מה באמת דעתו של הרשל"צ הגאון הרב עובדיה יוסף זצ"ל על העלייה להר הבית? | הרב אלישע וולפסון

Well, my masters and teachers, today, the 3rd of Cheshvan, is the day of passing of the great and mighty genius, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, of blessed memory. He was a giant, giant, giant in Torah. No, I'm not here to hand out grades, heaven forbid, but, uh, anyone who— and since it's common knowledge, it needs no proof—but truly studying his Torah is something really special. He really was a giant, a giant among giants. Every responsum is full of all good, every answer, every halachic question, an answer so full, so detailed, with so many sources, something rare, truly very special, very clear, uh...truly, a giant among giants. And we want to, uh, study and examine together what he wrote on the subject of ascending the Temple Mount, and we’ll see the matters, and may God enlighten us with His Torah with God's help. So look, first of all, he has a responsum, Responsa Yabia Omer, Part 5, Yoreh De'ah, Section 26, and... The date the responsum was written: 3rd of Sivan, 5727, here, the holy city of Jerusalem, may it be rebuilt and established, meaning the year that... >> Here, here they liberated—on the 28th of Iyar they liberated... >> The Temple Mount. >> Four days later. >> Four days later he is already writing a responsum, four or five days later he writes it, it's four, it's four. >> A responsum, yes. >> Well, that's exactly a week from Jerusalem Day, Shavuot, and it’s three days from Shavuot. >> Yep. >> So, uh, very nice, very nice. So he writes as follows: Since in these days the Holy One, blessed be He, has wrought wonders for us, His kindness has prevailed over us, and all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God, for God has redeemed His people for the sake of His great name, and we have gone from darkness to light and from mourning to joy; blessed and praised be His name, who has kept our souls in life and has not let our feet slip. And in His great mercy and kindness, we also merited the liberation of the Western Wall, the place of our Temple, our glory, and even the rest of the Temple Mount and the Temple are now under the protection of Israeli rule. Therefore, I said I would examine the dispute among our early sages as to whether it is permitted at this time to enter the place of the Temple, and whether it is necessary to publicize a prohibition on the matter to prevent a stumbling block for those who tremble at the word of God; and also to clarify if it is permitted to travel by plane or helicopter and hover over the airspace of the site of the Sanctuary and the courtyards and look closely at the holy place, or if there is a prohibition in this as well. And I said I will go through the matter and, with heavenly assistance, it will be clear with the help of my Rock and Redeemer. Well, amazing, first of all, praise to the Holy One, blessed be He, for the immense kindnesses we merit, uh, to ascend and see the face of God. Now, as he emphasizes here, pay attention to what occupies, what is the question that occupies Rabbi Ovadia. It is very important to pay attention. It is a dispute among our early sages whether it is permitted at this time to enter the place of the Temple and if it is necessary to publicize a prohibition on the matter. Meaning, there is a great dispute among Tannaic, Amoraic, early, and later authorities that discusses the question of whether the holiness of the Temple was for its time or if it was sanctified for the future as well. According to the understanding that the first sanctification was not for the future. >> As the Ra'avad rules, as is known, that one who enters the place at this time is not liable for karet (excision). The Meiri also writes that according to this, the custom is to enter there, according to what we have heard, yes? Meaning, he understands that the custom is lenient, and he also understands that according to the Rid, there is no prohibition at all—not to say there is no Karet, but there is a different prohibition, yes. So his main response deals with this. The long response deals with this question, yes, that if we truly believe that the [original] holiness did not sanctify for the future, then actually today, because the Temple is destroyed, there is no restriction; one does not need to immerse, one can enter anywhere, even to the Dome of the Rock area, the entire Temple site, there is no problem . But if the Halacha is like the view that the holiness did sanctify for the future, as the Rambam and most of the Rishonim and so on, Acharonim, rule, then consequently there is a prohibition to enter the Temple Mount and the Temple site except under certain conditions, which we will see. All right? So I will not elaborate now on this entire discussion. By the way, we dealt with it here extensively in the past when we dealt with this issue. Uh, and, after he elaborates, he writes as follows: It is explained that the main Halacha is like the Rambam and most of the authorities that the first holiness sanctified for the