Sukkot on the Temple Mount: Resuscitation Commenced

There is no doubt that something very good happened this Sukkot holiday. Over one thousand Jews ascended to the Temple Mount - despite the extensive preparations necessary beforehand and the extensive wait before actually entering the Mount. It seems that the deep Jewish longing for the Temple Mount has finally come to the surface. The line of people waiting to enter the Temple Mount stretched all the way to the gate of the Old City.

The Temple Mount is the heart of the Jewish people. Until now, we have been suffering from a national cardiac infarction. On Sukkot, our national resuscitation commenced in earnest.

Getting into the Temple Mount was anything but simple. The police were very surprised and pressured by the unusually large amount of people waiting to ascend to the Mount and they did all that they could to make the visit as frustrating and unpleasant as possible. The Arab wakf also felt the change and reacted with verbal violence and open derision. Nevertheless, we were exhilarated and inspired to be on the Mount on the Sukkot holiday. From the physical and spiritual heights of the Mount, the day when the Third Temple will be rebuilt and the Nation of Israel will return to its own identity seemed almost tangible.

Shabbat Shalom,

Moshe Feiglin