Living the Mikdash Reality

Vaetchanan

What is the reason that HaKadosh Baruch Hu did not allow Moshe to lead Am Yisrael into Eretz Yisrael? We all know this was punishment for Mei Meriva and Moshe striking the rock instead of speaking to it.

The Malbim, however, gives a completely different reason why HaKadosh Baruch Hu did not allow Moshe into Eretz Yisrael. According to the Malbim, if Moshe would have led Am Yisrael into Eretz Yisrael, he would have immediately set about building the Beit HaMikdash. If he would have done so, that Beit HaMikdash structure would have lasted forever and never been destroyed (all the components from the Mishkan created by Moshe, which were later stored in the catacombs under the Mikdash, such as the Aron, the coverings of the Ohel Moed, the beams and the sockets, etc., survive to this day, they never physically deteriorated). If so, when Am Yisrael later sinned against HaKadosh Baruch Hu, it would not have been possible for HaKadosh Baruch Hu to take His fury out on the "wood and stones" of the Beit HaMikdash and instead He would have had to take it out on Am Yisrael. The reason Am Yisrael survived the destruction of the two Batei Mikdash is precisely that, HaKadosh Baruch Hu destroyed the "buildings" and not the "people."

Although we are fast approaching the end of the 6,000-year time limit when the Mashiach will come regardless, the reality on the ground at this moment (it may change Baruch Hashem by the time you read this) is that we do not yet have the Beit HaMikdash. The question is if it is possible to live a lifestyle today that is totally focused on the Beit HaMikdash, even in its absence? And if so, what would such a lifestyle look like?

In this shiur I would like to paint such a scenario.

It is a heightened sense of awareness that affects even the most mundane things. Making a concerted effort to keep yourself in a state of purity, being extra strict, even obsessive, on the ritual washing of the hands, especially before entering shul or studying Torah. It is an incrementally increased level of intensity during the tefillot, being careful to say the words correctly and with the right kavanah. Reciting the Korbanot (before Shacharit each morning) as if you are actually offering the Korban – not just mouthing the words but actually understanding the words you are saying (e.g. that the "Shibolet Neird" in the Ketoret is derived from the Nardostachys family of plants). It is a compelling thirst to truly understand what you are saying, and this drives you to research every word you are doubtful of. Your presence in shul is transformed into a different plane, a feeling as if you are physically in the Beit HaMikdash, requiring a different level of behavior, respect and awe.

Shabbat takes on an entirely different dimension, even dressing in Shabbat clothes on Friday is performed as if you were donning priestly garments. When you light the candles, it is like lighting the Menorah. Making HaMotzi on the challahs is like switching the two stacks of Lechem HaPanim on the Shulchan. Every second of Shabbat becomes precious and effort is made to not waste a single moment, to pack as much as you can into the 24 hours, davening, learning, doing mitzvot, singing, eating, being "present" with the family, etc. as this will influence everything you do in the coming week.

The festivals are no longer the same. We learn and understand the meaning behind the words and actions, why we wave the lulav and etrog, what is the meaning of waving in those six directions? Noticing how many references there were to the Beit HaMikdash in the Hoshanot. Discovering that the structure of the Pesach seder is modelled on the Korban Toda. Understanding the intricate connection between the shofar blown on Rosh Hashanah and the "kranot" (corners) of the Mizbe’ach and the Lechem HaPanim. Visualizing the service of the Kohen Gadol on Yom Kippur (there are some wonderful video simulations online to help in this respect), so that when we say it is shul, we actually understand what we are saying.

The Gemara (Taanit 29a) says that when Am Yisrael sinned with the spies, HaKadosh Baruch Hu said "Since you cried needlessly, I will make you cry for generations!" What is needless crying (bechiya shel chinam)? It is the crying of despair, the crying of looking backwards instead of forwards. When someone cries in that way it becomes perpetuated for generations. If, however, someone not only looks backwards, but also forwards – that is a cry of hope, a cry that reaches up to the Throne of Glory and causes HaKadosh Baruch Hu to have mercy on us and bring the Geulah! It is the essence of the difference between the response of R' Elazar ben Azaria/R' Yehoshua and R' Akiva when they all saw the foxes running in the ruins of the Beit HaMikdash.

Too many of us are still living a reality of despair and not hope.Too much of our Yiddishkeit has become polarized on the crying of - looking backwards.

In our homes we leave a spot on the wall (1 amah X 1 amah, 20" X 20") unplastered/unfinished in memory for the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash. Anyone who does so is to be commended for fulfilling the halacha (Shulchan Aruch siman 560a), but this is insufficient. We need to go one step further and in addition to that symbol of "looking back," we also need to add a symbol of "looking forward." We all need to have at least one picture of the fully built Beit HaMikdash in a prominent place in our home for all to see. This perhaps is the ultimate lesson from the current war with our enemies. Soldiers fighting in Gaza have returned with a chilling message "There is not a single home in Gaza that does not have a picture of El-Aksa Mosque in the living room!" Our enemies shame us! How can it possibly be that they have more connection to Har HaBayit than we do? How is it possible to convince the world of our biblical connection to the holy place when we don't even make the effort to have a picture of it in our homes? It is possible to find and purchase hundreds of variations of prints of the Beit HaMikdash in every artistic style that will add to the décor in your living room and send a strong message to the world – and yourself – who we really are. This is something that is mind altering and immediately possible to implement.

We all need to make the Beit HaMikdash a feature in our lives. It begins with the smallest things and takes on a life of its own until it totally transforms our existence. That is called the Geulah. It starts with one person, then another and another … until it is all of Am Yisrael.

Parshat HaShavua Trivia Question: How many prayers did Moshe pray asking HaKadosh Baruch Hu to allow him to enter Eretz Yisrael?

Answer to Last Shiur’s Trivia Question: Why did G-d command Moshe not to provoke or wage war with Moav (Devarim 2:9)? He wanted to wait until Rut the Moabite, the great-grandmother of David HaMelech had been born.