Whose Holy Temple Mount Is It, Really?
It’s a big time of year - the three weeks. This year our nation faces a very monumental opportunity. It will be up to us all how G-d will choose to direct these events - What am I talking about? Read on:
Three very important events took place at the start of the three weeks. The first is tragic; Two Israeli Druze Policemen were murdered on the holy Temple Mount by 2 Israeli Arabs from Uhm-al-Fahm. Murder in that holy place, and murder taking place between groups of technical Israelis, makes a very powerful start to the three weeks.
The second powerful event was that a very strong polarization occurred immediately following that tragic event. We must first truly understand how tragic it is. Druze Israelis are extremely loyal, spiritual, generous and kind people. A murder on the holy temple is a complete abomination. I should not need to go any further than that, though many of us are so numb… we must remember… these are the three weeks. The changes start happening now.
Israeli soldiers combed the mount for any weapons or potential weapons. The mount was closed to Muslims and to all. Over that Shabbat there were no Muslim prayers. All was different - incredibly different than it had been for many years - at our holiest of places, the Temple Mount.
The Israeli Army installed metal detectors at the entrances to the Temple Mount. Until now, Muslims did not go through metal detectors. Now it is obvious that this was a necessary minimum action that our army had to take in order to protect visitors, be them Jewish, tourists, Muslim Israelis, etc. It also became necessary in order to preserve the sanctity of the Temple Mount. While it is obvious to us that this was the minimum necessary action, there were many who opposed it.
This is the second powerful event I am referring to: The polarization. Those against security measures at the holiest place in the world to us, and those in favor of it. This made it very obvious who is on which side. And so, the troubles started rolling in. The Muslim Waqf leaders declared a boycott of the Temple Mount and claimed that Israelis installing metal detectors is illegal, etc. They understood that this means that we are taking some control of the area. For whatever reason, they have their place in this world. They are the guardians of the Temple Mount until we are given it by G-d, or alternatively, until we are ready to conquer it.
These Waqf Muslim policemen were those who would watch that no Jewish visitors to the Temple Mount would pray, as no non-Muslims were allowed to pray there, technically.
Once they were boycotting, Jews began to go up to the Temple Mount in mass. They said Kaddish for the fallen soldiers and prayed.
So many Jewish prayers are flowing freely from the Temple Mount nowadays that that is the third powerful event. That has not occurred for millennia.
Now I ask us - What is it we want?
We are meant to be a light to the nations. The Temple Mount is meant to be a place of worship for all of the nations. And so we must tread lightly and not resort to base hatred, name calling, evil-wishes, and so on. We must focus on the good for the world that we want and ignore the focus on those that are simply sent from G-d at this time in this place for a specific purpose.
Rabbi Yehuda Leib HaLevi Ashlag, also known as the Ba’al Hasulam, has taught; What is evil? We are meant to stay away from evil. Hate evil. Evil is pure egoism. Evil is caring for ourselves alone.
We must not resort to caring only for our nation, and for our health, and for our success, and for our return to Jerusalem. We must recall that the whole greatness of our nation, the whole chosenness of our nation is to be a light to others, to spread knowledge of G-d throughout the world, and to create a place of prayer for all nations to come to in order to pray and connect to the one G-d.
The Muslims aren’t as far off as we might think. They aren’t praying to idols. They aren't pantheistic. They aren't atheistic or agnostic. They are so close to us and we are like two brothers fighting.
We must know who we are and not sink to any low level.
We must maintain, or rather, we must reclaim our title of A Nation of Priests.
If we can do this, we will truly see the redemption of our people - in our days - in Jerusalem. Amen.