Define Fringe

Why did David cut off the skirt of Saul's robe?

When David spared Saul's life, he took away evidence that he had him in his power: "Then David arose and stealthily cut off the skirt (hem) of Saul's robe" (1 Samuel 24:4). Why did David do this, and why did his conscience smite him for having done it? Was there some special significance in what he had done? In fact the act of cutting off the hem (fringe) of Saul's robe was of very great significance, which Saul was not slow to recognize. When the shouting began next day Saul said: "Now, behold, I know that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand" (1 Sam. 24:10). David had robbed Saul of his status symbol, the fringe of his robe that identified him as king.

The hem of a Jew's garment was not, as in modern clothes, a simple fold of the cloth, sewn down to prevent the edge from fraying. It was a decorative feature which made a statement about the status and importance of the wearer. The people of other nearby nations also had this custom. In texts found in Mesopotamia, references indicate that the removal of the fringe of a man's garment was the equivalent of removing part of his personality. To cut off the hem of a wife's garment was regarded as divorcing her. Tablets have been found with the impression of a fringe as the mark of the individual, a personal seal or signature.

Thus the hem or fringe of a garment indicated the rank or personality of the wearer. It will be remembered that Jesus castigated the Pharisees for enlarging their fringes (Matthew 23:5), the inference being that they were thereby trying to magnify their importance. The tassels on the fringes were formed by the threads decorating the fringe being brought together at the corners of the garment and knotted. The original purpose of the fringe and tassels as stated in the law became obscured in course of time, becoming a mere tradition.

Fringe: Those members of a group or political party holding extreme views: the lunatic fringe.

This is not good, via there are no sunglasses:

More than 200 Jewish extremists have reportedly entered al-Aqsa Mosque, positioning themselves inside the holy site, allegedly to perform religious rituals.

According to a statement released by the Al-Aqsa Foundation for Endowment and Heritage, the incursion was “significant”. The foundation has called on Muslims, Arabs and all Palestinians to take action in support of the mosque.

The attack comes amidst Tisha B’Av, also known as “The Ninth of Av” — a Jewish fasting day in commemoration of the destruction of the two Temples. The occasion falls on the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av, which usually coincides with late July or mid-August.

The First Temple was built by King Solomon and was considered the most sacred site in ancient Judaism. It was destroyed when the Babylonians pillaged Jerusalem (al-Quds) in 586 BCE.

According to Jewish accounts, the construction of the Second Temple was completed in 516 BCE on the site of the First Temple but was destroyed during the Roman siege of Jerusalem in 70 CE.

The destruction of the two Temples allegedly took place on the same day — the ninth of Av — but about 656 years apart.

The storming of al-Aqsa Mosque — a holy site in the eyes of many Muslims — has drawn anti-Israeli condemnation.

Former Palestinian minister for al-Quds affairs, Hatem Abdel Qader, has warned that the Israeli government is “playing with fire” by allowing far-right Jewish groups to put the mosque in harm’s way.

Abdel Qader resigned from his post last month after he censured the acting Palestinian Authority for neglecting al-Quds. He says the Salam Fayyad government refuses to uphold its commitments to the city, which is undergoing a difficult period.

According to Abdel Qader, the Palestinian Finance Ministry “contributes nothing to the effort to keep the residents on their land.”

There's more information about the al-Aqsa Mosque if you click through.

Note that a couple hundred Jewish Extremists are bound to be heavily armed. What might these people be thinking? Here's what one Jew said about the Dome of the Rock (next door to the al-Aqsa Mosque) in 2005 on some message board. http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Soc/soc.culture.israel/2005-11/msg00533.html

The Dome of the Rock needs to be dismantled and rebuilt on a different place in a predominantly Muslim region or it needs to be destroyed, simple as that.

The Jewish people, The Children of Israel, The Hebrews, The Ivrim are a Nation and People and have every right in the world to build a Jewish Temple over the Rock of Moriah as was built in times past during Greek occupation and Roman occupation.

Israel through legal UN charter is a Jewish State, Country and Nation granting full and legal rights for Jews from all over the Universe to practice the religion of Judaism.

In order for the Jewish people to observe the commandments in practicing the Jewish Religion it is necessary to build a Jewish Temple on the spot where the Muslim Dome of the Rock is.

This is not a request or an act of political affirmation but a Commandment that Jews must adhere to as a people.

The Muslims have Mosques in many many places. Christians have Churches in many many places and various other religions have built places of worship in their countries.

The Jews will rebuild the Temple over the Har Moriah hopefully in peace to perpetuate peace or after war if necessary.

Just remember unlike the Islam that doesn't at present pose a nuclear threat to mankind because of lack of nuclear weapons, the Nation of Israel does have nuclear weapons and many of them, yet she remains a Nation of compromise and negation in the hopes for peace. [oopsie he went a little off the reservation there...]

She is a friend of the USA and all peace loving peoples. [snort] How do I prove that? If she wanted she could launch nuclear weapons on all Arab counties at one time including Iraq and Iran and in the process wipe some of the military might of the USA and her allies in the war against terrorism that are in Iraq and Afghanistan. But Israel and her people are not terrorist or murderers by nature. So we see Israel helping the USA and her other allies in the fight against terrorism.

The sooner mankind comes to the realization that Israel and the Jews are here to stay on Eretz Israel and whatever other place we chose to reside in according to the laws governing that country the better off mankind will be in not persecuting us because we chose to obey our God's laws in his holy Torah while also obeying the laws of the nations we abide in including and especially on Eretz Israel.

The Dome of the Rock is categorized as an obstacle to peace in the Israeli Knesset and the Dome will be brought down either peacefully or in war.

Well that clears things up substantially. Just one voice, but is it an "extremist" voice? Is he a big blowhard or does he speak for many? If this is a Jewish Extremist opinion, what will be done about it? Will the Jewish People denounce these Jewish Extremists? Or do they agree with them? I guess we'll soon find out.

Here's the problem with Jewish Extremists: either they're stopped or they're not. If they represent a fringe movement, there is No Excuse for the IOF not putting a complete stop to their reckless behavior. If the IOF fails to confront and remove them, we must conclude that these extremist beliefs are not really all that extremist after all.

Pick one.

Update: Excellent history of this recurring problem at If Americans Knew. This is from July 2004:

Their fears are hardly misplaced. On Sunday, a Jewish rabbi allied with the messianic Gush Emunim movement which advocates the expulsion and extermination of non-Jews in Israel – told the Israeli army radio, Gali Tsahal, he fully supported the destruction of al-Aqsa Mosque.

“This is more than a positive thing – this is a desirable thing, and I am looking forward to seeing these mosques reduced to ruins,” said Yehuda Tzion, who in 1980 headed the underground Jewish group that had planned to bomb al-Aqsa.

Tzion has urged the Israeli government to “send army bulldozers to the site and destroy these buildings once and for all ... and if the state is not willing to do so, let other Jews do it”.

One of the messianic Jewish groups that openly calls for the destruction of al-Aqsa is the Temple Mount Faithful, headed by Girshon Solomon.

A few years ago, he told the Israeli television, with the golden Dome of the Rock in the background – that: “it is time this pagan edifice ceased to exist”.

Such highly provocative statements go unpunished in Israel as long as they are made against non-Jews.