Sephardi Chief Rabbi: Ben-Gvir ‘sinning’ by visiting Temple Mount
In his weekly Saturday night sermon, Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, the Sephardic chief rabbi of Israel who is referred to as the Rishon L’Tzion, made a lightly veiled reference, criticizing National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
“One of the cabinet’s ministers who it is not appropriate for me to mention his name in this place,” the rabbi said. “He sins and misleads the public. Because of him, people sin by entering the Temple Mount.”
Ben-Gvir is frequently criticized by haredi (ultra-Orthodox) rabbis, some of whom rule that it is “forbidden” for Jews to ascend to the Temple Mount and have even placed a sign at the entrance announcing this rabbinic ruling. Ben-Gvir justifies his actions by citing other rabbis, such as Rabbi Dov Lior, a former chief rabbi of Kiryat Arba, and Rabbi Yehuda Kroizer, the rabbi of the Mitzpe Yericho, who rule that it is not only permitted but actually incumbent upon Jews to ascend to the site of the Temples. In fact, many rabbinic leaders are ascending to the Temple Mount for the first time, signifying a change in their policy concerning the holy site.
Rabbi Elisha Wolfson, the head of Drishat Tzion, a group that learns Torah on the Temple Mount every day as part of Yeshivat Har HaBayit, listened to Rabbi Yosef’s entire speech.
“He actually made Ben-Gvir’s case stronger,” Rabbi Wolfson said. “Before criticizing the minister, he also criticized Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, the Chief Rabbi of Tzfat, and Rabbi Aryeh Stern, the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, for calling to hold a rabbinic council on the rabbinic ruling prohibiting ascending to the Temple Mount. Rabbi Eliyahu and Rabbi Stern called to remove the sign claiming that the rabbis have ruled that it is forbidden.”
“By raising this issue, Rabbi Yosef emphasized that there is a serious difference of opinions among major rabbis about the issue,” Rabbi Wolfson said. “It is incorrect to say that all the major rabbis believe it is forbidden. It may be that the ruling will change in the near future. Even now, if a Jew chooses to ascend to the Temple Mount, he clearly has authoritative opinions to support that decision.”
Rabbi Menachem Makover of the Temple Institute explained the rabbinic ruling.
“This is a very complicated halachic (Jewish law) subject that has yet to be definitively decided,” Rabbi Makover said. “The question focuses on different areas on the Temple Mount, some of which are absolutely prohibited, some of which are absolutely permitted, and some of which have an uncertain status.”
“ According to most opinions, the holiest area, referred to as Kodesh” which includes both the Holy of Holies and the Inner Sanctuary, is covered by the Dome of the Rock and is approximately 100 meters by 70 meters. This is absolutely forbidden today. There are some opinions that maintain it is further to the left or right, but those areas can also be easily avoided.”
“The next level of sanctity is that of the Temple Courtyard, which is endowed with a certain sanctity, but the term Kodesh does not apply to it,” Rabbi Makover said. “Today, we cannot enter the courtyard because, lacking the red heifer, we are considered ritually impure due to proximity to a dead body.”
“But the courtyard comprises roughly five percent of the Temple Mount,” Rabbi Makover explained. “The majority of the Temple Mount is still entirely permitted to Jews today, even if we leave space taking into account any doubts about the precise locations. These areas were established by Rabbi Goren after the 1967 Six-Day War.”
“It seems strange to me that the same rabbis who say it is forbidden do not rule instead on where it is forbidden and where it is permitted. This would be far more useful and prevent even the Jews who go up from transgressing. I suspect that their interests are not just Torah law, but the halachic ruling was influenced by political considerations.”
“The rabbis who say it is forbidden also claim that there is a Torah requirement to respect the place, to hold it in awe. Of course, Jews who go up must go to the mikveh (ritual bath) and not wear leather shoes. They must act respectfully. But treating the site with awe and respect can only be done by going there. By saying it is forbidden, it is like saying that you show respect for your wife by never being near her.”
Rabbi Makover performs the mitzvah by visiting the site but limits his visits to times when he feels he can prepare and focus on the intensity of the experience to a suitable degree.
“The number of Jews ascending to the Temple Mount is growing exponentially, and most of these are Orthodox Jews,” Rabbi Makover said. “It is clear they are following halachic rulings, though perhaps not the rulings of their rabbis. It would be painful to think they are all sinning. “
As the CEO and founder of High on the Har Temple Mount advocacy organization, Dr. Melissa Jane Kronfeld ascends to the Temple Mount on a daily basis.
“The halacha is very clear,” Dr. Kronfeld told Israel365News. “There’s an unbroken chain of ascension from the time of Adam and Eve through to today. It is one of our longest-standing mitzvot.”
To help the public understand this, High on the Har produced a guidebook on the subject.
“It is a shame that such an esteemed rabbi is not celebrating the fact that the community has such a wonderful leader in office who personifies this essential Jewish act of expressing sovereignty over our holiest site. The religious community, and especially the Sephardi community, often feel underrepresented in Israel.”
Kronfeld, who helped in Ben-Gvir’s campaign, praised him and emphasized that it was his religious values and not just his political agenda that garnered her support.
“He is, first and foremost, a leader in the movement for equal rights and access to the Temple Mount,” Kronfeld said.
Beyadenu, a Temple Mount advocacy group, also commented.
“Beyadenu’s mission isn’t to debate the halachic implications of ascension to the Temple Mount,” Abe Truitt, Beyadenu’s spokesman, told Israel365News. “We believe that it is permitted and important to ascend. The in-fighting that we see from the Chief Rabbi’s statements is exactly the ostracization that is so prevalent in this issue and something that would be solved if we, as the Jewish people, stood up for what is rightfully ours and recognized the Temple Mount for what it is, our symbol of unity.”
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