future. That is the Halacha, that actually today it is as if the Temple exists. Meaning, from a Halachic and legal perspective, it is as if the Temple exists. It is forbidden; only the High Priest can enter the Holy of Holies, yes, and a stranger who approaches shall be put to death. Uh, so, so that exists even today, yes, And to the place of the Temple, one who is not purified from the impurity of the Red Heifer ashes to the area of the Azarot, there is a prohibition of Karet even today, and so on. Uh, so Rabbi Ovadia says: And therefore it is forbidden to enter the Temple Mount at this time, even after immersion, with one's shoes and the dust of one's feet, and so on. Yes? Meaning, since there is holiness today on the Temple Mount, even if you immersed, you are forbidden to enter with shoes—yes, leather shoes—or with the dust of your feet, or as the Mishnah describes, not to do it as a shortcut or in disrespect, a fortiori. Meaning the laws of the holiness of the place exist. Uh, and also it is forbidden to enter the Temple Mount just for a stroll. It is not a tourist spot that you enter for a walk; it is forbidden. Like regarding our synagogues and houses of study: the Baraita says one does not stroll in them, and one enters them only for the sake of heaven or to shelter from the rain, etc. And so the Rambam ruled, that as part of the commandment of fearing the Temple, one shall not enter the Temple Mount except for the sake of a Mitzvah. Yes, yes, that is a good principle. Meaning, Rabbi Ovadia says: Actually, for the Temple Mount, at the time the Temple existed, there was a rule of who was permitted to enter the Temple Mount—only someone who immersed in a Mikvah, and removed leather shoes, yes, and entered for the sake of a Mitzvah. Entered to pray, entered to get closer to the Holy One, blessed be He, yes, entered for a Mitzvah, not just to stroll. So Rabbi Ovadia says: Even today the same law applies, because there is holiness in the place, one must immerse beforehand and must remove leather shoes beforehand, etc. And note, even this is not permitted even after one has immersed, except outside the place of the Azarot and the Cheil, because due to the impurity of the dead, one must be very careful and keep away so as not to stumble and enter the place of the Azarot and the Cheil, lest he be liable and bear his iniquity. In other words, Rabbi Ovadia is essentially saying here in an affirmative tone—from the general implication you hear an affirmation—he says correctly: it is permitted to enter the Temple Mount after immersion in a mikvah, and when you strictly adhere to the laws practiced on the Temple Mount. But even this is only permitted outside the Azarot (courtyards) and the Cheil ( terrace). Why? Because today we are all presumed to be ritually impure due to contact with the dead, and therefore, as we mentioned, for someone impure from the dead, it is forbidden by Torah law to enter the area of the Azara itself, the women’s courtyard, and the Cheil around it; ah, it is forbidden by rabbinic decree. Therefore , one must be careful not to enter an area on the Temple Mount where the Azarot and the Cheil are located. Right , so apparently it follows from Rabbi Ovadia’s words. That it is possible to enter the Temple Mount, it is permitted, but with two general conditions: one condition is that you observe the halachic requirements of immersion, reverence, not entering with shoes, and so on; the second condition is that you are careful not to enter the area of the Azarot. And regarding these two conditions, says the Rav, Rabbi Ovadia says that it is truly very difficult to narrow it down and know. The location of the Azarot and the Cheil, even though the Radbaz wrote in his responsa that there is no doubt that the stone called the Dome of the Rock is the Foundation Stone upon which the Holy of Holies stood, and he cites the Chatam Sofer as well, who also brings these traditions about the Foundation Stone; but in another place, we wrote to cast doubt on this. He already found that we have raised objections to this. Interesting. I am saying I have some reservation here regarding the tradition. Ah. It says correctly that this is what the Radbaz said, and he cites the Chatam Sofer as well. In another place, we wrote to cast doubt on this. I am not familiar with a doubt he wrote, other than that he wrote in the notes that there are those who wrote, researchers who claimed that it is not the Foundation Stone but the Stone of the Shetin ( drains). Yes, what the Rav later said, it is not the intention that you are now casting doubt on everything as if everything is a question, we don’t know anything; but we have heard that there are those who argued that perhaps it is not, that the Temple needs to move slightly westward. And even though we know that the Western Wall is the western wall of the Temple Mount, and from there to the eastern wall is 500 cubits. Yes, so he says: but you have a lot of space apparently on the Temple Mount, so what is the problem? In any case, we do not know the distance between