Don't Doven At The Kotel

By Shmuel Sackett

When you come to Israel, and I hope it's soon, please do not doven (pray) at the Kotel (Western Wall). Before you call for "the men in the white coats" please allow me to explain that rather strange request.

Imagine that a very wealthy man invited you to a party in his beautiful home. For years this party had been taking place but you were never lucky enough to be invited. And now, after so much time, the invitation you were waiting for has finally arrived. Thank G-d! In honor of the special event you bought the best suit money could buy, the finest shoes in town and a custom made shirt. You had your hair done by the best hairstylist and -- just for the occasion -- bought the most expensive cologne on the market. Everything was perfect and you were counting down the days.

And then came the bad news. Just three hours before the start of the party-of-the-year, a major fire broke out in the host's magnificent home. Five fire companies were busy putting out the flames and destruction was everywhere. Obviously, the party you had waited for so anxiously was cancelled. You were devastated.

And then came the good news. While the wealthy man's home and property were indeed destroyed, a small piece of his backyard was not! You quickly put on your fancy suit, shiny shoes, custom made shirt and started driving to the party, which you felt was going to be held in the backyard. On the way, you fixed your hair and "shpritzed" yourself with the expensive cologne. You drove past all the fire-trucks, still busy fighting the fire, and arrived at the backyard. "I must be early" you thought, because nobody else was there. And then, all of a sudden, you saw the host of the party! "Wow, the host is here. Let me go over and greet him," you said to yourself.

And then came the bad -- and extremely embarrassing -- news. "Are you serious?" asked the wealthy man. "You actually thought the party would be held here -- with my house still burning several feet away??? Are you insane??? Don't ever come near me again, you insensitive fool! Get off my property!!!" And with that, the wealthy man turned away in anger, shock and total disbelief, and you stood there in your fancy suit and sweet smelling cologne looking like the biggest fool who ever walked the planet.

Dearest friends, G-d's house is burning. As you read these words, the Holy Temple in Jerusalem is being destroyed. Right now at this exact moment! This is not an exaggeration. It is 100% fact. The Arabs, who control Har Ha'Bayit (the Temple Mount) are digging and destroying actual walls of the Holy Temple.

The following is a quote from Rabbi Chaim Richman, International Director of Machon Ha'Mikdash (The Temple Mount Institute);

"For the past several weeks, workers employed by the Islamic Wakf have been excavating on the Temple Mount. This excavation, ostensibly to facilitate improvements to the infrastructure of the Al Aksa Mosque, is being carried out with the approval of the Israeli government. Digging in any archeologically sensitive area is generally carried out with great care and delicacy, especially if the site is associated with religious traditions or considered holy. However this work is being carried out as it would be at any construction or building project, utilizing heavy machinery such as tractors and bulldozers. The Israel Antiquities Authority, legally empowered by the government to protect all archeological sites in Israel, is turning a blind eye to this excavation and has not posted supervisors or any representative at the site. Indeed, respected independent archeologists who have expressed concern over the irreparable damage currently being wrought by this work, and who have attempted to observe the digging firsthand, have been physically prevented from doing so by Israeli police officers, who vigilantly ensure that no one interferes with the work. According to the eye witness reports of these archeologists, and based on photographs they have studied, irreparable damage is being caused.

Islam maintains that there never was any such thing as the Holy Temple standing on the Temple Mount. For years a concentrated effort was made to obliterate any vestige of evidence from the site. Yet now, as a result of this destructive and wanton bulldozing, a section of the wall of the Holy Temple - in the area universally recognized as the location of the Women's Court - has been unearthed. This is the first time since the destruction of the Second Temple that actual physical evidence of the Temple has been revealed. But all of the antiquities of the Temple that have been uncovered are in danger of being destroyed by the Wakf."

I suggest you read those last two sentences again. Rabbi Richman wrote that this is the first time since the destruction of Bayit Sheni (the Second Temple) that physical evidence of the actual Temple has been found yet that evidence is being destroyed by the Arabs. Please understand that this archeological find is far more important than Massada. We are talking about the Holy Temple -- the Beit Hamikdash!!!

Three weeks ago, I went up to Har Ha'Bayit with my son and we saw this destruction with our own eyes. Many bulldozers are busy at work destroying our holiest site. A 400 meter long trench has already been dug and damage has been made that is simply beyond repair. As Rabbi Richman wrote, the Israeli government and the Israeli police department are allowing this tragedy to happen. It's simply horrific.

But I want to go one step further. It is very easy to blame Prime Minister Olmert, President Peres and their gang for what they are doing. These people have made their careers out of destroying all that is dear to our tradition. Olmert and Peres are currently busy at work trying to give Hebron and Bet El to the enemy and when that is done -- G-d forbid -- they will try to give away Kever Rachel, Kever Yosef, Elon Moreh, Shilo and more.

My question is where are the Rabbis during this crisis? Where is "Da'as Torah"? Where are the Gedolim (rabbinic leaders)? Their silence is deafening. How come all the Rabbis were up in arms when anonymous bones were found during the building of Highway #6 yet not a sound is made when walls of the Bet Ha'Mikdash are found -- and destroyed??? Those bones caused quite a stir. Massive rallies were held and physical battles were waged with the Israeli police. The violence was so intense that the Israeli government gave in and rerouted an entire section of the road, at a cost of tens of millions of dollars. The Rabbis declared the victory a sanctification of G-d's Name and didn't even care when scientific proof was presented that these bones were not even Jewish!

Where are the battles over the Bet Ha'Mikdash? Where is the outcry, the willingness for self-sacrifice for the Sanctification of G-d's Name?
There is none. Do you know why??? Because nobody has touched the Kotel. For thousands of years we have prayed and cried at the Kotel, the place where G-d's "Shechina" (Divine presence) never left. The Kotel has served us just fine and even though G-d restored Har Ha'Bayit to our hands, our people prefer to remain at the Kotel. I understand that there is a great Jewish-law debate over ascending Har Ha'Bayit and if one follows the ruling that says that going to Har Ha'Bayit is forbidden, then you should indeed not go there, but that doesn't change what is happening.

Even if you do not go to Har Ha'Bayit, you should be outraged by what is happening there. A Jew must protest every act of desecration of G-d's Name in the world and certainly when it is being carried out on our holiest site. But not a word has been said. Olmert is allowing it, the police are allowing it and -- sadly -- the Rabbis are allowing it too.

This is why I wrote not to pray at the Kotel. Hashem's house is burning at this very moment and I do not recommend saying, "But the backyard is fine so we'll go there". Especially if you do not go up to Har Ha'Bayit, do not go to the Kotel. At least not while the fire is still burning.

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