The Kitniyot Liberation Front

A Special Place No doubt about it, Har HaBayit is a special place. Up there you can feel His presence. Prayers are answered. For health, for parnassa, even for stopping Ehud Barak from giving away the Land of Israel to the murderer Yasir Arafat (really). But going up to Har HaBayit isn’t for our personal prayers. It’s for the glory of HaShem. So that Jews will ascend the mount in ritual purity each day. In an age when so many forget—or deny—that Har HaBayit is a Jewish place, an ascent to Har HaBayit is a testimony that I have not forgotten. I have not forgotten that the akeida took place on the Temple Mount. I have not forgotten the holiest ceremony of the year, on Yom Kippur, took place on Har HaBayit. I have not forgotten that all of our pilgrimage festivals culminated with a visit to Har HaBayit, not to Uman. I have not forgotten that the Shechina didn’t depart from the Kotel HaMaaravi—of the Heichal on Har HaBayit (not the exterior retaining wall). Nor have I forgotten tha...

Mazel tov to my good friend who has been in Erets Yisrael for 17 years today (July 19, 1990). According to the Hebrew calendar ( www.kaluach.net ) he made aliyah on the 26th of Tammuz. Back in the good old days (in 1990), there was no Nefesh B'Nefesh and you had to rough it by actually going to all of the government offices to get your paperwork done. The offices didn't have air-conditioning or even enough seats. Paper tickets with numbers were distributed by hand at 7:00 am and were usually unavailable by 7:30 am. Numbers were called out by an available clerk and there was no digital number board. He also relates that one time a line for the Ministry of Immigrant Absortion went half-way around the block. In 1990, there were so many immigrants ( est. 70-80,000 ) and the system was so overloaded that his aliyah shaliach actually told him to postphone his plans by 6-12 months. OTOH, Shamir was the Prime Minister, the Palestinian Terrorist Authority was just a pipe dream of Peace ...