by Beis Hashem Staff
In the previous articles, we clarified that the only area on Har Habayis where a tamei mes is forbidden entry with a chiyuv kares is Machaneh Shechina, which is the area where the Beis Hamikdash and the Azara stood on the Har. The rest of Har Habayis has the geder of Machaneh Leviah, which is fully mutar for a tamei mes to enter, provided that he purifies himself from all tumah sheyotza'ah min haguf. We also described the layout of the Beis Hamikdash and, more specifically, the location and characteristics of the Even Shesiya within the Beis Hamikdash.
We then demonstrated, based on the mountain's topography, that the Even Shasiya must be located in the center of today's Har Habayis, in the vicinity of the Dome of the Rock. As such, we can easily map out where Machaneh Shechinah is using the exact measurements found in Mishnayos Middos. This enables us to know where we must avoid entering and, more importantly, where it is fully mutar to enter on Har Habayis.
But, as we pointed out, as every good yeshivamann will tell you, proof from topography isn't enough to decide such an important halachic question, especially when dealing with a safek kares! We must have something more concrete, such as a mesorah, that will allow us to paskin with clarity.
In this article, we will explore the vast mesorah from the destruction of the Second Beis Hamikdash throughout the generations that place the Kodesh Hakadashim and the Even Shesiya inside the Dome of the Rock. We will also examine the many instances of Jewish visitation to Har Habayis throughout the Galus that relied on this mesorah to determine where they could enter halachicly.
Unlike the destruction of the First Beis Hamikdash, which resulted in the exile of all Jews from Judea, many Jews remained in the country after the Second Beis Hamikdash was destroyed due to our sins in the year 70 CE. They continued to live under Roman rule, and many continued ascending to Har Habayis.
There are Gemaros that tell us of Tannaim and Amoraim who were zocheh to visit Har Habayis even after the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash. We are all familiar with the famous Gemara at the end of Meseches Makkos (Makkos 24a).
שוב פעם אחת היו עולין לירושלים, כיון שהגיעו להר הצופים קרעו בגדיהם, כיון שהגיעו להר הבית ראו שועל שיצא מבית קדשי הקדשים, התחילו הן בוכין ורבי עקיבא מצח
On another occasion, Rabban Gamliel, Rebbi Elazar ben Azarya, Rebbi Yehoshua, and Rebbi Akiva ascended to Jerusalem. When they arrived at Mount Scopus [and saw the site of the destroyed Beis Hamikdash], they ripped their garments. When they arrived on the Temple Mount, they saw a fox that emerged from the site of the Kodesh Hakadashim. They began weeping, yet Rabbi Akiva was laughing.
In fact, this was not exclusive to these Tannaim; all Jews who lived in the area continued to visit the Har after the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash, as the Medrash tells us (Shir Hashirim Rabbah, Parsha 8):
אף על פי שחרב בית המקדש לא בטלו פעמי רגלים ג' פעמים בשנה
Even though the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed, ascending for the Regel three times a year was not abolished.
There are many medrashim that describe the many instances of Aliya Laregel throughout the tekufas haTannaim and Amoraim (Bereishis Rabbah 1:3, Devarim Rabbah 3:6, Eicha Rabba 1:11, Eicha Rabba 1:59, Shir Hashirim Rabba 7:1). The Gemara even discusses how Rav Yosi was matir a neder of a husband who made a neder to prevent his wife from going up to be oleh regel and she didn't listen and went up (Nedarim 23a):
מעשה באדם אחד שהדיר את אשתו מלעלות לרגל, ועברה על דעתו ועלתה לרגל, ובא לפני ר' יוסי, אמר לו: ואילו היית יודע שעוברת על דעתך ועולה לרגל כלום הדרתה? אמר לו: לא. והתירו ר' יוסי
There was an incident where a man vowed on his wife if she went to be oleh laregel. She went against his wishes and went upp. He came in front of Rav Yosi, who said, “If you had known that she wouldn’t listen and would go up anyway, would you have made the vow?” He answered in the negative. Therefore, Rav Yosi absolved his vow.
Another Gemara relates how Ben Zoma reported seeing a large crowd on Har Habayis (Brachos 58a):
בן זומא ראה אוכלוסא על גב מעלה בהר הבית, אמר: ״ברוך … חכם הרזים וברוך … שברא כל אלו לשמשני
Ben Zoma once saw a large number of Jews standing on stairs on Har Habayis. He immediately recited the Brachos of: “Who knows all secrets” and “Who created all these to serve me.”
The Yerushalmi even learns from the actions of Rabbanim who entered Har Habayis, on when one is required to remove their shoes (Yerushalmi Pesachim 87 Halacha 12):
רבי יוחנן בר מדייא בשם רבי פנחס: מן מה דאנן חמיי רבנן שלחין סנדליהון תחת האגוף של הר הבית
Rabbi Yochanan bar Madiah [said] in the name of Rabbi Pinchas: We learn from the Rabbanan that they remove their shoes when they arrive at the threshold of Har Habayis.
From these mekoros, we see that it was commonplace for Yidden to visit Har Habayis. Obviously, since they wouldn’t chas veshalom enter any forbidden areas if they were tamei, we can be certain that they continued to be shomer the mesorah of where the Beis Hamikdash stood on Har Habayis and the knowledge of where the three machanos were.
In addition, during this tekufa, there was an unsuccessful attempt to rebuild the Beis Hamikdash and to bring korbanos (Bereishis Rabba 64:10):
בימי רבי יהושע בן חנניה גזרה מלכות הרשעה שיבנה בית המקדש הושיבו פפוס ולוליאנוס טרפיזין מעכו עד אנטוכיא והיו מספקין לעולי גולה כסף וזהב וכל צרכם
In the days of Rebbi Yehoshua ben Chananya, the Romans ruled that the Beis Hamikdash should be rebuilt. Papus and Lulianus Tarpizin traveled from Acco to Antichya, and they successfully raised silver, gold, and all that was needed from those that came up from the galus.
This further highlights the idea that the exact location of the Beis Hamikdash on Har Habayis was known to them, for if not, they would not be able to rebuild it, as the Beis Hamikdash needs to stand in its exact location on the Har. They also would not have been able to bring the korbanos if they weren’t certain of the exact location of the mizbeach.
[Many non-Jewish sources from that period mention the Jewish connection and visitation to the Har Habayis and Yerushalayim, such as the Christian Pilgrim of Bordeaux, who mentions the Jews who would come on the 9th of Av to the Temple Mount and cry near the Even Shesiya.]
The Umayyad Caliph Umar, reportedly with the help of the local Jews, conquered Jerusalem from the Byzantines in 638 CE. In appreciation for their support, Jews were granted the right to reside in Jerusalem, and a makom tefillah was built specifically for Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount.
In 692 CE, Caliph Abd al-Malik completed the construction of the Dome of the Rock, BUILT SPECIFICALLY OVER THE SITE OF THE EVEN SHESIYA. This fact is mentioned in multiple places in our mesorah (and also in Muslim and Christian traditions!) which we will highlight below.
Many documents from this period uncovered in the Cairo Geniza describe the uncovering of the Even Shesiya by Caliph Umar, the building of the Dome of the Rock, and the freedoms enjoyed by the Jews on the Har Habayis during that time:
השתתפו אפוא כל המוסלמים אשר בעיר ובמחוז, והשתתפו עימהם חבורה מן היהודים. אחר כך ציוום (עומר) לפנות את האשפה שבקודש ולנקותו, ועומר היה משגיח עליהם כל הזמן, כל אימת שהיה נחשף שריד כלשהו היה שואל את זקני היהודים בדבר הסלע, הלא הוא אבן השתייה. והיה אחד החכמים מסמן לו את גבולות המקום עד אשר נחשף. אז ציווה כי תיבנה על הסלע כיפה שתצופה זהב
All the Muslims who were in the city and province were assembled together with a group of Jews. They were commanded to remove the rubbish from the holy site and clean it. Umar was supervising them the whole time. As the foundations of the Mountain were uncovered, Umar would ask the Jewish elders about it, if this was indeed the Even Shesiya. One of the sages pointed out the boundaries of the location to him until it [the Even Shesiya] was uncovered. Umar then commanded that a dome covered in gold be built over the rock.
