I do not attire myself in the same style of clothing as most of the religious Jews of whom I'm aware. I had made for myself several "cloaks", cut in such a way as to afford the wearer a true four- cornered garment, onto which I tied "tzitzith" with "tkheleth" (the special bluish thread specified by the Torah of which we make mention twice a day when reciting the Shema).

Why I am telling you this? Well, at the recent sheva berochoth of a cousin from Bnai Brak, I struck up a conversation with the bridegroom's older brother - a representative example of the Lithuanian Yeshiva world. I had come attired as described above, and he politely steered the discussion to the issue of my clothing.

"What exactly is this you're wearing?" he asked. I explained that Jews should wear Jewish clothing: clothes that are modest and practical; clothes that facilitate a logical and natural performance of the commandment of "tzitzith" (as opposed to stuffing an uncomfortable and illogical rectangular "garment" under one's shirt); clothes that distinguish us from the Gentiles (as opposed to walking around in an Al Copone-style getup, minus the submachine gun). I also illustrated my remarks with relevant Halachic quotes.

My cousin--who is highly intelligent and very perceptive--did not challenge my statements; rather he nodded understandingly and even confirmed my Halachic contentions. (He is very learned). The only question in his yeshiva-student's mind was: "What do you mean by practical? I replied that seeing this was the middle of a Middle-Eastern summer, and a hot day at that, I was certainly more comfortable and logically attired (shirt and sleeveless, summery "cloak") than he.

My cousin fell silent and pensive. Again, understanding and a recognition of the truth of my comments showed clearly in his facial expression. Then he played his trump (and only) card: "It is beyond our capabilities to innovate; all we can do is to preserve that which was in the past."

And the truth is that my cousin is absolutely, 100% correct.

An athlete who lacks faith in his ability to succeed is doomed to fail, and is thus proved correct in his original assumption. Similarly, a school of Torah thought conditioned and taught to view change, any change, as impossible, renders itself incapable of providing the intellectual and spiritual leadership necessary for the flowering and growth of Torah in Erets Yisrael today.

Put another way: those who claim "We cannot change! We may not innovate" are right. They are truly incapable of doing so.

What, however, is meant by "the flowering and growth of Torah in Erets Yisrael today"? After all, doesn't the term "Orthodox Judaism" mean that nothing changes - ever?

No it doesn't. Not at all.

Torath Erets Yisrael vs. Torath Galuth

The prophet Yeshayahu, speaking of a time when Hashem will bring His people back to His Land (11:12) goes on to make the following statement: "Therefore with joy shall you draw water from the wells of salvation" (12:4). The message at first is unclear: what "water" and "what salvation"? Yonathan Ben Uziel, the author of the Aramaic translation of the Prophets, comes to our aid. His translation reads: "Therefore with joy shall you receive new teaching from the choice righteous ones." Rashi adds: "Hashem will open their hearts by way of their redemption, and hidden areas of the Torah - that were lost due to their sufferings in Exile - will be revealed to them." And the Radak (R. David Kimhi) comments: "...because the learning of that time will be an innovation...

There we have it: the Torah of these generations is indeed supposed to be qualitatively greater-and yes, different-from that which was possible and fitting for the Galuth. There is, however, a catch. Yeshayahu states that this new, higher learning can only be received from the "choice righteous ones".

Who might they be?

I believe that the conversation related above illustrates who they cannot be. As for who they might be-this question will be explored later on, with Hashem's help.

Regarding the verse quoted above, "Therefore with joy shall you draw water from the springs of salvation" (Yeshayahu 12:4), the Aramaic translation of Yonathan Ben Uziel, renders the text thus: "Therefore with joy shall you receive new teaching from the choice righteous ones." In the classic commentators, we find Rashi saying: "Hashem will open their hearts as a result of their redemption, and hidden areas of the Torah that were lost due to their sufferings in exile will be revealed to them." And the Radak (R. David Kimhi) comments: "... because the learning of that time will be an innovation ..."

Two difficulties present themselves:

1. 1) What is meant by "new teaching"?
2. 2) Who are the "choice righteous ones"? How are we to recognize them?

I shall attempt to deal with the first of these questions in this article.

When discussing the course to be followed by a person wishing to receive instruction and guidance in spiritual matters, the Torah directs us: Then shall you arise and go up to the place that the Lord your God shall choose. And you shall come to the priests the Levites, or to the judge that will be in those days, and inquire, and they shall tell you The Torah describes two types of wise men: the "kohen" (priest) and the "shofet" (judge).

