Adapted from Likkutei Sichos, Vol. VI, Terumah

The Repetition of a Commandment

As is his practice in many Halachos in the Mishneh Torah, the Rambam begins Hilchos Beis HaBechirah, "The Laws of [G-d's] Chosen House," by stating the fundamental mitzvah upon which the entire collection of laws which follow is based:

It is a positive commandment to construct a house for G-d, prepared to have sacrifices offered within.... as it is written,[1] "And you shall make Me a Sanctuary."

Significantly, the Rambam also mentions the mitzvah of constructing the Beis HaMikdash elsewhere in the Mishneh Torah, in Hilchos Melachim, "The Laws of Kings." There, however, he focuses on the mitzvah in a different context, stating:[2]

The Jews were commanded regarding the observance of three mitzvos when they entered Eretz Yisrael: to appoint a king over them.... to wipe out the descendants of Amalek.... and to build [G-d's] Chosen House; as it is written,[3] "You shall seek out His presence and come to that place."

The commentaries question: What is the Rambam's purpose in repeating the commandment to build a Sanctuary in Hilchos Melachim and why in that source does he link together the three mitzvos he mentions?[4]

The Bond Between These Three Mitzvos

In regard to the latter question, it can be explained that there is an intrinsic connection between these three mitzvos.[5] Although they are three separate commandments, the fulfillment of one contributes a measure of perfection to the others. To cite a parallel: The arm tefillin and the head tefillin are two separate mitzvos.[6] Nevertheless, when both of these mitzvos are performed together, each one is elevated to a higher level.

Similarly, in regard to the three mitzvos mentioned by the Rambam: The intent is not merely that the mitzvos are to be fulfilled in the chronological order mentioned by the Rambam.[7] Instead, the linkage of three mitzvos teaches that the mitzvah of building the Sanctuary can be fulfilled in the most perfect manner, only when first, a king is appointed and then Amalek is destroyed. Similarly, the fulfillment of the mitzvos of destroying Amalek and building a Sanctuary enhance the mitzvah of appointing a king, and the fulfillment of the mitzvah of wiping out Amalek is enhanced by the mitzvos of appointing a king and building the Beis HaMikdash.

This concept is supported by the verses[8] cited by the Rambam in the halachah which follows in Hilchos Melachim:[9] "And it came to pass, when the king dwelt in his house, and G-d brought him peace from all the enemies which surrounded him, the king said to the prophet, Natan, 'Behold, I am sitting in a palace of cedar, [while the Ark of G-d dwells in curtains].' "

These verses indicate how the secure establishment of the monarchy, ["the king dwelt in his house",] the destruction of Amalek, ["And G-d brought him peace from all the enemies which surrounded him,"[10]] and the building of the Beis HaMikdash [David's request from the prophet Natan] are interrelated.[11]

Based on the above, we can appreciate a further point: The Rambam's statements in Hilchos Melachim are based on the Midrash Tanchuma. Nevertheless, he alters the text of that Midrashic passage, choosing a different prooftext. In the Midrash Tanchuma, the prooftext cited for the commandment to build the Beis HaMikdash is the verse: "And you shall make Me a Sanctuary."[12] The Rambam, by contrast, substitutes the verse: "You shall seek out His presence...," because the context of this verse in the Book of Devarim describes the Jews' entry into Eretz Yisrael and their progress to a state when "G-d will grant you peace from all your enemies around you and you will dwell in security."[13]

Fulfilling a Mitzvah in Stages

The above concepts also shed light on another related point which has aroused the attention of the commentaries: As mentioned above, the Rambam uses the verse, "And you shall make Me a Sanctuary," as the prooftext for the mitzvah to build the Beis HaMikdash. This is problematic, for seemingly, this command refers to the construction of the Sanctuary in the desert and not to the construction of the Beis HaMikdash. The passage cited by the Rambam in Hilchos Melachim, by contrast, refers specifically to the construction of the Beis HaMikdash, and indeed, is cited as the source for the commandment to build the Beis HaMikdash by our Sages[14] and by our Rabbis.[15]

It is possible to explain[16] that the commandment, "And you shall make Me a Sanctuary," is general in scope, applying to all the structures which were "a house for G-d" [i.e., a place where G-d's presence was revealed] and "prepared to have sacrifices offered within" [a place for the service of the Jewish people].[17] Throughout their history, the Jews fulfilled this commandment in several different ways, beginning with the construction of the Sanctuary in the desert.