Another mekor found in the Cairo Geniza was a letter from the Roshei Yeshivos of Yerushalayim sent to Jews residing outside of Israel circa 980 CE. This testimony is of exceptional value since the letter was written by Roshei Yeshiva who were serious and reliable talmidei chachamim. The letter, which was sent to raise funds for their Yeshivos and describes the history of the Jews in Yerushalayim, states (Ginzei Hageonim Bava Basra, 72):
ומאת א-להינו היתה זאת, כי הטה עלינו חסד לפני מלכות ישמעאל, בעת אשר פשטו ידם ולכדו את ארץ הצבי מיד אדום ובאו ירושלים, היו עימהם אנשים מבני ישראל, הראו להם מקום המקדש וישבו עימהם מאז ועד היום
And this was clearly from Hashem, for He inclined favor unto us before the Yismaeili Kingdom, at the time when they stretched out their hand and conquered Eretz Hatzvi [the Land of Israel] from the hands of Edom and arrived in Jerusalem. Among them were members of Bnei Yisrael who showed them the exact location of the Temple, and they have dwelled with them from that time until today.
Rabbi Avraham bar Chiya HaNassi, who lived in Yerushalayim during the Crusader rule (around 1099-1399 CE), also mentions the fact that the Muslim King allowed the Jews to daven on Har Habayis and that he even built a beis tefillah and medrash there for Jewish use (Megilas Hamigaleh):
ובתחלה כשהחריבוהו הרומיים לא היו מונעים את ישראל מלבוא אליו ולהתפלל בתוכו. וכמו כן היו מלכי ישמעאל נוהגים עמם מנהג טוב והרשו לישראל לבוא אל הבית ולבנות בו בית תפלה ומדרש. והיו כל גלויות ישראל הקרובים אל הבית עולים אליו בחגים ובמועדים ומתפללים בתוכו ומעמידים תפלתם כנגד תמידין ומוספין. ועל המנהג נהגו כל ימי מלכות ישמעאל עד שפשטה על הבית בעת הזאת מלכות אדום הרשעה והסירה את מלכות ישמעאלים מעליו. ומן העת ההיא חללו המקדש המעוז שעשו אתו בית תפלה להם והעמידו פסילי טעותם בתוכו והסירו התמיד שמנעו את ישראל מלהתפלל בבית ולקיים בו מצות תפלה אשר היא כנגד התמידין כי מיום שגברו אלו הרשעים על הבית לא הניחו ישראל לבוא בתוכו אף איש אחד יהודי אינו נמצא בירושלים בימים האלה
Initially, when the Romans destroyed it [the Temple], they did not prevent Israel from coming to it and praying within. The kings of Ishmael likewise treated them well and permitted Israel to come to the Temple and they built within it a place of prayer and study [for the Jews]. All the dispersed of Israel who lived nearby would ascend to the Temple during the Chagim and Moadim, pray inside the synagogue, and set up their prayers in lieu of the sacrifices (Timidim and Musafim). Such was the practice throughout the reign of Ishmael's kingdom until the wicked Edomite sovereignty [the Crusaders, who captured Jerusalem in 1099] spread over the House in these times, expelling Ishmael's kingdom from it. From that time on, they defiled the sanctuary, making it a house of prayer for themselves, setting up idols of their error within, and abolishing the continual offering, preventing Israel from praying in the Temple and fulfilling the commandment of prayer, which corresponds to the continual offerings. For from the day these wicked ones prevailed over the Temple, they have not allowed a single Jew to enter it, and no Jew is to be found in Jerusalem in these days.
[There are also, lehavdel, many Christian and Muslim sources from that period that mention these core details: that the Jews were close to Umar, that Umar oversaw the cleaning of the Temple Mount, and that a building of prayer was built over the site of the Even Shesiya.]
This seems to be the kiyum of the midrashim that seemingly foretell that the Muslims would build a building over the site of the Beis Hamikdash. In Pirkei DeRebbi Eliezer, we find that this was one of the 15 things that the Muslims would do in Jerusalem (Pirkei DeRebbi Eliezer, ch. 30):
חמשה עשר דברים עתידים בני ישמעאל לעשות בארץ באחרית הימים ואלו הם: ... ויגדרו פרצות חומות בית המקדש. ויבנו בנין בהיכל
The sons of Ishmael are destined to do fifteen things in the land at the end of days, and these are they:... They will close up the breaches in the walls of the Beis Hamikdash and erect a building in the Heichal.
Likewise, a similar medrash is found in Nistaros deRebbi Shimon bar Yochai:
המלך השני שיעמד מישמעאל יהיה אוהב ישראל ויגדור פרצותיהם ופרצות ההיכל, וחוצב הר המוריה ועושה אותו מישור כולו, ובונה לו שם השתחויה על אבן שתיה
The second king who will rise from Ishmael will love the Jews. He will close up the breaches of the Heichal, renovate Mount Moriah, making it entirely level, and build there a [place of] prostration over the Even Shesiya.
The Crusaders captured Jerusalem from the Ummayads in 1099 CE and barred Muslims and Jews from the Temple Mount, which they had appropriated as a church and fortress. Yet, even then, the Jews continued to be shomer the mesorah, and some even managed to ascend the mount during that period, risking their safety to daven at the makom hamikdash. Here are some examples.
In 1165, the famous Jewish traveler, Rebbi Binyamin of Tudela, arrived in Eretz Yisrael from Tudela, Spain, during the Crusader period. He described his travels, which include what he saw built over the makom hamikdash, in his sefer (Masaos Rebbi Binyamin, p. 24):
ארבעה שערים לירושלים, שער אברהם, שער דוד, שער ציון ושער גושפט - הוא שער יהושפט לפני בית המקדש שהיה בימי קדם. ושם טימפלו דומיני (השם הנוצרי לכיפת הסלע) שהוא היה מקום המקדש, בנה עליו עומר בן אל כטאב כיפה גדולה ויפה עד מאד
There are four gates in Jerusalem: Avraham Gate, David Gate, Tzion Gate, and Gushpat Gate, which is the Yehoshafat Gate that faced the Beis Hamikdash when it stood. And in its place now stands the Templum Domini (Crusader name for the Dome of the Rock), built over the makom hamikdash, which Umar ibn al-Khattab built a great and very beautiful dome...
The Rambam himself visited Jerusalem under Crusader rule in 1166 and managed to enter the Temple Mount to daven. His journey is described in a letter found in manuscripts and early printed editions of his Pirush Hamishnayos on Rosh Hashanah, in addition to being brought in Sefer Chassidim (Mitzvos Hateloyos Ba’aretz 3):
וביום שלישי בשבת ארבעה ימים לירח מרחשוון, שנת ששה ועשרים ליצירה [ד'תתקכ"ו] יצאנו מעכו לעלות לירושלים תחת סכנה. ונכנסתי לבית הגדול והקדוש והתפללתי בו ביום ה' ו' ימים לירח מרחשון... נדרתי שיהיו לי כמו יום טוב ותפילה ושמחה בה' ואכילה ושתיה. א-להים יעזרני על הכל ויקים לי 'נדרי לה' אשלם' אמן. וכשם שזכיתי להתפלל בה ובחורבנה, כך אראה אני וכל ישראל בנחמתה אמן
And on the third day of the week, the fourth of Marcheshvan in the year twenty-six from Creation [1166], we went out from Akko to ascend to Jerusalem under grave danger. And I entered the Great and Holy House and prayed there on Thursday, the sixth of Marcheshvan… I made a vow that the days I spent there would be for me like a festival—with prayer, rejoicing with Hashem, eating, and drinking. May G-d help me with everything and uphold for me 'I will pay my vows to Hashem.' Amen. Just as I merited praying there in its ruins, so may all of Israel and I see its consolation. Amen.
The Rambam also references his ascent to the Har in a letter he wrote to Rabbi Yefes Hadayan, a leader of the Jewish community in Acco, who had accompanied him on his visit to the Har (Iggeres Harambam, p. 222):
שאני והוא ואבא מרי זצ"ל ואתה – ארבעתנו הלכנו בבית ה' ברגש
I, he, my father—my teacher of blessed memory, and you—the four of us walked in the House of Hashem with awe.
Rav Pesachiah of Regensburg, one of the Ba’alei Tosafos, visited Eretz Yisrael circa 1180. When he arrived in Jerusalem, he found only one Jew living there: R’ Avraham the Dyer (Otzar Masaos, p. 55–56).
