Some truths about Jerusalem and the Temple Mount - YJ Draiman

Some truths about Jerusalem and the Temple Mount

Jerusalem - For over 3,300 years, Jerusalem has been the [sic] Jewish capital. Jerusalem has never been the capital of any Arab or Muslim entity. Even when the Jordanians occupied Jerusalem (1948-1967), they never sought to make it their capital, and Arab leaders did not come to visit.

 In the Jewish Bible, Jerusalem is mentioned over 669 times and Zion (which usually means Jerusalem or, sometimes, the Land of Israel) 154 times, for a total of 823 times. The Christian Bible mentions Jerusalem 154 times and Zion 7 times. Jerusalem is not mentioned once in the Koran. Jerusalem is also not mentioned in the Palestinian Covenant.

King David established the city of Jerusalem as the capital of the whole Land of Israel. Mohammed never came to Jerusalem. Jerusalem remained under Turkish Ottoman Empire rule from 1517 to 1917, and under British rule as trustee for the Jewish people from 1917 to 1948. The British violated that trust and that is part of the reason for the conflict and bloodshed.

 The Temple Mount in Jerusalem is the holiest site for Jews. It was the site of the Beit HaMikdash ("Temple") built by King Solomon (950 BCE), which was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar (587 BCE), rebuilt in 541 BCE, and then destroyed again by the Roman army in 70 CE. That final Roman destruction led to the exile of Jews from Israel. Al Aqsa Mosque and the Shrine of Omar on the current Temple Mount were built at the site of the ancient Jewish Temples. The Arabic name for Jerusalem, "el-KuDS", is derived from the Arabic name, "BeT el-MaKDeS", which is a translation of the Hebrew, "BeiT ha-MiKDaSH", the name of the Jewish Temple.

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While I can’t formally vouch for all of his (or her) numbers, I can tell you ‘YJ Draiman’ is, essentially, correct about how many times ‘Jerusalem’ and ‘Zion’ are mentioned in the Jewish Tanach. His/her numbers may be off by 10-15 per cent, but the singular inference of the comment is still valid: ‘Jerusalem’ and ‘Zion’ are mentioned so many times in the Jewish Tanach because they are important to Judaism. They are not mentioned in the Quran because they are not important to Islam.

Now, I’ve been told that ‘Jerusalem’ is in fact mentioned in the Quran—once or twice. I’ve also been told that Mohammed came once (or, perhaps, twice) to Jerusalem. I’d be happy if someone could confirm that.

Two or four references, however, don’t change anything. The truth is, throughout Jewish history, Jews have placed great importance on ‘Jerusalem’ and ‘Zion’. Muslims haven’t.

But in this war, truth is irrelevant. You should remember that. The only ‘truth’ that counts in this war is that Arabs are willing to die to take control of the Temple Mount. Most Jews don’t give a damn. Last night, we read that almost 60 per cent of Jews in Israel do not support Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount ("Poll: 40% of Jewish Israelis Want Jewish Prayer on Temple Mount", Arutz Sheva, November 11, 2014). That indifference could be deadly.

If the Arabs have any say in this war, Jewish indifference will become the lever through which Arabs will move the Jew off the Temple Mount.

Here’s another truth for you: if we keep the Temple Mount, we can control Jerusalem. If we lose the Mount, you’ll have to re-think Jerusalem.

You’ll have to imagine how rioting Arabs will react if they successfully seal off the Mount from Jews. With that 'victory', Arabs won't go home.

They'll go for the rest of Jerusalem. How do you think that’ll unfold?

The G-d of Israel has a Story for you. It’s the Story of the Final Jewish Redemption. That Story involves a Jerusalem under attack. Our Sages teach that “Arab nations will play a major role in the wars” that precede our Redemption (Yechezkeil, trans. and commentary by Rabbi Moshe Eisemann, The ArtScroll Tanach Series, 2012, 38:6, note, p. 584).

Are these some of the Arabs our Sages refer to? 

What do you think?