A Request for the Mizbe’ach in the Brachah Me’ein Shalosh

יהיה רבוע רחב אמות וחמש ארך אמות חמש שטים עצי המזבח את ועשית" (א כז) "קמתו אמות ושלש המזבח

In the brachah "Me’ein Shalosh," in the part that corresponds to the Birchas Ha’aretz in Birchas Hamazon, we make a special request for the mizbe’ach: "V’al mizbechecha v’al heichalecha." If in Birchas Hamazon we don’t have a special request for the mizbe’ach, why do we have one in the Brachah Me’ein Shalosh, which is a much shorter brachah?

Rav Moshe Leib Shachor of Yerushalayim explained: The Mishnah (Sotah 48a) says that "from the day the Bais Hamikdash was destroyed...the taste of the fruits was taken away." And we can explain that this refers to the destruction of the mizbe’ach, alongside which the bikkurim were laid. And because the mizbe’ach was destroyed and no more bikkurim were brought to it, the fruits lost their flavor (see Rashi Rosh Hashanah 16a, ad loc. Shtei). In light of this, we can explain that because we recite the Brachah Me’ein Shalosh after eating the fruits of the Shivas Haminim, a special request was therefore instituted specifically in this brachah that the mizbe’ach should be rebuilt and through that, the flavor of the fruits should be restored.

Avnei Shoham Eikev

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Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach would say that the request of "V’al mizbechecha" in the Birchas Me’ein Shalosh is the reason why Am Yisrael have a custom of eating doughnuts on Chanukah:

On Chanukah, the Chashmona’im purified the Mikdash from the defilement of the Yevanim, but they were unable to restore the purity of the stones of the mizbe’ach, and therefore, they were hidden (Avodah Zarah 52b). For this reason, we have the custom of eating sufganiyot on Chanukah, to become obligated through them to recite the brachah of Me’ein Shalosh in which we ask for the mizbe’ach to be built.

Halichos Shlomo Moadim Vol. II p. 319