The difference between the "kohen" and "shofet" is this:

• The "shofet" is knowledgeable in the area of the details of Torah, and can express an opinion based on precedent and comparison
• The "kohen" is aware of the overriding and general principles of Torah, and possesses an intuitive understanding of that which is in accordance with Hashem's will. He can thus extrapolate the details from the general principles. Furthermore, he can suggest the correct course of action in entirely new and uncharted waters.

The former level is typical of the Torah of Galuth (exile); the latter is possible only in Erets Yisrael.

Three Distinct Levels of Torah Perception

It is essential that we understand the causes and workings of these two types of Torah, which give rise to three distinct levels of Torah perception.

Everything in our universe is the result of Hashem's Will, and the success or failure of all things is directly proportional to the beracha (blessing), or lack thereof, that Hashem directs towards that particular phenomenon. This is true for all areas of our lives, and is particularly so with regards to the Torah. The level of understanding and enlightenment that Am Yisrael achieves is a function of the time and place, i.e. the beracha from above.

Prophecy
The highest level of Torah is prophecy: Moshe Rabenu was therefore both Master of all the Prophets and the receiver and teacher of Torah. Both Torah and prophecy are rooted in Hashem, and the two naturally go together. Thus we find at the beginning of Avoth in the Mishna: "Moshe received the Torah from Sinai, and transmitted it to Yehoshua, and Yehoshua to the Elders, and the Elders to the Prophets, and the Prophets to the Men of the Great Assembly."

The Prophets were the forerunners of Hazal (the Sages); Prophecy is not limited to predicting the future, which is only one of its functions. First and foremost it involves an intimate and profound understanding of Torah. The original yeshivoth in Am Yisrael were the Bnei Haneviim (the students of the Prophets) mentioned in the Tanakh (see Melachim I 20:3k II 2:3).

Ruach HaKodesh
A second level is that of Ruach HaKodesh (Divine Inspiration), where a certain holy intuition leads the wise and holy man to discover that which is hidden in the Torah. This can be likened to the echo of a sound; it is not as sharp and clear as the original (the former level), but the sound is still intelligible (the concept of Bath Kol, literally "daughter", or residue of a voice, is part of this phenomenon).

Logical Inference and Precedents
A third level is a Torah which lacks both of the above, and must rely on logical inference (pilpul) and a wide-ranging knowledge of Halachic precedents ("bekiyut"). We thus find in the Talmud Bavli that many Halachot and their concomitant reasoning were lost when Moshe Rabenu (who knew the first and second levels in an intuitive and straightforward fashion) passed away and Othniel Ben Qnaz was able to recover them only through his powers of argumentation and logic, or the third level (Talmud Bavli,Temura 16a).

The Reality of Torah in Time and Place

The level of Torah in a given generation depends upon the time (i.e. the period in Am Yisrael's history, which can be either on the rise or on the decline) and the place (Erets Yisrael as opposed to the rest of the world).

The "new" teaching of Yonathan Ben Uziel is the shift from a purely rational and legalistic level of Torah, based on logical argumentation and precedent (the only type of Torah which can be sustained in the Galuth) to a level where intuition and inspiration from Above have a role to play (the type of Torah which can be sustained in Erets Yisrael, especially during the time leading up to final geula (redemption) where the beracha from Above is infinitely greater).

We should not be surprised by this. The reality of Torah in Am Yisrael is the result of the confluence of these two divinely ordained creations: the Torah and the Jewish people. The resulting reality of Torah depends upon the success of their interface. Only Am Yisrael has the innate ability to "hear" the voice of Hashem, to perceive His will, and to implement Torah in the world. (Gentiles who do study the Tanach generally do not know what to do with it). This ability is central to an understanding of the nature of Torah Sheba'al Peh (the Oral Law). The surprising phenomenon, therefore, is that we were able to sustain any level of Torah in the Galuth at all.

Hazal (our Sages of blessed memory) were very much aware of this reality, and went out of their way to bring to our attention the existence of these substantially different levels of Torah.

In the Talmud Bavli (Sanhedrin 24a) we read: ""He has placed me in the dark, like those that are long dead" (Eicha 3:6) - R. Yirmiyah said "this refers to the Talmud of Bavel"! A radical statement to be sure and our teacher Rashi leaves us in no doubt as to its meaning: "Their learning is uncertain." The holy Maharal adds that this is due to the extremely convoluted and legalistic argumentation typical of the Babylonian Talmud, as a result of which conclusions are often dubious, since one can almost always argue against a given point of view (Hidushei Agadoth).