the Western Wall and the wall of the Holy of Holies. Yes, the Mishnah does not state what the distance is between the wall of the Temple Mount and the Cheil and the Azarot, it does not state it. So you enter—you don’t know how much you are permitted to enter? Ah. And what the Tosafot Yom Tov wrote, that 100 cubits separate them, is only by way of example, as he himself wrote there. Tiferet Yisrael wrote there that the distance between them is 63 cubits. Sheilat David wrote that it is impossible for us in any way to pinpoint the location of the altar, and one must be concerned about this regarding the prohibition of Karet, yes . Well, those are two slightly different matters. So he says, from the side of the Mishnah, it is true that there are areas on the Mount that are certainly permitted to enter, but we don't know exactly where they are. And he also brings the Sheilat David, but that Sheilat David deals with the matter of finding the location of the altar, not the matter of the permitted places on the Temple Mount. And then he says: we cannot know exactly the location of the altar, and therefore, by implication, the location of the warning area precisely, so you might end up performing forbidden outside-sacrifices if you slaughter outside the warning area, and so on, and not build the altar in the right place. And therefore, it is certainly necessary to keep away and take care not to enter the Temple Mount, even after immersion and for the sake of a commandment. Why? Because the masses will come to break through and enter in a state of ritual impurity into the area of the courtyards and the Sanctuary. A ruling that does more harm than good. I have a question here. A reading comprehension question. Rabbi Ovadia just wrote that one should cast doubt on the words of the Radbaz. And it's clear, and also from the Mishna it's not clear where, so it should have been, "And therefore it is certainly necessary to keep away so that one does not enter the Temple Mount, even for the sake of a commandment," why? >> He might enter the holy place. >> Because he doesn't know where to enter. >> Yes. >> Because you don't know, we don't know where to enter. But that is not what the Radbaz writes; he writes: "Because the masses will come to break through." It's not "break through," because "the masses will come to break through"–it means entering in a state of impurity into the area of the courts, a ruling that does more harm than good, and people will err and enter the forbidden area and not just the permitted one. But I don't understand, I don't know where the permitted place is at all. Why do I need to be told that people will learn and enter the permitted place—into a forbidden place? Tell me that I don't know where the permitted place is at all! Something here is strange, it’s all a doubt of*karet*( spiritual excision). It should say: Therefore one must keep away. What is this "keep away"? There is a total prohibition! What is this "keep away and take care not to enter"? There is a total prohibition to enter the Temple Mount, it’s a doubt of*karet*! Why doesn't the Radbaz write that? Why doesn't he write it that way? So we will see later, but we can already see here that he brings the Radbaz, he brings the Chatam Sofer on the tradition, he also brings the Mishna, which clearly shows that the Mishna— it is possible according to the Mishna to determine places that are permitted to enter. Meaning, Rabbi Ovadia is also being vague here and didn't explain, but it is absolutely clear to all opinions that it is impossible to determine places on the Temple Mount that can be entered. That is not a question. True, at the Western Wall, on the western side, it is indeed close, but in the south, the Mishna says most of it is from the south. You have a huge area in the south that, according to all opinions, even without the tradition, you could even enter it. In my opinion, according to my understanding of the plain meaning. That is why Rabbi Ovadia writes like this. Meaning, he didn't want to elaborate here, but he says: true, there is actually a sentence missing here, as it were. It is true that one can actually determine places that are certainly permitted to enter, one cannot argue with that, but in the end, even if you find a place that is in principle certainly permitted to enter, the masses will come and break through, enter the area of the courts, and a ruling that does more harm than good. Okay, that’s how it’s possible, I think so, that is the only way to understand Rabbi Ovadia. And they already took a count and decreed and the Torah giants agreed—I think this paragraph here is a later addition, it doesn't seem like it was written on the 3rd of Sivan. Ah, and already at this time the greatest of the generation have counted and decreed and agreed with all force to set up a fence and warn with a severe warning, that no person shall enter the Temple Mount until Shiloh comes; praised be His name that He arrived, and then it will be fulfilled: "And I will sprinkle upon you pure water and you will be purified ," and we