והלך לירושלים ואין שם אלא ר' אברהם הצבע, והוא נותן מס הרבה למלך שמניחו שם... והיכל נאה שם שבנה מלך ישמעאלים, בימי קדם כשהיתה ירושלים ביד הישמעאלים, ובאו פריצים והלשינו למלך הישמעאלים, ואמרו: זקן אחד יש בינינו, שיודע מקום היכל והעזרה. ודחק אותו המלך עד שהראה לו... והמלך היה אוהב יהודים ואמר: אני רוצה לבנות היכל שם, ולא יתפללו בו כי אם יהודים. ובנה היכל
And he went to Jerusalem, and there was none there except Rabbi Avraham the Dyer, and he paid a large tax to the king, who allowed him to remain there… And there is a beautiful sanctuary there that the Ishmaelite king built in ancient times when Jerusalem was in the hands of the Ishmaelites. And some ruffians came and slandered to the Ishmaelite king, saying: 'There is an old man among us who knows the place of the Sanctuary and the Courtyard.' The king pressured him until he showed it to him… And the king loved the Jews and said: 'I will build a sanctuary there, and only Jews shall pray in it.' And he built the sanctuary...
In 1187, Saladin captured Jerusalem from the Crusaders and permitted Jews to daven on the Temple Mount. Thereafter and in the following years of Ayyubid and then Mamluk rule over Jerusalem, there are many records of Jews who entered Har Habayis, as well as many sources who mention the fact that the Dome of the Rock stands over the Even Shesiya. We will give a few examples below.
The Baalei Tosafos, Rabbeinu Shmuel ben Rabbeinu Shimshon, together with Rabbeinu Yonasan HaKohen (the R”i m’Luniel), visited Jerusalem circa 1210 (Otzar Masaos, p. 62) and entered onto the Har up to the point where the azara once stood:
באנו אל ירושלים ממערבה של עיר וראינוה, וקרענו בגדינו כראוי לנו, ונתגלגלו רחמינו עלינו, ובכינו בכיה גדולה אני והכהן הגדול מלוניל, ונכנסנו בשער עד לפני מגדל דוד, ונבא להשתטח עד לפני העזרה... ומקום אשר היה שם הארון עדיין קיים
We came to Jerusalem from the west side of the city and saw it. We rent our garments as was fitting for us, our compassions were stirred within us, and we wept a great weeping, I and the great Kohen from Lunel. We entered through the gate next to the Tower of David, and we went up to the boundaries of the Azara to prostrate ourselves... And the place where the Aron once stood upon is still visible.
As evident from the actions of these great Gedolim, we see that they held halacha v’lemaaseh where the Even Shesiya and the boundaries of the azara were on Har habayis.
Another one of the Baalei Tosafos, Rabeinu Yaakov of Paris, visited Jerusalem circa 1228 as the emissary of Rabeinu Yechiel of Paris (Otzar Masaos, p. 67):
סביב אבן שתייה בנו מלכי ישמעאל בניין מפואר מאד ועשו אותו בית תפלה, ובנו למעלה מן הבניין כיפה נאה עד מאד, והבניין על בית קדשי הקדשים ועל ההיכל
Around the Even Shesiya, the Ishmaelite king built an exceedingly splendid edifice and made it a house of prayer, and atop the building they made an exceedingly beautiful dome, and the building was built over the site of the Holy of Holies and the Sanctuary.
The Meiri, who lived from 1249-1315 in France, also mentions the minhag of Am Yisrael of his times to enter Har Habayis (Beis Habechira, Shavuos 17b):
ומנהג פשוט ליכנס שם לפי מה ששמענו
And the custom is to enter there [Har Habayis], according to what we have heard.
One of the Ramban's students, who visited Jerusalem in 1280, wrote a detailed description of what he saw (Otzar Masaos, p. 65-67):
על אבן שתיה בנו מלכי ישמעאל בנין מפואר מאד, עשו אותו בית תפלה, ובנו למעלה מן הבניין כפה נאה מאד, והבניין על בית קדשי הקדשים ועל ההיכל. לפני הבית לצד המזרח בנין על עמודים וכפה למעלה על העמודים, נראה כי הוא מקום מזבח החיצון אשר בעזרת ישראל. ראינו הישמעאלים מתקבצים שם ביום אֵיד שלהם, כשלושת אלפים, מקיפין לאותו המקום כמו מחול, להבדיל בין טומאה לטהרה כמו שהיו ישראל מקיפין המזבח בשביעי בחג
Upon the Even Shesiya, the kings of Ishmael built an exceedingly splendid edifice, making it a house of prayer, and atop the building, they made an exceedingly beautiful dome. The building stands over the location of the Holy of Holies and the Sanctuary. Before the building, to the east, is a structure built on pillars with a dome above the pillars; it appears to be the place of the Mizbeach that was in the courtyard of the Temple. We saw the Ishmaelites gathering there on their Eid festival, some three thousand of them, encircling that place in a dance-like fashion to separate between impure and pure, just as Israel would encircle the Mizbeach on the seventh day of the festival.
A few years after the Ramban's student's visit, Rabbi Yitzchak Chilo, who was active in Jerusalem circa 1330, wrote (Shvili Yerushalayim):
המלך, אשר נדר לשוב ולבנות את חרבות בית המקדש, בתת ה' בידו את העיר הקדושה, דרש מאת היהודים להודיע לו את מקום החרבות (ההן), יען כי הערלים, בגלל שנאתם לעם ה', עשו את החרבות ההן למקום אשפה, עד אשר לא ידע עוד כל איש איה הן. ויהי אז זקן אחד שאמר למלך: "אם יואל המלך להישבע כי ישאיר את הכותל המערבי, אגלה לו את מקום חרבות בית המקדש". מיד שם המלך את ידו על ירך הזקן וישבע לו לעשות את אשר בקש. הזקן הראה לו את חרבות הבית תחת גל של אשפה, ויפנהו המלך. המלך בעצמו נקה את החרבות עד אשר טהר המקום ההוא כליל, אחרי כן בנה את הכל מחדש, זולתי כותל המערבי, ויבן שם היכל נהדר מאד אשר הקדישו לאלוהיו
The Ishmaelite king, who vowed to return and rebuild the ruins of the Temple, with Hashem giving the Holy City into his hand, asked the Jews to show him the place of those ruins, since the Christians, due to their hatred for G-d's people, had made those ruins into a place of refuse, until no man knew where they were. There was then an old [Jewish] man who said to the king, 'If the king will swear to leave the Western Wall, I will reveal to him the place of the Temple ruins.' Immediately, the king placed his hand on the old man's thigh and swore to do as he asked. The old man showed him the ruins of the House under a mound of refuse, and the king cleared it away. The king himself cleaned the ruins until he had purified that place completely, after which he rebuilt everything anew, except for the Western Wall, and built there a very splendid sanctuary, which he dedicated to his god.
Admittedly, this account contains some inaccuracies. Umar certainly did not vow to rebuild the Temple, nor did he build the Dome of the Rock—it was the Caliph Abd al-Malik about 50 years later. But the core of the story matches what we already know from other sources: that Umar himself dealt with clearing the refuse on the Temple Mount and the core mesorah that the Dome of the Rock was built over the site of the Beis Hamikdash.
In 1483, Rabbi Meshulam of Volterra visited Eretz Yisrael. There seemed to be a government ban on Jewish entry to the Har Habayis at that time, yet his description of the site gives a clear impression of being written by someone who personally ascended and saw the Temple Mount with his own eyes [it is possible that he dressed as an Arab to gain access] (Otzar Masaos, p. 100):
וסביב למקדש יש וולטי עם עמודים, היינו מבפנים על רצפה גדולה, אשר היא תוך בית המקדש... ולצד מערב בתוך הרצפה יש מקום גבוה כמו שלש אצבעות, ואומרים כי היא אבן שתייה. ולשם כפה גדולה ומוזהבת בתכלית היופי מרובעת כמו עשרים או אולי כמו שלשים אמה הריבוע האחד וכסו אותה הישמעאלים עופרת, ואומרים כי הוא בית קדש קדשים בלי ספק
And surrounding the Temple are arcades with pillars, that is, inside upon a great level area which is within the Sanctuary compound… And to the western side within the level area is an elevated place about three fingerbreadths high, and they say this is the Even Shesiya. And there is a great and exceedingly beautiful gilded dome, square-shaped about twenty or perhaps thirty cubits to a side, and the Ishmaelites have covered it with lead, and they say undoubtedly this is the Holy of Holies.
In 1488, Rabbeinu Ovadiah of Bartenura arrived in Eretz Yisrael from Italy. In his detailed letters about the holy sites he visited, he writes this about Har Habayis (Otzar Masaos, p. 119):
וגם חקרתי על אבן השתיה ששם היה הארון מונח, ורבים אומרים כי היא תחת כיפה אחת יפה גבוה, אשר בנו הישמעאלים במקדש, וסגורה בתוך הכיפה ההיא, ואיש לא יבא שמה, היינו אל מקום אבן השתיה, כי הכיפה גדולה מאד
I also inquired about the Even Shesiya upon which the Aron rested, and the masses say that it is under the one beautiful, tall dome that the Ishmaelites built in the Temple, and it is enclosed within that dome, and no man may enter there, that is, to the place of the Even Shesiya, for the dome is exceedingly large...
