Sunday, May 31, 2026
Talmidim of Harav Dov Kook go up to Har Habyis to Daven on his behalf
The Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi just released a statement on Har HaBayis that contradicts an entire polemic that he gave himself in the span of just a few days.
On the one hand, he delivers a whole halachic discourse on how one should bow on Har HaBayis — the angles, the posture, the kavanos — and then, in just a few days he issues a sweeping prohibition against going up at all.
Everyone understands what’s going on here.
The Chief Rabbinate has, for decades, taken its cues from the political establishment. It was built as an arm of the secular government, and its positions on Har HaBayis have always reflected that reality. This latest psak isn’t about halachah — it’s about maintaining the traditional political line.
And instead of thinking independently, instead of addressing the real halachic discussions happening across the Torah world, he simply defaulted to the old script.
But the Torah world has moved on.
In the video below, you can see respected chareidi rabbanim — serious poskim, not fringe voices — who permit ascending Har HaBayis lechatchilah, with clear halachic guidelines, based on Chazal, Rishonim, and the Rambam’s own descriptions of the Mikdash boundaries.
So when a talmid asks the obvious question — “How can you write a whole treatise on how to bow on Har HaBayis and then prohibit going up?” — he’s not being disrespectful. He’s being honest.
Because the contradiction is real. And the political pressure behind it is real. And the growing number of Torah authorities who reject that pressure is also very real.
The Chief Rabbinate can keep issuing statements that try to satisfy the government, but the Torah world is no longer pretending not to notice the gap between halachic reality and political convenience.
If the Chief Rabbinate wants to forbid Har HaBayis, fine — but writing a whole guide on how to bow there before prohibiting it is the kind of contradiction that only happens when politics holds the pen.
אי אפשר להורות שאסור לעלות - בלי להתעלם מגדולי ישראל שמחזקים את העלייה
The train bound for Auschwitz. 1942. The Footage now in color
The train bound for Auschwitz. 1942.
Seeing this footage in color makes the unimaginable feel real. These are not distant figures from a history book. They are mothers, fathers, children, grandparents. People dressed in their Sunday best, carrying bags, holding loved ones close, unaware of the horror awaiting them.
For many, this journey ended at the gas chambers.
Six million Jews were murdered in just four years.
The Holocaust was not ancient history. It happened within living memory to ordinary people whose lives, dreams, and futures were stolen.
Never Again is not a slogan.
The deep divide between the Charedie & Dati-Leumi Culture!
Moshe Gafni, had an interview with Haaretz 2017, and made the following outrageous comment.
“I am not on the right, on policy issues I stand closer to the Left’s position,” and declared that “the Palestinians were here before us and we displaced them."
What a sick perverted piece of slime! "Palestinians were here before us?" Mamash what Hamas says and is an outrageous lie!
I discussed the army issue with a chareidi person and see that we does not live in the same reality. The very existence of the State of Israel is not that vital to him. He says you can't draft weak students because they will become non religious and that there is a war between the secular who want to destroy our yeshivos and the olom hatorah. In other words, the existence of Israel as an independent country is not at all his priority. This person didn't make it up. Ther hashkafa which prioritizes the safety and existence of the Jewish State is not his concern. What matters is the religious security of the haredi populace . Torah is the only priority. Even if this person lives in Israel, that is not a permanent situation. If the existence of Israel harms the kedusha of the people, then it is not necessarily permanent.
Is what this person told me accurate or am I speaking about a daas yochid.
Another thing. They either ignore or denigrate the units created for observant men. Both Netzach Yehudah and Hashmonaim are not a factor. They might as well not exist. These people feel no obligation to defend their homes and family, that is totally outside of their zone. The claim that they are learning and thus they are the defenders is just a point to pull out but it is not the real reason. The crowning remark is "We were here first." This means that before the Zionistts messed things up we lived in harmony with the Arabs. That may not be factual and the ones who say it may be students on a gap year from the US, but it is their main argument.
Rabbi Leonard Oberstein, who I've never met but who I've come to deeply admire and respect, has published a number of deeply respectful and thoughtful posts about the refusal of Haredim, especially Lithuanians, to serve in the IDF.
In the latest one, he noted that Haredim object that drafting anyone is dangerous, especially weaker students because they may abandon a life of Torah and mitzvos.
It hit me that such an assertion is a condemnation of the entire Haredi educational system. It is incapable of meeting any kind of intellectual, spiritual or cultural challenge. Its Judaism is so vulnerable that unless they are kept in an insulated cocoon, it cannot survive. The faith that confronted, and whose gedolim successfully confronted every single trend in world history has, in their hands, become feckless and feeble.
One could, of course, object that withdrawal into ghettoes worked to staunch the effects of the enlightenment and the emancipation. That's partly true, but it no longer obtains. The isolated gedolim can scream bloody murder against computers, the internet and AI. They are helpless and unable to stop them from penetrating their walls. The only way to preserve religious integrity is, ironically enough, judicial and critical confrontation and partial integration. Muscles exercised are stronger than those left to wither. The Haredi ideologues have signed the termination warrants of their own world if they continue to stick their heads in the sand.
Ironically, they have created precisely the conditions that took such a toll on traditional Jewry after 1789.
Saturday, May 30, 2026
A data Base for the Monsters that refuse to grant their wives a Gett!
This registry helps individuals, families, and communities access publicly available information regarding unresolved Beit Din matters, including cases connected to Gett refusal, non-compliance with summons, or failure to participate in a halachic process.
Friday, May 29, 2026
A Message From Esti’s Parents:
There are no words to describe the relief we are feeling knowing that Esti has been found safe. For the first time in days, we can hug our daughter and breathe again.
To be clear, while this is the end of the search, Esti still needs proper medical care, evaluation, and support, and our family is focused on making sure she is surrounded by the love and care she needs in the days ahead. We are incredibly grateful she is home, but we are still taking things moment by moment, and we ask that people refrain from speculating.
To the thousands of people who carried our family through this nightmare — thank you will never feel big enough. To every person who searched, shared her photo, hung flyers, checked cameras, sent messages, prayed, or simply held our family in their hearts: you gave us strength when we were running on none. We are so blessed to have a Jewish community here in Toronto that stood behind us and relentlessly did what they could. There are not enough words to thank the overwhelming support from the Jewish community and every resident of Toronto and the GTA who searched for Esti as if she was their own daughter.
We want to thank the Toronto Police Service, Shomrim Toronto Safety Patrol and everyone who worked tirelessly to help bring Esti home safely. We also want to thank God for sending all of this support and ensuring Esti has come home safely.
What we witnessed over these past days was extraordinary. People from all over the city, the country, and around the world came together for a child they had never even met. Complete strangers stopped what they were doing to help bring our daughter home. That love and humanity are something our family will never forget.
Right now, our focus is on Esti’s health, recovery, and well-being. We ask for continued prayers, love, and privacy as we begin the next stage of helping her heal.
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