Beit HaMikdash
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Jerusalem
Rabbi Menachem LeibtagWhy isn't Jerusalem mentioned in the Torah? A careful read of Parashat Re'eh will uncover the significance and purpose of Jerusalem, and the reason it isn't mentioned in the Torah.
Natan's Vision: Why Didn't David Build the Temple
Chapter 7 (I)
Rabbi Amnon BazakThis chapter is one of the most significant chapters in prophetic writings. This lesson will discuss one of the major themes in the chapter: Why didn't David built the Temple? And what is the relationship between Nathan's vision and David's statement in Divrei ha-Yamim (Chronicles), that he did not build the Temple because he had shed blood, and was a man of war?
Natan's Vision: The Everlasting Kingdom of the House of David
Chapter 7 (II)
Rabbi Amnon BazakGod rejects David's request to build the Temple, but promises him an eternal monarchy over the nation of Israel. Is there a relationship between the two issues? Is eternal monarchy conditional? How did David respond to Nathan's vision?
David's Wars (Part II)
Chapter 8
Rabbi Amnon BazakShmuel and Divrei ha-Yamim approach the question of David's part in the construction of the Temple differently. What is the reason for this difference, and how is it expressed in our chapter? And why do conclusion verses appear in the middle of the chapter?
Parshat Teruma - Of Sequence and Sanctuary: The View of Rashi (Audio)
Rabbi Chanoch Waxman |What compels Rashi to insist that the stories of the command to build the Mishkan and the Sin of the Golden Calf are not presented in chronological order? Is the mikdash merely an after-the-fact response to the sin of the Golden Calf? Or could the textual and thematic parallels between the mikdash and the Revelation at Sinai provide significantly different reasons and implications for Rashi’s sequencing?
The Final Vision (Part 1)
Rabbi Yaakov MedanChapter 10 is dated to the third year of Koresh. The descriptions of Koresh in Yeshayahu and in Ezra imply that he showed kindness towards the Jews and acted as God's emissary. Daniel’s mourning and the angel’s message to Daniel seem to lead to a conclusion that after giving permission to build the Beit HaMikdash, Koresh suspended this permission. Daniel’s vision takes place on the 24th of the month. The 24th of the month comes up repeatedly throughout prophecies in the period of the building of the second Beit HaMikdash.
Mizmor 122
Shir HaMa'alot (Part 3)
Rabbi Avi BaumolMizmor 122 focuses on Jerusalem as the place where the Beit HaMikdash stands, a place of great social and judicial significance, and a place that represents the peace of the Jewish Nation. David’s special relationship to Jerusalem and the Beit HaMikdash is addressed.
Mizmor 24 (Part 2)
Shir Shel Yom (Part 2)
Rabbi Avi BaumolThe middle section of Mizmor 24 describes a series of moral character traits that stress honestyand guiltlessness that are needed in the worship of God in general and particularly in the Beit HaMikdash. The double question “who will…?” can be understood as two separate questions referring to different stages in striving towards Godliness.
Mizmor 24 (Part 3)
Shir Shel Yom (Part 3)
Rabbi Avi BaumolBoth literal and figurative interpretations exist to the third section of Mizmor 24 that discusses the entrance of the King through the gates. The various messages of the Mizmor make it appropriate to three distinct liturgical situations in which the Mizmor is said.
The Beit HaMikdash
Rabbi Alex IsraelThe Mikdash is much larger than the Mishkan and is filled with a disproportionate number of vessels in comparison to the Mishkan. The dating of the commencement of the building of the Mikdash to Yetziat Mitzrayim defines the Mikdash as the pinnacle of the redemption of Egypt. The Cherubs and the windows have a unique role in the Mikdash. The different systems for counting the months of the year are evaluated.
The Keys to Revealing Kohelet's Hidden Meaning
Rabbi Yitzchak Twerskyתאריך פרסום: תש"ע | |
What is the book of Kohelet about? What does it teach us? This shiur explores these questions in order to understand Kohelet on a deeper level. By examining various stories in Tanach, such as Adam and Chava, Cain and Hevel, and Para Aduma we can gain a clear understanding of the essence of Kohelet - the ability to choose between good and evil, which is critical to understanding life in general.
Megillat Esther and its Hidden Message
Rabbi Menachem LeibtagThe verse that introduces Mordekhai in the Megillah is full of satire and irony. In fact, the entire Megillah is written with satire and irony. But its inclusion in the Tanakh implies a hidden prophetic message. How does the reader uncover this message?
