Temple Mount Update | Weekly Torah Portion 'Devarim' -
Mosheh Rabbenu's Farewell
We begin the book of Devarim as Mosheh Rabbenu begins his farewell address to his beloved people! Meanwhile it is the new month of Av and the nation of Israel is in the midst of the 9 days of introspection leading up to Tish'a bAv, and under the threat of an imminent missile (and more) attack from Iran and its proxies.
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In a delicate balance of religious devotion and political sensitivity, Jewish pilgrims are increasingly frequenting the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City. Despite longstanding restrictions and tensions surrounding the site, sacred to both Jews and Muslims, visitors report a notable uptick in Jewish presence, with daily prayer groups and study sessions occurring under close police supervision.
It had been quite some time since I last set foot on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City, the capital of Israel. The prospect of visiting this holy site was both welcome and valuable, primarily to gauge the current atmosphere, but equally important – to quietly recite the "Shema Yisrael" prayer in this sacred space.
As I approached the entrance to the Mount, I encountered a group of South Korean tourists. One of them greeted me in surprisingly fluent Hebrew, inquired about my family roots, and even briefly conversed with me in German after I mentioned my grandfather Ernst's immigration to Israel from Germany. A friendly police officer approached, asking where I had come from. When I inquired about the situation on the Temple Mount, he smiled and replied, "It's like Switzerland here."
Tourists streamed past me en route to the Temple Mount, while the group of religious Jews I had joined waited respectfully for Rabbi Elisha Wolfson, head of the Drishat Zion Kollel. The young men, some barefoot, exchanged experiences about preferred ritual immersion sites, sitting alongside a small group of women, receiving an in-depth explanation about the place from one of their own.
The entrance for Temple Mount visitors is named "Hallel's Gate," memorializing Hallel Yaffa Ariel, who was tragically killed in 2016 by an attacker in her bed at home in Kiryat Arba at just 13 and a half years old. Jewish visitors and tourists are greeted by an impressive model of the Temple, bearing the biblical verse: "And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them." Nearby stands a large, informative sign detailing the visible remnants of the Temple on the Mount today, alongside a refreshment station offering hot and cold drinks.
Elkana, Rabbi Wolfson's son, an energetic young man with long, light-colored peyot, sports a shirt boldly proclaiming: "
Temple Mount Yeshiva." He enthusiastically shares, "The yeshiva comes every day. It's a great miracle. We pray and study on the Temple Mount."
Read more -
Prayers and politics: The growing Jewish presence on the Temple Mount
www.europarl.europa.eu
