LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

I just received the welcome to the SUB service. I am excited. I am anxious to learn better how davenning and services were actually done, and how the remnants such as the Kotel came to be in their present state. For example, how did the Kotel get covered by so many levels of earth. I am also interested in the "Yibane HaMikdash".

Kol Tuv Yossi Schonberger

Response: Yossi,

Yasher koach on your enthusiasm to learn about the Beit HaMikdash.

The daily Temple Service is described in the Mishnah, tractate Tamid (available in English as part of the Blackman translation). The rest of the order of Kodshim (as well as parts of other assorted tractates, such as Bikkurim, Pesachim, Sheqalim, Yoma, Chagiga, and Horayot) describes the intricacies of the various facets of the Temple Service, and much of it is available with Artscroll's English commentary. For a more clear and concise description, you may want to look in the Rambam (books of Avodah and Korbanot, some of which may be published in English by Feldheim). Additionally, many of the organizations listed above can provide information. I also hope we will be able to publish articles about various aspects of the Temple Service.

The Kotel was built by King Herod, towards the end of of the Second Temple Period. Montifiori later added the stones on top. Over the last couple thousand years, several groups have come and built upon the ruins of their predecessors, and were later destroyed to be their successors. Each group built over the ruins of the previous, until only 25 meters of the Kotel are now above ground.

"Yibane HaMikdash" is the monthly Hebrew publication, from which much of this mailing is based upon, and is much more complete. It is available for 75 Shekels within Israel and 75 dollars abroad.

Chazak ve-ematz,

yirmi

I am a Jew in the USA. I cannot tell you how important your e-mailings have been to me. The press in the States do not cover these areas, which are of such extreme importance. I have been forwarding your mailings to other Jews in the States. I have also forwarded them to some gentiles who truly have a Jewish heart and have devoted much to our people and to Yisrael. I have urged them to financially support your work.

May the L-RD G-d of Yisrael bless you greatly...

Leah

Subject: Re-building the temple

How can it happen? The Temple Mount is standing over the "Holy of Holies. Remove one tile and there would be an Arab uprising that would make the crusades look like a walk in the park.

Our shuls must take the place of The Temple.

Howard Silverman - USA

Response: How unfortunate it is that in our Exile mentality, many of us are getting used to the Destruction of the Temple and saying that "Our shuls must take the place of The Temple." True, shuls posess sanctity, as a place of public prayer. However, there is no comparison between going to a synagogue and knowing that G-d is present behind the scenes and going to the Beit HaMikdash and viewing the Divine Presence loud and clear. When people would go up to the Beit HaMikdash, they would see their sacrifices being accepted They would see the building and service in its splendor. They would see the daily miracles that took place, not because we needed deliverance, but to show that G-d is among us. One could not help but be inspired to revere G-d. Today, all we have is remembrance. To say that the remembrance takes the place of the Beit HaMikdash is like saying that a grave site takes the place of a deceased parent.

There are many mitzvot, such as tefillin, which fortify an individual's Jewish character. A Jewish man who puts on tefillin strengthens his connection with G-d and enriches his personal Jewish character. If he does not put on tefillin, he can, chas veshalom, gradually weaken his Jewish character and forget the specialness of being Jewish. But Judaism is not to be practiced merely as individuals, but as a nation. Just as individual actions give individuals Jewish character, national institutions such as the Senhedrin and the Beit HaMikdash give us our national character and help us become the Holy People that we are meant to be.

Even in our individual personal devotions, we are lacking without the Beit HaMikdash. There are many mitzvot for individuals to perform, such as the eating the Passover Sacrifice, central in reinforcing our faith, cannot be performed. The three major Jewish holidays are lacking because we cannot go up to the Beit HaMikdash and experience "Joy before G-d". Shuls will never take the place of this.

As to the possible Arab uprising, we must evaluate the risks and the potential gain. Clearly, if there is a danger to the existence of the entire Jewish People, there is nothing to talk about. If, however, the risk is anything less, even a threat to our national independence, we may temporarily postpone it, but ultimately we must do what is necessary to build our national character. The Ramban says that the building of the Mishkan is at the end of Shmot (and not in Vayikra where all the sacrifices are specified) because the Redemption of the Exedous from Egypt was not complete until the Mishkan was built and the Divine Presence rested upon the Jewish People. Israeli independence is not the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal is to rebuild the Beit HaMikdash and the Jewish Nation.

In 1948, 1967, and again in 1973, most Arab nations did carry out their "uprising" and tried to destroy us. Even today, it is not clear that they have given up. It was not a lack of resolve that stopped them, and many Arabs are still willing to die in order to kill Israelis. It was not a lack of support that stopped them, as they had the then Soviet Union's support. They simply were unable to do so. All the sudden, because the issue is the Temple Mount, they would be able to defeat the Israeli Army????

I do not presently advocate blowing up the Dome of the Rock and starting a war. The building of the Beit HaMikdash must not be the effort of a small group of extremists, but of the entire Jewish People. What we must do, however, is put the building of the Beit HaMikdash on the national agenda. After such period of absence, the Jewish People need to be reeducated about the Temple Service and the Beit HaMikdash.

There is also what to be done to change the status. Presently, if a Jew starts saying Tehillim on the Temple Mount, he or she is immediately removed and arrested. We must work, in a democratic framework, to change the situation and allow Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount. Additionally, there are may mitzvot, such as lighting the Menorah which do not require any building to be built. Why should Jews be prevented from such activity? Even if we are unable to remove such restricions, we can still go up to the Temple Mount (after proper halachic preparations). If five million Jews would go up to the Temple Mount, there would be no question as to whose Holy Place this is. Little by little, we must build the Beit HaMikdash.

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