Judaism rejected the idea that man cannot be inherently contradictory, that one cannot be both thesis and antithesis simultaneously. Judaism believes that man can be both great, rising to the highest levels, while simultaneously being insignificant, a fallen defeated being, i.e. homeless. How does man experience homelessness when he thinks of himself as a great being? And how does he experience greatness when he feels homeless?
Man feels vulnerable, exposed, even when he considers himself a great being. A beast may feel vulnerable, but lacks the self-awareness required to feel homeless. Man seeks security. He longs for health, family, financial security. How can he feel at home if he is denied this sense of security?
Shir HaShirim describes 60 warriors who surrounded Solomon’s bed, yet he was still concerned with the dread of night. What is the dread of night? Solomon, the prime example of a modern educated man, is still afraid! He is as insecure, even with all the mighty warriors surrounding him, as the poor shepherd minding his flocks on the open field. What will the mighty Solomon do when he is confronted with a single malignant cell?
There is a note of excitement in the morning liturgy. In the evening prayer we say B’yadcha afkid ruchi, I entrust my soul to Hashem. Man expresses a sense of existential fear. In the morning we feel overwhelmed with gratitude at the gift we received when we recite Elokay Neshamah, as we had a slight doubt that we would indeed arise the next morning. This is man as a small being. A young man is able to sublimate his existential fear to some degree; however, an older person, no matter how wealthy he may be, does not know how to defeat the fear that deprives him of security and renders him homeless.
Man also experiences himself as great, exalted. Exalted man experiences homelessness because he is driven by an insatiable desire to conquer and achieve. Man is unsatisfied with the status quo. He is driven to seek newer heights, ever-greater accomplishments. The doctrine of human restlessness is central in Chabad philosophy, man constantly quests for Hashem, sometimes consciously, sometimes subconsciously.
Homeless man, in his quest for a home, searches for Hashem through prayer. Exalted man and insignificant man are both moved to pray to satisfy their homelessness attributes. Both find the medium to address their need in the house of prayer. The synagogue provides the home that man seeks in his quest to defeat his fears, great or small.
We may ask, as Hashem is everywhere, why should the individual pray in the synagogue? For the synagogue has symbolic meaning. Judaism is not concerned with the architecture. The word bayis means a physical structure and a home. We err in translating beis hakenesses as house of prayer. Man can rendezvous with Hashem anywhere. However man seeks the home of prayer. Not the physical structure. It is the home for homeless man found through prayer when man returns to Hashem. Unfortunately, the modern Jew has lost this association of personal need with the house of prayer.
Solomon, in his dedication prayer for the first Temple, asked how can Hashem, who cannot be contained by the heavens, be contained by this house? Hashem feigned homelessness to induce man to build Him a home. It is the home of Hashem because it is the home of man where he can encounter Hashem. Who is homeless? Solomon answers: two people who have become estranged from each other. People suffering disease, famine, pestilence, war all experience homelessness. They should turn to this house of prayer to find themselves and remove their sense of homelessness.
