Aliya to the Temple Mount

Moshe Feiglin Ascends to the Har Habait (Temple Mount) every month on the 19th. This month it came out on Sunday Col Hamoed Sukkot. As soon as I heard about it I decided I wanted to join. This Sukkot is the one after Shmittah and there is a special Mitzvah to read from portions of the Torah on the east side of the Har Habaiyit facing the Kodesh Kodashim. It is between the place the Kohen Gadol prepared the Para Aduma on Har Zetim and the Kodesh Kodashim. When preparing the Para Aduma, they open all the gates and you can see straight though to the Kodesh Kodashim.

I told some friends I am planning on going, a few were interested in joining me. 2 ended up on coming with me. One is Daniel Michael who also made Aliya this summer from Brooklyn with his family, they live near us, the other was Spencer a single British guy the brother of a neighbor. Going to the Har Habaiyit is controversial many Rabbis disway people from going all together. 

The Chief Rabanut of Israel even has a sign saying it is forbidden by Torah Law to go on the Temple Mount. While Technically the rabanut of Israel is correct that there ARE areas of the Temple Mount that one is not supposed to go on, Like inside the Azara if one is Tamay Mess, their statement is misleading. The area around that, one can walk on even is he is Tamay Mess after following certain Halachas like going to the Mikvah, wearing non leather shoes etc... One can read a response to the Ban by Rabbi Chaim Richman of the Temple Institute at:

http://www.templeinstitute.org/aliya_temple_mount.htm

Or see what the RAMBAM and Rav Moshe Feinstein had to say about it: 

http://www.templeinstitute.org/rambam.htm

http://www.templeinstitute.org/harav_moshe.htm

I explained to my friends that you have to go to the Mikva 1st and forwarded them instructions in english http://www.kumah.org/harhabayit

They both are NOT frequent visitors to a Mikvah, Spencer was never in one and was quite nervous and perturbed about the whole thing it did not seem PROPER, but he was a good sport and we all went. We shared a cab to the Kotel Sun Morning and got there at 8:00AM just on time. We found the Manhigut group waiting online and joined them. 

Apparently a LOT of people wanted to ascend as well, and there was a VERY long line. The police do not allow Any NON Muslims to pray on the Temple mount or even bring a sidur or move your lips in prayer. So basically Jews can Pray in Auschwitz, but not at the Holiest site for Jews in the World. The police decided to let 2 groups of about 20 people go up at a time with an Israeli Security escort and 3 Jordanian WAKF arabs to make sure no one moved there lips in prayer.

We were waiting and waiting an waiting, in the hot sun. Some secular looking Jew with a pony tail wanted to cut the line since he claimed he does not NEED and escort so we should let him go before us. We told him we don’t NEED and escort either but that’s what the police want to do. Then he said well we (Kippah wearing Jewish Looking people) have and agenda and he doesn’t. So I asked him why he wants to go, he said to visit and tour around, so I told him so do I, maybe we can join you and we all won’t need and escort. He sort of backed off a bit. 

Then a bit later some dude wearing a Black Hat saw us from the exit ramp, and started SACREAMING at us that we are defiling the Har Habait and it’s because of people like US that Moshiach hasn’t come etc...  We all smiled and said CHAG SAMEACH loudly and started singing Yibone Hamikdash. Boy EVEYONE in Israel has an opinion.

After waiting almost 2 hours we went though a metal detector and had 29 people in our group with Moshe. 

Moshe explained that even though we will see Arabs looking like they own the place Mocking us we should not be depressed it is still the Chag and we should be Happy and smile.

From the moment we entered the Har Habayit the Arab WAKF was watching us intensely to make sure we don’t move a lip in prayer. Moshe was talking the whole time in Hebrew as our tour guide explaining where we were and what we were seeing. 

He 1st showed us residue of Gold that was on the pillars from the Beit Hamikdash. 

We then moved to the southern part of the mount and Moshe showed us HUGE pieces of wood that were found as the WAKF dug under the Temple Mount (Illegally) They were tested and were Atztei Shitim and other kinds of wood used in the 1st and 2nd temple. 

They were 2-3 thousand years old, in any country in the world they would build a museum just for those items, but under the current Israeli leadership the WAKF gets away with discarding these priceless items as rubble.

We then headed East and North, at one point Moshe stopped to show us something and the 3 Arab guards sat down and were talking LOUDLY the Israeli police was not near us. Moshe looked at them and said “Excuse me I’m talking here, please be quiet”. One guy said we can talk, and continued talking. 

I saw a twitch in Moshe face and he did not like that answer. He was thinking for about 10 seconds then dropped down to the ground and Prostrated himself fully on the ground with his head towards the Kodesh Kodashim. (This is only permissible to do ON the Har Habaiyit) I never saw guys jump up so fast, the Arabs Jumped out of their seats and started running towards Moshe SCREAMING, then before they can reach him he stood up. They continued yelling and the Israeli Police came, they started complaining to the Police... The police look at Moshe, and Moshe said “Hu Mafria Le, Ani Mafria Lo” - “He was bothering me so bothered him”. The police looked at the Arabs and said stop bothering Moshe looked at Moshe and walked away.  Moshe brushed of his shirt from some dust and continued the tour. It was AWSOME!.

We then went to the East side of the mount this time the Arabs where watching our lips VERY closely. Moshe explained that we were at the spot were they perform Hakel and said this is where the Kohen Gadol would read from the Torah and say thing like Shima Yisrael etc... Looking at us with hand gestures, he continued saying the entire Kriat Shema out loud right in front of the Arabs and they had no idea what he was doing. Then Moshe asked if there was a cohen among us, and one guy said yes, so he called him up, and said this is were the Cohanim said there blessing, do you REMEMBER what the TEXT is??? (wink wink) so he had the Cohen face us and say Birkat Kohanim as Moshe was counting the Brachos with is fingers. 

We all receive Birchat Cohen on the Har Habayit on Sukkot after Hakel, in front of the Arabs and they were clueless.

We then headed North and were walking. I explained to Spencer that the Arabs definitely would NOT be happy if I said Shir Hammaalos MiMamakim etc... and said two chapters of Tehilim to him by heart. 

We then saw and Arab school at the Northern part of the mount with kids playing ball, some of them came up to us staring at us fearlessly, I looked at them and smiled. Then some guy came and told them to move away.

We exited the mount at the West side going into the Arab Shuk, That is the Closest side to the Kodesh Kodashim. as were were all walking backwards, most of us said prays like “Shema” Hashem Hu Haelokim” etc... 

We were leaving anyway so there was little fear in them kicking us out.

When we were out they closed the door and we all made a circle and sang and danced to Yibone Hamikdash. Tourists were staring at us and taking pictures. 

It was a very moving and Happy and Sad experience one I will never forget. I hope to go again with family and friends.