It is pertinent to note that it is R. Yirmiyah who makes this statement. R. Yirmiyah was born in Bavel and came to Erets Yisrael as a young man. He was thus uniquely qualified to discriminate between the Torah of Bavel and that of Erets Yisrael. We are therefore not surprised to find the same R. Yirmiyah, upon hearing a certain explanation given in Bavel, remark: "Those foolish Babylonians! It is because they dwell in a land of darkness that they make such dark (incorrect) statements!" (B.T. Pesahim 34b). Once again, Rashi is very forthright: "When they do not know the true explanation for something, they come up with incorrect explanations".

R. Yirmiyah was not alone in his estimation. His teacher, R. Zera, who was also originally from Bavel, fasted 100 fasts upon coming to Erets Yisrael in order to forget his learning from Bavel (Talmud Bavli, Bava Mezia 85a). Rashi says plainly, that this refers to the Babylonian Talmud with which we are familiar. Note also that these statements about the Torah of Bavel are found in the Talmud Bavli itself. We find no attempt to hide this information.

All of the above can only be understood in light of the observation of our Sages to the verse "And the gold of that land is good (Bereshith 2:12) "There is no Torah like the Torah of Erets Yisrael, and no wisdom like the wisdom of Erets Yisrael" (Bereshith Raba 16,4). The above mentioned citations make it clear that the difference is very real, and that the words of our Rabbis are in no way an exaggeration.

So how does this affect or apply to us?

R. Zera and R. Yirmiyah did not live in the days of the Mashiah. We in fact, in this generation, are much nearer to those glorious days. If we train ourselves to be aware of the reality and truth of these ideas, and open our minds and hearts to a truer appreciation of the miraculous wordings of Torah within Am Yisrael as described above, we shall be well on the way to a new era in the mystical and wonderful conjoining between ourselves and G-d's Holy Torah.

I was recently invited to a conference that took place at Binyanei Ha'uma (the International Convention Centre). There was quite a crowd: over 1500 people attended.. Unlike most conferences (of doctors, or lawyers or political gatherings), the participants had no personal or vested interest and no commercial motivation: this was the Annual Conference of the Movement for Rebuilding of the Miqdash (Temple).

Yes, there is such a thing. All manner of Jews are members of this organization: traditional, national-religious, and haredi. They were treated to an evening of speeches, poetry reading, music and film on the theme of the Miqdash. By all accounts, those who paid 65 NIS to attend enjoyed themselves and felt it all to have been worthwhile. All this would indicate that a growing number of Jews sincerely desire to see the Miqdash rebuilt in their lifetime. (I remember the first of these annual events which took place eight years ago, to which about 65 people showed up.)

I must, however, admit that despite the personal invitation extended to me on the phone, I did not attend. Not because I do not consider the cause a worthy one; certainly not because I doubt the sincerity of those involved. I am simply tired of "occupational therapy".

Allow me to explain. A friend of mine once invited me and a third person to hear his proposals for turning Israel into a Jewish state (as opposed to Herzl's ‘state of the Jews"). After listening to my friend, this third person replied: "It will not work. You're fooling yourself. And what you're doing is nothing but "occupational therapy"". By this clever turn of phrase he meant that the only useful purpose served by activities such as those suggested by my friend, was to alleviate the deep-seated pain he was experiencing by the illusion of doing something about it; to effect a kind of "catharsis through action" (or the suggestion of action).

I cannot state categorically that such a gathering serves no purpose. We should, however, recognize that such an approach is in reality skirting the real issue.

1. There are three factors that together explain the sad fact that we have no Miqdash today. The first two are plain enough, but third and major factor may not be:The Moslem presence on Har HaBayith (the Temple Mount)
2. The willingness and interest of successive Israeli governments to maintain the status-quo.
3. The nature and mind-set of establishment Orthodox Judaism today.

