When I started this substack, I had no idea that I would spend so much time focusing on current events. I certainly had no desire to. On antisemitism, yes, but I thought on a more academic level.
It seems that any time I sit down to write about a more esoteric or niche subject, the world breaks down, painful absurdity fills public discourse, and I feel compelled to address the ongoing madness instead.
Today is no different.
Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before
With palestinian terrorism gradually moving away from Soviet-influenced and Soviet-backed secular pan-Arabist groups to Muslim Brotherhood-influenced and Qatari/Iranian-backed groups, the rallying cries have also slowly morphed from secular to religious. That is not to say, of course, that Islam and clamors that Jews are taking over Muslim holy sites were not used in the past or that Islamic terrorists are a relatively recent innovation. Famously, the 1929 Hebron Massacre was incited over claims that Jews were taking over the Western Wall, and Hamas's roots can directly be traced to the creation of the Muslim Brotherhood's local chapter in 1935.
Still, even Arafat, before his life was cut short by AIDS, had fully embraced the religious rhetoric of his main rival, Hamas, by the time the Second Oslo War began. He popularized the claim that the Western Wall was the Al-Buraq Wall, where Mohammed's Buraq was tethered before ascending to heaven. Buraq being your average white half-mule half-donkey woman-headed peacock-tailed winged flying steed.
After the failure of the 2000 Camp David Summit, Arafat was furious and put in high gear a plan that had already been set in motion prior to his departure for America: a new "popular" revolution that his armed forces would stage wearing civilian clothing. For months, weapons were amassed, provisions stockpiled, and a waiting game began until the best possible excuse could be found to launch this "grassroots" conflict that would play so well in front of the cameras and ensure a steady flow of funds*.
Ariel Sharon's visit to the Temple Mount became the flashpoint that initiated a conflict that would take the lives of more than a thousand Israelis. Yet, it was an entirely artificial scandal even though it captured the popular imagination, and gullible western reporters were more than willing to serve as the PLO's mouthpiece. Strangely, they were only reluctant to quote them in such instances as them admitting it had been planned all along.
And today, history threatens to repeat itself. There are calls for yet another intifada, threats to revoke the Abraham Accords treaty, and international condemnations; the UN Security Council has even decided this was worth an emergency meeting.
All of this is because Itamar Ben-Gvir went and visited the Temple Mount.
*Arafat died with a personal fortune estimated to be worth between $1.3 billion to as high as $11 billion. No one said you can’t get rich off Jew hate.
A Wilde News Cycle
The news of UN condemnation first came as a relief to me; as someone who spends most of his day disconnected from the world, teaching in yeshiva, I don't follow the news closely. I was delighted to hear that every single problem in the world had been solved. After all, what is this controversy?
Let's take a look at it in its simplest form:
A Jew living in the Jewish State took a silent and contemplative stroll in a Jewish holy place.
This is it. That's the scandal. Nothing more, nothing less.
To highlight the absurdity, let's formulate it differently:
A Muslim living in Saudi Arabia took a silent and contemplative stroll in a Muslim holy place.
A Catholic living in the Vatican took a silent and contemplative stroll in a Catholic holy place.
A Hindu living in India took a silent and contemplative stroll in a Hindu holy place.
Can you ever imagine anyone but a Jew creating a worldwide brouhaha over a literal nothing?
Ben-Gvir did not desecrate the Mosque. He did not enter the Mosque. He did not taunt Muslim worshippers about how much better the place would look if it were razed. He didn't record himself playing football, holding a barbecue, or generally just having a good time with his pals.
He took a silent, contemplative stroll in Judaism's holiest site as Jew in the Jewish State. And the world exploded.
Let’s examine the foremost reactions to his visit:
Support for and/or encouraging the murder of Jews (calls for another intifada).
Arabs & Jews should return to war-like relations (Revoking the Abraham Accords)
This is something that concerns the entire world (UN Security Council meeting)
Forget about Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Muslims in concentration camps in China, the mass repression, rape, and murder of Iranian protestors, or any of the other 36 deadlier conflicts going on in the world right now.
