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| Rabbi Yisrael Ariel (Arutz Sheva) |
Generally speaking I am pretty much in agreement with most of their religious values. The primary focus of which are Torah study, charitable acts, and striving to observe all the minutia of Halacha. As long as they don’t impose their stringencies and lifestyle choices on others Tov Alehem Brahca – God bless them. Theirs is a lifestyle to admire even as I may disagree with their leadership on some important issues.
One of the issues in which I am in complete agreement is - strangely enough in concert with the US policy and common sense. One that came up again recently again based an outrageous suggestion by the biggest provocateur of violence wiithn the Israeli government:
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said that he would establish a synagogue on the Temple Mount.
Ben-Gvir is not some sort of idiot or fool. He is an uncompromising ideologue and unrepentant follower of Rabbi Meir Kahane. Who was barred from serving in the Knesset for views considered racist against Arabs.
The idea of provoking the Arabs doesn’t concern him. He believes that God is on his side. What about the unresolved controversy of alighting the Temple Mount - where he wants that synagogue to be built? The Charedi leadership says that since we are in a state of permanent Tumah (spiritual impurity) we can’t go up to the Temple Mount which requires the kind of spiritual purity we are unable to achieve in our day. Although in theory there are certain areas up that would allow us to be there, the Charedi leadership believes we cannot be certain where those boundaries are and forbids going uo there at all. Much less building a synagogue up there. Religious Zionist rabbis dispute that and say we do know texactly hwere those spaces are and that we should go up there.
Backing Ben-Gvir’s lack of concern about about ‘provoking the Gentiles’ is one of the most respected Religious Zionist leaders in all of Israel, Rabbi Yisrael Ariel – as noted in Arutz Sheva:
Rabbi Ariel also mentioned claims made mostly by haredi rabbis that visits to the Temple Mount provoked the Gentiles, especially during such a sensitive time of war. He emphasized that "whoever says it's prohibited to provoke the nations of the works disagrees with the Torah.
Pretty harsh words about rabbis that are among the most respected in the Charedi world. Not only does Rabbi Ariel not fear provoking the gentiles, he thinks it’s a good idea to build a shul on the Temple mount too. And going further than that - to do whatever we can to restore Jewish control over that entire area.
Ben-Gvir is proud to oblige. But provoking the Gentiles is not only about stoking the flames of extreme hatred by Arabs against the Jewish people.I t provokes Israel’s most important supporters in the world. Without which Hamas would be winning the war and God know what else. Here is what the US said about it:
The U.S. State Department stated on Tuesday that it “strongly opposes” Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s call for construction of a synagogue on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount.
The proposed Jewish house of worship “on the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount” would “demonstrate blatant disregard for the historic status quo with respect to the holy sites in Jerusalem,” Matthew Miller, the State Department spokesman, said.
Now it’s true that Israel has a right to have their own policies. And it wouldn’t be the first time it Israel and the US differed on policy. But there is such a thing as going to far and alienating your most important supporters. Thankfully, The current Israeli government understands this:
“Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Office has made clear that the actions and statements of Minister Ben-Gvir are inconsistent with the government of Israel’s policy, and a number of responsible voices in the Israeli government have condemned them,” Miller said. “It is critical that the government of Israel continue to ensure its policy is adhered to.”
On the one hand, I get it. Leaving aside the controversy about the permissibility of alighting Har HaBayis in our day, it is indeed outrageous that we should be barred from praying at our holiest site.
But that controversy should not be ignored. And more imporatntly doing things that are as provocative as this – which could endanger the vital support Israel gets from their most important ally is pure folly of near existential import.
Ben-Gvir and Rabbi Ariel may be true believers, fearless in acting on their beliefs. But when acting on those beliefs are not universal and could imperil the lives of other Jews, they need to be reprimanded in the strongest possible terms. Which is what the Charedi leadership has done here. And I am with them.