MIKDASH-BUILD

19 Heshvan 5757
Volume I, Number 8

Table of Contents
1. NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
2. STATEMENTS FROM CONTEMPORARY RABBIS
3. MINISTER HASSAN TAHBOUB & HUSSEINI ON TEMPLE MOUNT
4. IN THE NEWS

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

This week's Torah Portion contains the most explicit reference to the Temple Mount in the Torah. In the Torah, the place that the Temple would be built is not revealed. In Devarim 12:9-14, the Temple Mount is referred to as "internal inheritance" (nahala), "the place which Hashem your G-d will chose to host His Name", and "the place which Hashem will chose in one of your Tribes". In Devarim 16:16, it is referred to as "the place that (G-d) will chose". In the Binding of Yitzchak, however, the ancient name of the place "Moriah" is specified. (Bereishit 22:2). At the end of the parsha, the place is specified as a place that the Divine Presence will be seen. "... as will be said today the Mountain on which G-d Shall Reveal Himself." (Bereishit 22:14) The Rambam points out that this must be the Temple Mount, as is stated in Divrei HaYamim (2:3:1), "Shlomo finished building the House of G-d in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah." He further states, "It is a tradition to all that the place which David and Shlomo built the Alter in Goren Arnona is the place that Avraham built the Alter and bound Yitzchak on it..." (Hilchot Beit HaBechira 1:1-2)

(For a more extensive discussion by the late Lubovitcher Rebbe on the topic, I suggest you visit www.chabad.org
or
gopher://gopher.chabad.org/00/update/files/w3 If you have problems accessing the site, please let me know, and I will send you a copy.)

yirmi
(Yirmiyahu Fischer yirmi@jer1.co.il )

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STATEMENTS FROM CONTEMPORARY RABBIS

CALLS TO ALLOW PRAYER ON THE TEMPLE MOUNT

Dear Organization of Temple Mount Pioneers,

I received your pamphlet of information about your organization, and I am happy that there is Beckoning of Zion... We need to ensure that Jews should will also enter permissible areas in holiness and purity. May your hands be strengthened and may G-d be with you.

Rav Mordechai Eliyahu
(Former Chief Sefardic Rabbi of Israel)

Dear Shlomo Neiman and Motty Karpel,

It appears in my humble opinion that there is an important issue, especially in our time, to make a Jewish presence on this Holy Site, that it should not be a disgrace in hands of foreigners, ... therefore, I encourage you in your endeavors for this goal.

Signed for the glory of Torah and its students and its task in public life,

Rav Dov Liur
(Kiryat Arba)

We should certainly look into action in order to enable Jews to pray on the Temple Mount. It is unfathomable that a Jew who opens a Book of Psalms should be immediately removed from the Temple Mount.

Rav Hayim Drukman (Rosh Yeshivat Bnei Akiva)
(Arutz 7, 17 Tamuz 5756)

That the Law of our Holy Torah allows entrance into the Temple Mount (after dipping in a mikvah) is among the most obvious and clear halachot. It is incumbent upon all qualified to make all possible effort to allow and even encourage Jews to enter the permissible areas.

Rav Hayim David HaLevi
(Chief Rabbi, Tel-Aviv/Yafo)

If our generation were fit, it would be prober in Our Days to establish a custom of ascending on the Pilgrimage Festivals to the Temple Mount in permissible areas.

Rav David Shlosh
(Chief Rabbi, Netanya)

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MINISTER HASSAN TAHBOUB & HUSSEINI ON TEMPLE MOUNT

Aaron Lerner --20 October 1996

IMRA interviewed Adnan Al Husseini, the Executive Director of the Waqf, in English, on October 20, 1996.

IMRA: How do you see Jewish activity at the Western Wall when an agreement is finally reached about Jerusalem?

Husseini: We do not want to talk of details but there is something very important: we have to insist that East Jerusalem is part of the Palestinian state. If you want real peace you need a strong Palestinian state beside Israel.

IMRA: Do you think that the Jews will be permitted to disturb the Al Aksa services by blowing shofars at the Western Wall like they do today during certain holidays?

Husseini: I do not think so. I think that the governments will have to take care of the extreme people.

The Jews should understand that the Moslems are there at Al Aksa due to God's decision and this is written in the holy book and it is very important to understand the famous visit of Mohammed there. Since then it is God's decision and after that the Prophet. This is from God from the holy book.

Islam respects all the religions and took care of all the holy books and safeguarded the lives of all non-Moslems. We have to respect the factor of time and the new understanding which took place and not look backwards two thousand years. Otherwise there will be no peace forever. The Moslems are there and it is a mosque and they must understand it.

IMRA interviewed the Palestinian Authority Minister of Waqf and Religious Affairs, Hassan Tahboob, in English, on October 20, 1996.

IMRA: When will the new mosque be open in Solomon's Stables in Jerusalem?

Tahboob: It is not a new mosque, it is a prayer space within the Aksa Mosque area. We consider the entire area of the Aksa Mosque to be a mosque. We expect it to open for prayers by the end of the week.

IMRA: How large is the facility?

Tahboob: Very large. It can hold more than 4,000 people.

IMRA: Jerusalem is cold in the winter, will there be heating?

Tahboob: It will be all right. We have carpets on the floor. 

Dr. Aaron Lerner, Director 
IMRA (Independent Media Review & Analysis)
(mail POB 982 Kfar Sava)
Tel 972-9-904719/Fax 972-9-911645
INTERNET ADDRESS: imra@netvision.net.il

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IN THE NEWS

(IMRA New and Observations from Israel 17.10.96)

ISRAELI ARABS RAISE HALF MILLION SHEKEL FOR AL AKSA

30,000 Israeli Arabs attended a rally "to save the Al Aksa Mosque" at the Um Al Fachem stadium and raised NIS 500,000 to continue renovations of the Al Aksa area. ("Haaretz" 13 October, 1996)

(IMRA New and Observations from Israel 25.10.96)

NETANYAHU INTERVENES FOR JORDAN WITH PA

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu called Yasser Arafat at the request of Jordan to demand that the Palestinian Authority (PA) not eject Jordanian appointed wakf officials from the Temple Mount. Arafat claimed he knew nothing about it and would take care of the matter. King Hussein also called Arafat. ("Haaretz" 25 October, 1996)

SHEIKH EKRIMA SABRI: AL AKSA [TEMPLE MOUNT] ONLY HOLY TO US

"We say that God set that the Al Aksa area is an area of mosques, and it is impossible that God would ask things of us and act against it. God asks us to protect the holy places and not harm them. It is impossible that he would order us in the Koran not to harm other religions, and at the same time, order us to build the Al Aksa on a place which is holy to another religion." PA Appointed Sheikh Ekrima Sabri ("Haaretz" 21 October, 1996)

(Editor's note: If you believe the above statement, I have a bridge to sell you. First of all, this is a misuse of the Koran, as the Temple Mount is not mentioned and there is no such commandment for Moslems to make the Temple Mount a mosque. Additionally, Moselms have taken over holy places of other religions, so their taking over our Holy Place does not mean it is not holy to us, just that Moslems DON'T respect other religions.)

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HaTenu'ah LeChinun HaMikdash

Gathering en masse to arouse consciousness among the People, its rabbis, and its leaders to rebuild the Beit HaMikdash and return the Kohanim to their Service

P.O. Box 31336, Jerusalem, ISRAEL
Telephone: +972-2-5371904
Email: Yirmiyahu Fischer


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