Rabbis debate settling for prayer at Kotel vs Har Habayit

 

A profound religious controversy is dividing Israel's Orthodox establishment as Jerusalem Day approaches, with influential rabbis publicly questioning whether Jews should continue the traditional practice of praying at the Kotel or embrace the more contentious path of ascending the Har Habayit for worship.

Monday's Jerusalem Day observances, commemorating Jerusalem's liberation, traditionally draw religious Zionist groups to the capital in celebration of the city's reunification and restored access to Judaism's holiest sites. These annual pilgrimages culminate in emotional prayer services at the Western Wall, where thousands gather for thanksgiving ceremonies.

Yet a growing chorus of religious voices now advocates moving beyond the Kotel entirely, urging Jews to pray directly on the Har Habayit itself. This unprecedented shift has ignited fierce debate within Orthodox circles, pitting traditionalists against those seeking to reclaim Judaism's most sacred space.

The controversy stems from a historical ruling by Israel's Chief Rabbinate, supported by the vast majority of the country's rabbis, prohibiting Jewish ascent to the Har Habayit altogether. However, mounting challenges to this decision in recent years have prompted renewed theological examination of the issue. We consulted several prominent rabbis to understand their positions on this divisive matter.

Rabbi David Stav, who leads the Tzohar Rabbinical Organization and serves as rabbi of Shoham, articulated fierce opposition to Har Habayit ascent during our discussion. "We believe the Temple can be rebuilt only when the people of Israel achieve unity and moral purity of the highest order, alongside adherence to specific purity laws governing the Mount. Currently, these essential conditions remain unfulfilled.

"This spiritual preparation is necessary to make us worthy even of Jerusalem itself. The notion of ascending the Mount for prayer in our current spiritual state represents a fundamentally flawed approach. Temple Mount ascent will become possible only when the people of Israel reach their complete spiritual state."

"Each person should act according to his rabbi"

Rabbi Hagai Lundin, who heads the Holon Hesder Yeshiva and directs the study hall at Ono Academic College, acknowledged that while he personally refrains from Temple Mount ascent, "each person should act according to his rabbi."

He elaborated, "The question of whether to pray at the Kotel versus the Har Habayit has generated years of controversy. Most religious authorities currently rule against Har Habayit ascent. Yet today, certain voices argue that the security situation and national considerations have strengthened the case for Har Habayit access. I personally choose not to ascend and believe we can strengthen our sovereignty and connection to the Har Habayit through alternative means."

"Prayer at the Har Habayit is preferable."

Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, founder and director of the Temple Institute and head of the Temple Yeshiva in Jerusalem's Old City, advocates the opposite approach entirely. "While the Kotel functions like an enormous synagogue with special sanctity for prayer within the ancient walls, Har Habayit prayer remains superior. This principle applies throughout the year and holds particular significance on Jerusalem Day.

"Har Habyit prayer carries a different meaning and receives greater heavenly acceptance. This concept appears in King Solomon's dedication prayer for the Temple, where he invokes the word 'prayer' in various forms 24 times. This emphasis demonstrates the paramount importance of prayer on the Mount – the actual Temple site."

"Clean hands and pure heart"

Rabbi and author Chaim Navon presents a nuanced middle position, arguing that Har Habayit ascent demands exceptional spiritual elevation. "My revered teacher, Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein of blessed memory, believed certain areas remained halachically permissible to enter. When I once asked why he personally avoided Har Habayit ascent despite this ruling, he referenced Psalms: 'Who shall ascend the mountain of the Lord?' The answer provided is 'Clean hands and pure heart.' Only someone achieving complete heart purity and entirely clean hands can ascend the Temple Mount and stand before the Divine. He concluded, 'I have not yet reached this level.'"

