Today begins the Hebrew month of Elul, the 12th of the Jewish civil year and the sixth ecclesiastical month according to the Torah. For pious Jews it is a time of introspection and soul-searching leading up to the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
To mark the occasion, religious Jews often ascend the Temple Mount, Judaism’s holiest site where their forefathers were commanded to sacrifice to and worship the Lord on these special days.
A large number of religious Jews did indeed ascend the Temple Mount on Sunday, though some didn’t make it very far and were quickly removed from the holy site for daring to do what their forefathers did by worshipping the Lord there.
By early morning, TPS reports that at least six Israeli Jewish men had been arrested and forcefully removed from the Temple Mount for publicly bowing down in prayer to the God of Israel.
This phenomenon is nothing new as Israel struggles to maintain a Muslim-imposed “status quo” at the Temple Mount. It happens all the time. And yet it is still just as jarring every time to report that Jews have been arrested for doing what God told them to do, in the place He told them to do it.
We are deeply sorry to hear this news. Our prayers and thoughts are with the families effected. We will continue to pray for a peaceful solution to this issue. Bless you. Kind regards Mr and Mrs Roberts from the Isle of Wight U.K.