[It appears that Rabbeinu Ovadiah held the mesorah to be definite, as he referred to the Dome of the Rock in his other writings as “Beis Mikdasheinu.” The phrase "and the masses say" likely means that in his inquiries, he found this was not mere legend but a widely held tradition. Importantly, there were already some 250 Jewish households living in Jerusalem at that time.]
In a letter written by one of Rabbeinu Ovadiah’s students in 1496, the student mentions that the wife of Rabbi Moshe of Luborgo visited Har Habayis with the help of an Arab noblewoman (Iggeres Eretz Yisrael, p. 159):
… המקום הקדוש ונורא. וסמוך אליו יש מדרש שלמה המלך ע"ה. ולא יכנסו בהם רק הישמעאלים לבדם. ומרת שטייל"א תמ"א (תבורך מנשים אמן) אשת כ"מ משה מלובורגו יצ"ו ראתה היא בפנים, באמצעות עירונית ישמעאלית, אשה חשובה היושבת סמוך למדרש. ושמעתי מפי מרת שטייל"א כי הוא בנין אבנים יפים עד מאד, בהירים כעצם השמים לטוהר, ולמעלה ציפויו זהב טהור מעשה ידי אומן. אבל בבית עצמו לא ראתה בפנים
There stands the holy and awesome place [the Dome of the Rock]. And next to it stands the building of Medrash Shlomo. And none enter them except the Ishmaelites alone. And Lady Shteil'a may she be blessed among women, amen, wife of the honorable Rabbi Moshe of Luborgo, may the Righteous One protect and redeem him, she saw the inside [Temple Mount] by means of an Ishmaelite city woman, an important lady living nearby. And I heard from the mouth of Lady Shteil'a that it is a building of very beautiful stones, bright as the essence of the heavens in purity, and above its covering is pure gold, the work of a skilled craftsman. But inside the Temple itself, she did not see...
The writer does not mention any halachic issue with the Jewish woman's entry onto the Temple Mount, nor any rebuke made to her by the Rabbanim of Yerushalayim, headed by Rabbeinu Ovadiah. Clearly, Rabbeinu Ovadiah relied on this mesora to only forbid entry to the Dome of the Rock itself but did not see any reason to prevent entry to the outer areas of the Temple Mount.
In 1516, with the Ottoman conquest of Jerusalem, Sultan Suleiman upheld the ban and prohibited all non-Muslims from entering any part of the Temple Mount. The Sultan also instituted that no Jewish prayer be allowed by the Temple Mount’s eastern wall. A tiny site for Jewish prayer was allocated in a small alley by the western wall of the Temple Mount, known today as the Kosel, and it is assumed that this is when Jewish prayer first began there (showcasing that the minhag to daven at the kosel is some 500 years old, and it was only established because there was no other option allowed…).
Yet, Muslim court records from that period show that there were still some Jews who somehow managed to ascend the Temple Mount to pray. There are also many accounts by our chachamim of that period who continually reference the mesorah that the site of the Even Shesiya is located inside the Dome of the Rock.
In 1520, the Mekubal Rav Avraham ben Eliezer HaLevi, when describing the site, identifies the Dome of the Rock as standing over the Kodesh Hakadashim (Iggeres Yerushalmis, p. 39):
כי יש על קדש הקדשים כפה גדול המחופה באבר, ועליה עמוד נחשת, ובראשו כדמות חצי ירח נוטה לנגב כי שם עיר תפלתם
For there is over the Kodesh Hakadashim a great dome covered in lead, and upon it a brass pillar, and at its top is the likeness of a crescent moon inclined towards the south [Mecca], for there is the direction of their city of prayer…
In 1521, Rabbi Moshe Bassola arrived in Jerusalem from Italy. In his writings about his trip, he refers to the Dome of the Rock as the Beis Hamikdash (Otzar Masaos, p. 145):
כשאדם עומד בראש הר הזתים ומביט נגד ירושלם רואה כל בית המקדש, החצר והגנות... וקרוב לבית המקדש מצד דרום בנין קורים לו ׳מדרש שלמה׳… כי בבית המקדש יש לישמעאלים קובה עגולה ויש בראשה עמוד גדול של מתכת ודמות ירח בולט הפוך לצד דרום
When one stands on the Mount of Olives and looks towards Jerusalem, one sees the entire Beis Hamikdash, the courtyard, and the gardens… And near the Beis Hamikdash to the south [of the Mount] is a building called Medrash Shlomo... For over the Beis Hamikdash, the Ishmaelites have a round dome, and at its top is a great metal pillar with the figure of a protruding crescent moon facing south.
Around 1537, the sefer Yachas HaAvos, a comprehensive guide describing all the holy sites and Kivrei Tzaddikim, was completed in Eretz Yisrael. It features a long perek on Yerushalayim and the holy sites within:
בית המקדש חרב בעונותינו... ובבית המקדש שתי כפות גדולות מכוסות מבחוץ בעופרת ובפני(ם) רצופות בקצת זהב ואבנים טובות. הגדולה שבהם היא קובת העזרה והוא מקום קדשי הקדשים ובתוכה אבן שתיה, והכפה השניה קורין לה מדרש שלמה ע"ה
The Beis Hamikdash lies in ruins due to our sins… And in the Beis Hamikdash there are two great domes covered externally in lead and internally lined with some gold and precious stones. The larger of them is the Dome of the Azara, and it is the place of the Kodesh Hakadashim and within it is the Even Shesiya. And the second dome they call Medrash Shlomo.
In 1553, Rabbi David ibn Zimra (Radvaz), Chief Rabbi of Cairo, who was also the famed rebbi of Rabbi Yitzchok Luria (Ari z”l), arrived in Yerushalayim. He briefly lived in the holy city before moving to Tzfas, where he lived until his passing in 1574. He wrote many responsa, including on where one may enter on Har Habayis (Teshuvas Haradvaz, chelek 2, 691):
וזה כי הדבר ברור שתחת הכיפה שם אבן השתיה בלי ספק הנקרא אצלם אלסכרא... מ"מ אין ספק כי האבן הזאת, אשר תחת הכיפה, היא אבן השתיה אשר עליה היה הארון בבית קדש הקדשים לצד מערב. הילכך מי שעולה בעליות אשר לרוח מערב, או הנכנס לראות מהפתח אשר לצד מערב, צריך לשער שיהיה בינו לבין הכיפה יותר מאחד עשר אמה — שכך היה בין כותל מערבי של העזרה לכותל ההיכל… יש לתת טעם למנהג שנהגו כל העולם לעלות באותם עליות לראות משם את הבית כולו... שוב ראיתי וכן אמרו לי בני אדם היודעים לשער שאין לך פתח ולא עלייה שלא תהיה רחוקה מהכיפה כפי השיעור אשר כתבתי הילכך מותר להתקרב אל הפתחים ולעלות אל העליות
For this matter is clear—that under the Dome is the Even Shesiya without a doubt, which they call ‘Al-Sakhrah’... Nevertheless, there is no doubt that this stone, which is [located] under the Dome, is the Even Shesiya upon which the Aron stood in the Holy of Holies towards the west. Therefore, one who ascends to the upper floors that are to the west side, or one who enters to view from the entrance that is on the west side, needs to estimate that he will be more than eleven cubits away from the Dome—for such was the distance between the western wall of the Azara and the wall of the Heichal… This explains the minhag that the entire world practices to ascend those elevated areas to see the entire Sanctuary from there… Again, I saw, and people knowledgeable to estimate told me, that there is no gate or elevated area that is not distanced from the Dome of the Rock by the measurement that I wrote. Therefore, it is permissible to approach the gates and ascend the elevated areas.
In this teshuva, the Radvaz details exactly up to where it is permitted to enter on the Temple Mount, based on the clear and unequivocal mesora that the Dome of the Rock stands over the Even Shesiya, which he states as a davar baror. Accordingly, the precise area of the Azara, into which it is forbidden for a tamei mes to enter, can clearly be calculated. The Radvaz also mentions in this teshuva that this isn't just theoretical but that this was the universal minhag of those who lived in Yerushalayim to go up to the Har and to avoid the area of Machane Shechina, rather than avoid the Har completely.
