Chief Rabbi of Israel Rav Yitzchok Yosef wrote a letter on Wednesday to Binayahu Chorev, one of his personal associates from the religious Zionist sector, in which he clarifies his recent statement on the severity of ascending the Har Habayis.
In his weekly shiur from the Yazdim Shul in Yerushalayim, Rav Yosef mentioned a number of senior religious Zionist rabbonim who allow people to ascend the Har Habayis.
According to Rav Yosef, it was not his intention to hurt the feelings of any specific rov, but to emphasize that no matter how great a rabbi you are, you cannot argue with all the gedolim who have forbade the ascent.
“It is a mistake to think that the prohibition of entering the Har Habayis depends on which rov you listen to. After all, rabbonim from all circles have the same opinion as to the prohibition on the matter. And in my opinion, there you cannot disrespect rabbonim from all circles, God forbid. And all that we said is that it is very difficult to find a single person whose opinion matters more than the aforementioned sages,” said Rav Yosef.
Rav Yosef opened his letter in response to the question of whether the ban on entering the Har Habayis agrees with the opinion of all rabbinic circles. “We mentioned in the shiur the great rabbonim, Rav Moshe Feinstein, Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, Rav Mordechai Eliyahu, the Steipler, and Rav Shach, who emphatically prohibited entry to the entire Har Habayis area, and is this the opinion of all rabbinical circles?”
According to him, all rabbonim at the time came out against going on to the Har Habayis.
“And among them it is important to mention … Rav Kook, Rav Uziel, Rav Unterman, Rav Nissim, Rav Shapira and Rav Eliyahu, as well as the great rabbis: Rav Shaul Yisraeli, head of the Merkaz Rabbi yeshiva, Rav Zvi Yehuda Kook, head of the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva, Rav Shlomo Yosef Zevin, member of the Rabbinate Council, Rav Kasriel Fishel Tchorsh, chairman of the rabbinic committee of Israel, Rav Chaim David Halevi, chief rabbi of Tel Aviv, Rav Yitzchak Ariel, head of Mercaz Harav, and many more.”
{Matzav.com Israel}
The Lubavitcher Rebbe once said, “I am not a telephone-address book”. He did not like when Rabbonim just listed a bunch of Names, without even mentioning the Logic behind their opinion.
In this article he did not even say the words, “Tumas Meis”, Tumas Zivoh”, “Poroh Aduma” Etc. And what is the reasoning of the big Rabbonim that did allow it.
We are not all totally illiterate, so believe me we will understand.
I don’t get why this is just being pushed to the front line news. For years we know it’s forbidden and an accepted ruling not to cross over the line. Let alone ascend with total disregard for Halachic ruling. This whole agenda to do it just to show it’s ours is wrong.
Who and what do we stand for. Our own ideals and emotions that we feel and want to act upon or by the will of Hashem and the rulings of the Rabbis and Talmidei Chachamim. Unfortunately we see the answer too clear nowadays for the majority of the population and people unabashedly brazen to advertise it.
Apikorsus and kefira
A recommended alternative is to sudy the Nevuah on Bais HaMikdash HaShlishi YVBV”A [Sefer Yechezkel, Chap. 40-43]: https://ourspecialmitzvah.org