A rare public clarification was issued Monday by the family of the Amshinover Rebbe after sources claimed that the rebbe had permitted ascending Har Habayis, sparking sharp reaction across the Torah world.
The unusual statement came from the rebbe’s son, Rav Moshe Milikovsky, who said that reports had badly distorted his father’s remarks and falsely portrayed him as endorsing visits to Har Habayis.
The controversy began after excerpts from an internal Amshinover publication titled Yirah V’Simchah. The excerpts were taken from what was described as a private halachic discussion held in the rebbe’s home roughly a year ago.
In response, Rav Moshe Milikovsky released an official statement — an exceptionally uncommon move for the typically quiet and private Amshinover court in the Bayit Vegan neighborhood of Yerushalayim.
“We were shocked by the removal of the Rebbe shlit”a’s remarks regarding Har Habayis from their proper context. The Rebbe did not, chalilah, permit ascending the mountain in opposition to the view of all the poskim. They took an internal halachic discussion that took place in the Rebbe’s home a year ago, which was published in an internal chassidic publication intended for those who understand the nature of the Rebbe’s responses, and dishonestly presented it as though the Rebbe permits or instructs people to ascend Har Habayis halachah l’maaseh, something that never entered his mind.”
The statement further stressed that the discussion was never intended as practical guidance or a public ruling.
“Certainly this was not a practical or ideological heter to ascend Har Habayis, but rather an internal halachic clarification, in which the Rebbe also expressed his opposition to acts such as waving the Shtei Halechem on Har Habayis in a manner not consistent with halachah. The Rebbe’s position is the same as that of all the poskim — that in our times one should not permit ascending Har Habayis in practice, something that could easily lead to an issur kareis chas v’shalom.”
Come on, Matzav. Keep this story going. Keep the hock going. Milk it for all it’s worth. Keep the bored degenerates awake.
“The Rebbe did not, chalilah, permit ascending the mountain in opposition to the view of all the poskim.” In Halacha its a clearcut Sugya – Har Habayis is Mutar for Tmei Meisim you will not find any mekor in Bavli/Yerushalmiy/Poskim saying anything different. Secular leftist ideology has crept so far into our minds that nobody dare release a statement allowing Yidden to go to Har Habayis lest they ‘Chalila’ build the Beis Hamikdash – the ulitmate needle in the eye of secular Zionism. Everyone says the ‘Gedolim’ assur aliyah to Har Habayis, but when these Gedolim start to speak their mind they are quickly made to be quiet & backtrack. Clearly this is not a Halacha Shaila – its a political one. There are too many people who are terrified of Beis Hamikdash and Malchus Shamayim and will go very far out of their way to put these ideas to bed.
Rav Kook zt”l held that ascending Har HaBayis is assur and issued both a letter and a public proclamation to that effect. He was certainly no leftist, and if there had been a valid heter, he would have found it.
although there are svarahs to be matir we must be humble and look to our gedolim for guidance. they currently take the stance that we may not ascend the mountain and so for us this is the halacha even if in the sefarim it says its mutar. because veasita kechol asher yorucha. if you are the gadol hador (i doubt the gadol hador reads matzav) then issue a kol korei permitting it. but even if mitoch sevara its 100% mutar, until the gedolim permit it we must treat it as 100% assur.
Politics not halacha – you hit the nail on the head, and will also be censured.
1) Make sure you’re not a זב and that’s not so simple. The rebbe SHLIT”A didn’t think you’d have to be חושש, but many many many poskim argue on that.
2) Make sure that secular people who didn’t go to the mikveh don’t go up – you’re being מחלל the makom
3) Did Israel already go beyond the point of “don’t anger the Arabs”? That might need rethinking.