The Jewish Agenda

The Holy Torah states: "And let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them" (Shemoth 25:8). This is a commandment like any other - as evidenced by the fact that it is listed in Rambam's Sefer Hamiswoth (Positive No.20), Sefer Hachinuch No.95, as well as in all other such works and is incumbent upon the Jewish people as a whole (Rambam, Sefer Hamiswoth, after listing the positive Miswoth). As with all the commandments, it is our duty, not Hashem's. We thus find in the Rambam's Mishne Torah (Hilchoth Melakhim 1:1): "The nation of Israel was commanded to attend to three things upon their entering the Land: to establish a monarchy, to wipe out Amaleq, and to build the Temple, as it is written, "you shall search out a place for Him, and there shall you come ." (Devarim 12:5)"

Once the site for the Miqdash was fixed in the days of Shemuel and King David, it is immutable (Mishne Torah, Beth Ha'behira 1:3). "All" that remains to do at a time such as the present is to rebuild the physical structure, and reinstitute the Temple Service that all religious Jews pray for thrice daily. This is precisely what occurred when our forefathers returned from the Babylonian Exile (Ezra Chap. 3); they immediately commenced rebuilding the Temple. (See Mishne Torah, Beth Ha'behira 1:4).

The building of the Second Temple by the Babylonian exiles upon their return, (despite not being politically independent, lacking their own king, nor having merited to witness the days of the Mashiah), was not in the least bit unusual. It was the obvious and natural course of action for normal Jews to embark upon: Hashem commanded us to do this, so, needless to say, as soon it became feasible (the King of Persia had given his permission), our ancestors set about doing His Will. If all external obstacles are removed, the commandment, which was always in force, awaits out attention. And it is our duty, as Jews, to give it our fullest attention -- it is simply incorrect to imagine that the commandment is somehow "on hold" until further notice, or until the advent of the Mashiah (the Messiah).

In the words of the Rambam: "One should not imagine that the Mashiah must produce miracles, or bring about radical changes in the world ... as certain fools claim. ... And the truth of the matter is as follows: that the laws and statutes of the Torah shall never, ever change; one may not add nor detract from them (Hilchoth Melakhim: 11:3).

Where do we see such an idea in recent times? Approximately 190 years ago, the famous giant of Torah R. Akiva Eiger once () asked his illustrious contemporary the Hatham Sofer (R. Moshe Sofer) if it would be possible, (assuming the Ottoman Sultan to be agreeable), to offer the Qorban Pesah (Pesah Sacrifice). Althoughthis would involve, at the very least, building an altar on Har HaBayith, the Hatham Sofer's reply was a resounding "Yes!" (Responsa of Hatham Sofer, Yore De'ah No.236).

Beyond the Scope

Many representatives of Establishment Orthodoxy rabbis of the Haredi and National-Religious persuasions with whom I have broached the subject become noticeably uncomfortable when asked the simple question: "Why do you consider the Miqdash to beyond the scope of Judaism today?"

Some mention awaiting the Mashiah; others raise the issue of Tumath Meth (ritual impurity resulting from contact with the dead). My response to the former is as mentioned above: our ancestors from the Babylonian Exile rebuilt the Temple despite the lack of a Mashiah, or even a king. The Rambam does not mention having to await the Mashiah; such a view is in fact quite the opposite of the Rambam's express approach to such matters: "And if you should suggest that the Mashiah shall do this, that is impossible, as I have already explained in the introduction that the Mashiah neither adds nor detracts from the Torah" (Commentary to Mishne, Sanhedrin 1:3).

The Rambam's intention is clear - the Mashiah plays no role in "activating" or performing the mitswoth. With regards to the question of tuma, the Halacha is explicit: when all or most of Am Yisrael are ritually impure, all public sacrifices (including the Qorban Pesah) are nevertheless offered. The tuma is overridden (Hilchot Beth HaMiqdash 4:9-13).

And yet, despite all Halachic indications to the above effect, the stand of Establishment Orthodoxy is a vague and numbing complacency. To claim that any commandment - and particularly this most central of mitswoth is for some inscrutable reason inoperative, is to negate these words of the Rambam and deny the veracity of the Halachic decision of the Hatham Sofer. No Torah scholar would deny the possibility of opposing views within the world of Torah - it is however my contention that a reasoned and well-documented Halachic standpoint, divergent from the above- mentioned opinions, simply does not exist. (I would welcome the comments of readers who are aware of such arguments).

The Darkness of Inertia

In the absence of cogent Torah reasoning to the contrary, I would suggest that the fundamental cause of this phenomenon is inertia. Establishment Orthodoxy is simply stuck in the rut of Galuth Judaism and lacks the ability to disengage itself from the form of Torah observance to which we became accustomed in our long and bitter Exile. No one really knows why we continue as we do-it is simply by default. As mentioned in the article (The Torah of Geula), many in the Torah world have been led to believe that change, of any sort, (even Torah ordained change for the better), is simply beyond us.

