The Western Wall is Muslim Property?

The Western Wall is Muslim Property?

Kislev 13, 5766/December 14, 2005



A major story in Israel this week reports the Palestinian claim that the Kotel, or Western Wall, is Muslim property. This should come as no surprise to all those who understand the true nature of the spiritual struggle being waged over the Temple Mount, Israel's heart and soul. It is a struggle which emanates from Mount Moriah and reverberates throughout the entire land; a struggle with implications not only for Jews the world over, but for all humanity. The prophet Isaiah, referring to the Third Temple, says that "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations." Yet today the forces of Islam celebrate the Temple's destruction and keep on destroying… finding more and more creative ways to rewrite history and fabricate a mythical Jerusalem where Jews never existed.

While no one should be surprised, many are indignant, dismayed and shocked at this new level of Moslem chutzpah. But as for us, we expected it to happen. And what disturbs us more is the reaction people are having to this affront to the honor and sanctity of the Western Wall. But what about the holy Temple Mount itself? Where was everyone while the Moslems have been systematically destroying remnants of the Holy Temple from the Temple Mount for years now? Why should we be surprised if the Moslems claim the kotel, too, as their own, if they have destroyed the Holy Temple all over again in broad daylight, under the open skies of the State of Israel, and this destruction has gone unchecked and unchallenged? The silence at the Temple Mount's degradation has been deafening. Why shout about the Western Wall?

We confront this provocative and important subject in this week's edition of Israel National Radio's new expanded, 2 hour weekly Temple Talk internet radio program. The show also features a discussion of the patriarch Yaakov's experience in Beit El, and his singular connection to the Third Temple, as well as a special spiritual insight into the secret of Chanukah… and much more.

Temple Talk can be heard or downloaded and saved from our Multimedia page. Live listeners to the show on Mondays now have the opportunity to communicate with the program's hosts directly during the broadcasts, to comment or pose questions. To learn more about Israel National Radio's "Virtual Studio" capabilities and technology, click here.

Please take note of an important new feature on the Temple Institute's web site, www.templeinstitute.org : An internal search engine which locates any word or phrase found on the site. This device can be accessed from the navigation bar at the top of each page, or from the bottom of each page. We hope this will enhance and improve your use of the site.

With blessings from Jerusalem,
Rabbi Chaim Richman - Yitzchak Reuven
The Temple Institute

PO Box 31876
Jerusalem, Israel 97500
www.templeinstitute.org