Har Habayit Follow-up

3 Kislev 5785

In follow-up to yesterday's post, "To Ascend or Not to Ascend? Is That the Question?", please allow me to introduce you to Rabbi Dr. Chaim Zimmerman, ztz"l.  

Aharon Chaim Zimmerman (1914 – March 9, 1995) (7th Adar II 5755) was a Ukrainian-born American Orthodox rabbi.  He was the son of Rabbi Yaakov Moshe Zimmerman and nephew of Rabbi Baruch Ber Lebowitz.  He was known as a child prodigy ("illui"). As a teenager, he studied at the Kaminetz Yeshiva headed by his uncle, Baruch Ber Lebowitz.  He left Russia at age 15 with his father, and immigrated to the U.S.

Zimmerman received rabbinical ordination from Rabbi Moshe Soloveitchik in 1939.  His first published work, "Binyan Halakha", contains a letter of approbation from the Chief Rabbi of Eretz Israel, Rabbi Yitzchak Halevi Herzog, attesting that the young author was "fully knowledgeable in the entire Talmud Bavli and Yerushalmi, Rishonim, and Achronim".

He served as Rosh Yeshiva of Hebrew Theological College in Chicago until 1964, and later a Rosh Yeshiva in New York City and in Jerusalem.  He immigrated to Israel in 1972.  He died on March 9, 1995.  (7th Adar II 5755)

He published several books on Halacha and Philosophy.  He was renowned as a genius in Torah learning, and was also well versed in mathematics, physics, and philosophy.

...In his book Torah and Existence, he cogently argues that the purpose of the world revolves around Torah. The first chapter contains an elaboration of his opinion that the founding of the modern State of Israel constituted the "Atchalta d'Geula" (Beginning of the Redemption), though he strongly opposed much of the policies and leadership of the state.

Sharing from his book Torah and Existence...

...The kedusha of eretz-Yisrael, and the people in eretz-Yisrael possess more kedusha than in any other place.  The secularists in eretz-Yisrael who do not keep Torah and mitzvot - their tuma is the greatest.  That is why the permissiveness here in Israel for the chilonim is the greatest and the strongest, more so than in any other democratic place.  I have never heard of people destroying a synagogue where religious people pray, as was done here in eretz-Yisrael recently by the secular administration of Jerusalem, under the pretense of the law.  No Jew would dare take the responsibility, no matter what his belief is, to destroy a makom-kadosh, a mikdash me'at.  Only one who is involved with mem-tet sha'arei-tuma could do such a thing with a clear conscience and not be afraid that he will be punished by G-d, to have destroyed a makom-kadosh, where the Shechina of G-d rests.  

Only in eretz-Yisrael could orthodox people go up on the har-habayit for the sake of tefila with a motive of national aspiration and not be worried about the issur-koret.  In the democratic countries, no orthodox Jew would dare to transgress an issur-koret for the sake of tefila, whatever his motives are.  

The Halacha of Shmirat-Hamikdash Today

The Rambam says, it is a mitzvat-aseh (positive commandment) to fear and revere the mikdash because it is written:  "Umei-mikdashai tirau - and from my mikdash you shall fear" - which means you should stay in awe in front of the mikdash.  (The words mikdash and beit hamikdash are usually translated as sanctuary and Temple Mount....)

The Rambam continues in the 7th chapter of Hilchot Beit Habechira:  "This does not mean to fear the mikdash as such, but to fear G-d who commanded to respect the mikdash.  What did this (command) to reverence imply?  That one might not enter the mikdash with his staff, or with his sandals on his feet, or in his undergarment, or with dust upon his feet, or with coins wrapped up in his kerchief; and needless to say, it was forbidden to expectorate any place in the mikdash.  If one found it necessary to expectorate, he had to absorb the spittle in his cloak.  

Nor might one use the mikdash to shorten his way by going in through one entrance and going out through the opposite entrance, but he had to go around it from the outside.  One might not enter it at all save for a religious duty . . . One might not act in a frivolous manner while facing the East Gate of the azora, which was the Gate of Nicanor, because it was directly opposite the kodesh-kodshim.  Whenever anyone entered the azora he had to walk quietly to the place where he was permitted to go and regard himself as standing in the "presence" of G-d. ...He would have to walk with awe and fear and trembling,....

Even though the mikdash today is in ruins because of our iniquities, man is obliged to reverence it in the same manner as when it was standing.  One should not enter save where it is permissible, nor should anyone sit down in the site of the azora or act irreverently while facing the place where stood the East Gate...."

[Why do we hear nothing of the following Rambam from the nationalist Jews?]

...The next chapter in the Rambam is about the mitzva of shmirat-hamikdash.  The Rambam says:  "It is a mitzva-aseh to watch the mikdash, even when there is no fear of enemies or robbers.  Because this shmira is only as an honor guard to the mikdash.  It is not similar - a palace that has no shomrim, to a palace that has shomrim. . .   The mitzva of this shmira is to watch the whole night.  The shomrim are the Kohanim and the Leviim, ....

[They were to guard the entrance gates and watch and give warning to those who might transgress...]

The Vilna Gaon indicates...for the honor of the beit-hamikdash, the Torah says take extra precaution and watch that those who are forbidden to enter should not enter.

He goes on at length to explain further and regarding the shmirah, ends with  "all this can be done today!"  And yet here we are with "record numbers" of Jews ascending with no one available to assure all is done in accordance with the halachah, to prevent sincere Jews perhaps unintentionally sinning grievously.

This would have been an excellent first step to pursue, but this is one of the troubling aspects of this movement, that it is not concerned with proceeding in a logical, Torah-prescribed order of action.  The result is chaos, unholy mixtures, and a stumbling block to the blind.  HKB"H plays no part in such schemes which are doomed to fail as a result, but what harm they cause along the way!