Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Whose Temple is it anyway?

Israel National News reported today that a small group of Jews touring the Temple mount managed to get in a short prayer before being escorted from the site. According to the report, the Arab League “reacted with fury” stating that such an act was a “violation of international law” and “a serious blow to the holiness of the site”. Amr Moussa, the Secretary-General of the Arab League claimed that Jews should not be allowed to pray at the site at any time.

Last I checked, the Temple Mount is called the Temple Mount because that is where the JEWISH Holy Temple stood, long before there was any such thing as Muslims. The very thing that makes the site holy is that Jews prayed there.

Solomon’s Temple, or the first Temple was built nearly 1600 years before there were any Muslim buildings on this site, and the Dome of the Rock wasn’t erected until 620 years AFTER the SECOND Temple was destroyed in 70 CE.

Would someone please explain to me why it is that our prayers defile the holiness of the place and theirs don’t? Would someone please explain to me how the world determines who has the right to claim a holy site?

We were there first, but apparently that doesn’t count. One might assume then, that if being the first doesn’t count, being the last does. But wait a minute, we were the last, too…having liberated the “Old City” in 1967 and reclaimed what was rightfully ours. Clearly someone has changed the rules in mid-game.

And while we are at it, while the Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism, it is only the third holiest site in Islam – they’ve got two others, why can’t they leave our alone?

2 comments:

Rivkah Lambert Adler said...

Stop expecting rational responses from our cousins. Doing so will automatically lower your blood pressure and allow you to be more serene. When things are this hafuch, it's a clue to us to remember that Hashem has a strategy.

rutimizrachi said...

What the holy rebbetzin says. :-)

Of course, you can keep being a voice of reason, just in case there are still a few people around who haven't made up their minds. Besides, if we all stop talking about it, then truth could be completely forgotten. Remember the Arab-Israeli conflict? Hardly any pundit still calls it that. Talk about hafuch: now the Israelis are the "bad guys."