Close to 800 people, including Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert, took part in a prayer march around the Temple Mount walls last night. Rabbi David Dudkevitch of Yitzhar was one of the participants in the event, which he described as more of a \"spiritual statement\" than a political one. He said that this was a re-enactment of an old Jewish custom to walk around the Temple Mount gates, and, \"as we have done often over the past years, in increasingly large groups, we recited Psalms and other prayers at different points along the way, and sang and danced at others...\"
Rabbi Dudkevitch emphasized that many national troubles stemmed in the past from the fact that the people were not sufficiently concerned about the Holy Temple. In addition, \"If we want to sustain our sovereignty in this Land, the very first place we must do this is here, at this site. We must ask ourselves how is it that we have lost our hold over Joseph\'s Tomb and other holy areas in the country? The answer lies in the fact that we concentrated on individual goals, even in terms of settlement in other parts of the Land, but without giving sufficient attention to G-d\'s House...\"
A group of Temple Mount Faithful continues its vigil outside the Prime Minister\'s home in the Negev, demanding that Judaism\'s most holy site be opened to Jewish visitors and not only to Moslems and tourists. Jews are permitted under Jewish Law to walk in certain areas of the Mount after immersing in a ritual bath and taking other precautions. The Chief Rabbinate, fearing that the sanctity of the spot might be abused, is against such visits.
Rabbi Dudkevitch emphasized that many national troubles stemmed in the past from the fact that the people were not sufficiently concerned about the Holy Temple. In addition, \"If we want to sustain our sovereignty in this Land, the very first place we must do this is here, at this site. We must ask ourselves how is it that we have lost our hold over Joseph\'s Tomb and other holy areas in the country? The answer lies in the fact that we concentrated on individual goals, even in terms of settlement in other parts of the Land, but without giving sufficient attention to G-d\'s House...\"
A group of Temple Mount Faithful continues its vigil outside the Prime Minister\'s home in the Negev, demanding that Judaism\'s most holy site be opened to Jewish visitors and not only to Moslems and tourists. Jews are permitted under Jewish Law to walk in certain areas of the Mount after immersing in a ritual bath and taking other precautions. The Chief Rabbinate, fearing that the sanctity of the spot might be abused, is against such visits.