In 1567, Rav Zechariah, one of the great poets of Yemenite Jewry, known as Yahya Al-Zahri, visited Jerusalem. He wrote down his descriptions of his travels in his Sefer Hamusar, and there he mentions that he ascended to the Temple Mount (Iggeres Eretz Yisrael, p. 207):
ואלך בחוצות העיר / ולבי בקרבי הבעיר / על עיר אבותי וחרבותיה / ותוקף שוממותיה / והייתי מתהלך בהר הבית / ואסב שבתי תחת עצי זית
And I will walk the streets of the city / And my heart within me will burn / For the city of my fathers and its ruins / And the force of its desolation / And I would walk on the Temple Mount / And circle my dwelling under olive trees...
Rav Yosef Trani, the Maharit, also paskened that one may enter the Har after tevilah, as he himself did in 1595 (Derech Hakodesh, Kedusha Asiris, 3):
מותר ליכנס שם כשטיבול… לפנים בהר הבית, וכאשר זיכני ה׳ לעלות וליראות שם את פני ה׳… זיכני ה' לעלות בהר ה' בתוככי ירושלים תוב"ב להסתופף בחצרותיו ולבקר בהיכלו השמם
It is permitted to enter there, after immersion... further into the Temple Mount, as I had the merit when Hashem allowed me to ascend and see his ‘face’ there… Hashem allowed me to ascend his mountain amid Jerusalem to shelter in His courtyards and dwell in His desolate sanctuary.
In 1605, the Mekubal Rav Mordechai HaCohen, who was a talmid of a talmid of the Arizal, mentions the mesora while lamenting that the site of the Even Shesiya is occupied by the Yishmaelim (Sifsei Cohen, Parshas Bereshis):
איך מקום השכינה מצומצם בין בדי הארון לפני ולפנים, מקום שאפילו כהן גדול לא היה נכנס אלא פעם אחת בשנה אחר כמה טבילות וקידושין... איך עתה הוא בית תורפה של ישמעאלים
How the place of the Divine Presence is confined between the poles of the Aron in the Holy of Holies, a place where even the High Priest would enter only once a year after several immersions and sanctifications... how it is now a place of shame for the Ishmaelites.
In 1621, the Shelah Hakadosh, Rav Yeshaya Horowitz, moved to Eretz Yisrael and settled in Yerushalayim, becoming the Rav of the Ashkenazi Kehilla there. Responding to a letter from Rav Meshulam, the Av Beis Din of Krakow, who questioned how he could live in Jerusalem due to the uncertainty of where the Beis Hamikdash stood in the city, the Shelah wrote back forcefully (Iggeres Hashelah, Al yad 15, p. 247):
דע אהובי שלא נעלם ממני כי דברי מעלת כבוד תורתו הם לשם שמים, אבל מכאן והלאה לא ישמע על פיך פה קדוש לדבר כן, להוציא לעז על דירת ירושלים אף עתה בחורבנה. כי מעלת כבוד תורתו דן על פי השמועה, וכל האדם כוזב. דע כי מעולם לא היה ספק במקום בית המקדש, כמו שאין ספק שהיה בית המקדש ושיהיה בית המקדש, כך אין ספק במקום בית המקדש כי הוא זה, ולא היה נתעלם מן העין אפילו רגע אחד. אף על פי שהיתה ירושלים הולכת מממלכה לממלכה, מכל מקום לא נפסקה הקבלה והידיעה
Know, my beloved, that I realize that the words of your Torah honor are intended for the sake of Heaven, but from now on, let it not be heard from your holy mouth to speak thus, to slander dwelling in Jerusalem even now in its destruction. For your Torah honor is ruling based on hearsay, and mankind is unreliable. Know that there was never doubt about the location of the Beis Hamikdash, just as there is no doubt that there once was a Beis Hamikdash and that there will be a Beis Hamikdash, so too there is no doubt about the location of the Beis Hamikdash that it is this, and it was never hidden from sight even for a moment. Even though Jerusalem went from kingdom to kingdom, nevertheless, the tradition and knowledge were not lost.
In 1631, Rav Yoel Sirkis wrote his sefer, Bayis Chadash (Bach) on the Tur, in which he paskened like the Radvaz regarding seeing the Dome of the Rock (Orach Chaim 561):
כשאדם בא לירושלים ורואה את הקובה של בית המקדש שהיא עזרה, אז חייב להשתחוות כנגדה ולקרוע את בגדיו
When a person arrives in Jerusalem and sees the Dome of the Temple, which is the Azara, then he is obligated to prostrate himself toward it and rend his garments.
Rav Nosson Schapira, who served as the Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi in Yerushalayim, published his sefer Tuv Ha’aretz in 1655. In the sefer, he laments that the site of the Beis Hamikdash had become a Mosque for the Yishmaelim:
ואמנם יש לדקדק עתה שמקום הבית נעשה ׳בית מרגז׳ לישמעאלים, ומאי איכא למימר
And indeed, one must examine now that the place of the Beis [Hamikdash] has become a ‘house of trembling [Mosque]’ for the Ishmaelites, and what is there to say?"
Rav Chaim Alpandri arrived in Jerusalem circa 1699 and ascended to the Har. In his sefer Derech Hakodesh, written in 1714, he discusses the halacha on whether it is permitted for one to ascend being that we are tamei (Kedusha Shelishis, 2):
וצריך להודיע בזמן הזה בעוונותינו שאנחנו כזבין וטמאי מת אם מותרים אנו ליכנס תוך הר הבית... והרואה יראה, שאם היה חוט מתוח מכותל מערבי שלא זזה משם שכינה, מקרן דרומית שלה עד הצפון במדה שאדם מודד ת"ק אמה, נכנס בתוכו מקום מסילה זאת לפנים הר הבית, וכאשר זיכני ה' לעלות ולראות שם את פני השם
And we must clarify in this time, due to our sins that we are impure as zavin and tamei mes, if we are permitted to enter within the Temple Mount… and one who examines will see, that if one draws a line from the Western Wall [of the Azara] where the shechinah never left, from its southern corner to its north, measuring 500 amos, one will find a place where one may walk within the Temple Mount, as Hashem gave me the personal merit to ascend and see there the face of Hashem.
In 1733, Rav Moshe Chagiz, who was born in Yerushalayim, published his sefer Eleh Maasos, which describes Eretz Yisrael. In it, Rav Chagiz decries the terrible ‘minhag’ that the Arabs would place their dead on the exposed stone of the Even Shesiya inside the Dome of the Rock before burial. (Eleh Maasos, 12a):
ועינינו הרואות שחזיון נבואותו של ר' אלעזר בן ערך נתקיים כעת בעוונותינו הרבים, שהישמעאלים מכניסים מתיהם קודם קבורה על אבן השתיה, שהיא בכפת קודש הקדשים
Our eyes witness that Rabbi Elazar ben Arach's prophetic vision has now been fulfilled, sadly, due to our many sins. The Ishmaelites brought their dead before burial onto the Even Shesiya, which is in the Dome of the Kodesh Hakadashim.
In 1776, Rav Chaim Yosef David Azulai, who was born in Jerusalem, published the Birkei Yosef. Regarding entering the Har, he writes (Birkei Yosef, 561:3):
מותר להתקרב אל פתחי בית המקדש וליכנס לעליות אשר סביב בית המקדש. הרדב"ז בתשובה סימן תרצ"א. ועיין בספר דרך הקדש למהרח"א
It is permitted to approach the entrances of the Temple and to enter the upper chambers surrounding the Temple. This is according to the Radvaz in his responsa, section 691. And see the book Derech HaKodesh by Maran Harav Chaim Alpandri.
As we have brought both mekoros above, it is clear that the Birkei Yosef is relying on their psakim that the Even Shesiya is inside the dome of the rock, and therefore we know the clear boundaries as to where one can enter into. The specific entrances and chambers mentioned are are on the har but not within the boundaries of Machane Shechina, as such, one is permitted to enter them.
In 1780, Rav Yaakov Chai Zerihan visited the Machkima, the former Islamic Supreme Council building, which stands over the right side of the Kosel. Part of the building stands over the threshold of Har Habayis. He writes (Responsa Hilchos Ishus, Beis Habechira 78b):
וגם אני נכנסתי בשנת סת"ר, ושם חלונות פתוחים אל האויר של הר הבית, ועמדתי שם בתוך החלון ובלתי כוונה ירדו רגלי מהחלון אל הקרקע, היינו לפנים מכותל המערבי, וזה הוא הבית הגדול, כי משם משקיף על כל שטח הקרקע של בית קדשנו, הר הבית והעזרות והכפה הדולה
And I too entered [into the Machkima] in the year 5540, and there were great windows open to the air of the Temple Mount, and I stood there within the window and without intention my feet descended from the window to the ground, that is, inside from the Western Wall, and this is the great house, for from there one overlooks the entire area of the ground of our Sanctuary, the Temple Mount and the courtyards and the Great Dome.
