Author Topic: Does the Chafetz Chaim contradict himself on: ascending the Temple Mount?  (Read 2341 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline edu

  • Master JTFer
  • ******
  • Posts: 1864
This is my summary of a discussion raised in Hebrew on the viewpoint of the Chafetz Chaim concerning is it permitted for those who are impure because of contact with the dead to ascend the outer parts of the Temple Mount, after purifying themselves from other forms of impurity.
The original discussion in Hebrew is found at http://www.inn.co.il/Forum/Forum.aspx/t747044

In his brief summary of commandments that are applicable today in Sefer Hamitzvot Hakatzar, the Chafetz Chaim who has much authority in halachic questions wrote the following.
Quote
קצג. מצות לא תעשה שלא יבוא טמא למחנה לויה הוא הר הבית.  שנאמר: "כי יהיה בך איש אשר לא יהיה טהור וגו' לא יבוא אל תוך המחנה" (דברים כג, יא). וקבלו חז"ל (פסחים סח) שהוא מחנה לויה והוא הר הבית, וטמא שעבר על זה ונכנס להר הבית עובר בלאו זה. ונוהג גם בזמן הזה בזכרים ונקבות כיון שאנו טמאי מתים.
Translation, Negative commandment 193. That one should not enter into the Levite camp, this is the Temple Mount, for it was stated if there be a man among you who is not pure, etc. he shall not come into the camp (Deut. 23:11). And the sages received a tradition (Pesachim 68) that this is so for the Levite camp and this is so for the Temple Mount, and the impure who transgressed this and entered into the Temple Mount violated this prohibition. And it is applicable also at this time to both males and females because we are defiled by contact with the dead.
In another book by the Chafetz Chaim he implies that someone who is defiled by having come into contact with the dead but is otherwise pure is allowed into the outer part of the Temple Mount.
The source given by the forum sited above is Shmirat Halashon Vol.2 Chapter 16.
Quote
בספרו שמירת הלשון (חלק ב פרק טז), הוא עצמו כותב על פי הגמרא, כי טמא מת משולח רק אל מחוץ למחנה השכינה (העזרה), ואילו הזב משתלח אל מחוץ למחנה לויה (הר הבית).
The forum I cited also brings the views of the Chafetz Chaim in Likutei Halachot, Sota page 20 to back the more lenient understanding.

The conclusion of that forum what the Chafetz Chaim meant when he said in the first source, Sefer Hamitzvot Hakatzar, that there is a prohibition to go to the Temple Mount in our days, because we are defiled by the contact with the dead, has to be explained a little less literally. What he means is that because in general we are contaminated with the special impurity that comes by contact with the dead, we are not in general, well versed in purity laws. If one goes to the outer parts of the Temple Mount and does not follow the other purity laws under normal circumstances he or she would be violating this prohibition.

Now commenting on what the forum said.
The debate then concerning going to the Temple Mount in our times if we only concern ourselves with the issue brought up by the Chafetz Chaim would revolve around 2 questions. Is today's situation classified as normal circumstances and secondly can we obtain the knowledge if we receive detailed education on the subject to observe all the other purity laws to go in at least to the outer parts of the Temple?

If one knows of a better way to resolve the seeming contradiction between the works of the Chafetz Chaim please post.

Offline edu

  • Master JTFer
  • ******
  • Posts: 1864
Re: Does the Chafetz Chaim contradict himself on: ascending the Temple Mount?
« Reply #1 on: February 08, 2017, 05:51:52 AM »
The Chafetz Chaim in Sefer Hamitzvot Hakatzar quotes as the source of the problem of going to the Temple Mount - Deut 23:11 and Pesachim page 68
If you look up Pesachim page 68 the Talmud raises the status of several impure individuals, in particular one who has a seminal emission and one who has come into contact with the dead.
The Talmud in Pesachim page 68 seems to indicate someone who just has the problem of having come in contact with the dead is allowed into the Levite camp (which as the Chafetz Chaim pointed out has the same status as the outer parts of the Temple Mount).
The Talmud however in that page cited above has a question, does the person who is impure due to a seminal emission have the restrictions of someone who is a Zav, who is denied access to the entire Temple Mount or maybe he does not have that level of restriction. Maybe for example, he has the lighter restrictions of someone who is in contact with the dead, who is allowed access to the outer parts of the Temple Mount and just denied the inner parts.
Here is a brief English excerpt of an English Translation I found at http://www.sefaria.org/Pesachim.68a.5?lang=bi&with=Rashi&lang2=en
Quote
לא יצא ממחנה טמא מת ונכנס למחנה זב ואע"ג דטמא מת חמור ממנו (דמותר) במחנה לויה למאי דדמי לי' מדמינן ליה
The Gemara rejects this proof: No, the intent is that one who experienced a seminal emission is excluded from the camp of one who is ritually impure with impurity imparted by a corpse, and he enters the camp of a zav, meaning that he is excluded from the Levite camp, just like a zav. And although the legal status of one who is ritually impure with impurity imparted by a corpse is more severe than his status and he is permitted in the Levite camp, and so it would seem that one who experienced a seminal emission should similarly be permitted, nonetheless, we compare him to that to which he is similar. The ritual impurity of one who experienced a seminal emission is fundamentally similar to that of a zav, and different from that of one who is ritually impure due to a corpse.
This is not the end of the discussion of the Talmud on the status of someone who has a seminal emission, but the quote I brought is already a sufficient indication, that what seems to be bothering the Chafetz Chaim, when people go to the outer parts of the Temple Mount is not really the issue that we are impure because we have come into contact with the dead, but rather he was worried people would not follow the rules about other purity issues - such as those dealing with seminal emissions.