Terumah: Who Will Build the Third Beis Hamikdash?
This week we learn the commandment of building a ‘holy’ house (Mikdash) for G-d. This is one of the most important commands in The Book and one of the first accomplishments of Moshiach will be to build a Holy Temple in Jerusalem to which he will gather all the Jews etc. (see Rambam Hil. Melachim 11:1) just as Moses did.
The Three Perspectives on the Builder
Regarding the future, there is a complex question: So who is supposed to build this ‘Third’ Temple; Moshiach, G-d or the Jews?
- The Role of Moshiach: He will build a Holy Temple in Jerusalem to which he will gather all the Jews.
- The Role of G-d: But according to Jewish tradition the Third Holy Temple will be built by G-d Himself. As the Torah clearly states, “The Temple of G_d will be established by Your (G-d’s) hands” (Ex. 15:17).
- The Role of the Individual: And on the other hand, the Torah hints here that EVERY JEW must make themselves into a Holy Temple; when G-d commanded Moses to tell the Jews He said they should, “Make me a Temple and I’ll live in THEM” (not in IT).
Summary of Builders and Sources
| Proposed Builder | Source/Rationale |
|---|---|
| Moshiach | Rambam Hil. Melachim 11:1; similar to Moses. |
| G-d Himself | Exodus 15:17; "established by Your hands." |
| Every Jew | Commandment to "Make me a Temple and I’ll live in THEM." |
The Infinite in the Finite
But first let us understand why G-d needs a Holy House at all? How can infinite and almighty G-d, live in a finite, temporal house? And, on the other hand, if there is a house that can contain G-d, then maybe He isn’t so Great?!
A Story of Divine Connection
To answer all this here is a story, told by an old Jew that was a member of a group of Chassidim called ‘Belz’. He overheard another Chassid, a family man of some forty years old, speaking very harshly against Lubavitch and the Lubavitcher Rebbe, criticizing their ‘outreach’ programs and just about everything else they did in the harshest terms. It got so severe that finally the old Chassid felt it his obligation to calm him down but only succeeded in fanning the fire.
Now this Younger Chassid who was doing the cursing had a twenty-year-old son who was the apple of his eye. But a few weeks after his tirade he noticed that his son became unexplainably disinterested with Judaism, found himself some ‘new’ friends that spent days wandering around and nights in the pubs and discos of Tel Aviv. It wasn’t long before he bought a ticket, flew to the U.S.A and became swallowed up in the nightlife of Manhattan. Needless to say, his father was insane with grief.
One year passed, early one morning the ‘renegade’ was walking home from all-night partying when suddenly a young Chabad Chassid approached him on the street with a pair of ‘Tefillin’ (Phylacteries) in hand and asked him if he was Jewish. Although he initially refused, a few weeks later he happened to pass by a large decorated caravan parked in some main street in Manhattan upon which was written ‘Chabad-mobile’.
The young Chassid exited with a pair of Tefillin in hand and said, “Hey, do me a favor and put on Tefillin. I’ve been here all morning and no one put on. Please do a favor; you’re Jewish, right? Come put on Tefillin it will only take three minutes, you’ll like it, and it’s free.” There was something very warm and genuine in the way he said it that caught our ‘party-boy’ by surprise…. he couldn’t hold himself back. He rolled up his sleeve, took the Tefillin and put them on. After that, one thing led to another.