Rabbi urges Ebay to end 'holy rock' sales
Rabbi Rabinowitz calls on Ebay to put end to Western Wall rock sales
Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz wants Ebay to disallow the selling of Western Wall rocks.
In a letter sent to the website's manager, the rabbi said such sales constitute a desecration of the holy site's sanctity, violate a Jewish law prohibition and breach the antiquities law.
The issue was addressed by the rabbi after he was approached by Jews from all over the world who noticed the Western Wall rocks put up for sale on the website.
In his letter, Rabinowitz quoted Rabbi Moshe Fienstein, who claimed a merchant trading such holy artifacts is a "traitor of the holiest of holies."
Rabinowitz said that despite the website's claim that the stones have healing powers, the act of purchasing them will not bring upon blessings.
The act of taking stones from the Western Wall without permission is deceitful and therefore the stones put up for sale are cursed, the rabbi wrote.
In addition to writing the letter, the rabbi also filed a complaint on behalf of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation.