The Theme of the Megilla and its Satire
Rabbi Menachem LeibtagBased on this historic and prophetic setting, one might suspect that the impending destruction of Am Yisrael by Haman may be a Divine punishment for their apathy. After all, the Jews living in the Persian empire appear to have:
- Preferred Shushan over Yerushalayim;
- Opted to subjugate themselves to Ahashveyrosh rather than respond to God's call to return to their land;
- Replaced the Beit HaMikdash with the palace of Ahashveyrosh!
Textual and Thematic Support
Rabbi Menachem LeibtagSeveral hints in Megillat Esther imply that the sin of Am Yisrael is the abandonment of the mission of returning to Eretz Yisrael and rebuilding the Beit HaMikdash:
- Parallels between Ahashverosh's Palace and the Beit HaMikdash
- The use of the term "Birah" - a term used only for the Beit HaMikdash and Shushan
- 70 days between Haman's letters of destruction and Mordekhai's letters of salvation are reminiscent of the 70 years of exile
Regarding the Kings of the Davidic Dynasty
Rabbi David SabatoThese chapters contain a collection of prophecies that Yirmiyahu delivered to the last kings of Yehuda. The institutions of the Beit HaMikdash and the Davidic dynasty are perceived by the people as stable, absolute, and unassailable. Both rely on a Divine promise regarding their eternity, and the two promises are intertwined. However, the biological continuity of the descendants of David does not in itself entitle them to the kingdom, but only when coupled with its moral continuity. Only then can they truly sit on the throne of David. In contrast, the non-realization of the moral purpose will lead to the destruction of the house of David, just as it will lead to the destruction of the house of God.
In contrast to the ideal description of the monarch at the beginning of the chapter, Yirmiyahu traces the debased moral situation in the days of Yehoyakim. This rebuke revolves around the building of Yehoyakim's magnificent royal palace, which involved the breach of the most fundamental principles of morality and justice.
The future of Yehoyakhin’s seed is described in bleak terms by Yirmiyahu, but that is contradicted by his descendant Zerubavel who takes a leadership role in the Return to Zion. In contrast, Tzidkiyahu is described by Yirmiyahu as a potential Mashiah, a role that his poor decisions do not allow him to realize.
The Davidic Kingdom - Absolute or Conditional?
Rabbi David SabatoYeshayahu 56-57 - Matan Al HaPerek
Rabbi David SabatoIn Chapter 56, the sphere of redemption widens and comes to one of its highest peaks. The prophet prophesies about the idea that the redemption of Israel and the building of the Beit HaMikdash (Temple) will be spiritual processes with universal significance and import.
At the center of Chapter 57 is a strong rebuke against idol worshippers among the People. The prophet describes the moral degeneration connected with idolatrous rituals: ritual prostitution and killing of children.
Yeshayahu 65-66 - Matan Al HaPerek
Rabbi David SabatoThe two concluding perakim of Yeshayahu include both rebuke of the nation’s sinners and discussion of the goodness bestowed on the righteous. The first section of our perek (1-7) harshly rebukes the nation for its addiction to idolatry. In the second section (8-15), the prophet contrasts the punishment of the evil doers to the reward of the righteous. In the third section (16-25), the prophet describes the hidden remuneration saved for the righteous. He likens this reward to the creation of a new world, a description which is parallel to the prophecies regarding the end of days in perakim 2 and 12. The prophecy of consolation in our perek, unlike the previous prophecies regarding the end of days, describes the refinement of Yerushalayim’s reality which will occur within the framework of the natural order.
The Vision of the Future Temple
Part 1 - The Temple with God’s Glory in Its Midst
Dr. Tova GanzelThe final nine chapters of Sefer Yechezkel set forth a vision of the future Temple. These chapters are rich in detail about the dimensions of the building, the various sacrifices, land inheritances, and more.
It is not coincidental that Yechezkel’s prophecy about the future Temple comes now, a point when the nation has become accustomed to the reality of life in exile, without an active Jewish center in the land. In their new reality, the exiles are left uncertain about their future and their status.
The detailed but opaque description of the future Beit HaMikdash carries a dual – and indeed self-contradictory – message: on one hand, the Mikdash is presented as something concrete and real; on the other, it cannot actually be built, at least not at this stage.
The prophet describes the return of God’s glory to the Temple, creating an exalting sense of God’s complete presence, followed by a harsh description of the sins that led to the destruction of the Mikdash and the departure of God’s presence. The sudden fall from such lofty exaltation to such depths seems to reflect the fact that one of the conditions for the return of God’s glory to the Temple is that “the house of Israel will no more profane My holy Name”.
The Vision of the Future Temple
Part 2 - More Concealment than Revelation
Dr. Tova GanzelThe description of the Temple and the city, has some concrete and precise elements, but at the very same time, lacks some very central details.