In this context, we can resolve a problematic point in Hilchos Beis HaBechirah. Directly after stating the mitzvah to build a Sanctuary, the Rambam continues:

The Sanctuary which Moshe our teacher built is already described in the Torah. It was, however, only temporary in nature....

When [the Jewish people] entered Eretz [Yisrael], they erected the Sanctuary in Gilgal for the fourteen years in which they conquered and divided [the land]. Afterwards, they came to Shiloh and built a structure of stone....

When Eli died, it was destroyed and they came to Nov and built a Sanctuary.[18] When Shmuel died, it was destroyed and they came to Givon and built a Sanctuary. From Givon, they came to the [Divine Presence's] eternal home.

The place of such statements in the Mishneh Torah is problematic. Unlike the Talmud or the Midrashim which are general in content, the Mishneh Torah is exclusively a text of Halachah, Torah law. Points of ethics, philosophy, and history are mentioned only when they are themselves halachos, specific directives governing our conduct. Thus the question can be raised: What halachic points can be derived from the historical background to the construction of the Beis HaMikdash?[19]

On the basis of the explanation given above, we can, however, appreciate the sequence of these halachos: After the Rambam uses a prooftext which implies that the mitzvah of building a Sanctuary is not confined to one specific structure, he illustrates this point by citing the various different intermediate stages through which our people's observance of this mitzvah underwent.

Intermediate Way-Stations On the Path to Jerusalem

To return to the concept explained at the outset: The linkage of the mitzvah of constructing a Sanctuary with the mitzvos of appointing a king and wiping out Amalek is also relevant with regard to the other structures mentioned by the Rambam.[20] Our Rabbis state that "Moshe Rabbeinu served as a king,"[21] and the construction of the Sanctuary followed the war in which Yehoshua defeated Amalek.[22]

The title "king" was also applied to Yehoshua[23] who constructed the Sanctuary at Shiloh, and to Shmuel,[24] who constructed the Sanctuary at Nov. We are unsure of the exact time of the construction of the Sanctuary at Givon. We may, however, assume that one of the following - Shaul, David, or Shmuel, all of whom either served, or were described, as kings - was involved in its construction. Similarly, at the time these structures were built, the people had reached progressively more developed stages of being "at peace from the enemies around them." Nevertheless, just as the monarchy and Israel's peace had not been established in a complete manner at the time of these structures, these structures did not represent a complete manifestation of the indwelling of the Divine

Presence, nor did they fulfill the ideal conception of a center for the sacrificial worship of the Jewish people.

It was not until "the king dwelt in his house, and G-d brought him peace from all the enemies which surrounded him," i.e., David had securely established the monarchy and brought peace to the land, that it was possible to build the Beis HaMikdash.

The Ultimate Beis HaMikdash

Based on the above, we can appreciate one of the positive dimensions that will be possessed by the Third Beis HaMikdash. That structure will be built by Mashiach,[25] the ultimate Jewish monarch, and will be constructed after he "wages the wars of G-d, defeating all the nations around him."[26] Among these wars will be the total annihilation of Amalek.[27] Thus, since in the Era of the Redemption, the other two mitzvos, the appointment of a king and the destruction of Amalek, will have been fulfilled in a perfect matter, this will contribute an added dimension of perfection to the mitzvah of constructing the Beis HaMikdash.

We can hasten the coming of this era through our divine service. To explain: In chassidic thought,[28] the appointment of a king is associated with developing inner bittul, nullifying oneself to G-d. This in turn allows a person to "drive out" Amalek from his being, to free himself from pride, egotism, and other undesirable character traits. Such personal refinement allows him to proceed further and transform his person, his home, and his surroundings into a "sanctuary in microcosm," in which the Divine Presence can rest.[29]

This will serve as a catalyst for change in the world at large. For each particular manifestation of the Divine Presence within the world hastens the coming of the time when the Divine Presence will again be revealed, and not merely in microcosm. At that time, "the world will be filled with the knowledge of G-d as the waters cover the ocean bed."[30] May this take place in the immediate future.

   

Notes:

1. (Back to text) Shmos 25:8.

2. (Back to text) Hilchos Melachim 1:1.

3. (Back to text) Devarim 12:5.

