|
Temple Mount Liberation Ceremony
|
John Henry
|
Oct 09, 2006 17:22 PDT
|
Largest Priestly Blessing Crowd Since
Temple Mount Liberation
by Ezra HaLevi
Oct 09, 2006 / 17 Tishrei 5767
The ceremony has become a tradition ever since the liberation of the
Temple Mount during the Six-Day War in 1967 and is seen as an observance
of the Jewish obligation to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and the Holy
Temple three times a year, on Pesach (Passover), Shavuot (Pentecost) and
Sukkot (Tabernacles). During the weeklong Pesach and Sukkot holidays, the
ceremony is held on the second of the Hol haMoed (intermediate)
days.
Hundreds of kohanim, Jews who trace their lineage to Aaron, the
first High Priest, stood closest to the Western Wall to take part in the
special blessings. Attending the Western Wall prayers Monday were Chief
Rabbis Shlomo Amar and Yonah Metzger, as well as Western Wall Rabbi
Shmuel Rabinovitch. Rabbi Rabinovitch told Arutz-7 that Monday's priestly
blessing marked the largest such gathering for prayers at the site since
the first Sukkot after the Six Day War.
Police were forced to close the gates leading to the Western Wall Plaza
due to its being filled to capacity by worshippers. "The
blessing, however, reaches those stuck outside the plaza as well,
obviously," Rabbi Rabinovitch said. He added that many of those
packing the plaza were not outwardly observant. "Many secular Jews
have adopted the custom of making a pilgrimage to the Western Wall on the
holiday," he said.
The Birkat Kohanim is a part of daily prayers in Israel, but is
only recited on holidays outside Israel. The blessing given appears in
Numbers 6:23-27:
And G-d spoke to Moses saying: Speak unto Aaron and his sons, saying, in
this manner shall you bless the children of Israel. Say to them:
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord shine His face upon you.
May the Lord lift His countenance upon you, and grant you peace.
Meanwhile, there have been ongoing visits to the Temple Mount, Judaism's
holiest site, throughout the week. Guided visits are being offered free
of charge for those wishing to visit the permitted areas of the mount in
accordance with Jewish law.
National Union faction head MK Uri Ariel ascended the Temple Mount Monday
morning, saying that there is special significance to completing one's
pilgrimage at the actual site of the Holy Temple on the three festivals.
"Ascending today, even as the Holy Temple is not standing,
broadcasts a message reminding the entire world and first and foremost
Israeli society, that the Temple is the center and the heart of the
Jewish nation, Ariel said. "And we still expect and are
prepared to rebuild it."
Visits for Jewish men and women who wish to ascend the Temple Mount in
accordance with Jewish law are being offered over the course of the
Sukkot Festival. All tours begin at 7.30 AM, beginning at the Mughrabi
Gate, adjacent to the main entrance to the Western Wall plaza.
Remaining guided visits, in various languages:
Tuesday October 10: Dr. Yaacov Heyman (H), Rabbi Nachman Kupietzky (E),
Yosef Dayan (Spanish)
Wednesday October 11: Menachem Ben-Yashar (H), Rabbi Zvi Rugan (E), Lily
Richman (Women only, Bilingual)
Thursday October 12: Golan Shai-Cohen (H), Adv. Shmuel Caspar (E), Moshe
Garbuz (Russian)
Sunday October 15: Yoel Lerner (Bilingual)
Participants must undergo physical preparations and immerse in a ritual
bath beforehand, as well as arrive dressed in non-leather shoes. Police
currently require a passport to ascend the mount and forbid the carrying
up of religious articles aside from tzitzit and head coverings. For more
information about the free tours and instructions on how to prepare, call
(02) 571 0171 or 050 658 0224 (from outside Israel: +972 2 571 0171 or
+972 50 658 0224).
Published: 15:08 October 09, 2006
Last Update: 15:38 October 09, 2006
============
These articles are distributed free to those who by subscribing to
this eGroup have expressed interest in receiving them for non-profit
educational purposes only. The views expressed in this articles are
not necessarily the opinion of the moderator. TO
UNSUBSCRIBE SEND A BLANK EMAIL TO:
biblical-prophecy
-o-@list.worthyofpraise.org
LIST INFORMATION:
http://groups.LandmarkBibleBaptist.net
ARCHIVED ON THE WEB AT:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Prophetic-Israel
|
|
 |
|