In circa 1818, the Sharei Teshuva, Rav Chaim Mordechai Margolius paskened (Sharei Teshuva Orach Chaim 561:5):
עיין ברדב"ז סי' תרצ"א שכתב שמותר להתקרב אל פתחי בית המקדש וליכנס לעליות אשר סביב בית המקדש ועיין בספר דרך הקודש למהר"א ז"ל
See Radvaz, section 691, who wrote that it is permitted to approach the entrances of the Temple and to enter the upper chambers surrounding the Temple. Also see Derekh HaKodesh by Maran Harav Alpandri of blessed memory.
In the 1820s, Rav Akiva Eiger and his son-in-law, Rav Moshe Sofer, wrote many letters to each other discussing the various halachic issues regarding bringing Korbanos practically. After a long back and forth, both agreed that it is not only permitted but a great mitzvah to offer korbanos on the makom hamizbeach on the Har (showcasing that they adhered to the mesorah of where the Beis Hamikdash stood on the Har). Yet, the Chasam Sofer sadly replied that bringing a korban wasn’t a practical option due to the Muslim leadership of that time (Chasam Sofer, Yoreh Deah 236):
יקרת קדשו הגיעני, ומה שכתב מורי הרב לבקש משרי ירושלים ליתן רשות להקריב, הוא קפדן גדול, כי ההוא אמר לבל יקרב שם מי שאינו מאמונת ישמעאל כי שם נבנה בית עבודה שלהם, ואומרים שאבן שתייה באמצע הכיפה ההיא, ולא יקרב שם איש זר שאינו מאמונתם
Your precious holiness has reached me, and what my teacher and rabbi wrote about requesting permission from the rulers of Jerusalem to offer sacrifices, he [the Muslim ruler] is very strict, and he declared that he would not allow anyone who is not of Muslim faith to worship there, for their house of worship is built there, and they say that the Even Shesiya is in the middle of that dome, and no stranger who is not of their faith may worship there.
In 1833, Rav Menachem Mendel of Kaminetz arrived in Eretz Yisrael, where he spent the next four years. He visited Yerushalayim and wrote about the Har in his sefer (Sefer Koros Haitim L’yeshurun B’eretz Yisrael):
ולפנים מחומת הר הבית לצד דרום, נטועים בו ארזים נגד חלונו של בית מדרש שלמה, וסמוך לצד צפון על אבן השתיה עומדת בית תפילה של הישמעאלים
And inside the wall of the Temple Mount to the south, cedars are planted opposite the window of Beis Medarsh Shlomo, and closer to the north side, over the Even Shesiya, stands the prayer house of the Ishmaelites...
In 1833, the gaon and mekubal, Rav Yehosef Schwartz, immigrated to Jerusalem from Germany. In 1845, he published a series of sefarim that discuss many sugyos regarding various halachos relevant to Eretz Yisrael. One of the sugyos he discussed is regarding the boundaries of the Temple Mount and where it is permitted to enter (Tevuos Ha'aretz):
לפי אומד דעתי שחשבתי ומדדתי בראות עיני, רחוק כותל מערבי מכותל הבנין הגדול הכיפה הגדולה אשר בו האבן השתיה שקורין א"ל סאכר"א בערך שבעים אמה... היוצא לנו מזה, שמותר ואין ספק בדבר, שמותר להכנס בשערי הר הבית, ולא כנוהגין שמתרחקין ועומדין מחוץ לשערים בחשבם שסמוך לשערים פנימה מתחלת ספק קדושת הבית
According to my estimate that I calculated and measured with my own eyes, the Kosel Hamaaravi is about 70 amos distance from the wall of the large building with the large dome where the Even Shesiya is, which they call Al-Sakhra... The conclusion from this is that it is permitted, and there is no doubt in the matter, that it is permitted to enter the gates of the Temple Mount, and not as those who practice to distance themselves and stand outside the gates, thinking that near the gates inwards begins the doubt of the sanctity of the House...
In 1836, Rav Yisrael of Shklov, one of the last talmidim of the Vilna Gaon and a founding member and rav of the Yishuv of the Gr”a’s talmidim that immigrated to Eretz Yisrael, wrote his sefer, Pe’as Hashulchan, on the halachos hateluyos ba’aretz of Eretz Yisrael not covered in the Shulchan Aruch. Regarding the halachos of seeing the makom hamikdash, he paskens like the mesorah that the dome stands over the site of the Mikdash (Pe’as Hashulchan, Hilchos Eretz Yisrael, 3:2):
הרואה ירושלים בחורבנה… וכשרואה הקובה שעל מקום מקדש אומר "בית קדשינו ותפארתינו אשר הללוך בו אבותינו היה לשריפת אש וכל מחמדינו היה לחרבה", וישתחוה כנגדה, ויקרע את בגדיו ויבכה ויתאונן ויתאבל על החורבן בהמ״ק ולבכות מרה ולקונן
One who sees Jerusalem in its destruction... And when one sees the dome that is on the site of the Temple, one says: "Our holy and beautiful house, where our fathers praised You, has been burned by fire, and all our pleasant things are laid waste." And one should prostrate towards the dome and tear one's garments and weep and lament and mourn over the destruction of the Temple, and cry bitterly and lament...
After the Crimean War (1856), non-Muslim access to the Har was once again allowed. Many non-Muslims took advantage of the opportunity to visit the historic site, including Jews. One of the more famous visitors was philanthropist Sir Moses Montefiore, who visited the Temple Mount in 1867. [While the Rabbanim of Yerushalayim decried his entry, their reasons were that Sir Moses was carried in a box into Machane Shechina, as he erroneously beleived that doing so would allow him to avoid the issur of a tamei mes entering that area.]
In 1868, Rav Yaakov Ettlinger, the Aruch Laner, wrote about the tremendous issur of entering the Kodesh Hakadashim nowadays. Through his words, it is clear that he relied on the mesorah and therefore knew where the Kodesh Hakadashim is, as he mentions that it can be seen nowadays (Bnei Tzion, 2):
ועל כניסה במקום קודש הקדשים, שהוא המקום ששם עדיין אבן השתיה נראה, חייב מיתה בידי שמים
And regarding entering the place of the Holy of Holies, which is the place where the Even Shesiya is still visible, one is liable to death by the hands of Heaven.
In circa 1870, Rav Eliyahu Guttmacher, together with Rav Tzvi Hirsh Kalischer, both talmidim of Rav Akiva Eiger, wrote extensively regarding the ability to do the Avoda. Rav Guttmacher theorized that since we can see the Even Shesiya, we can just measure to find the precise location of the Mizbeach (Responsa R. Eliyahu Guttmacher, 16):
יש לנו מדידה לכל הפחות מן האבן שתיה. וידוע לרבים... שהאבן שתיה עדיין שם בבית התפילה שלהם
We can at least measure from the Even Shesiya. And it is known to all... that the Even Shesiya is still there in their house of prayer.
In 1899, Rav Yisrael Meir Kagan, the Chofetz Chaim, mentions the mesora regarding bringing karbanos nowadays (Likutei Halachos, Zevachim 55b):
ומכל מקום נראה פשוט, דעל כל פנים אם על מקום ההיכל בנוי איזה בנין, כמו שבנוי היום בעוונותינו הרבים
Nevertheless, it seems simple, that at least if some building is built over the place of the Heichal, as is the case today, due to our many sins...
In 1904, Rav Yaakov Chaim Sofer moved to Eretz Yisrael from Baghdad and settled in Jerusalem. In 1909, he became the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Shoshanim L’dovid and began writing the Kaf Hachaim on Orach Chaim. After discussing the halachos of tearing kriya when seeing the makom hachurban, he then definitively paskens like the Radvaz and the Mesorah regarding where one may enter on the Har (Kaf Hachaim, Orach Chaim 561:8):
מותר להתקרב אל פתחי בית המקדש וליכנס לעליות אשר סביב בית המקדש. הרדב"ז בתשובת סימן תרצ"א. ברכי יוסף אות ג'. שערי תשובה אות ה'
It is permitted to approach the entrances of the Temple and to enter the upper chambers surrounding the Temple. This is according to the Radvaz in his responsa, section 691. Birkei Yosef, note 3. Sha'arei Teshuvah, note 5.
