Rabbi Yisrael Ariel: Western Wall struggle is fighting the wrong battle

Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, head of the Temple Institute, came out today, Sunday, against the struggle over "Ezrat Yisrael" along the southern Western Wall.

"We are continuing the struggles of Exile. There is a serious attempt here by some rabbis to turn the Western Wall into a Temple," Rabbi Ariel said regarding the struggle to put the partitions in place.

According to him, "It is written, 'The Shechinah [Divine presence] does not move from the Western Wall' - of the Heichal [sanctuary of the Temple]. They want to move the Shechinah to another Western Wall."

In his view, energies should be focused elsewhere. "Is the question about rebuilding the Temple or about moving the Shechinah to the Western Wall plaza and arguing with the Reform? Did we make the Western Wall the heart of the people, even though G-d says his heart and eyes are on the Heichal?"

''There is a distortion of the Torah here," Rabbi Ariel explained. "We do not have to have an argument, but rather must understand what is primary and what is secondary. When we understand, the Reform will join us and accept the yoke of the kingdom of Heaven," Rabbi Ariel concluded.