shall dwell securely, blessed be our Redeemer, a complete greatness, may the Lord our God increase, blessed be He who answers our prayers for eternity, Amen. So much for his response in Yabia Omer. Alright, and this, as mentioned, was written immediately after the Six Day War. So, Rabbi Ovadia, let us summarize his response: he rules according to the Rambam, therefore there is sanctity there, the place of the Temple, and thus one is allowed to enter the Temple Mount only after immersing in a Mikveh and strictly observing all the laws concerning the Temple Mount. And then, although theoretically it would have been possible then, according to this, to enter the Temple Mount, we also have reason to fear that it is not known exactly where the permitted areas are. And it seems that the main reason is that people will err. Meaning, even if you have studied and researched and entered places that are certainly permitted, yes? Which means—he does not say it explicitly, but this is how I understand his words—in practice, people will stumble and not know where it is permitted, and the public does not know where it is permitted, and consequently, people will stumble. And therefore, the great sages of Israel have already decreed not to enter the Temple Mount. Fine, now there is a response written in Hazon Ovadia. Hazon Ovadia was written many, many years later; I don't know exactly when. It is accepted that this was in the final years of Rabbi Ovadia. These are things he wrote more in his final years, and there is a ruling there in the book Hazon, Part Taanit, page 454. He writes as follows: It is a severe prohibition to enter the Holy Temple at this time. Because we are all currently in the status of being ritually impure, and one who enters the Holy Temple, his soul is cut off, he is liable for Karet . And it exists: the sanctity is different, the sanctity that will be in the future. Okay, what is the Holy Temple? The Holy Temple does not exist; the intention is, of course, the place of the Holy Temple. Note: "And the proper thing is not to enter the Temple Mount area at all, for we do not possess the boundaries of the area of sanctity surrounding the Holy Temple." Now here we must be careful; Rabbi Ovadia rules, his language is golden. One must note, Rabbi Ovadia does not write "a severe prohibition to enter the Temple Mount" at this time. He simply could have said: there is a doubt, we do not know where the exact boundaries are, and it is a doubt of Karet, a severe prohibition to enter the Temple Mount at this time. The point is, that is not what Rabbi Ovadia writes. Rabbi Ovadia writes of the prohibitions to enter the Holy Temple at this time. The Holy Temple is only the inner area, a very small area; it is about 5%of the total area of the Temple Mount today, about 5%, that is all, the area of the Dome of the Rock, as we will see in a moment. Even according to Rabbi Ovadia's ruling, that is the area that is the site of the Holy Temple, and it is forbidden to enter it. "And the proper thing is not to enter the Temple Mount area"—by " proper thing," he implies that it is permitted halachically, there is no prohibition. If there were a prohibition, the Rabbi would write "it is forbidden," but he writes "the proper thing is not to enter," for we do not have the boundaries of the area of sanctity surrounding the Temple. Meaning, once again, there is a fear that we won't know exactly where it is permitted, where it is forbidden, and people will stumble. Yes, yes, he doesn't elaborate here, but he uses a very delicate word. Correct, one can look further into Rabbi Ovadia’s responsa where he writes what is correct. The intention is that, according to the letter of the law, the matter is permitted. There is a possibility to do this completely in a permitted manner, but since there are concerns about it, it is correct not to enter. Beautiful. So those are the things he wrote. Now I want to bring you a few more important things. There is a letter written by Rabbi Avraham Dweck. Rabbi Yosef Elbo told me that he went up with him here for many years to the Temple Mount, and he wrote a letter to Rabbi Ovadia. In the year...maybe it was 5740? I don't remember. To the honorable Gaon, the great luminary, the stronghold and pillar, the wonder of the generation and its splendor, the Geon Rabbi Yosef, may he live, Rishon LeZion, leader of the Torah Sages—so this is a little, a little after 5740 —peace and blessing, I request from your honor to authorize me to set up a Sukkah for the Birkat Avraham Yeshiva on the Temple Mount opposite the site of the Sanctuary, by the Eastern Gate —it was here, just as we are, yes, uh , And a distance of 300 meters from the Western Wall. Uh...uh, I don't exactly understand what is written here, it's handwritten—in order to fulfill this important mitzvah in the courtyards of the House of God, as our ancestors did in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, to give us a foothold in His holy place. In short, he tells him: I ask that you authorize me to set up a Sukkah here to study