The British captured Eretz Yisrael during World War One in 1917. During their mandate, non-muslims were permitted entry to the Har under the watchful eye of the Islamic Wakf. Visitors were required to use a guidebook written by the Mufti of Jerusalem. On the very first page, talking about the history of the site, the guide openly states that is the site where Solomon built the Temple and where King David built a mizbeach without dispute! (While this is not a halachic raya, it does showcase that this was the mainstream Muslim belief until it became inconvenient for them.)
During that time, seeing as many irreligious Jews were entering the Temple Mount without care of where it is forbidden to enter and without prior Tevila or shmiras hamikdash, many of the Rabbanim of Jerusalem, including Rav Avraham Yitzchok Hakohen Kook, issued statements forbidding entry to the Har. Yet there were still Rabbanim who ascended in accordance with Halacha.
[It is important to point out here that when asked by the British Governor about his ban, Rav Kook clarified that he only meant to forbid entry to the actual location of the Mikdash on the Har, not the entire Temple Mount (Otzros Harav Avraham Yitzchok Hakohen, chelek 2, p. 354):
?ש. אמרת שפרסמת הזהרה למקרים היהודים שלא ללכת לשטח החאראם
ת. התכוונתי רק לשטח בית המקדש העתיק
Q: You said you published a warning for Jewish visitors not to go to the area of the Haram [Haram al-Sharif—one of the names of Har Habayis in Arabic]?
A: I only meant [to forbid entry to] the area of the Beis Hamikdash.
Rav Kook’s grandson, Rav Shlomo Eliyahu Raanan, HYD, also wrote that his grandfather never meant to forbid entry to machane leviya to those who prepared properly (Neshama Shel Shabbos, p. 710):
מצטרף אני בזה לקריאת הרבנים הממליצים לעלות להר הבית במקומות המותרים, כי זה דבר ברור ללא צל של ספק כי הסבא רבינו הרב אברהם יצחק הכהן קוק ובנו הרב צבי יהודה קוק זצ״ל לא אסרו לעלות במקומות המותרים. ובודאי מצוה גדולה לרשת את המקום המקודש מידי זרים ואף ורק באופן המותר
I add myself to the list of Rabbanim who encourage those who ascend to the Temple Mount in the places that it is permitted to enter. It is clear beyond doubt that my grandfather, Rav Avraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook, and his son, Rav Tzvi Yehuda Kook zt”l, never forbade ascending the Temple Mount to the areas that are permitted. It is certainly a great mitzvah to conquer the place of the Temple from the hands of strangers, but only through permitted means.]
In 1925, Rav Shmuel Horowitz, one of the leaders of the Breslover Chassidim in Yerushalayim, writes how he and his kehilla were zocheh to be oleh laregel on Har Habayis (Yemei Shmuel, p. 87):
ואחר כך [אחרי התפילה ליד הכותל המערבי] הלכנו לעלות לרגל עד הר הבית, עד למקום המקדש עד המקום שמותר לטמאי מת לילך בו, ואמרנו 'ומפני חטאינו' ו'מלך רחמן', אבל הכל בעל פה, כי להביט בסידור לא היו מניחים הקויים והשמש הערבי של מקום המקדש בשום אופן... כי יראים שלא יפעלו בתפילה להגאל, ואף על פי כן עשינו שם איזה פעמים בעלותנו לרגל ריקוד גדול במעגל בניגון, והשמש הגוי הנזכר לעיל ראה ובערה בו חמתו אבל לא יכול לעשות כלום
And afterwards [after praying by the Kosel] we went to oleh laregel to the Temple Mount, to the place of the Sanctuary, to the place where those who are Tamei Mes are permitted to go, and we said 'Umipnei Chataeinu' and 'Melech Rachaman', but all orally, for the Arab guards would not allow us to bring in any sidur in any way, for they were afraid that we would pray to be redeemed. And despite this, we danced there a few times upon our pilgrimage ascent a great circle dance with a melody, and the aforementioned gentile attendant saw and became enraged but could not do anything to stop us.
It is clear from his writing that the knowledge and mesora of where a tamei mes is allowed onto the Har Habayis was known to them, and they used it halacha l'maaseh when going up.
In the 1930s, Rav Shimon Sofer of Erlau (who was later murdered by the Nazis), the grandson of the Chasam Sofer, wrote teshuvos answering pressing questions about any potential issues that would prevent the possibility of offering a Korban Pesach. Addressing the question of how to know the precise location of the Mizbeach, Rav Sofer answered that one can simply rely on the known and accepted mesora regarding the identification of the various sites on the Temple Mount (Hisorirus Teshuva, Siman 280):
ימחול נא לי, הלא הר הבית ומקום העזרה והיכל במקומו עומד, נמדוד נא
Please forgive me, isn't the Temple Mount and the place of the Azara and the Heichal are still standing in their place? it is easy to measure...
Rav Shlomo Moshe Amar, former Israeli Sephardic Chief Rabbi, mentioned that his Rebbi, Rav Yaakov Nissan Rosenthal, went up to Har Habayis during the British Mandate (Gilyon Olam Katan).
Rav Tzvi Pesach Frank, Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem from 1936 to 1960, wrote in his teshuva that based on the psak of Rav Eliyahu Guttmacher, the location of the Mizbeach can easily be found by measuring the amos from the known location of the Even Shesiya (Mikdash Melech, pg 125):
והנה הגר"א מגריידיץ ז"ל העיר דיש לנו לברר מקום המזבח ע"י אבן השתיה הידוע גם היום ומקומו ניכר, וא"כ אפשר למדוד מאבן השתיה עד מקום המזבח
And behold, the Gaon Rav Eliyahu of Greiditz remarked that we should determine the location of the Mizbeach through the Even Shesiya known even today and its place is recognizable, and if so, it's possible to measure from the Even Shesiya to the place of the Mizbeach.
On May 28, 1948, during the Israeli War of Independence, the Old City fell and remained under Jordanian rule. The night before the final ceasefire that was set to go into effect on July 17th, a last-ditch attempt was set in motion to retake the Old City. Codenamed Operation Kedem, a joint attack of Hagana, Etzel, and Lechi forces were to storm the old city and recapture it. Included in Jerusalem Commander David Shaltiel’s preparation for this attack was a lamb without a mum, set aside to be the first korban offered on the newly captured Har. (We see that even those who weren't religious realized the importance of recapturing the Beis Hamikdash and bringing Korbanos!) Sadly, the attempt failed, and the Har would remain in Jordanian hands for 19 years.
Yet even during that tekufa, the mentions of the mesora continue. The Klozenberg Rebbe, Rav Yekusiel Yehuda Halberstam, wrote (Divrei Yatziv):
הנה ידוע שבכל הדורות היה שריד בית מקדשנו הכותל המערבי פתוח לרווחה לכל איש מזרע ישראל באין שום מעכב ומונע... כן גם בנוגע להר הבית והמקומות הקדושים סביב, שבדורות הראשונים לא היה מי שיעכב בעד בני ישראל את הכניסה אליו, והיו מי שעלו להתפלל בהר הבית עד הגבול שהיה ידוע להם בברור ששם מותר לטמאי מתים לגשת ולהתקרב, וכפי שמעיד הרמב"ם באגרתו
It is well known that in every generation, there was a remnant of our Holy Temple—the Western Wall, that was accessible to any Jew without any obstacle or prevention… Likewise, regarding the Temple Mount and the holy places around it, in the early generations, no one prevented the entry of the Children of Israel there, and there were those who ascended the Temple Mount to pray, up to the boundary known clearly to them where those that were tamei mes were permitted to approach and draw near, as Rambam attests in his letter...
Rav Yechiel Michel Tucazinsky, Rosh Yeshivas Eitz Chaim, mentions the mesorah in 1955 regarding the halachos of when one must rip kriya when seeing the makom hamikdash (Eretz Yisrael, siman 22):
כשרואה את ירושלים בחורבנה אומר "ציון מדבר היתה ירושלים שממה"... כשרואה מקום המקדש, משתחווה כנגדו ואומר הקרא "בית קדשנו ותפארתנו..." ראית מקום המקדש היא דווקא כשרואה את מקום העזרה, ולא כשרואה את מקום הר הבית... הנה לפי המושכל הראשון הרי זה כשרואה את רצפת העזרה, ולא כשרואה את כיפת המסגד שעל מקום המקדש. אולם ראיתי בב"ח ובבפאה"ש כתוב לאמור: כשרואה ה"קובה" של מקום המקדש אומר וכו
When one sees Jerusalem in its destruction, one says 'Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation'... When one sees the place of the Temple, one bows towards it and says the verse 'Our holy and beautiful house...' Seeing the place of the Temple specifically means when one sees the place of the Azara, not when one sees the Har Habayis... Now, I would think this means that this would be when one sees the floor of the Azara, and not when one sees the Dome of the mosque that stands on the place of the Mikdash. However, I saw in the Bach and in the Pri Chadash that they wrote: When one sees the 'dome' of the place of the Temple, one says, etc.
