MK Moshe Feiglin (Likud) explained on his Facebook page Monday why he asked to enter the Dome of the Rock, which is located atop the spot where the Holy of Holies of the JewishTemple stood.
Entry into the actual area where the Jewish Temple stood is strictly forbidden by all major streams in Judaism, and this is doubly true as regards the area of the Holy of Holies.
MK Feiglin explained, however, that in attempting to enter the Dome of the Rock, he is relying on statements by Rabbi Shlomo Goren Z"l, who was the Chief Rabbi of the IDF and Israel's Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi.
"In the introduction to his book, 'The Temple Mount,' Rabbi Goren ztz"l wrote: 'There is no doubt that in a case such as this, when there is a danger of a takeover by foreigners of Har Hamoriah [the Temple Mount], it is permitted even to enter the zone of the Azara [which includes the Temple building itself and the place of the altar], so as not to give them a foothold on the Mount of G-d, because the ascent of Jews to the Mount in this situation is considered an act of conquest and prevention of a foreign takeover of [the Mount]."
"From the moment I became a Knesset Member – in other words, a representative of Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel – I felt that this statement by Rabbi Goren obligates me to enter any place on the Temple Mount. This morning, I did so, and I had no idea how right I was. It turns out that the Dome of the Rock (which is not a mosque), was blocked to the entry of Jews and tourists about two years ago.
"'Only Muslims may enter,' the Waqf man told me when I politely asked to enter. I explained to the police officer who showed up at the spot that according to law, an MK's entry into a location may not be impeded, and this is certainly true of a place to which other citizens may enter. The officer's answer was amazing: 'The place belongs to the Muslim Waqf.' It turns out that the heart of hearts of the Land of Israel, the place of the Holy of Holies,
has
been handed over de facto to Muslim sovereignty – for the simple reason that no Jewish foot has stepped there because of its sanctity."
"It is important to stress," MK Feiglin added, "that I am not calling on Jews to begin making pilgrimage to the location of the Temple itself. There is a difference between me as an MK and the general public. But what has become clear, based upon what happened this morning, is that there is a clear admission of the loss of Jewish sovereignty on the Mount, and we must all begin to 'use our feet' in order to change the situation."
