The King’s Request
In Sefer Shmuel Beis (24), Dovid Hamelech conducted a census to count Bnei Yisrael, but he did so in an incorrect manner. The navi Gad told him that as a result of his transgression, the nation would be punished. He gave him a choice of three punishments: war, famine, or plague. Dovid Hamelech realized that in war, the strong warriors would have an advantage. In famine, the wealthy might suffer less than the poor. He chose the punishment of plague, where all are equal.
Immediately after the plague (24:18), the navi instructed Dovid to purchase the land for the Beis Hamikdash from Aravnah HaYevusi.
R. Shimon Bar Yochai explained the connection between the two events with a mashal.
A man punished his son by striking him. However, the son had no idea why he deserved to be punished. When he asked his father for an explanation, his father said, “For days, I have asked you to do something for me, but you ignored my request. Now, go perform that task.” The son now understood why he was punished.
So too, when the instruction to build the Beis Hamikdash came immediately after the punishment, Klal Yisrael was to understand that they were being chastised for failing to yearn and daven for the Beis Hamikdash.
R. Shimon concludes:
If they, who never experienced the Beis Hamikdash, and didn’t experience the Churban, were punished for not davening and yearning for the Beis Hamikdash, we, who had the Beis Hamikdash, and recently experienced the Churban, have a greater obligation to daven and yearn for the Beis Hamikdash.
At that time, the Chachamim composed the portions of the tefillah and Birkas Hamazon that express our desire for the Beis Hamikdash.
Reminders, Not Replacements
R. Shimon taught us a basic and powerful lesson: The world is meant to have a Beis Hamikdash. A Jew must mourn its loss and yearn for its rebuilding.
Special times of the year — such as the yamim tovim — and special places — like the Kosel or kivrei tzaddikim — help us access the השתוקקות, the yearning, that exists in every Jewish heart. But the ultimate place for that experience is the Beis Hamikdash. There, a Jew could truly discover and experience his yearning for Hashem’s closeness. And so, even as we celebrate yamim tovim or visit mekomos hakedoshim, we must remember that we are missing the real thing.
Imagine a maggid shiur in a yeshivah who invests much care and effort into preparing his shiurim and connects with his talmidim on a deep level. Suppose he is absent for a week, and a kollel yungerman substitutes for him. When the rebbi returns, the students tell him, “It was amazing. The shiurim were great. We could really just continue learning with the substitute.” It’s hard to imagine this conversation ever happening. Everyone recognizes that there is a world of a difference between the efforts of an inexperienced substitute teacher and the expert teaching of an experienced, professional maggid shiur.
If we are content with our situation in galus, we are like those students who cannot distinguish the difference between the real thing and a poor substitute.
The Taste of Simchah and Kedushah
We celebrate Yom Tov with joy, as the Torah commands us: ושמחת בחגיך. However, we must remember to be mindful in Mussaf that מפני מארצנו גלינו חטאינו – because of our sins, we were exiled from our land. The experience of a joyous Yom Tov should awaken us, even more than on a regular day in galus, to yearn for the true simchah of the rebuilt Beis Hamikdash.
On Shabbos, even as we are elevated by the kedushah of Shabbos, we say (in Lecha Dodi), הבכה בעמק שבת לך רב קומי... מעפר, התנערי – Shake off the dust, arise; you have sat long enough in the valley of weeping! – expressing our longing for the complete Geulah.
When we say Birkas Hamazon, we thank Hashem for all that He gives us, and at the same time, we say נא רחם, asking Hashem to have mercy on us and bring the final redemption.
Chazal teach that when a person is mesamei’ach a chassan and kallah, it’s as if he rebuilt one of the ruins of Yerushalayim. Yet in the height of our joy, we shouldn’t forget that it’s only כאילו – as if. A substitute for the real thing. We break a glass at the end of the chuppah to remind us of this, and many communities in Yerushalayim do not play musical instruments at weddings (with the exception of drums).
The taste of simchah and kedushah should increase our desire for more and deeper closeness to Hashem. And we should utilize those times and those emotions to daven with all of our strength for the rebuilding of Yerushalayim.
Loving Reminders
The Covid pandemic shook us up and reminded us that we are in galus. As difficult as it was, we must remember that everything that happens to us comes from love. As the Zohar Hakadosh (Bechukosai) states, Hakadosh Baruch Hu loves us and wants to bring us close. Even when He punishes us, געלתים ולא מאסתים לא. He has never rejected us or cast us aside. He yearns to draw us close.
When we go through hard times, we must remember that when we are in tzaar, the Shechinah is also in tzaar. Despite all the adversity that we experience in galus, we must remember that Hashem’s love for Klal Yisrael remains constant.
May our teshuvah and our hishtokekus, our yearning for the complete Geulah, build the foundations of the third Beis Hamikdash bimheirah b’yameinu.
