Does Jewish Prayer On Har Habayis Cause Terror Attacks?

There are those who claim that frum yidden that visit Har Habayis to daven to Hashem are the direct catalyst for Muslim terror attacks on fellow Jews. Yet, this argument seems disingenuous.

First, it makes no sense based on the reality of the situation. The daily davening and minyanim take place in a secluded section on the east of Har Habayis, far from any Muslim worshipers and well out of their sight. The police create a buffer zone so no one can approach the group. It would be a real stretch to link a direct cause and effect from Jewish aliyah under these circumstances to terrorism. But it goes much deeper than that.

The simple truth of the matter is that Arab terrorists kill Jews; they don't require our "incitement" to do so. The Torah is very clear about this: They will not give us rest until we fulfill the mitzvah to “drive out our enemies” as it says in Sefer Bamidbar:

וְאִם־לֹ֨א תוֹרִ֜ישׁוּ אֶת־יֹשְׁבֵ֣י הָאָ֘רֶץ֮ מִפְּנֵיכֶם֒ וְהָיָה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר תּוֹתִ֣ירוּ מֵהֶ֔ם לְשִׂכִּים֙ בְּעֵ֣ינֵיכֶ֔ם וְלִצְנִינִ֖ם בְּצִדֵּיכֶ֑ם וְצָרְר֣וּ אֶתְכֶ֔ם עַל־הָאָ֕רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַתֶּ֖ם יֹשְׁבִ֥ים בָּֽהּ׃

And if you will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those remain will be as thorns in your eyes, and as pricks in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land wherein you dwell.

במדבר ל״ג, נ״ה

An Arab who attacks a Jew is simply a tool in Hashem’s hand to fulfill the Torah because we have not fulfilled what Hashem has commanded of us. Anyone who would refer to an oleh Har Habayis, or for that matter, any Jew living in Eretz Yisrael as an inciter, a rodef, or a grama to nezikin (indirect cause of damage) is denying Hashem's Torah.

Essentially those who make this claim are part of a hashkafa that champions an uneasiness to do certain mitzvos based on what the nations might think of us, and regrettably, it is not new at all. We've seen it as far back as the Meraglim. There, the majority of the Gedolim (the spies were from the sarei alafim!) were against going to Eretz Yisrael as it appeared that the inhabitants were too strong. The Torah reports:

וְהָ֨אֲנָשִׁ֜ים אֲשֶׁר־עָל֤וּ עִמּוֹ֙ אָֽמְר֔וּ לֹ֥א נוּכַ֖ל לַעֲל֣וֹת אֶל־הָעָ֑ם כִּֽי־חָזָ֥ק ה֖וּא מִמֶּֽנּוּ׃

The other men who had gone up with him said, “We cannot attack those nations, for they are stronger than we.”

במדבר יג, לא

Most of Am Yisrael believed them and followed their advice. Their punishment was severe: only two of the entire Jewish male population of 20-60 years old survived to enter our land.

The sad reality is that the psak to forbid Jews from going to Har Habayis after the Six-Day War in 1967 has signaled to the Arab world that we are not serious about rebuilding the Beis Hamikdash. Since then, as the Torah warned us, we have had intifada after intifada, and the greatest Chillul Hashem occurs daily on the Temple Mount, by Muslims who at best, merely play soccer, and at worst every Friday, are inspired to give their own lives and take as many Jews as they can with them.

Again and again, Hashem tells us that if we follow his mitzvos and don't constantly look over our shoulders as to what the nations may think, we will be successful. Every time we have tried to make other cheshbonos, it has backfired. We must do as we were tasked and not worry about what others might say or think.