Torah at the Eastern Gate where we are sitting here on the Temple Mount , as Ezra and Nehemiah did when they set up Sukkot in the courtyards of the House of God, as the verse says. And he says, he says: It is possible to have an entrance for those who have immersed during the day, without shoes, from the north side. Yes, we are here, away from the tribes...Very far from the Western Wall plaza, located in the Herodian addition and also from all, and from the entire camp of the Divine Presence, the borders and the warning, as the Radbaz ruled, who permitted entry even from the Cotton Merchants 'Gate, small ones, close to the camp of the Divine Presence, so that they do not go up to the plateau where the Dome of the Rock is and enter, God forbid, into the area that is behind the Holy of Holies. Yes, in short, although he also writes that it is possible to permit the entire south, etc., but every time he does something very, very, very safe; an entrance here, they will enter from the north gate and enter here into a Sukkah , to study Torah here on the Temple Mount. That is what he asks Rabbi Ovadia to authorize for him. So unfortunately we do not have a letter, I don't have it, I don't have a letter of Rabbi Ovadia's response to this, but there is a letter that the same Rabbi Dweck, Rabbi Dweck, writes to Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, who was the Chief Rabbi of Israel later. And this, pay attention, it is important to emphasize : this is during Rabbi Ovadia's lifetime, yes, Rabbi Ovadia is alive, and he sends a letter to the Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau , and he asks him for the same thing, the Chief Rabbinate, to permit prayer. And he writes, he writes here as follows: And when I wanted to set up a sukkah on the Temple Mount near the Eastern Gate in the year 5740, just as our ancestors did in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah in the courtyards of the House of God, and to give us a foothold in His holy place, the genius of his generation, the great decider for the entire House of Joseph, the honorable Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, may he live and be well, promised me—that is how he quotes, according to what he writes here, he literally quotes: "I am willing to meet you halfway, but they, the Chief Rabbis, must provide a letter first, and then I will provide one as well." And because of the controversy that existed regarding the Ethiopians, the matter did not conclude, and so on. In short, he is asking him to permit it . So, there is a very interesting piece of testimony here that he writes, that in fact, Rabbi Ovadia, before he was Chief Rabbi, yes, he said to him: " Listen, I am willing to meet you halfway and actually permit it, but first of all, let the Chief Rabbis permit it." So we see from here, first of all, that from a halachic perspective, the Rabbi did not say to him, God forbid: "Are you crazy? A prohibition of excision (karet), what are you talking about?""Enter the Temple Mount?""Have you lost your mind? " No, Rabbi Ovadia did not react to him like that. The Rabbi said to him: "I am willing, but listen, this is a general matter, it is a public one; first of all, let the Chief Rabbis give their consent, and then I, I will as well." So that is the first thing we see here. A similar thing is a letter from Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen, of blessed memory, also a member of the Chief Rabbinate, the Rabbi of Haifa, who also writes to the Rabbi—when Rabbi Bakshi-Doron was the Chief Rabbi of Israel, he wrote a letter to Rabbi Bakshi-Doron—this is painful, and I also emphasize: while Rabbi Ovadia was still alive, and he turns to him that one must establish a place of prayer on the Temple Mount, and so on, with all the strict rules of Halacha. And then he writes: "Rabbi Goren, of blessed memory, and may the honorable Rishon LeZion, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, may he live and be well, be granted a long and good life, were of the opinion that a distinction must be made between the Temple Mount and the place of the Temple." They did not view the entire Temple Mount as subject to the prohibition of karet, what on earth? There is a place that is forbidden, which is a small area, and there are places that are permitted. This was also the opinion of Rabbi Shaul Israeli, Rabbi Avraham Shapira, and honestly, the genius Rishon LeZion, Rabbi Menachem, may he live and be well . Everyone was of the opinion that a synagogue should be established on the Temple Mount. Does Rabbi Shear Yashuv's knowledge, which he says, he writes this while they were still alive, yes? So to come and cast doubt like this? It is, there is a bit of audacity in that. Rabbi Shear Yashuv writes, Rabbi Shear Yashuv writes to him explicitly that Rabbi Ovadia was in favor of establishing a synagogue on the Temple Mount. And from where, from where is he saying this? So first of all, he served for decades as a member of the Chief Rabbinate Council, and worked on the matter, and wrote letters on the