Visiting and Hosting Hashem
The requirement to build a Beis Hamik- dash is counted among the six hundred and thirteen mitzvos and applies in every generation, whenever possible.
Yechezkel Hanavi (11:16) told Bnei Yis- roel that they would be exiled to Bavel, and even though they would not have the real Beis Ha- mikdash, they would have a “mikdash me’at, a miniature Beis Ha’mikdash.” The Gemara (Me- gillah 29b) understands this to be a reference to all shuls and yeshivos in Bavel and all over the world.
The Chayei Adam (quoting R’ Eliezer Mi’mitz in Sefer Yerayim) says that kiddushas beis hak- nesses and Beis Hamikdash are of biblical origin. Rabbi Dovid of Novardok (Teshuvos Galya Ma- sechta) assumes that, according to the Ramban, who writes (Parshas Naso) that there is a bibli- cal mitzvah to celebrate upon the completion of the building of the Beis Hamikdash, it would con- stitute a biblical mitzvah to celebrate a chanukas ha’bayis upon the inauguration of a new shul or a new beis hamedrash.
Rav Soloveitchik (Shiurim Lezeicher Avi Mori, Vol. 2, pages 78-83) explained that one of the main purposes of the Beis Hamikdash is for us to have a location where we can get together with Hashem. The Beis Hamikdash is beis Hash- em, Hashem’s home, and we go there to “vis- it” Him. Shuls and yeshivos, however, are our home, and Hashem “comes” to them in order to “visit” us.
When one goes to visit the king in his palace, one must be much more respectful than when the king is visiting in one’s home. This is why the Chumash speaks of morah hamikdash (extreme respect for the Beis Hamikdash) and the Gema- ra and Shulchan Aruch speak of k’vod beis hak- nesses, a slightly lower level of respect.
The Shulchan Aruch, quot- ing the Talmud Yerushalmi, says that bigdei yom tov must be fancier than bigdei Shabbos. Rav Soloveitchik (ibid) ex- plained that on the Shalosh Regalim, we have an obligation to be oleh l’regel, to visit the Ribbono Shel Olam in His palace.
On Shabbos, on the other hand, the Shechi- nah comes to visit us. When we recite Kabbolas Shabbos, we are not only greeting the Shabbos Queen, but also the Shechina that is visiting us. Consequently, the minhag in Europe used to be that everyone stood for Lecha Dodi. It was treated as a dovor shebikedusha, since the ko- hol was greeting the Shechina that was coming to visit us on Shabbos. Therefore, the bigdei yom tov should be more elegant than bigdei Shab- bos, because on the regalim, we are visiting the King in his palace, as opposed to Shabbos, when the King is coming to visit us.
RABBI HERSHEL SCHACHTER