Rabbi Navon continued, "While I question whether such an elevated standard is truly required, hearing this from my teacher has left me emotionally unable to summon the spiritual courage for Temple Mount ascent. Those who have achieved greater spiritual completeness may ascend in sanctity and purity, but they must never disparage those who find fulfillment in Kotel prayer. The Kotel possesses inherent holiness, sanctified further by centuries of worship from countless Jewish faithful."

Record 2,139 Jews Ascend Temple Mount on Jerusalem Day

 

Four years after Hamas threats nearly forced the cancellation of Jerusalem Liberation Day celebrations, more than 2,000 Jews marked the occasion by ascending the Temple Mount, many waving Israeli flags and praying openly.

According to HaKol HaYehudi, 2,139 Jews visited the Temple Mount in honor of Jerusalem Liberation Day. The Temple Mount Authority reported that this figure represents a nearly 50% increase from last year.

Among those who ascended were prominent rabbis, yeshiva deans, government ministers, and MKs. Participants prayed, sang, recited the Hallel, and bowed in worship. Several individuals wore tefillin and prayer shawls, while dozens held aloft Israeli flags.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands took part in the traditional flag dance procession through the unified Jerusalem’s streets.

In a notable moment captured on video, MK Zvi Sukkot was seen waving an Israeli flag in front of the Golden Dome…

Many Hostage Families Work Only With Leftists that have Anti-Bibi Views

 

It is well-known in Israel that the Hostages and Missing Families Forum is run by leftists, and in many ways, the organization’s activities are a continuation of the pre-October 7 protests against the Netanyahu government and his so-called plan to “crush democracy.”

What is less well known is the extent of the organization’s politicization, which was recently revealed by one of the organization’s founders, Liat Bell Sommer, who has since left the organization.

Before October 7, Bell Sommer was a leftist herself, a self-described “Kaplanist who burned the Ayalon.” Following the massacre, she had a desire to help the families of the hostages, and she volunteered to work at the Hostages Forum. And as one may think, her desire to help was not related to her political views.

“I came to work with everybody,” she recently told 124 News [Hebrew]. “I didn’t care who they voted for. Hamas didn’t choose to abduct people according to whether they were right-wing, left-wing, religious, or non-religious.”

However, she described that she gradually realized that her fellow employees and volunteers were there to advance their own agendas and would even only work with families of hostages with left-wing political views.

She continued: “At one point, I realized that there’s a family there who had a huge story, the Samerano family. Their son Yonatan, H’yd, the son of Ayelet and Kobi, was murdered on October 7, and his body was abducted by a UNWRA social worker in a UN vehicle.”

“This story remained behind the scenes for months because of the political views of the Samerano family,” she said.

“At a certain point, we began to lose the international audience,” she said, meaning that the world was no longer siding with Israel against the UN’s complicity in the massacre. “Despite this fact, no one would agree to publicize the Samerano story,” she added.

“At a certain point, I decided that I, the Kaplanist, would take it upon myself. I held press conferences at the headquarters, and we publicized the story. We traveled all over the world with the story—to Switzerland,  to Paris, to the UN —to explain how guilty the UN was. If it wasn’t for me, this story would still be unknown due to the political views of the victim.”

The interviewer interjected: “So are you saying that the Hostages Forum operated out of political considerations?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” she replied. “Despite the fact that this issue involved saving people’s lives, they operated and are still operating out of personal political interests—until today.”

Bell Sommer added that the Samerano family was not the only one with whom the Forum refused to work. It should be noted that she explained in the interview that there was no official policy dictating this policy or overt statements about it, but in practice, that’s how it worked.

“We’ve turned into our own enemies,” she said sadly. “Already before October 7 but definitely after October 7.”

Watch Ayelet Samerano speak about the abduction of her son at the UN:

Ponovezh Rosh Yeshivas Oppose Prolonged Meetings Of Engaged Couples: ‘Frivolity’

 The Roshei Yeshiva of the Ponevezh Yeshiva in Bnei Brak (who are they? no names just "roshei Yeshiva") have established new guidelines regarding meetings between engaged yeshiva students and their fiancées during the period between engagement and marriage.

