“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)”
Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Matos-Masei- Chazak!
27 Tamuz 5784/ August 2, 2024
Pirkei Avos – Perek 2
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FACING YONDER
Thanks to advanced
technology and AI, these days it is not difficult to produce fantastical
images. In recent years during the Tisha b’Av season, images circulate of the
rebuilt Beis Hamikdash upon Har Habayis, a sight we hope to personally witness
soon.
One of those images is of the Beis
Hamikdash emerging from behind the Kosel. The magnificent and august facade of
the Heichal building – the sanctuary that housed the menorah, shulchan, inner
mizbeiach and the Aron – rises from behind the ancient wall in the place where
the Dome of the Rock currently is.
It is very inspiring, and I love the
picture. The only caveat is that it isn’t accurate. The beautiful facade of the
Heichal would actually be facing the opposite direction. When one stands facing
the kosel today he is actually facing what would have been the back of the
Heichal.
A few years ago, I visited the
Holyland model of Jerusalem. It is a detailed replica depiction of the city of
Yerushalayim during the Herodian era just prior to the destruction of the
second Beis Hamikdash by the Romans. Created in the 1960s, the 22,000 square
foot model was originally housed at the Holyland Hotel in Bayit Vegan but has
since been moved to the Israel Museum.
When looking at the model one notices
a fascinating thing – the Beis Hamikdash actually faced away from the city of
Yerushalayim. Most of the population of the city, along with its Batei
Medrashim and Shuls, were behind the Beis Hamikdash. There were also many homes
to the south, in the area today known as Ir Dovid, as well as more aristocratic
homes in the north. But there were no homes in the east, the direction the Beis
Hamikdash faced. Right next to the eastern wall, was a deep valley next to
which rises Har HaZeisim. During the time of the Beis Hamikdash, the Parah
Adumah was slaughtered atop Har Hazeisim while the kohain doing the
slaughtering was looking across the valley into the open gates of the Heichal.
Today, one standing in front of the sealed eastern gate, known as Sha’ar
Harachamim, sees the deep valley and the steep mountain of Har Hazeisim next to
it. Beyond Har Hazeisim is the wilderness of the Judean desert.
The Torah minces no words in lauding
the physical landscape of Eretz Yisroel, praising its seven species and
describing it as a land flowing with milk and honey. Yet, there is a large
swath of the country that was and is desert.
What is the symbolism of such
incongruous landscape in the promised land and why does it border the holy
city?
Truthfully, the Judean desert was not always a desert. The
Torah relates the original beauty of the 5 cities led by Sodom and Amorah. “The
entire plain of the Jordan… well watered…. like the garden of Hashem”
(Bereishis 13:10) When Sodom and its environs were destroyed it was transformed
into a barren desert. However, the Navi assures us, “When Hashem comforts Zion
He will comfort all of her ruins. And He will place its desert like Eden and
her wasteland like a garden of Hashem” (Yeshaya 51:3).
The desert outside Yerushalayim is a
reminder of the depravity of Sodom that warranted destruction. But it is also a
reminder of great events that are coming.
The Beis Hamikdash did not face
Yerushalayim because those living in the holy city likely already felt elevated
and connected to Hashem. Instead, the Beis Hamikdash faced the wilderness
created by sin and depravity. The holy building beckoned to those who strayed
with a majestic embrace, calling its forlorn children to return home.
In the Haggadah on Pesach night in the
paragraph after Dayeinu we conclude that Hashem “built for us the Chosen House
to atone for all our sins”. The Beis Hamikdash was the ultimate place of
connection and reconnection with Hashem. The very placement and direction of
the building symbolized its poignant loving and embracing message.
On Tisha b’Av and during the weeks
prior we mourn not only the loss of the Beis Hamikdash itself but also its
symbolic meaning. Since its destruction, we have never ceased beckoning and
yearning for the Beis Hamikdash to be rebuilt. During the 3 Weeks we increase
that yearning, beckoning for it to be rebuilt so that it can once again beckon
to us to return home.
Shabbat Shalom & Good Shabbos,
R’ Dani and Chani Staum