The tragic, heart-rending truth is that even if the Moslems were to voluntarily vacate Har HaBayith tomorrow, Establishment Orthodoxy would not know what to do with the Temple Mount. In its heart, Establishment Orthodoxy recognizes this. The Moslems and the authorities are, in reality, convenient distractions, serving to obviate the need for serious Torah discussion. Thus many Jews are quite content with the present situation, and conferences and dinners will not change this.

The Arabs are not the problem; nor is it a question of political machinations and interests. The problem is deep-seated and fundamental: do we possess the vision and direction to live a complete and authentic expression of Torah?

The problem is within ourselves-as is the solution.

Having thus dealt with the "technical" and Halakhic aspect of the issue, the "what" and the "how" - it is time to turn to the "why".

This is, after all, the fundamental question: why do we need a Miqdash? What's wrong with Judaism as it exists today? To answer this very real question which cuts to the core of the issue, we must delve into the nature and purpose of the Miqdash as defined by the Torah.

The Light of Asereth

We recently completed celebrating Sukkoth. Sukkoth itself lasts for seven days. The eighth day is in fact a festival unto itself (see Vayikra 23:34-36). This eighth day is referred to by the Torah as "Atsereth" - hence the term "Shemini Atsereth."

This is not however, the only instance of this term in the Torah. With regard to Pesah, which is seven days in length, we read: "Six days shall you eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day an Atsereth to Hashem ..."(Devarim 16:6). Pesah, we see, also includes an Atsereth. The picture is rounded out by the thought-provoking fact that despite the Torah's naming of the second of the three Festivals either "Yom Habikkurim" (Day of First Fruits) Bemidbar 28:26, or Hag Shavuoth (Festival of Weeks) Devarim 16:10, our Holy Sages almost always refer to Shavuoth simply as "Atsereth" (see Mishna Rosh Hashana 1:2).

What does the term Asereth mean? The root ayin-tzadi-resh implies stopping, preventing, confirming and by extension, gathering together, holding on and retaining (it is in this sense that one clearly sees the connection to the root aleph-tzadiresh [amass]), and again by extension, maintaining one's presence in a certain place.

It is primarily in this last sense that both the Torah and Hazal refer to the Festivals as Atsereth: maintaining one's presence before Hashem. We thus find in the Book of Shmuel: "Now a certain man of the servants of Shaul was there that day, maintaining his presence before Hashem..." (Shmuel I, 21:8). The Hebrew term used for "maintaining his presence" was "ne'etsar" (nun- ayin-tzadi-resh). R. Yona ibn Janah, a grammarian and commentator in Spain approximately 1000 years ago comments:

"The Hebrew refers to one who maintains his presence in the place of worship in order to commune with Hashem-ne'etsar-as it says, "Now a certain man..." and thus remaining in the presence of Hashem and tarrying near the Miqdash is known as Atsereth. And only the last day of the Festival is referred to (by the Torah) thus, so that those celebrating shall not return to their homes and make light of it, seeing that it is the last day. The Torah therefore states, "Maintain your celebration even on this last day." And for this reason Shavuoth is referred to [by Hazal] as Atsereth, due to the fact that it lasts only one day, and people may therefore choose to ignore it." (Sefer Hashorashim under ayin-tzadi-resh).

We find Hazal, too, expressing the same idea. On the verse speaking of Shemini Asereth (Bemidbar 29:35), our Sages explain: "The Torah indicates that one may not leave [walled Jerusalem, even if he had already brought his sacrifice] ...and the word "atsira" means "confined" (Sifre Pinhas 151). In the Talmud we learn: "Just as each of the seven days of the Festival (Sukkoth) require their own sacrifice, song (of the Levites), blessing (prayer) and "remaining" (in Jerusalem near the Miqdash), so does the eighth day..." (Sukka 47a). According to the Tosafoth (ad loc. and Rash Hashana 5a), this statement means precisely what it says: one is required to remain in the vicinity of the Miqdash for the entire period of the Festival. The view of our teacher Rashi is that one must remain in Jerusalem one night beyond the first day of the Festival (when all Jews must come to the Miqdash) - even though there is nothing specific that he need do there on the following day. (This is also the view of the Tosafoth in Pesahim 95b).

