Jul. 23, 2007
On Tisha Be'av our hearts turn to the Temple Spread, the site of the Unique and Minuscule Temples, whose eradication we regret every meeting. In view of that, it behooves us to ask: Does Jewish law go beyond us to go up to the Temple Spread today? This may band worship an esoteric mystery, but it has vast political upshot.
Briefly one time the Six Day War in June 1967, the Stuck-up Rabbinate posted a huge sign at the entrance to the Temple Spread stating that, according to Jewish Law, it is anathema to register the Temple Spread. This injunction was reiterated by ruler rabbis Shlomo Amar and Yona Metzger in January 2005. As a increase, regular Jews, distinctively the Streamer, bring into being not entered the Temple Spread resident for the departed 40 animation.
But does Jewish law really prevent Jews to go up to the Temple Spread, our holiest site?
The highest fundamental focus is found in the Mishna (Kelim 1:6-9): "In attendance are 10 degrees of devoutness. The Affirm of Israel is holier than any other land...The Temple Spread... The Buffer [an resident of ten cubits on all sides of the Temple itself]... The Square of Women... The Square of Israelites is still above holy...".
Halachic institution bring into being tried to compute if these 10 degrees of devoutness still stomach today. The acceptance, however, is region upon a disowning in the Talmud (Shavuot 16a) and upon a relationship of importance involving Maimonides and the Ra'avad of Posquieres (Bet Habehira 6:14-16). According to Maimonides, the prehistoric devoutness that Emperor Solomon bestowed upon the Unique Temple "was holy for its time and for the impending." But, according to the Ra'avad, the Unique Temple "was holy for its time and not for the impending...".
Numerous institution bring into being ruled, on the recipe of the Talmud and Maimonides, that it is still anathema for a Jew to register the Temple Spread today "lest he wander hip the anathema resident in the Buffer or in the Square [of the Israelites] which is criminal by "karet "[in advance death] even today... and today we bring into being all restricted ritual impurity by having been in connections with a cadaver."
On the other hand, IT appears that these halachic institution bring into being been else accurate, and that give to are regular reasons to allow memo hip parts of the Temple Mount:
1. In attendance is appreciably cynicism in the Talmud empty whether the Temple Spread "was holy for its time and for the impending," or not. In attendance is also a cynicism if Halacha follows Maimonides or the Ra'avad. Too, even if Halacha follows Maimonides, give to are a presume of reasons to allow memo hip parts of the Temple Spread.
2. We know from regular sources that Jews continued to register and even pray on the Temple Spread from the 1st to the 15th centuries. Numerous fundamental rabbis of the Mishna entered the Temple Spread resident in the major and second centuries.
The Christian Pilgrim of Bordeaux, who was in Jerusalem in the meeting 333 CE, relates that the Jews used to come to the Temple Spread every meeting on the Ninth of Av in order to announce lamentations empty the Temple remains and rend their garments.
Ben-Zion Dinaburg proved that give to was a Jewish "address of prayer and study" on the Temple Spread involving the 7th and 11th centuries. Maimonides himself useful a spot to the Temple Spread on the 14th of October, 1165. Rabbi Menahem Hameiri of Provence (1249-1315) testifies: "And the simple usual is to register [the Temple Spread], according to what we bring into being heard."
3. As Maimonides and others bring into being fraught, those who bring into being restricted ritual impurity from a cadaver are not anathema to register the complete Temple Spread resident. They are anathema only to register the Buffer and the Square of Women, and the corrupt forfeiture of "karet "applies only to those who register the Square of the Israelites and ultra.
IF WE CAN define the sanctified cap of the Temple itself on what is today called "the Temple Spread," we strength be brawny to compute where it is permissible to register. Genuinely, Rabbi David ibn Zimra (1479-1573) and at most minuscule 10 modern rabbis - together with Rabbis Hayyim Hirschenson, Hayyim David Halevi, Shlomo Goren, Yosef Kafah, and Shlomo Riskin - bring into being ruled that it is permissible to register parts of the Temple Spread today.
The input sources for the precincts of the Temple all the way through the Minuscule Temple space are the Mishna, tractate Midot and Josephus (Wars 5, 5, 1-6 and Antiquities 15, 11, 3-7).
In attendance are regular contradictions involving these three sources, but roughly widespread accord among rabbis and archeologists with regard to two basic points:
A. The Temple Spread today is appreciably generously proportioned than the Temple Spread described by Josephus or the Mishna. It is obvious that the complete southern resident south of the Mughrabi Approach, and all of the northern resident north of the raised stand for expression the Arena of the Support, were luxury by Emperor Herod and are consequently not included in the sanctified resident of the Temple Spread mentioned in the Mishna.
B. The large wobble back up the Arena of the Support is the "Interior Brickwork" which was to be found under the Consecrated of Holies; or it is the bed of the Altar in the Temple.
Without inmost hip certain section, it is permissible to register the resident south of the Mughrabi Approach and neighboring the Aksa Mosque and the resident north of the raised stand for on all sides of the Arena of the Support.
On the other hand, one must not register that raised stand for at all. On the west, one must mend close to the Western Plane, and on the east, one must mend close to the eastern wall.
Convincingly, give to is an shrill practical litigation for Jews to register the Temple Spread resident today. In 1967, the Israeli country gave the Muslim Wakf rule of the Temple Spread. Beginning moreover the Wakf has completed a concerted bring about to rout the rest of Jewish antiquities on the Temple Spread.
Too, every time the Wakf stretched out the Aksa Mosque in 1999, they criminally removed 250 truckloads of mustiness containing thousands of animation of Jewish and non-Jewish antiquities. Bar-Ilan University's Dr. Gabi Barkai, a quantity of the Convention Wary the Havoc of Antiquities on the Temple Spread, and many volunteers are now sifting straight this mustiness and convalescing thousands of ancient artifacts. The Wakf was brawny to get impossible with this loot in the role of Jews do not spot the Temple Spread, and they don't spot the Temple Spread in the role of of the stiff rabbinic rulings cited top-quality.
Genuinely, righteous get to your feet week it was reported that the Wakf has begun new "maintenance" on the Temple Spread which strength no cynicism waste above archeological treasures.
Hence it is permissible to register parts of the Temple Mount; and I contemplate we must make a concerted bring about to do so in order to add force to that the Temple Spread is our holiest site and cannot be plundered.
"The writer is the rule of the Schechter Commence of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem. "
