Our Sages said that whoever has not seen the Second Holy Temple has never seen a beautiful building. The fabulous restoration and enlargement of the Holy Temple was undertaken by King Herod as an act of atonement for his murderous savagery. Herod was an Edomite slave owned by the Hasmonian royal family. With the complicity of the Roman rulers he seized the throne and proceeded to completely wipe out all the remaining descendants of the Hasmonian dynasty, eventually even his own queen, Mariamne. He ruled, unchallenged for thirty-three years, from 3723 to 3756, and was a cruel and savage despot who bitterly oppressed his Jewish subjects.
The Torah Sages were the particular victims of his hatred, and he had most of the Sages murdered. Only Bava ben Buta was allowed to live, albeit blinded, in order that the king might avail himself of the rabbi’s wisdom. How then can we understand why this cruel butcher took it upon himself to engage in the holy work of beautifying the Holy Temple?
According to the Sages, Bava ben Buta was responsible for giving the king this advice. One day Herod went to visit Bava ben Buta. The king disguised his voice and his identity went undetected by the rabbi, who took him to be an ordinary visitor. The king initiated the conversation with Ben Buta saying, “It seems to me that Herod is nothing more than a wicked slave! Just look at all the evil he has done!”
Ben Buta replied only, “What can I do about it?” The king answered, “Why don’t you curse him, then?”
“Does it not say in the Torah, ‘Thou shalt not curse a king?’” Ben Buta replied. He then continued explaining, “Even if he were not the king, but merely a prince, it would be forbidden to curse him, for it also says, ‘A prince in your nation, you must not curse.’ And even if he were merely a wealthy man, it would not be permissible, since it is written, ‘Do not curse the rich man, even in the privacy of your bedroom.’”
But Herod replied, “This refers to a prince who acts like one of you, like a Jew. But Herod does not even stem from the Jewish nation and certainly does not act like a Jew!”
To this Ben Buta replied, “But I am very much afraid of him.”
Herod answered, “There are only the two of us here. There is no one to report to him what we are saying.” But Ben Buta replied by quoting a verse from Koheleth, “Even the birds of the sky will carry the voice.”
When he heard this reply, the king became angry, and blurted out “I am Herod! Had I known how careful the Torah Sages were in their speech and actions, as I have now seen, I would not have had them killed. But now that the deed has been done, what can I do to atone for it?”
Bava ben Buta answered him, “When you killed the Torah Sages, you extinguished the light of the world, as it says, ‘For a mitzva is like a candle and the Torah is light.’ Go now, and occupy yourself with the light of the world. Go, rebuild the Holy Temple anew in greater majesty and splendor, for it, too, illuminates the world, as it says, ‘And all the gentiles shall stream to it.’”
In return for this act of piety, Herod would be able to attain some degree of atonement for his sins. When Herod heard this advice, he wanted to follow it, but was afraid of the reaction of the Roman Empire.
To this, Ben Buta answered, “Send a special messenger to Rome asking for permission. This messenger will travel for a year’s time, will stay in Rome for another year, and will return only after a third year. In this time you can demolish the old building and rebuild it.”
Herod accepted this suggestion, and proceeded with the project. Addressing his subjects, Herod promised to rebuild the Temple according to its original splendor which had been prevented before because of the domination of foreign kings. The people, however, were not happy with Herod’s proposal. On the contrary, they were frightened, fearing that Herod would demolish the existing structure and then never rebuild. Herod reassured them, promising that he would gather all the necessary building supplies before pulling down the existing Temple. True to his words, he collected a thousand wagons for transporting materials and recruited ten thousand skilled carpenters and craftsmen. Ninety thousand woodcutters and 30,000 stonecutters were employed. Fifteen hundred priests and Levites took part in the construction. In all, 181,500 men were employed in the rebuilding of the Holy Temple. [Josephus] All expenses were covered from the king’s personal fortune. As Herod had promised, all preparations were in place before he began the demolition.
It happened as Ben Buta had said. After three years the messenger returned with this reply, “If you have not demolished the old building yet, do not do so. If you have already demolished it, do not rebuild it. If, however, you have already done it, you are no better than any other willful slave who first does what he wants and then asks permission. You may flaunt your power, but we know what you are! You are neither a king nor the son of a king, but a lowly slave who freed himself!” But, by the time the reply was received, the work was under way and could not be reversed. Construction continued for eight years. The newly rebuilt Holy Temple was completed in the year 3738 and stood for ninety years, until the ninth of Av, 3828.
