The Bible Commands the Offering: Silence Bears Your Iniquity

This is an open letter to the Sanhedrin, secular leaders of Israel and “you” from Yosef Eitan.

Israeli authorities block every attempt to bring the Passover offering on the Temple Mount. The refusal comes whether two determined individuals petition or two million voices demand it. Leaders do not bring the offering themselves. They also prevent those who wish to obey the positive command from doing so. Both failures carry guilt under the plain reading of Scripture. The number of requests changes nothing. Two people asking exposes the obstruction just as clearly as two million would. The command stands absolute. Leaders who prevent its performance violate a binding national obligation.

The Bible mandates the Passover offering as a perpetual statute for every generation. “And ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.” (Exodus 12:14) The lamb must be slaughtered at the place Hashem chooses, its blood applied to the doorposts in the original command and to the altar in the central sanctuary, and the flesh eaten in haste with matzah and bitter herbs. This binds the congregation collectively. “Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying: In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household.” (Exodus 12:3) The Sages explain this as a duty incumbent on the entire people, not isolated individuals. Leaders who withhold permission prevent priests from slaughtering and the people from eating. They stand guilty on two counts: failing to initiate the offering when they hold authority, and actively stopping others from fulfilling a direct positive command.

Israeli police and authorities consistently deny access for Passover offering attempts, whether from isolated activists or organized groups. In recent months leading to the 2026 Passover, promotional efforts by Temple advocates drew sharp warnings from Palestinian leaders accusing far-right backing for changes to the status quo. The response remains uniform: no entry, no offering. The small scale keeps it under the radar for most Israelis. A surge in numbers would expose the refusal as outright defiance of the biblical mandate. Yet the biblical violation remains identical in either case. Leaders bear the sin regardless of how many voices call for compliance. The command exists. They block it. The scale alters nothing about the act itself.

The people share this guilt when they stay silent. Anyone who knows the Passover offering must be brought and chooses not to declare their intent bears iniquity. The Torah states the rule without exception. “And if any one sin, in that he heareth the voice of adjuration, he being a witness, whether he hath seen or known, if he do not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity.” (Leviticus 5:1) Hearing the command and witnessing its prevention triggers the duty to speak. Silence equals consent to the blockage. The individual escapes liability only when the mouth opens and declares the intent publicly: the Passover offering belongs on the Mount, priests must prepare it, the nation must fulfill it now. Two people demanding restoration do not absolve the rest. Two million demanding it would still leave silent millions culpable. The release comes through voice alone.

Declaration serves as the biblical remedy. The Torah requires utterance when one hears a violation. Public statements, petitions, letters to authorities, and open calls for restoration fulfill this. Only then does the individual separate from the iniquity. Remaining silent keeps the chain intact: leaders obstruct, people acquiesce through quiet, the offering stays unoffered.

Ezra and Zerubbabel set the precedent for immediate action. They erected the altar on its foundations and resumed the daily offerings despite fear from surrounding peoples. “And they set the altar upon its bases; for fear was upon them because of the people of the countries; and they offered burnt-offerings thereon unto the Lord, even burnt-offerings morning and evening.” (Ezra 3:3) They did not wait for universal agreement or perfect conditions. The command drove them forward. Haggai confronted the leaders directly for delaying the House. The people who accepted the delay shared the rebuke. Today the pattern repeats. Leaders obstruct. The people who know better remain quiet. Both stand accountable.

The scale of the request does not determine guilt. The existence of the command does. Leaders who say no bear the heavier burden for wielding power to prevent obedience. The rest of us carry our portion through inaction. Declaration breaks the chain. Speak the intent clearly and repeatedly: permit the Passover offering, clear the path for priests and people, restore what the Bible requires without further delay. Silence keeps the guilt alive. Voice lifts it.

I officially declare my intent and request the Sanhedrin and secular leaders of Israel to immediately permit and facilitate the Passover offering on the Temple Mount according to the Torah command. Allow the priests to slaughter the lamb at its appointed time and place. Remove every barrier. Enable the entire congregation to fulfill this perpetual statute. I further call on every reader who recognizes this command to join in declaring their intent publicly without delay. The more voices rise, the harder the blockage becomes to sustain. The obligation waits for no further excuse.

Respectfully, Yosef Eitan

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)