An additional statement to this effect can be found in the Sifre to the verse: "And you shall roast it (the Pesah sacrifice) and eat it in the place which the Lord your God shall choose; and you shall, in the morning, turn and go to your tents" (Bemidhar 16:7). Despite the immediate context of the Pesah sacrifice, our Sages based on the seemingly superfluous addition "in the morning". state: "This teaches us that one must remain [near the Miqdash and]... whenever you come to leave the Miqdash, do so only from the morning onwards." (Re'eh 134) It is this last statement that Rambam quotes (Bikkurim 3:14).

The concept of Asereth is not, therefore, unique to Sukkoth; it common and central to all Festivals.

Having thus established what Torah is saying, we must ourselves - again - why? Why Hashem so insistent that we extend our stay near the Miqdash?

Before finally answering this question, we must mention another two commandments - Ma'asar Behema (a tithe from our cattle) and Ma'asar Sheni (a tithe from produce of the earth) which share a Common purpose. With regard to Ma'aser Sheni the Torah states: "You shall certainly tithe all the produce that the field brings forth year by year. And you shall eat [of it] before the Lord your God, at the site that He shall choose to place His Name ... that you may learn to fear the Lord your God all your days." (Devarim 14:22).

Hashem does not require us to come to the Miqdash only thrice yearly. We find ourselves drawn - and commanded - to "visit" Hashem fairly regularly.

The unique Sefer Hachinuch (356 or 360, depending on the edition) explains these two mitswoth as follows:

"God, Blessed be He, chose Am Yisrael, and wished that they all be studiers of Torah and knowers of His Name. And in His Wisdom, he caused them all to take heed. For He knows that most people are drawn to the material world, seeing that they are but flesh, and will not constantly devote their energies to Torah. He therefore, in His Wisdom, provided a way for them all to know His Torah... in as much as by having to take of his earnings, year by year, and travel to the seat of Torah study and wisdom, namely Jerusalem, where the Sanhedrin, the knowers of true Knowledge reside, either he or his son will have to go there to study and to eat of that produce. Thus will every household in Israel possess at least one person well-versed in Torah, who will then teach his family. In this way will the Land be replete with the knowledge of Hashem ... seeing that such a person will exist in every home and they will thus merit to experience. "And I shall place my Sanctuary amongst you ... and you shall be my people and I shall be their God." (Vayikra 26:11-12).

The Center of All Torah Activity

These profound and penetrating words truly hit home. The Miqdash is the center of all Torah activity. The Sanhedrin sits on the Temple Mount, right beside the Temple. The Temple Service, done in the name of all Israel, takes place there. When the Jew is told to "to maintain his presence" there a few times a year, he is being told to recharge his spiritual batteries to truly commune with Hashem.

Can we truly conceive such an experience had on a person? Could a person sin so easily, knowing the Temple was not far away? Can we truly fathom what an impact the Miqdash would have on our individual and national lives? Witnessing the Kohanim perform their holy office, with all its majesty and splendor? Participating in the Service begun in the days of Moshe and Aharon, incorporating a feast for mind and soul: music, dance (i.e., Simchat Beit Hashoeva on Sukkoth) and esthetic beauty of every kind? Leaving behind one's home, one's worldly cares, the smallness of one's day-to-day existence in order to absorb the Holiness, the Beauty, the Wisdom of our Tradition and the echoes of our history, all concentrated in the same point in Time and Space?

To quote the Sefer HaChinuch again (speaking of the purpose of the Miqdash): "... it is all (the Temple Service) to direct our hearts to His worship... because people are influenced by actions [that they perform and witness], and by being consequently involved in such actions, our thoughts and hearts will be purified and elevated... He therefore commanded us to prepare a site of the most complete purity and cleanliness to purify our minds and bring us closer to Him." (No. 95).

How the experience of our synagogues, our Yamim Tovim, even our yeshivoth-with all proper regard and respect-pales in comparison! Not for nothing do our Sages refer to the synagogue as "Miqdash Me'at" a small and minor Temple (Talmud Bavli, Megilla 29a), a far cry from the real thing. It is not for nothing that Hazal teach us the day the Temple was destroyed Hashem has nothing in His world but the four cubits of Halacha (i.e. the world of Torah study)" (Talmud Bavli Berakhoth 8a). When the Temple stands, however, how much more He - and we - have!

When seen in this light, we can begin to appreciate the words of our King David in all their beautiful simplicity: "How marvelous is your Sanctuary, 0 Lord of Hosts! My soul longs, indeed, faints, for the courtyards of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God." (Tehillim 84:2-3).

Simply put, we need the Miqdash to be good Jews.

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