matter , and so on, but. There is a protocol, we have published it several times, a protocol from the Rabbi, of the Chief Rabbinate Council headed by Rabbi Ovadia Yosef when he was the Chief Rabbi of Israel, in the year 5742 and thereabouts. It is written as follows: "Rabbi Ovadia Yosef says, let us move on to item B." Yes, they sat, they discussed, they decided, they moved on. Topics, so section B: The demand to define areas, if possible, for places where one can ascend the Temple Mount. That is the request. Rabbi Ovadia says: I propose that a committee be established to examine the matter. What is there to examine? It is forbidden, karet, doubtful karet, until the Messiah comes, wait for the Messiah. No , says Rabbi Ovadia, as Chief Rabbi: I propose that a committee be established to examine, essentially to check where it is permitted and where it is forbidden. There are two important rabbis here who say: No, this should not be done; if they permit certain places, it will be a breach and people will enter all the places. And another rabbi says: I am also of this opinion. But Rabbi Kapach says: Do not close them off, it must be examined. Also Rabbi Mesas: It must be examined, to get to the truth. So there is a majority here, three against two: Rabbi Ovadia, Rabbi Kapach, and Rabbi Mesas against two rabbis who say no. The Council's decision: Appoint Rabbis Mordechai Eliyahu, Simcha HaCohen, and Dov Lior to a committee regarding the Temple Mount, to examine the issue and submit its opinion to the Council. That was the decision of the Chief Rabbinate under Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. In other words, Rabbi Ovadia did not say: How could you? There is a prohibition against entering the Temple Mount, God forbid, karet. No, Ovadia said: We need to examine, we need to research and determine where it is permitted and where it is forbidden, to set the rules . Unfortunately, as far as is known, the committee did not come to pass, it did not convene. Uh. >> But, but in practice, Rabbi Dov Lior (I don't know, perhaps by virtue of this very committee) went into the issue and permitted it. Rabbi Eliyahu, we have already dealt with this, he also wrote several letters to establish a synagogue on the Temple Mount, etc.;so we also have a majority on the committee that certainly permitted the matter. Now, So, What we are saying here is that the thought that there is ...why am I emphasizing all this? After all, Rabbi Ovadia eventually ruled that it is forbidden, forbidden; but one must note, this majority itself said let's research it. It is true that in practice at the time, and as there is also a letter from Rabbi Getz, of blessed memory, the Chief Rabbi of the Western Wall and Holy Sites, who said that the rabbis cannot, also from a political perspective, from...it is very, very sensitive. Even Rabbi Eliyahu, when he proposed establishing a synagogue on the Temple Mount, they attacked him politically too, "Are you crazy?" And that. Meaning, the topic is very, very, very sensitive. Therefore, the question is what is the Halacha, and we see that according to the Halacha, Rabbi Ovadia believed that in principle—as Rabbi Yeshuv and Rabbi Dvick testify, and the words of Rabbi Ovadia himself—that there is definitely a Halachic possibility to permit ascending the Temple Mount. Now I want to address the matter of the permitted places. Does Rabbi Ovadia, who we already saw brings some doubt about the tradition on the one hand, on the other hand you see that he does not treat it as if it is all a case of doubtful karet? Certainly not, so it is not clear. So look, there are things the Rabbi wrote explicitly, which is why I knew what he wrote there, that we wrote to raise doubt, it’s really like a way to help hedge the fence. So you already say, "Here, we found someone who expressed doubt," but truly , from a halachic perspective, Rabbi Ovadia believed—and not just believed , he ruled in practice—that there is no doubt about the place of the Holy Temple, again, the place of the Dome of the Rock. Where do I get this from? So, there is a book, the book*Ma'adanei Melech*—the book*Ma'adanei Melech*is a collection of Rabbi Ovadia’s, uh, I think it’s a book intended for women, uh—and he writes there as follows: Part 1, page 321, those who enter, for our many sins, they don’t ask about religion, they don’t ask about wisdom , they even enter the Mosque of Omar, the Dome of the Rock, where there certainly was an*Azara*(Temple Courtyard), there certainly was an* Azara*there. It's not me saying it, it’s...Rabbi Ovadia says: No, there is no fear that it is an*Azara*, they don't say that the*Azara*is there, it's not "maybe," but rather there certainly was an*Azara*there. Certainly, it is certain, what religion has it—if you entered a place of*Karet*(spiritual excision), into the Holy of Holies, you entered the mosque, he says inside. Here Rabbi Ovadia speaks out against ascending the Temple Mount, but what bothers him about people entering the* Azara*? That they enter? Because a person, a person ascends to tour the