By Rabbi Yechiel Spero
The young man appointed to walk Rav Yehoshua Leib Diskin, the Rav of Yerushalayim, to shul waited patiently outside the Rav’s home. After a few moments, the door opened and the Rav emerged, carrying his talet and tefillin. But instead of heading down the street toward the shul, he began to climb the stairs outside his home, one step at a time until he reached the top. The Rav was already an elderly man; it would take much effort for him just to walk to shul. Why, then, was he climbing the stairs outside his home?
The scenario grew even stranger, for when Rav Yehoshua Leib reached the top of the steps, he seemed to be looking for something. No longer able to control his curiosity, the young man waited for the venerated sage to come back down and then asked him what he was looking for.
Looking for the Third Beit Mikdash
Rav Yehoshua Leib looked directly into the young man’s impressionable eyes. “You know, the first two Batei Mikdash (Temples), which were man made, had to be built during the day. But the third one will descend in a heavenly blaze - and that can happen even at night. I was just looking to see if it came down last night.” And then the Rav added plaintively, “It didn’t.”
The stunned talmid did not move. He just stared in disbelief at his disappointed Rebbe who was already on his way to shul. He still had much for which to pray.
May it be rebuilt speedily in our days, Amen. (Touched by a Story 3)
Reprinted from the Parashat Debarim 5783 email of Rabbi David Bibi’s Shabbat Shalom from Cyberspace.
