Prosting on Temple Mount

2. Historical & Halachic Background

The Temple Mount is the only place in Jewish law where full prostration on a stone floor is historically permitted and even commanded.

• The "Stone Floor" Prohibition: The Torah (Leviticus 26:1) forbids prostrating on a "paved stone" floor (Even Maskit) outside of the Temple. This is why, in synagogues on Yom Kippur, Jews place a towel or mat on the floor before kneeling—to separate themselves from the stone.

• The Temple Exception: The prohibition does not apply to the Temple Mount. Historically, pilgrims would prostrate themselves 13 times at specific gates and locations within the Temple complex.

• Yom Kippur: The most famous instance of this occurred during the High Priest's service. When the people heard the Ineffable Name of God, they would fall on their faces.

3. The Modern Revival

For centuries, Jews did not ascend the Temple Mount due to ritual purity concerns and Ottoman/British restrictions. Following 1967, the Chief Rabbinate of Israel maintained a ban on ascending the Mount ("Har HaBayit"), citing the risk of stepping into the Holy of Holies while ritually impure (Tamei Met).

However, a growing faction of the National Religious public (led by rabbis historically associated with the Temple Institute and others) argues that:

1. Ascent is Permitted: With precise measurements, one can walk on the perimeter of the Mount without entering the forbidden sacred zones.

2. Prostration is a Mitzvah: Since the holiness of the site remains, the commandment to show awe (Mora Mikdash) applies today. Therefore, prostrating on the stone floor of the Mount is not only permitted but is a fulfillment of a positive commandment.

4. The "Eastern Wall" Custom

Those who practice this today do not do so randomly. They almost exclusively prostrate on the Eastern side of the Temple Mount platform.

• Halachic Reason: This area is widely considered to be outside the sacred Cheil (the lower wall that surrounded the inner Temple sanctum), making it safe for Jews who are ritually impure to stand there.

• Practical Reason: It is less visible to the main crowds and Muslim worshippers, who congregate mostly on the southern side (Al-Aqsa) and center (Dome of the Rock).

5. Legal and Political Status (The "Status Quo")

This is where the custom moves from theology to geopolitics.

• The Old Policy: For decades, the "Status Quo" agreement dictated that Jews could visit the Mount but not pray. The Israeli Police strictly enforced this; moving one's lips in prayer or bowing would result in immediate detention or removal.

• The Shift (2023–Present): In the last few years, and specifically under the tenure of Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir, police enforcement has relaxed significantly.

  • It has become an "open secret" (and occasionally an official statement) that quiet prayer is tolerated on the eastern side.

  • Full prostration, once a red line that would trigger an arrest, has been documented frequently in recent months with police standing by without intervening.

Summary:

To the average observer, a Jew lying face down on the Temple Mount is a revolutionary relgious and political statement. To the practitioner, it is the revival of a specific biblical commandment that applies only to that specific geographic location—the ability to bow on stone before God without a separation.