Orthodox Conundrum
Orthodox Conundrum

Ascending the Temple Mount, and Finding Meaning During the Three Weeks, with Rabbi Danny Myers (CLASSIC EPISODE)

July 13, 2026

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5 min read

Ascending the Temple Mount: A Halakhic and Spiritual Debate

In a conversation recorded three years before October 7, 2023, Rabbi Danny Myers and host Scott Kahn grapple with a question that has divided Orthodox Jewry: whether Jews should ascend the Temple Mount today. The episode opens with Kahn noting the irony that many Jews struggle to feel the mourning of the Three Weeks precisely because Jewish life in Israel feels so strong and secure—a statement that lands very differently after the events of the past years.

The Halakhic Framework

The core halakhic issues are more nuanced than most people assume. Contrary to popular belief, the problem is not simply that everyone today is tamei met (impure from contact with the dead). By Torah law, someone who is tamei met can still enter large portions of the Temple Mount—just not the Azara (the inner sanctum area) or, by rabbinic decree, the Cheil (a surrounding area). The real difficulty involves other categories of impurity, particularly tuma'at yotzei m'gufo (impurities emanating from the body), which include conditions like niddah and zav. These categories cannot be resolved simply by immersion in a mikvah—or can they, depending on whom you ask.

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What you'll learn

  • 1 (01:30) **Why Ascend the Temple Mount?** - Rabbi Myers explains the halachic and hashkafic framework behind his position that ascending Har HaBayit is permitted, praiseworthy, and even an obligation.
  • 2 (03:31) **The Core Halachic Obstacles** - A breakdown of why most authorities prohibit ascent, and why Rabbi Myers disagrees.
  • 3 (11:27) **How Does Individual Ascent Constitute “Kivush”?** - Scott presses Rabbi Myers on how a civilian visit changes anything on the ground.
  • 4 (14:27) **Does Ascent Provoke Terrorism?** - Scott raises the painful question of whether Jewish presence on the Mount incites violence.
  • 5 (17:35) **The Halachic Architecture of the Mount** - A detailed explanation of which areas are permitted and why Rabbi Myers feels confident.
  • 6 (22:16) **Can We Rely on Archaeology for Halacha?** - Scott questions the reliability of using modern science to determine a matter of kareis (spiritual excision).
  • 7 (25:42) **The Objection of “Mora Mikdash” (Awe of the Temple)** - How Rabbi Myers answers the concern that people will not maintain proper reverence.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Scott Kahn

Show Notes

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This episode was originally recorded before October 7, 2023. At the time, I opened by reflecting on how many of us found it difficult to connect to the mourning of the Three Weeks while living in a strong, vibrant State of Israel. Today, after everything our nation has endured, those words sound very different. We no longer need help understanding national tragedy or longing for redemption.

Even so, I believe this conversation is worth revisiting. The question of ascending Har HaBayit remains one of the most important and controversial issues in the religious Zionist world, particularly during the Three Weeks.

In this episode, Rabbi Danny Myers argues that ascending Har HaBayit is not only halachically permissible but may even be a mitzvah, perhaps even an obligation. Although, as I note both in the episode and in a new introduction, I continue to follow the mainstream halachic position against ascending, Rabbi Myers presents his case thoughtfully, seriously, and with an unmistakable love of Torah, Eretz Yisrael, and the Jewish people.

Whether or not you agree with his conclusions, I think you'll find this to be an engaging and thought-provoking discussion.

To read my article "Walking on the Temple Mount: Why Don't I Do It?" click here.

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