A new record was set today (Thursday) for the number of Jews ascending the Temple Mount, with 3,698 visitors marking Tisha B'Av at the site. Last year, 3,527 people visited the site on the same day.
Rabbi Elisha Wolfson, Rosh Yeshiva of the Temple Mount Yeshiva, said: "It is moving to see the masses of the House of Israel coming to visit the site of the Temple. Thank God, we were privileged to pray on the Mount using Tisha B'Av prayer booklets and beneath shade canopies in the eastern section. There is no doubt that the process of returning to Zion is making groundbreaking progress year after year."
"Now, after 59 years, the people of Israel are beginning to understand that the Holy One, blessed be He, has truly returned us to the site of the Temple," he said. According to Rabbi Wolfson, longing for Zion should not remain confined to prayer and aspiration but should also be expressed through actual visits to the Temple Mount, in accordance with the halachic guidelines that he emphasized.
Rabbi Wolfson described what he said has been a significant change on the Temple Mount over the past two years, particularly since National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir took office. He contrasted the current situation with the early years of the Temple Mount Yeshiva, about six years ago, when, he said, even silent prayer could result in police detention.
"Today there are songs, prayers, and prostration on the Temple Mount. And starting today, there are also shade canopies and Tisha B'Av prayer booklets," he said. Rabbi Wolfson called on the public to take part in the process by visiting the Temple Mount after making the required halachic preparations and by supporting the yeshiva's daily activities there.
According to him, the yeshiva's work is not limited to Tisha B'Av or Jewish holidays. Its students ascend the Temple Mount every day after immersing in a mikveh, study Torah, and maintain a regular presence at the site.
"We're carrying out an incredible revolution here and making these tremendous changes possible," he said.