By Rabbi Dovid Sapirman, Dean, Ani Maamin Foundation
Once the Beis Hamikdash was built, it was forever forbidden to bring a korban anywhere else, under penalty of kares. The main function of a korban was to create closeness between the bringer and his Creator. The person would be so inspired that he would want to fulfill the will of Hashem more than anything else.
For this reason, the nevi’im tell us that those who brought korbanos but did not live according to Torah had missed the point. “Listening to Hashem and obeying His mitzvos is better than a sacrifice.” However, the Beis Hamikdash was much more than just a permissible site for a korban. The Sefer Hachinuch tells us that Hashem created Har Habayis as the purest and holiest place on earth, the place best suited for connecting with Hashem.
When the Torah speaks about being oleh regel on Sukkos, it says, “When all Yisrael come lir’os (to see) Hashem.” In a Sefer Torah, there are no nekudos. Chazal tell us that the word can be understood as lir’os, to see, or leira’os, to be seen. In the Beis Hamikdash, the Shechina was palpable in a way that could not be equaled anywhere else. It seemed as if we could actually feel the presence of Hashem, His looking down upon us and scrutinizing our actions. The presence of the Shechina is so exhilarating that it brings a level of simcha found nowhere else.
The Gemara tells us that the Tanna Rabbi Yosi was once on the road and needed a place to daven. He entered one of the ruins of Yerushalayim. Eliyahu Hanavi waited outside until he had finished, then asked him if he had heard anything inside. Rabbi Yosi said, “I heard a voice that sounded like the cooing of a dove, saying ‘Woe, that I destroyed My House, burned my halls, and exiled my children!’” Eliyahu told him that this voice cried out three times a day, for a king should be praised in His own house. He added, “What does a father who sent his children into exile have? And woe to the children, who have been exiled from their father’s table.”
In this story, the Beis Hamikdash is seen in a new light. Aliyah l’regel was the equivalent of going home to our parents for Yom Tov. It was Hashem’s table, a place of intimate family connection with our Father. This is the loss that we mourn during the Three Weeks. May Hashem soon bring us home.