All of this because a Jew in the Jewish State visited a Jewish holy place.
The worst part? There's not a single prominent world leader, media figure, or anyone in a position to speak on the world scene saying, "Literally nothing of note happened; no one died, was injured, or was desecrated. Stop being utterly insane." Instead, they are all tripping over each other in their attempt to see who can condemn Israel the hardest over this.
Oscar Wilde once quipped that "There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about." Clearly not a Jew. We could do with not being talked about for once.
Defending the Defensible
As a Haredi Jew, I utterly oppose the idea of going up the Temple Mount. I simultaneously burn with desire to go there, but I simply cannot because of what has been ruled by the great arbiters of Jewish Law of the last few centuries. They categorically forbid it.
Chacham Ovadia Yosef addressed the matter while answering the following question:
Question: Is there room nowadays to allow one to enter the boundaries of the Temple Mount?
Answer: [excised for brevity’s sake]
Summary: The prohibition to enter the Temple Mount is an absolute one agreed upon by the luminaries of the Land of Israel in the past several generations, from all different sects. This constitutes a doubtful Karet transgression which can lead to many other pitfalls which can, G-d-forbid, lead to Heavenly prosecution against the Jewish nation.
Since we believe in the sanctity of the Torah and its Sages, it is clear that the word of Hashem was spoken from their mouths and the actions and prayers of those who defy the luminaries of Israel shall not be accepted and will actually be considered abominable. Indeed, the verse states about such people, "When you come to be seen by Me, who asked this of you, to trample my courtyards?"
It’s worth reading his entire answer. Conversely, it’s true that there are indeed a minority of arbiters who allowed it, and those who go up have some opinions to rely on, but they are few and far between.
It doesn't change the fact that while I personally am opposed to this, it is 100% unacceptable for the world to react to a Jew going up to the Temple Mount with calls for our deaths, war, or international condemnation.
It is grotesque. It lays bare the fact that antisemitism is still extremely prevalent today.
Could you imagine if any politician espoused the idea that, for example, a black man should not be allowed to walk in a particular part of town, or it would be seen as a provocation and rightly lead to calls for the murder of blacks? That the government should make sure that it does not happen, or else it should receive international condemnation?
This is absolute madness. There are no other words for this. And so much for the idea that Europe had post-war residual guilt for its horrific actions during WWII. They’ve clearly moved on.
How To Fight Back?
You fight darkness with light. You fight craziness with sanity.
Billions of people are currently enraged, driven to bloodlust, due to the existence of a single Jew. Let them rage. Let them seethe. But don't let them win.
If the mere existence of a Jew is so powerful, imagine your power when you don't merely exist as a Jew but live as one. Truly embrace your Jewishness, reinforce it, and help others connect to them.
Fight their darkness with light:
Light Shabbat candles.
Put on Tefillin.
Get a tzedakah box, and start giving a few coins every day
Say some Psalms.
Reach out to an organization nearby & volunteer with them
Be more medakdek when fullfilling mitzvot.
etc
Fight insanity with sanity:
Start learning some Torah, starting with the daily portion alongside millions.
Pick up a Hebrew language class.
Order some books about Jewish history to connect to our heritage.
Reach out to your closest Chabad house and go for a Shabbat meal.
Add an extra seder to your limud.
etc
There are many, many more things you can do. You already do all of them? Then reach out to another Jew and help him fulfill some. Take one step, five steps, ten steps. Doesn't matter if they are big or small. What matters is that you don't exist but live as a Jew. Let them rage while we celebrate, let them go insane as we connect to ourselves.
May we all merit seeing the rebuilding of the Third Temple and the coming of Mashiach very soon. Then the world will finally recognize our right to be a Jew living in a Jewish State, visiting the Jewish holy of holies in purity.
Amen v'amen.
"What matters is that you don't exist but live as a Jew". Perfect summation. Thanks.
Yet another fantastic essay! Right on target again! Keep going!