According to a report on the charedi news site Bechadrei Charedim, the decision comes in response to a growing trend in recent years of prolonged meetings, particularly what has become known as the “final meeting,” which often lasts for many hours.

A gathering was held at the home of one of the yeshiva heads, who emphasized that he views this trend as a serious halachic  issue.

“There is no permission to simply look at a woman. There is no allowance for frivolity. What is permitted is only to the extent of necessity. Beyond that, there is no permission at all,” he stated.

One of the rabbis shared: “A year and a half ago, someone told me there was a meeting that lasted more than two hours. Today I’m being told about 12-hour meetings. I said: ‘They’re lying.’ I couldn’t believe it. It never occurred to me that such a thing could exist. It’s insane. What is this?”

The yeshiva head also addressed another phenomenon that has developed in recent years: gifts from the groom to the bride during the engagement period.

“Why cram this short period with nonsense and things? Every time a different gift from (the groom). In our time, such a thing didn’t exist — a gift from the groom to the bride. It was forbidden. It had to go through the parents only.”

‘The 2,000 Kidnapped Jewish Children’ Links Jewish Hostages Across Generations

 

A powerful new documentary titled “The 2,000 Kidnapped Jewish Children” has been released for free on YouTube by the HispanoJewish Foundation of Madrid and the Jewish Community of Porto, Portugal. The 30-minute film sheds light on a little-known but haunting chapter of Jewish history and is dedicated to the families of those kidnapped by Hamas during the October 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel.

The film recounts the story of 2,000 Jewish children—eight years old and younger—who were seized in 1493 by order of King João II of Portugal. Their parents, who had fled the 1492 expulsion from Spain, were unable to afford the ransom demanded by the Portuguese crown. As a result, their children were torn from them and deported to the remote and uninhabited island of São Tomé, 7,500 kilometers from home.

“When we hear European leaders rewarding terrorism and encouraging the killing of Jews and Israelis everywhere, it becomes imperative to remember what European Jewish life has been like for centuries,” said Gabriel Senderowicz, President of the Jewish Community of Oporto. “This film highlights one of many historical episodes ignored in European school curricula.”

David Hatchwell Altaras, President of the HispanoJewish Foundation, added: “The agony of having our children stolen is something Jews have suffered throughout history. We can only imagine the pain of the parents of those 2,000 children—just as we empathize with the anguish of today’s families whose loved ones were taken on October 7. This film connects those past horrors with our present grief.”

The story is drawn from historical accounts by Portuguese chroniclers and leading Jewish figures such as Isaac Abravanel, Samuel Usque, and Shlomo Ibn Verga. It also depicts the brutal conditions on São Tomé—described by 16th-century physician Amato Lusitano—where toxic gases, wild animals, and massive crocodiles made survival perilous. In Jewish memory, the island came to be known as “Crocodile Island.”

Despite the unimaginable suffering, some children survived. Their descendants later helped establish successful industries in sugar, wine, meat, and cheese—testifying to the enduring strength and resilience of the Jewish people.

Michael Rothwell, director of the Jewish and Holocaust Museums of Porto, said: “Each generation of Jews has the responsibility to preserve our history. The 1493 tragedy has been forgotten, but its echoes are heard in the trauma we endure today. By remembering and sharing these stories, we find the strength to face the present.”

Hallel on Har Habayit!

 

Mrs Macron Does what we all dream we can do! Smack Macron Across His Face!

 

Maybe his wife thought they were flying to Israel… and when she realized it was just another speech in France — slap!

It seems (video below)Macron offered his arm to Brigitte after being slapped live on camera… she refused.

Satmar outraged at Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for Davening at the Kotel!

 

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem prays at the Western Wall with US Ambassador Huckabee, honoring fallen embassy staff and calling for the hostages’ return.

Chassidim that openly live in both worlds

 

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Before you take that Drink at a wedding watch this video!

 

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