12 Friday, July 9, 1982

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Jerusalem's Temple Mount: Background to Ancient Paradox

By DVORA WAYSMAN

World Zionist Press Service

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shaped walled area, hover-
ing over the Old City of
Jerusalem, is seldom out of
the news. The latest inci-
dent on the Temple Mount
area concerned the Easter
morning shooting of two
persons and the injury of 11
others when an apparently
mentally-unstable Ameri-
can Jew in army uniform
went berserk.
This was preceded in
August 1969 by a mentally
ill 29-year-old Australian
Christian's attempt to burn
down the Al Aqsa Mosque
on the Temple Mount, caus-
ing violent repercussions in
the Moslem world. (The
perpetrator was judged as
too ill to be legally responsi-
ble for his actions and com-
mitted to treatment. He was
repatriated to Australia in
1974).
In the interim, the Mount
has been the site of frequent
conflicts. Some extreme
nationalistic Jews try
demonstratiVely to pray
there and are prevented
both by the Waaf, the Mos-
lem religious trust, and the
Israeli authorities. Other
religious Jews contend that
it is forbidden even to set
foot on the Temple Mount.
The Mount to which
true believers relate with
general fervor and fre-
quent fanaticism is a cen-
ter not only of faith but
also of paradox.
What is so important
about the Temple Mount
that it arrouses such raging
passions among Jew and
Moslem alike? In Hebrew, it
is know as Har HaBayit
(Mountain of the House)
and in Arabic, Haram al-
Sharif (the Noble
Sanctuary). Within the area
of the Temple Mount there
are about 100 structures
from various periods —
great works of art and
craftsmanship including
open domed Moslem prayer
spots, arched porticos, Mos-
lem religious schools,
minarets and fountains.
Here also is the magnifi-
cent Dome of the Rock (often
misnamed the Mosque of
Omar), in the central
structure, which was begun

by the Ummayyad Caliph,
Abdal - Malik in 684 CE,
and completed in 1033.
With the bloody conquest
of Jerusalem by the
Crusaders, (one contempor-
ary observer wrote that
when he went to visit the
Temple area "he had to pick
his way through corpses and
blood that reached up to his
knees") the Dome of the
Rock was converted into a
church and only re-
converted into a mosque
after Saladin's conquest of
Jerusalem in 1187.

With its 45,000 orna-
mental tiles and eight
graceful arches at the top
of the steps leading to the
mosque some observers
consider it to be one of
the most beautiful build-
ings in the world.
The Temple Mount has a
very special status and
enormous importance to
Jews because it was the site
of the Temple, which stood
at its center. Jerusalem, the
holy city, is regarded as the
equivalent of the "camp of
Israel" that surrounded the
sanctuary in the wilder-
ness; and the Temple Mount
represents "the camp of the
Divine Presence" (Talmud).
Its most sacred section
was the Holy of Holies. Only
the high priest was allowed
to enter it, and then only

Columnists Switch Sides
in Report from Lebanon

WASHINGOTN — Row-
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once a year, on the Day of
Atonement, for the service,
even this depending upon
the fulfillment of definite
conditions. Anyone who was
considered ritually unclean
was forbidden to enter any
part of the Temple Mount,
nor were you permitted to
enter in a disrespectful
manner or for mundane
purposes:
"A man should not enter
the Temple Mount with his
staff or wearing his shoes or
with his feet dust-stained;
nor should he make of it a
short cut, and spitting is
forbidden."
Isaiah (2:3) tells us that
"it shall come to pass in
the latter days that the
mountain of the house of
the Lord shall be estab-
lished as the highest of
the mountains, and shall
be raised above the hills;
and all the nations shall
flow to it . . . For out of
Zion shall go forth the
Law, and the word of the
Lord from Jerusalem"
After the destruction of
the Temple, special
Halakhic problems arose.
Most religious Jews refrain
from entering the Temple
Mount as it is difficult to
identify which areas are
permitted and which are
prohibited. This was the
view of the renowned Rabbi
Abraham Isaac Kook

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Novak, whose syndicated
newspaper columns have
often been openly critical of
Israel, praised the Jewish
state and attacked the PLO
in a June 25 report from Si-
don, Lebanon.
The pro-Israel column
was used as the basis for a
full-page ad by the Ameri-
can Jewish Congress in the
New York Times and sev-
eral other publications.
"Israel's accusation
that the PLO was a rogue
elephant whose arms and
swagger created resent-
ment and fear in Leba-
non's largest cities was
no fabrication," the arti-
cle said.

Evans and Novak based
their report on interviews
with a Lebanese Christian
surgeon and three young
Lebanese Muslims.
"You ask how do we like
the Israelis," the surgeon
said, referring to the inva-
sion. "Compared to the hell
we have had in Lebanon,
the Israelis are brothers."

first
(1865-1935),
Ashkenazi chief rabbi of
modern Israel. It is believed
that the Dome of the Rock is
on the exact site of the Tem-
ple.
Israel's present chief
Ashkenazi rabbi, Shlomo
Goren, maintains that he
has succeeded in identifying
an area south of the Temple
Mount that is definitely
outside the forbidden area,
and Jews can today go there
to pray. Many rabbis dis-
agree with him, and the ac-
cepted view is still that
entry to the whole Temple
Mount area is forbidden,
except for security reasons.
sons.
For Moslems, the Temple
Mount also has great sanc-
tity. They have three mos-
ques to which special holi-
ness is attached: the Kaba
in Mecca, the Mosque of
Muhammad in Medina and
the Temple Mount, their
third holiest site.
In Islam, the adoration
of the site is based on the
first verse of Sura 17 of
the Koran, which de-
scribes the prophet's
Night Journey (isra).
They believe that when
Muhammad was sleeping
near the Kaba, the angel
Gabriel brought him to a
winged creature (buraq).
Together they rose to
heaven (mi'raj) and met

Abraham, Moses and
Jesus.
Some Moslems believe it
was a dream, but most, be-
lieve that Muhammad
made the journey while
awake and actually
traversed the ground of the
Temple Mount.
This story and its in-
terpretation has greatly
elevated the holiness of
Jerusalem in Islam. One '
the unhappy consequent. _
is that shots by a seemingly
mad Jew soon echoed
around the halls of the
United Nations, whereas
the recent attempted assas-
sination of the Pope wasn't
put on the UN agenda. The
mad Christian in 1969 ac-
cused in his time of being
Jewish.
Because of the special na-
ture of the Temple Mount, it
will continue to inflame
passions — according to
religious Jews until such
time as the Messiah comes.
Then, according to Jewish
belief, He will reign over the
restored kingdom of Israel
to which all Jews of the
Exile will return.
It is believed that the
foundation of the Messiah's
throne will be justice and
He will be charismatically
endowed to dispense justice
both to Israel and its
neighboring nations.

;

Jews, Palestinian Urge Recognition

PARIS — Two appeals for
mutual recognition by Is-
rael and the Palestine Lib-
eration Organization were
issued here last week.
A call for Israel to "lift its
seige of Beirut in order to
facilitate negotiations with
the PLO," was issued by
Nahum Goldman, president
of the World Jewish Con-
gress; Philip Klutznick,
former United States Com-
merce Secretary; and Pierre
Mendes-France, former
prime minister of France.
A second appeal came
from Dr. Isam Sartawi, con-
sidered one of the leading
moderates on the PLO's rul-
ing council. Dr. Sartawi

hailed the statement by the
three Jewish leaders, cal-
ling it "a program to get us
out of the crisis that is
afflicting Lebanon.

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