THE IMPOSSIBLE SITUATION
by Akiva Bernstein
At the end of this week's parsha the Torah describes the way Mount Sinai looked at the time of the giving of the Torah. The Ramban (Rav Moshe Nachmanides), in his commentary on the Torah, makes a comparison between Shmot 24:15-16 and a nearly identical set of verses, Kings I 8:10-11 and comes to a very remarkable and important conclusion. The Temple in Jerusalem is to be considered as the permanent continuation of Mount Sinai in terms of the revelation of Hashem's holiness and glory. In more simple terms, the Temple Mount, spiritual, no geographical terms, equals Mount Sinai. Let us add to this one more fact. The Rambam, in Mishneh Torah, "Hilchot Beit HaBechira" (Laws of the Temple), chapter 7, halacha 11, state that the city of Jerusalem is, in terms of holiness, the permanent continuation of the camp of the Israelites in the desert.
If we remember these facts, and move back in time to the days of Moshe and the Children of Israel in the desert, and super-impose today's political situation in the State of Israel upon Moshe and the Israelite nation, we come up with a very strange situation, indeed. It looks like this:
We see a group of Israelites standing at the bottom of the Western side of Mount Sinai, about to pray. Some Midianite and Moabite teenagers have managed to clime up to the top of Mount Sinai, and begin to throw stones at the Israelites below.
The scene switches to Moab, where Ballak, king of the Moabites, makes his usual political demands. He claims that most of the tents, cattle, and wagons, which the Israelites took with them from Egypt, was originally property belonging to the Moabites, but was stolen from them by the Egyptians, and he demands that the Israelites return these objects to Moab. He claims that Bil'am, the chief prophet of Moab, once parked his donkey at the Western side of Mount Sinai, before the Israelites ever came there, and therefore, the entire Mount Sinai belongs to the nation of Moab.
Moshe appoints Yehoshua son of Nun, to head the Israelite team conducting the permanent status talks with the Moabite Nation, over the fate of the camp of Israel and in particular, Mount Sinai.
Many Israelites stand outside the tent of Moshe demanding that, for the sake of a "just and lasting peace with Moab" that at least 85% of the camp of Israel, including Mount Sinai, be turned over to Moabite control.
Think! How long do you thing that the REAL Moshe would have put up with an absurd situation like this one?
Tonight, about 300 thousand Moslems are expected on the Temple Mount
for their holiday "Leil El Kaddar", which celebrates the "giving of the
Kor'an to Mohammed by Allah". Imagine 300 thousand Moabites standing on
the top of Mount Sinai.
IN THE NEWS
Arutz-7 News: Tuesday, January 28, 1997
PA, WAQAF MEET ILLEGALLY TO DISCUSS ISRAELI "DIGS"
Palestinian Authority and Moslem Waqaf officials in Jerusalem are holding at this hour a protest meeting against alleged archaeological digging that Israel is accused of carrying out in the vicinity of the Temple Mount.
Israel's Antiquities Authority yesterday vehemently denied that any such activity is being carried out. The judicial organization B'Tzedek has asked Minister of Public Security Avigdor Kahalani to prevent the meeting from being held. The organization claims that the meeting is a blatant violation of the law concerning the Gaza and Jericho Agreement, which forbids the Palestinian Authority from conducting diplomatic and political activity within the borders of the State of Israel.
News and Observations From Israel, By: Aaron Lerner, 31 January, 1997
KAHALANI WARNS OF EXTREMISM OF ISRAELI ISLAMIC RADICALS
Minister of Internal Security, Avigdor Kahalani, warned of a "very dangerous trend of serious extremism in the radical wing of the Islamic movement in Israel." He particularly criticized the press conference of Um al Fahem Mayor Raad Salah, which charged Israel with tunneling under the Temple Mount, calling it "an attempt to tie the Islamic movements with the Hamas movement and the shadiest fundamentalist groups, the enemies of Israel, the enemies of peace."
("Haaretz" 30 January, 1997)
PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE TO CHECK WAQAF HOLDINGS
Arab Democratic Party MK Taleb Alsana's proposal that a Knesset investigating Committee be establish to examine the property of the Moslem Waqaf in Israel was accepted by the Knesset. Alsana said that the committee would reveal the truth and most of the Waqaf property would be handled by Moslems who wish to run their matters themselves without appointed committees.
("Haaretz" 30 January, 1997)
LABOR WHIP PROPOSES JERUSALEM LAW
Labor Knesset Whip Raanan Cohen proposed a law to protect the standing of Jerusalem. Under the law, a majority of 70 MK's would be needed to transfer territory within the Jerusalem municipality to a foreign entity.
("Haaretz" 30 January, 1997)
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