According to Yehezkel's prophecy, the changes in this Temple include not only the outer structure of the edifice, but also fundamental difference in who enters it. This change relates both to the measure of access afforded the people, but also the division of roles among the various leaders of the nation, and the degree to which they are connected to the Temple.
The impression arising from Yehezkel’s prophecy is that the Temple is not a spiritual center for the entire nation. The Temple serves the kohanim and leviim, who perform their service within it as representatives of the people, while the only roles that are given to the people are the auxiliary functions and appearances: funding of the sacrifices, prostration, and a partial view of the Divine service.
Avraham's Eshel and the Central Beam of the Temple
Rabbi David SilverbergThe 24th of the 9th Month - Biblical Hanukka
Elisheva BraunerMenorah and Oil Miracles in Tanakh
Elisheva BraunerThe Second Haftara for Hanukka
Rabbi Aytan KaddenParashat HaShavua Emor - Regalim
Rabbi Jonathan Snowbellתאריך פרסום: תשע"ו | | 23 minutes
The festivals mentioned in the Torah are central and multifaceted, mentioned a number of times in key places. In our parasha, Parashat Emor, the element at the forefront appears to be the unique mitzvot of every moed(holiday). This shiur attempts to tie in that unique commandment of each regel to the element that seems to be missing from our parasha: how Am Yisrael relate to the Mikdash on the regalim.
Emor: The Right Balance
Rabbi Jay KelmanBehar: The Price of Tea in China
Rabbi Elli FischerBehar: Idolatry, Shabbat, and the Mikdash
Rabbi David SilverbergWhy King David Could Not Build the Temple, and When We Should
Rabbi Menachem Leibtagתאריך פרסום: 5777 | | Hour and 8 minutes
When King David expresses his wish to build the Mikdash, the prophet Natan is enthusiastic. But he returns immediately with a prophetic message that David is not to build it - that David may wish to build a house for God, but God will have to build David a "house" first. Why is this? And who really selects the "place that God chooses?"
Throughout our study, we will explore different parts of Tanakh that deal with the meaning and purpose of the Temple (mishkan and mikdash, respectively). Who is the Mikdash really for? We consider what it means to build a house for "God's name" and examine the implications of "calling out in God's name." The viability of the Mikdash is intrinsically linked to our ability to "call out in God's name" properly.
Pesach and Sukkot, the Mishkan and the Mikdash
Rabbi Amnon BazakWe find in the Torah two distinct calendar systems. On the one hand, the Torah explicitly establishes that the year begins with the month of Nissan: "This month shall be for you the first of the months; it is for you the first of the months of the year" (Shemot 12:1).
The occasion of Yom Kippur, though, marks the "new year" of the yovel (Vayikra 25:9-10). And yet, the Torah also speaks of the festival of Sukkot as occurring "when the year ends" (Exodus 23:16), and requires conducting the hakhel ceremony "at the end of seven years, at the time of the shemitta year, on the festival of Sukkot" (Deuteronomy 31:10).
What exactly is the nature of this calendar, and how does it relate to the calendar that begins with Nissan? How can we view the festival of Sukkot as marking the end of the year, if Yom Kippur signifies the beginning of the year? This point also bears relevance regarding the relationship between the Mishkan and the Beit Ha-Mikdash.
The dedication of the Mishkan took place on the first of Nissan –the onset of the "historical" new year (Shemot 40:17). The dedication of the Temple, by contrast, took place in the month of Tishrei, during the festival of Sukkot (I Melakhim 8:1-2,65). How might this be explained?
The Mishkan and the Mikdash express different perspectives with regard to Am Yisrael's position in the world. The Mishkan represents a temporary condition. The Beit Ha-Mikdash expresses stability.
Destruction, Exile and Reflection: God’s Justice in the World
The Structure & Story of Books books II (42-72) & III (73-89)
Dr. Beni Gesundheit | Hour and 12 minutesAsaf Collections (50, 73-83); Focus on 77-79
As we light the Chanukah candles this week and recall the miracle of the oil lasting for 8 nights - join us in understanding the mizmorim of Tehillim that focus on the Beit HaMikdash and the proper approach to worshipping Hashem.
How are the Asaf collections connected to each other and what is their structure? How are they embedded in the adjacent mizmorim and in Books II and III? What can we learn from their serving as the envelope around the second David collection?
As discussed in previous shiurim, Asaf and his family were singers in the first Temple with King David; their tradition and legacy leads Am Yisrael through the Babylonian exile and then to the second Temple. Accordingly, their locations in Books II and III of Tehillim teach the proper approach to worshipping God in the Temple and the consequences if not followed. God is a just God to the Jews and to the nations who persecute His people. Mizmorim 77-79, in the center of the Asaf collection, are also the middle of the entire book of Tehillim. Our analysis will present and discuss their messages.