The Beit HaMikdash – What We Are Missing (Part I)

Tisha B’Av is the saddest day of the year. It is when we mourn the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash and yearn and pray for its restoration. This mourning and longing extend beyond a single day; rather, we are expected to mourn throughout the year (B”B 60b), and our regular tefillot, including Shemoneh Esrei, Birkat HaMazon, Hallel, and Lecha Dodi, consistently reference the rebuilding of Yerushalayim, with particular emphasis on the Beit HaMikdash.

Although we formally acknowledge the importance of the Beit HaMikdash, comprehending its true significance is another matter. We struggle to grasp the magnitude of the Churban because none of us has ever experienced or witnessed the Beit HaMikdash firsthand. As a result, our mourning resembles that of a young child at his mother’s shiva, unaware of the true nature of his loss and unable to appreciate the gravity of the situation.

To pray meaningfully for the return of the Beit HaMikdash and the restoration of the Temple service, we must first understand the significance of the Mikdash and the purpose of the avodah performed there.

Three parshiyot in Sefer Shemot present distinct aspects of the original Beit HaMikdash – the Mishkan. These dimensions are rooted in the experiences of the Avot and further developed by the Rishonim. Each of these dimensions deserves careful attention. 

Terumah/Ramban

Hashem first presents the objective of constructing the Mishkan to Moshe Rabbeinu in Parshat Terumah at Har Sinai, immediately after revealing His Presence to the Jewish people. The Ramban (Shem. 25:1) explains that this juxtaposition indicates the Mishkan serves as a continuation of the Sinaitic revelation.

Like Har Sinai, the Mishkan and, later, the Beit HaMikdash served as sites where Hashem’s “Shechina,” a term related to “Mishkan,” resided among the Jewish people. This indwelling symbolized Hashem’s Presence in the world (B”R 13:6) and His unique relationship with us. The Torah thus refers to the Mishkan as the “Mishkan Ha’eidut (testimony),” signifying that it testified to Hashem’s personal relationship with us. 

Parshat Terumah appropriately begins its account of the Mishkan with the vessel that most clearly expresses this testimony: the Aron Hakodesh. Situated at the Mishkan’s innermost and holiest point, the Aron contained the Luchot that Hashem gave Moshe at Sinai as a tangible testimony to His Covenant with the Jewish people. Both the Luchot and the Aron are called eidut and brit because they attest to the covenant. 

Hashem’s relationship with us is further reflected by the Keruvim, which stood atop the Kaporet above the Aron. The Keruvim were fashioned in the form of a man and a woman embracing to symbolize Hashem’s loving relationship with us (Yoma 54b). Parshat Terumah adds that Hashem’s Shechina rested atop the Aron and that His words to Moshe emanated from in between the Keruvim (Shem. 25:22).

Hashem thus maintained the relationship and communication He began with us at Har Sinai through the Aron Ha’eidut, which housed the Luchot He gave Moshe as a testimony to His covenant with us as a people. 

The Mishkan enabled Hashem’s continued Presence among the Jewish people as they journeyed through the desert and settled in Eretz Yisrael. Ultimately, the Mishkan transformed into the Beit HaMikdash, and Hashem’s Presence became eternally associated with Har HaMoriah (Meg. 1:11). The Mishkan was the vehicle by which Hashem’s Presence traveled with us from Mount Sinai, where Hashem appeared to the Jewish people, to Mount Moriah, His eternal resting place.

Yaakov Avinu

Hashem first revealed His Presence to Yaakov Avinu on Har HaMoriah through the dream he had there, as described in Parshat Vayeitze. His dream consisted of a ladder with heavenly angels ascending and descending, with Hashem perched at the top (Ber. 28:12-13). When Yaakov awoke, he recognized Hashem’s Presence there and the place’s significance as Hashem’s “house” and the gateway to heaven.

Kedusha

Hashem’s Presence in the Mikdash rendered it a holy place. Consequently, we were required to show respect to the Mikdash (Vay. 19:30), and only those who were tahor (pure, as opposed to tamei) were permitted to enter (Vay. 15:31).

In the wilderness, the Shechinah also generated kedusha throughout the Jewish encampment. This Presence required a level of purity not only in the Mikdash but also in the homes of the levi’im and the general population. Therefore, individuals contaminated by bodily emissions were required to leave the camp of the levi’im, and those with tzara’at had to leave even the encampment of the Shevatim (Pes. 67).

With the construction of the Beit HaMikdash in Eretz Yisrael, the kedusha radiated throughout the Land. The Mishna (Keilim 1:6) describes ten levels of kedusha that extend from the Kodesh HaKodashim outward to the rest of the country. Since Hashem is the source of kedusha, His Presence in Eretz Yisrael generates sanctity throughout the Land.

Shechina in Exile

This also explains Yechezkel’s ma’aseh hamerkavah (heavenly chariot) prophecy, in which he depicts the Shechinah departing the Mikdash into exile (Perek 1). The Mikdash needed to be destroyed; Hashem’s Presence left beforehand to make that possible (Yech. 10:18-22).

Indeed, Chazal teach that after the Churban of the Beit HaMikdash, the Shechinah went into exile together with the Jewish people and itself requires redemption (Meg. 29a). Although Hashem’s choice of Har HaMoriah and eternal Presence there can never be undone (Ram., Hil. Beit Hab. 6:16), the full revelation of that Presence will return only with the rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash (Ra’avad).

Next week, we will iy”H complete our appreciation of the Beit HaMikdash by studying the two additional aspects of the Mishkan.

Rav Reuven Taragin's new book, Essentials of Judaism, is available at rabbireuventaragin.com.