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| A daily prayer service at the Egalitarian Section of the Kotel (Times of Israel) |
Yesterday was Tisha B’Av - a day where Jews all over the world mourned the destruction of both
the first and second temples (the Batei Mikdash). Which is what the Kotel is all about. Although
it is not a remnant of the actual temple walls (although there is a minority
opinion that it is), it is a remnant of the outer wall surrounding the Temple and the closest thing to it. It is where the Shechina (God’s presence here on earth) still resides.
That is why on that day, the Kotel area is filled with
mourners lamenting the tragedy of losing those temples. If one is a sincerely religious
Jew they not only fast on this day, but they spend it in a state of mourning for that loss.
There is no more logical place to do that then the Kotel.
So that even though
it might be difficult to sit outside in the hot sun in the middle of summer while fasting,
one will find many Jews doing that. These are the Jews that understand what that
day is all about. They are sincere about following Halacha of which mourning
the destruction of both Temples is part of. And do it on Tisha B’Av in the most logical spot despite its difficulty.
Tisha B’Av would have been a magnificent day for
heterodox Jews – or at least some (or even one) of its rabbis to do the same
at the egalitarian plaza. But it appears that the egalitarian section of the
Kotel was completely empty yesterday. Not a single Conservative or Reform Jew or even rabbi showed up, apparently.
Makes me wonder if they even
care about the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash or whether any heterodox Jew
even fasted on that day. Or even knew
that it was Tisha B’Av. My guess is that
very few did if any did, except for their rabbis, who apparently don’t care enough about Tisha B’Av to preach about it..
It’s a good thing no one showed up. The Jewish Press reported the following:
A stone was released on Sunday morning and fell from the Western Wall, crashing on the stair leading up to the Israel Section platform used by the mixed prayer groups of the Reform and Conservative movements... Miraculously there were no worshipers and no one was hurt...
Thank
God for that. But the fact that no one was there begs the question of why they
need a section of the Kotel in the first place if they don't use it even on Tisha B'Av? It can’t be because they care about what it represents. I would be willing to bet that not only don’t
they mourn for its loss, but that they don’t think it should ever be rebuilt!
How many heterodox Jews want to return to an era of sacrificing
animals on an alter in the holiest of places?
I’ll take a stab at the answer:
Zero! I’ll bet if you asked any heterodox Jew if he longs for a rebuilding of
the temple and restoring sacrifices they would balk at the
idea! And probably say something like… animal sacrifice is an ancient barbaric
ritual that should never be restored. (Although there is a minority opinion
that there will no longer be animal sacrifices in the next temple, it is a
minority opinion. The vast majority of the rabbinic opinion is that sacrifices
will be restored. But I digress.)
And then there is this. The fact that no one uses the
egalitarian plaza is no longer true. It is apparently being used on a daily basis. But not
by any heterodox Jews. From the Times of Israel:
Dozens of Orthodox yeshiva students hold separate-gender services every day at a Western Wall prayer space specifically set aside in a government decision for egalitarian, pluralistic worship…
I don’t think that any heterodox rabbis have complained about
this. Yet. Probably either because they don’t even know about it - never
bothering to show up there unless it is for
political purposes, or because they don’t care since no one else uses it
anyway.
Perhaps the Israeli government should consider making this area another Orthodox section and expand it to accommodate the overflow of Orthodox
Jews that pray at the Kotel in huge numbers at various times during the year
(at which time there is still no one doing it at the egalitarian section)?
All of this should therefore make it very obvious that heterodox demands for an egalitarian section of the Kotel has
nothing to do with the desire to pray there. It has only one purpose, to gain legitimacy
for heterodoxy. Something the more honest rabbis among them have already
admitted.
If that is really the case, why give them something based on
the false premise that they need it… that heterodox Jews are dying to
pray at the Kotel in egalitarian ways when they rarely do so now? Should Israel
ever honor demands based on a false premise?
That heterodoxy wants recognition and legitimacy is
understandable. Let them fight for that. It is their democratic right. Let them make any arguments they want
about the value of pluralism in Israel. And let Orthodox Jews exercise their democratic
right to try and prevent pluralism in Israel which they see as a destructive force. But
using the Kotel as a prop for achieving
their pluralistic goals is demeaning to the Kotel and ought not be part of that
conversation.
Unless and until they can demonstrate a real need by a significant
number of heterodox Jews that believe they can pray best only together
with members of the opposite sex - their requests ought to be denied.
Finally, I want to reiterate what I have said about this issue in the
past. It gives me no pleasure to fight this fight. It is a source of great pain
to me. I wish there were no denominations
at all. That we were all just one Jewish people – some more religious. Some
less. And some not at all. That is how it used to be before the advent of any denominations. Let the Jewish people - the people of Israel
live by the credo of this great country -
the United States of America: One nation,
under God… with liberty and justice for all. Justice best achieved under God by
following His Torah. Not the winds of societal change.