Temple Mount, so what does he want to see? C. The Dome of the Rock, yes. So just a person who enters the Temple Mount, that is where he goes, after all . Why would he go anywhere else? It is the most central place here. So, so it cries out: "Rabbi Ovadia, you are entering a place that is certainly the* Azara*." What do we see from this? That it is indeed the place of the Holy of Holies, the Dome of the Rock. We see that Rabbi Ovadia held to tradition. Yes, definitely. Proof that he held to tradition, that, it is very strong proof, which appears in several places as well. Rabbi Ovadia started some kind of controversy already a few years ago. There were those who asked, concerned that the Western Wall of the Temple Mount is the wall of the*Azara*. Yes, maybe it is the*Azara*wall? It looks so close to the Dome, if you look from the outside, there is a concern maybe it is the*Azara*wall. There was someone who worried about this, there is someone who understood it that way even in the* Radbaz*responsa, although that is not what he says, but we won’t go into that now, uh. And Rabbi Ovadia reached [a conclusion] in several places, in the*Yabia Omer*responsa and others, he writes that it is certainly not the* Azara*area. Why is it certainly not the *Azara*area? Where do I get that from? Because he says he asked an Arab who is here, also, to measure the distance from the Foundation Stone to the Western Wall, and he says according to the Mishna, the distance between the wall, between the Foundation Stone and the*Azara*wall is at most, if I remember correctly, at the very most it is 37 cubits, if I remember correctly, at most after all the additions, yes, 38. Yes. Uh, like, it doesn't matter what the calculation is now. The distance between the Foundation Stone and the Western Wall is about 100 meters, about 200 cubits. So it is clear, yes, because the distance of the Temple Court wall was 11 cubits from the Sanctuary wall. Yes, so there was a distance from the Foundation Stone to the Sanctuary wall, a little bit; 17 cubits were between the Sanctuary wall and the Court wall, and so it cannot be that the Western Wall is the Court wall , since it is very far from the Foundation Stone. That is what Rabbi Ovadia writes. By the way, Rabbi Amar brings up this statement of Rabbi Ovadia several times and he says it with admiration: This is a proof that has no answer. (Wait, let us consider, if the Foundation Stone is not certain, then what proof is there here at all? After all, if the Foundation Stone is not the Foundation Stone to begin with, then the Court wall could perhaps really be the Court wall, and maybe the place of the Temple is actually located adjacent to the west somewhere there). What do we see? That Rabbi Ovadia explicitly stated in terms of Halacha that the Foundation Stone is the Foundation Stone, and therefore it is clear that the Western Wall is not the Court wall but the Temple Mount wall below, the wall of the expanded Temple Mount. So that is one point. What else is there? There is, uh, first of all, in general Rabbi Ovadia, one must understand how he writes about the Radbaz, also in Yabia Omer regarding the whole issue of the permission for the Ethiopians. So he writes: "And I also saw in a responsum of the Gaon and Saint, this is in Yabia Omer, Part 8, Even HaEzer, Siman 11,' I saw in a responsum of the Gaon and Saint, the Rishon LeZion Rabbi Raphael Aharon Penijel, of blessed memory, who also relied on the Radbaz and the Mabit. '"" Who would come after these two mighty kings to cast doubt on their words?"" After these giants?""Does one not fear for his soul to be scorched by their embers, as their embers are fire founded on truth and justice?" and so on there. And Rabbi Ovadia adds: "And I am terribly amazed, to dismiss the words of the world's geniuses for the words of researchers?""And who is dismissed for whom?""I am greatly astonished; these things are suspicious of everything." The greatness of the Radbaz, who is considered a great decisor even in the generation of Maran the Beit Yosef, is not to be debated; proof and lengthiness on this are superfluous. Rabbi Ovadia says: What, who can even disagree with the Radbaz, what? You will bring me some researcher who invents something? You think you can even disagree with the Radbaz? Have you lost your mind? Yes. So it is true that he writes it in a different context, but it is clear that the matter is exactly the same matter. If the Radbaz rules practically without any doubt, there is no doubt that the Foundation Stone is the Foundation Stone. Yes. We see Rabbi Ovadia's attitude toward the words of the Radbaz . So it is understood why it is clear that Rabbi Ovadia also relied on it for practical ruling. Another point for which I don’t currently have the source, but it is also very strong: as is known, Rabbi Goren went into the Western Wall tunnels, and there was a whole story there that Sharon wanted to go in there, where we walk in the Western Wall tunnels, to actually enter . He wanted to search for the Ark of the Covenant, and he asked