Haredis suddenly willing to ascend Temple Mount compound
Now here's something amazing. A movement doing memorials to the late rabbi Leib Shteinman went up to the Temple Mount for a memorial service, and the authorities allowed it:
About 50 haredim ascended the Temple Mount on Wednesday, led by Rabbi Yitzhak Brand, one of the top students of the Ponevezh Yeshiva, and Rabbi Eliyahu Veber, one of the rabbis of the Hurva synagogue in the Old City of Jerusalem.Now we're getting somewhere, aren't we? This is all part of the belief that God helps those who help themselves, including on defending historical sites. If the guy's got influence, it can work for the better.
On the Mount, the group performed a “siyum” ceremony marking the completion of a gemara tractate, and prayed for the smooth passage of the soul of Lithuanian haredi rabbinic leader Rabbi Aharon Yehuda Leib Shteinman, who passed away last week.
Speaking on the mount, Rabbi Brand elaborated on the mitzvah of ascending the Temple Mount as a practical step promoting the eventual rebuilding of the Temple. In this capacity, Rabbi Brand spoke of the prohibition to challenge G-d to perform miracles, underscoring the need for practical steps towards rebuilding the Temple rather than waiting for the Temple to appear miraculously.