4. (Back to text) The Rambam's statements in Hilchos Melachim reflect (with certain emendations) previous statements from our Sages found in Seder Olam (the conclusion of ch. 6), Midrash Tanchuma, Parshas Ki Seitzei (sec. 11), Sifri (commenting on Re'eh 12:10), and Sanhedrin 20b. Nevertheless, when composing the Mishneh Torah, the Rambam often changed the text of his sources (as he did in this halachah itself). Accordingly, the question why these three mitzvos are linked together is directed, not only to the sources mentioned previously, but to the Rambam himself.

5. (Back to text) See also the conclusion of the Rambam's discussion of the positive mitzvos in his Sefer HaMitzvos, where he mentions that these three mitzvos are unique in that their fulfillment is dependent, not on every Jew as an individual, but on the entire people as a collective entity. Note also the treatment of this subject by the Tzophnas Paneach.

6. (Back to text) Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Tefillin 4:4.

7. (Back to text) As the Rambam mentions in the following halachah and as Rashi mentions in his commentary to Sanhedrin, loc. cit.

8. (Back to text) II Shmuel 7:1-3.

9. (Back to text) 1:2.

10. (Back to text) This phrase relates to the destruction of Amalek as indicated by Devarim 25:18, "When G-d gives you peace from all your enemies that surround you... you must surely obliterate Amalek." See Maharsha, Chiddushei Aggados, commenting on Sanhedrin, loc. cit.

11. (Back to text) The interrelation of these three mitzvos is further emphasized by the fact that the Rambam mentions all three mitzvos in his description of the mitzvah to build a Sanctuary in his Sefer HaMitzvos (positive commandment 20).

12. (Back to text) Significantly, as above, this is the prooftext used by the Rambam in Hilchos Beis HaBechirah.

13. (Back to text) Devarim 12:10.

14. (Back to text) The passages from the Sifri and from Sanhedrin cited above.

15. (Back to text) Sefer Mitzvos Gadol, positive commandment 163.

16. (Back to text) See the gloss of the Kesef Mishneh.

17. (Back to text) See the explanation of these two dimensions of the Beis HaMikdash in Chiddushim U'Biurim BeHilchos Beis HaBechirah, essay 1.

18. (Back to text) Note the commentary of the Meiri to Megillah 9b which explains that there was a fundamental difference between the Sanctuaries of Nov and Givon and the other structures mentioned by the Rambam. For although Nov and Givon were the centers for sacrificial worship where the communal offerings were brought, the holy ark was not present in these structures.

19. (Back to text) This question is compounded by the fact that the Mishnah (Zevachim 116b), the source for the Rambam's statements, associates these historical points with a concrete halachic directive: that before the construction of the Beis HaMikdash, it was permissible to offer sacrifices on a private altar. From the time of the construction of the Beis HaMikdash's onward, this is forbidden. The Rambam, by contrast, elaborates in greater detail than the Mishnah and omits the halachic point mentioned there.

20. (Back to text) As mentioned in Hilchos Melachim, the Jews were commanded to fulfill these three mitzvos "when they entered Eretz [Yisrael]." Nevertheless, as will be explained, the activities associated with appointing a king and destroying Amalek - although not the actual mitzvos - were relevant beforehand.

21. (Back to text) Hilchos Beis HaBechirah 6:11; Rashi, Shavuos 16a. See also the commentaries to Devarim 33:5.

22. (Back to text) See Shmos, ch. 17.

23. (Back to text) See Hilchos Melachim 1:3, commentaries to Devarim 33:5.

24. (Back to text) See Zevachim 118b which describes Shmuel as "reigning."

25. (Back to text) Hilchos Melachim 11:1,4.

26. (Back to text) The text of Hilchos Melachim 11:4 according to the uncensored manuscripts of the Mishneh Torah.

27. (Back to text) See the Midrash Tanchuma, the conclusion of Parshas Ki Seitzei.

28. (Back to text) Derech Mitzvosecho, Mitzvas Minui Melech.

29. (Back to text) See Reishis Chochmah which interprets ofu,c h,bfau (Shmos 25:8), the description of the indwelling of the Divine Presence in the Sanctuary as referring to the manner in which every individual becomes "a Sanctuary in microcosm." See Basi LeGani 5710 (Kehot, 5750) and other sources.

30. (Back to text) Yeshayahu 11:9, cited by the Rambam at the conclusion of the Mishneh Torah.