In 1964, Rav Moshe Feinstein, in a teshuva to his talmid Rav Epraim Greenblatt, discusses a question posed by the sefer Omer Hashkacha, as to why the ruling that it is forbidden to spit on Har Habayis which appears in the Mishna and Gemara was omitted from the Shulchan Aruch. Rav Greenblatt suggested an answer that since it is forbidden for anyone to enter Har Habayis due to us being tamei meis, the halacha was not relevant, and therefore it was omitted. Rav Moshe wrote back that this is not correct because there are certainly places on Har Habayis that are outside the boundaries of the Cheil where it is permitted for Tamei Mesim to enter, and one can easily be tovel to remove tumos that forbid entry into machaneh leviya. Therefore, the original question still stands (Iggres Moshe, Orach Chaim 4, chelek 2, 113):
הנה, יש מקום בהר הבית שמותרין טמאי מתים ליכנס לשם אפילו מדרבנן, שהוא עד החיל, שהיה לפנים מהסורג… הרי מותר מכל צד אף במערבי ליכנס טמאי מתים עד הסורג שהיה רוחב איזה אמות
Behold, there are places on Har Habayis where even those who are tamei mes are permitted to enter, even according to rabbinic law. This area extends up to the Cheil, which was inside the Soreg... Therefore, it is permitted from all sides, even on the western side, for those who are tamei mes to enter up to the Soreg, which is several amos wide.
[Since this teshuva was written three years before the six-day war, the question of whether Rav Moshe was in favor of people visiting the Har nowadays wasn’t relevant, as the Har was under Jordanian rule and wasn’t discussed in that teshuva. However, Rav Moshe’s son-in-law, Rav Moshe Tendler, said in the name of his shver that Rav Moshe Feinstein approved and supported those who go to the Har al pi halacha. Rav Tendler personally frequently ascended to the Har based on this psak. Another talmid of Rav Moshe, Rav Chaim Ozer Chait, Rosh Yeshivas Migdal Hatorah in Modiin, also frequently ascends to the Har in accordance with Rav Moshe.]
On the morning of June 7, 1967, the 55th Parachute and Jerusalem Brigades of the IDF entered the Old City of Jerusalem through the Lion’s Gate and liberated the Temple Mount. Col. Mordechai (“Motta”) Gur proudly proclaimed, “Har HaBayit BeYadenu! The Temple Mount is in our hands!” The focus of centuries of Jewish longing was now finally under our control for the first time since the Second Beis Hamikdash.
Yet, instead of immediately building the Beis Hamikdash and bringing korbanos, many rabbanim instead issued a kol koreh forbidding entry to the entire Har Habayis. [It is possible to be melamed zechus on that decision to issue a kol koreh, as many people were entering the Har shelo kehalacha, without tevilah, and some even entered machane shechina beshogeg, as most Jews weren’t knowledgeable of the halachos of ascending, let alone knowledgeable of the boundaries, as the har was off limits to them for so long.]
After the war, while Israel retained security control, the administration of the Temple Mount was entrusted to the Jordanian Waqf as a gesture of goodwill. As a result, only Muslims are allowed to pray and worship, but the non-Muslim public is only allowed to visit with restrictions in place aiming to preserve the site’s status quo. Oy mah hayah lanu!
Yet, even among those great Gedolim who signed the kol koreh and who held that practically it was assur to go up to the Har, their reasoning is not because we don’t know where the mikdash stood on the Har, rather it was to prevent those going up from entering the location of the Mikdash itself shelo kehalacha. This is evident from Rav Ovadia Yosef’s words on the subject, where we see that he accepted the mesorah that the Kodesh Hakadashim is inside the Dome of the Rock (Maadanei Melech1, p. 321):
אלה שנכנסים בעוונות הרבים, הם לא שואלים דת, לא שואלים חכמה, נכנסים אפילו למסגד עומר ששם ודאי היתה העזרה... מה דת יש לה אם נכנסת במקום כרת בבית קדשי הקדשים? נכנסת במסגד עומר בפנים
Those who enter, in our many sins, they don't consult religion, they don't consult wisdom, they enter even the Omar Mosque where certainly the Azara was... What religion do they follow if they enter a place of kares in the Holy of Holies? They entered inside the Omar Mosque.
[It is important to point out that there are talmidim of Rav Ovadia, Rav Shlomo Zalman, Rav Elyashiv, and many other great rabbanim who signed the kol koreh that are among those who ascend regularly. These talmidim have stated that they personally have received psakim from their gedolim to go up, that since they were knowledgeable to the halachos and the boundaries, they should ascend to Har Habayis. This showcases that even the gedolim who publicly forbade entry, privately paskened and allowed their talmidim, who they knew were knowledgeable in the sugya, to go. This could not be the case if there was even a tiny safek as to where the Beis Hamikdash stood on the Har. Clearly, their ban in the kol koreh was due to a hashkafic issue, not a halachic one.]
Yet, even after the publication of the kol koreh, there were still many rabbanim who continued to pasken that one may go up to the har based on the knowledge of the mesorah.
In 1979, Rav Saraya Diblitzky, a mekubal and posek, and a close talmid of the Chazon Ish, wrote a letter to Rav Ovadia Yosef asking him if the rav could explain exactly why he was against the establishment of a shul on Har Habayis, for there is for sure a place on the Har that entry is permitted kehalacha:
מה טוב ומה נעים היה אם כהדר״ג שליט״א היה משמיע דברו בקשר לבעיה נכבדה זו שעליה מדובר בקריאה המצרופת כי כפי שהוסבר לי הרי קיים מקום מסויים שלגביו אין שום חשש כניסה, וכדאי הדבר אם כהדר״ג שליט״א היה מייחד דברו בפרט למקום הזה מסויים, אשר ע״י אחיזתנו בו היית מתגברת אחיזתנו על כל מקום מקדשנו ותפארתנו שיבנה בב״א
How good and pleasant it would be if His Honor shlita would voice his opinion regarding this important issue that is discussed in the attached appeal. As it was explained to me, there exists a certain place regarding which there is no concern about entering. It would be worthwhile if His Honor shlita would specifically address this particular place, as by maintaining our hold on it, we would strengthen our hold on our entire holy and glorious Temple, may it be rebuilt speedily in our days.
In 1986, Rav Bentzion Mutzafi wrote a psak encouraging Yidden to daven on Har Habayis in the permitted areas:
מצוה רבה היא להשתדל ולהציל כל שניתן משטח הר הבית המקודש, ולהתפלל שם על הפדות והגאולה לשכינה ולישראל, רק במקומות המותרים להתפלל כפי שנהגו רבונינו הקדמונים ועל פי הוראת חכמינו בדור הזה.
It is a great mitzvah to strive and save whatever possible from the sacred area of the Temple Mount, and to pray there for the redemption and salvation of the Shechina and Israel, but only in places where it is permitted to pray, as was the custom of our rabbanim and according to the instructions of our sages in this generation.
There have also been kol korehs issued by many rabbanim calling for yidden to ascend to Har Habayis al pi halacha, and today there is a list of over 200 rabbanim and roshei yeshivos from around the world who rely on this great mesorah and support and encourage aliya l’har habayis al pi halacha.
In summary, we have traced the mesorah from the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash until nowadays, regarding the location of the Beis Hamikdash on Har Habayis, which places the Even Shesiya inside the Dome of the Rock. This mesorah is mentioned time and again throughout the doros, and is used by our great chachamim over all the generations to pasken halacha lemaaseh based on this mesorah.
If all we had was this mesorah, dayeinu, for we clearly pasken based on mesorah alone. When adding the mesorah to the information gleaned in the previous articles, such as the topography of the mountain, it becomes clear that there is simply no truth to the claim that we don't know where the Beis Hamikdash stood on Har Habayis.
Using the Even Shesiya as the starting point, together with the exact measurements of Mishnayos Middos, we can clearly map out where Machane Shechina stood and where it is assur for a tamei mes to enter. The rest of the Har is fully permitted to enter, provided that one purifies themselves prior and acts in accordance with Moreh Mikdash.
In the next article in this series, we will begin to explore the reasons why we should want to ascend.
The research for this article comes primarily from the sefarim Hamesores Al Makom Hamikdash, Hamakom Asher Bachar Hashem, L'maan Beis Hashem, and Har Habayis K'halacha.
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