the Tzitz Eliezer, Rabbi Eliezer Waldenberg, and Rabbi Ovadia if he could enter there, because it enters into the area of the Temple Mount, certainly yes. So Rabbi Ovadia permitted him. Why? Why? Because he said that the distance from the Dome of the Rock is great, and the tunnels were not sanctified. If they are tunnels that entered a restricted area, there is a concern they might be sanctified. But tunnels that are only in other areas of the Temple Mount, they were not sanctified. And since it is far enough from the Dome of the Rock , from the Foundation Stone, it was not sanctified. And therefore he permitted him to enter. And I also heard that he himself entered. I don't know for sure, but that is what I heard. Yes. So here too, we see once again a practical ruling. A practical ruling, that Rabbi Ovadia ruled according to the response of the Radbaz, according to the known tradition that allows entering the Temple Mount in the permitted areas. And in another place he wrote, I believe it is in Yalkut Yosef, Rabbi Ovadia brought the Zohar, the Holy Zohar, Parashat Vayetze, a new Zohar where Rabbi Elazar cries—an amazing story where he cries over the Foundation Stone, and he sees in a vision, a divine vision, that the gentiles will disparage you and place their dead upon you. And then he brings Rabbi Moshe Hagiz, who writes: behold, in our times this has been fulfilled, that the gentiles bring their dead into the Dome of the Rock, the Foundation Stone. Yes, all this is brought by Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. If so, it is clear from everything said that, in terms of practical law, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef ruled according to the Radbaz, according to the tradition regarding the Temple Mount, and he ruled in principle that it is permitted, of course, to enter the Temple Mount after immersion in the permitted areas. And therefore, all these sources, I have brought the sources. Now, what can be concluded from this? My opinion is that even for someone who follows Rabbi Ovadia Yosef and all his rulings and paths, it is permitted and a commandment to go up to the Temple Mount. Why? Because what emerges from the Rabbi's teaching is that, in terms of basic law, the matter is permitted. And what is the main concern that Rabbi Ovadia actually writes about? It is the concern of causing a stumbling block. The fear that people will stumble. Yes? Which is very understandable. Understandable. You say, "Okay, you permit it, you have studied, you know the boundaries, but you will cause others to stumble." So that is not called Halakha (law), that is called a directive. A directive needs to be examined in reality. If this directive truly preserves the sanctity of the place, then it is excellent. We must uphold the Rabbi's words. But if the reality has changed, and what we thought would help preserve the place does the opposite, then surely the Rabbi would want you to come and fix the situation and create a directive that rectifies the situation. And now, we must face reality here: the reality is that when those who fear God do not ascend the Temple Mount, the place is left abandoned, desecrated, and disgraced, both by our enemies and by tourists and people who know nothing and enter freely. But precisely because today there are many righteous, God-fearing people who ascend the Temple Mount, we even have maps here, a map for those ascending the Temple Mount. It is written that one must immerse before entering permitted areas , and we have a map of exactly where it is allowed to walk. Yes, everything is very, very organized. From here, we walk around the perimeter, far from any prohibited area and The ascent is coordinated with the police only in the permitted areas. Yes? So the concern that existed back then, not only is it the opposite today, right? Today, it is not just possible to say: the concern that people might err always exists; even when the Temple stood, such a concern existed. But today, thanks to those ascending the Temple Mount in purity, the number of those ascending in violation decreases. Therefore, on the contrary, it is a great mitzvah to ascend the Temple Mount in holiness and purity after immersion in a mikvah, and to instruct the public only on the proper way. It is forbidden to ascend in a prohibited manner; it is a mitzvah to ascend only in the permitted manner. May God help us so that the merit of Maran Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, of blessed memory, a holy and righteous man, stands for us, all of Israel, to fulfill his teaching, to show grace for the death of Torah to reach the place of the Divine Presence and fulfill what he wanted. He wanted a committee to be formed and for a synagogue to be established here. So here, a committee was formed, rabbis arose who examined it, among them also Rabbi Lior and Rabbi Eliyahu, and they reached a decision. So fortunate are those who merit to fulfill this, with God's help, that we may merit complete redemption with mercy. Therefore, may it be His will to say Amen. >> Amen. Yeah.