Before even getting to see the actual back and forth with the Amshinover Rebbe's, let’s be honest about what just happened:
Amshinov put out a "retraction" to “feed the lion,” hoping that by appeasing the extremists, the extremists would leave them alone. But that’s not how this dynamic works. Appeasement never satisfies; it only emboldens. Once you show fear, the lion doesn’t walk away — it circles back for more.
And now Amshinov is discovering this the hard way. Their retraction won’t protect them. The same forces that turned on others in the past will turn on them as well. They are now in the crosshairs, just as happened to Rabbi Leiber of Bnei Brak — a painful reminder of what happens when you try to placate those who thrive on intimidation.
Appeasement has never worked in our history. It doesn’t work now either.
In the end, Amshinov will learn the same lesson everyone else has learned the hard way: once you start feeding the lion, you don’t tame it — you just teach it where to find its next meal.
During the conversation, the Rebbe was asked whether it is forbidden today to ascend the Temple Mount, and he replied that there are areas deep in the territory of the mount that are forbidden to enter. However, certain areas, close to the entrance, are permissible after immersing in a ritual bath.
"Can someone who immerses in a regular mikveh (ritual bath) enter the Temple Mount?" his son asked.
The Rebbe answered:
"Yes, but again, only the beginning of the Temple Mount." The son pressed further: "Where is the beginning - where today’s Temple Mount is?" The Rebbe replied: "Not deep inside. Deeper inside is already the cheil (the perimeter outside the outer courtyard of the Temple)."
When asked whether the Western Wall is connected to the Temple, the Rebbe answered that "the Western Wall is connected to the wall of the Temple Mount," as brought in Kaftor Vaferach, chapter 6.
To the question of whether "behind the wall of the Kotel is already the Temple Mount," the Rebbe said, "Apparently, yes. But the Temple Mount is not the Temple courtyard. The Temple Mount is the Camp of the Levites," the Rebbe explained.
Therefore, it is permitted to enter the area at the beginning of the Temple Mount after proper immersion for purification according to Jewish law.
The conversation also dealt with the issue of waving the Two Loaves on the Temple Mount, as they said was done on the Shavuot (Feast of Weeks) holiday.
"Seemingly, there is a mitzvah (Torah commandment)," the Rebbe replied. However, he noted that "it must be baked inside," adding, "I do not understand how they take it out" after the waving. Seemingly, he said, "there is a problem that it becomes invalid by being taken out." The Rebbe also raised additional questions such as priestly lineage, various colors mentioned on the subject, and the location of the altar.
The Rebbe’s son asked whether "this is like the Passover sacrifice," and his father responded, "The Passover sacrifice is required of each and every individual; the Two Loaves are a communal meal-offering." He also stressed that "for the Passover sacrifice, an altar is needed."
"Are they carrying an altar with them too?" he asked with a smile, referring to Temple service activists who entered the Mount, 13 of whom were arrested after waving the Two Loaves.
