We look at the Har Habayis of today with a heavy heart. Yishmael seems to have a hold on it, and we wonder for how long. Yet, we know with certainty that the time will come when it will return into our hands.
The pasuk says (30:7) that Hashem will put curses on your “oyev” and “sonei”. What is the difference between “oyev” and “sonei”? They both mean enemy, but we know that in lashon hakodesh there are no two words with the same definition. Rabeinu Bechaye says that the oyev is Yishmael and the sonei is Eisav; these are two different enemies. A sonei is an enemy who has a bit of pity on you, but an oyeiv has no compassion at all. An oyeiv is much worse, and that is Yishmael.
By the second party of Esther Hamalka, Achashveirosh asked her who is it that wishes to kill her nation, and she answered, “Ish tzar v’oyeiv Haman...” Why did Esther Hamalka use the term “oyeiv” for Haman? After all, Haman was a descendent of Eisav, who is called “sonei”.
The Gemara Megillah 16 says that when Esther Hamalka said the words “Ish tzar ve’oyeiv”, she was pointing to Achashveirosh, and a malach came and pushed her finger to point to Haman. The Maharal says in Netzach Yisrael 21 that Achashveirosh was from Persia and Persia was from Yishmael. That is how the gemara knew she was pointing to Achashveirosh, because she used the term “oyeiv” and not “sonei” which would have been the correct term to refer to Haman.
The gemara in Makkos brings the story of how R’ Akiva, R’ Gamliel, and R’ Elazar ben Azarya went up to Yerushalayim sometime after the destruction of the second Bais Hamikdash. When they arrived at the har habayis, they saw a fox coming out of the Kodesh hakedoshim, a place where no one but the kohen gadol could enter! They were shocked and dismayed at this terrible chilul Hashem, and they all started crying. To their surprise, they saw that R’ Akiva was laughing! When they questioned his response, he explained that a nevuah had predicted this very event. If this nevuah about the churban came true, then surely the nevuah predicting the third Bais Hamikdash will also come true! After hearing this explanation, the other tanaim replied, “Akiva nichamtanu” - Akiva, you have consoled us.
However, the question remains – why did R’ Akiva laugh? The Rama of Pano answers that the key word here is “shualim”, the foxes that they saw. He says that the word “shualim” has the same letters as Yishmael. Yishmael thinks that he’s taking over the Har Habayis, he thinks that he’s the owner, but the akeida taught us that it’s temporary and he has no claim of the har habayis. That’s why R’ Akiva laughed, since he knew that that Yishmael’s hold on the har habayis won’t last.
When Avraham Avinu went to Har Hamoria, he took both Yitzchok and Yishmael along with him. Hashem wanted him to take Yishmael along to let him know that har hamoria is not for him. As they neared the mountain, the pasuk says “vayar es ha’makom” - and he saw the place. Makom also means the shechina; Vayar es hamakom – and he saw the shechina. Who saw it? Avraham Avinu saw it, and he asked the others what they saw. Yitzchok Avinu responded that he saw the shechina, but Yishmael said he saw a mountain. So, Avraham told Yitzchak, “Being that you see the shechina, the mountain belongs to you”. The reason why Yishmael had to be there was to hear from Avraham that the har habayis doesn’t belong to him.
The Zohar says that Yishmael has the zechus of bris mila, and that you can’t take away from them. It was this that gave them the zechus to have rights to Eretz Yisroel, but those rights are only temporary. And that’s why before the Akeida, the Torah mentions the story of Avraham Avinu and the pelishtim. The pesukim describe the pelishtim as areilim. What was the message that Avraham Avinu was giving over when he made a bris with Avimelech? He was telling Yishmael, don’t think Eretz Yisroel belongs to you because of bris mila, since the pelishtim don’t have a bris mila and still they deserved a peace treaty. Yes, bris mila is a wonderful zechus, but it’s not everything. How you act determines what you are worthy for, and Yishmael is not worthy of Eretz Yisroel.
May we all merit to see har habayis return to our hands with the coming of Mashiach, bimhara v’yameinu.
