéphane Charbonnier, known by his pen name Charb, the revered iconoclast cartoonist who had long defended his staff’s right to free speech. (TIME)

The media has been full of moving, well-crafted reactions by international leaders, which purport to understand the seriousness of the attack.

Kerry: Slain French Cartoonists are 'Martyrs for Liberty'January 7, 2015 Masked gunmen have killed 12 people at the offices of a French satirical newspaper in Paris Wednesday morning......"Each and every American stands with you today not just in horror or in anger or in outrage for this vicious act of violence, but we stand with you in solidarity and in commitment both to the cause of confronting extremism and in the cause which the extremists fear so much and which has always united our two countries—freedom," Kerry said in his statement, which he repeated in French...
...and United States President Obama:I strongly condemn the horrific shooting at the offices of Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris that has reportedly killed 12 people. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this terrorist attack and the people of France at this difficult time. France is America's oldest ally, and has stood shoulder to shoulder with the United States in the fight against terrorists who threaten our shared security and the world. Time and again, the French people have stood up for the universal values that generations of our people have defended. France, and the great city of Paris where this outrageous attack took place, offer the world a timeless example that will endure well beyond the hateful vision of these killers. We are in touch with French officials and I have directed my Administration to provide any assistance needed to help bring these terrorists to justice.

They see it rightly as against "freedom," but that's not the whole story. The truth is that nobody sees the big picture.

murdered in bed

murdered at prayer

• We never, ever hear such strong words when Jews and Israelis are murdered by Arab Muslim terrorists.
• We never heard such strong words when members of the Fogel family were slaughtered in their home by Arab Muslim terrorists.
• We never heard such strong words when Arab Muslim terrorists blew up buses and restaurants in Israel.
• We never heard such strong words when Arab Muslim terrorists brutally murdered innocent Jews at prayer.

And davka yesterday, the day of the Charlie Hebdo terror attack by Arab Muslim terrorists, on the BBC Hardtalk show, we hear the presenter try to paint Jewish religious rights activist and assassination attempt survivor Rabbi Yehuda Glick as dangerous. Listen to Rabbi Glick's response:

The truth is that the Muslim Arab terrorists who attacked and murdered most of the Charlie Hebdo editorial staff are part of the same Muslim Arab terrorists who have been attacking Jews here in Israel. If you condemn one of their dangerous arms you must condemn them all as the same! Otherwise they will just continue and widen their murderous range.

The USA Officially Promotes Anti-Jewish Apartheid

This shouldn't surprise us, but as part of the official reaction of the United States Government of the attempted assassination of American citizen, Yehuda Yehoshua Ben Rivka Ita Breindel Glick, may he have a refuah shleimah, complete and speedy recovery, here's the text of the United States Government:

The continued commitment by Israelis, Palestinians, and Jordanians to preserve the historic status quo at this holy site is critical; any decisions or actions to change it would be both provocative and dangerous. The Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount must be re-opened to Muslim worshipers... (emphasis mine)

Photo by Yehuda Glick, Shiloh women, including
myself, before we ascended Har Habayit.

Remember, please, that Yehuda Glick, who is now fighting for his life after being shot three times at close range, has dedicated his life to fighting for Jewish rights on Judaism's holiest spot in the world, Har Habayit, the Temple Mount.

• The Americans claim to be for equal rights for all. 
• The Americans claim to be against apartheid.
• The Americans claim to be for religious freedom.
• The Americans claim to be a friend of Israel.

For the American Government to use the attack on Glick to promote a policy that is in total opposition to American values is the epitome of hypocrisy and proof of their antisemitism.

This plus the recent anti-Israel, anti-Bibi “chickenshit” scandal shows true American policy.

But President Obama and his foreign-policy team aren’t just annoyed by the prime minister. They’ve come to view him as public enemy No. 1, using language about him and giving assessments of his policies that are far harsher than they have ever used against even avowed enemies of the United States, let alone one of its closest allies. (Commentary Magazine)

The Israeli Government must pay attention and stop listening to the USA! Nothing we do besides folding up can disappearing will please Obama, Kerry and all.

There Should be Prayers on Har HaBayit, Temple Mount, for Yehuda Glick!

I don't know what's happening now on Har Habayit, but that's where there must be prayers for the complete recovery, refuah shleimah רפואה שלימה of Temple Mount activist Yehuda Yehoshua Ben Rivka Ita Breindel Glick.

The most proper and suitable reaction to this act of terrorism would be Jewish Prayer on the Temple Mount right now!!

Glick was shot at close range by a terrorist on a motorcycle, just as he was leaving the Menachem Begin Heritage Center after a program there promoting Jewish prayer and presence on the Temple Mount.

Shiloh women on the Temple Mount, Ellul, 5774, Sept. 2014

Here's a first person account on David Bedein's Behind the News in Israel of the attack by someone who was there:

Moriah Halamish, a young woman who attended Rabbis Glick’s lecture on Weds, Oct 29 at the Menachem Begin Center described what happened. Moriah related that Rabbi Glick was standing at the entrance of the Begin Center when a man walked up to him and asked, in Hebrew, speaking in an Arabic accent. if he was Rabbi Yehudah Glick. Glick responded affirmatively. The man then said to Glick that “You have insulted me very deeply” and fired a gun at Glick , watched him fall to the ground, and then ran out of the center, and drove away on a motorcycle.
Rabbi Glick, a licensed tour guide, has led the campaign to allow Jews to visit and pray on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

This attack was terrorism in the very center of Jerusalem, right near Liberty Bell Park, Emek Refaim, the "First Station" and  the Yemin Moshe neighborhood.

Please pray for a complete recovery, refuah shleimah רפואה שלימה for
Yehuda Yehoshua Ben Rivka Ita Breindel Glick.