The beautiful song BILVAVI based on the words of the author of Sefer Chareidim (who composed YEDID NEFESH) speaks of making a Mishkan in one’s heart and sacrificing and dedicating one’s unique soul on the Mizbei’ach of the heart.
Will the third Mikdash descend in fire from the heavens or will it be built by people? Good question. One we don’t have to worry about at this point.
So what is the point here? Maybe we’ve got two things to say. One: We have to want the Third Beit HaMikdash. We have to feel incomplete as Jews without it and we have to long for its rebuilding, so that we can become more complete. Still with “one,” we have to prepare for the Mikdash.
We have to learn about the Mikdash and its Avoda. We have to do our share at fashioning vessels for its use – as the Temple Institute in the Old City does. We have to learn from them and other institutes like them.
The only things that should impede us from realizing this dream, hope, and prayer are the things that are beyond our control or knowledge. Anything – everything – that we can do, we should be doing. And now we get to “two.”
The mitzva as presented towards the beginning of the sedra is, V’ASU LI MIK- DASH V’SHACHANTI B’TOCHAM. We all know the DRASH on this verse: They shall make a Sanctuary for Me – so that I may dwell among them. And if we look at the last pasuk in the haftara for Parshat T’ruma, we find the perfect companion to V’SHACHANTI B’TOCHAM – G-d says, I will dwell among the Children of Israel, and I shall not forsake My people Israel. That’s perfect.
But back up a couple of p’sukim in the passage from Melachim Alef that is the haftara for T’ruma. “The Word of G-d came to Shlomo, saying: This Temple that you build – If you follow My decrees, perform My statutes, and observe all of My commandments to follow them, THEN I shall uphold My word with you that I spoke to David your father.” And what was that promise? The last pasuk summarizes it: (we’ll quote it again) “I will dwell among the Children of Israel, and I shall not forsake My people Israel.”
A reading of Tanach and the subsequent history of the Jewish People will indicate that we didn’t do so well at keeping our side of the deal. But, beware! The repeated reproach and warnings of the Prophets, “reminding” us that G-d does not want our hollow korbanot, etc. has resulted in a turn-about: We will strive to live Torah lives and we don’t need the Beit HaMikdash or its Avoda.
Not quite. The correct response to the words of the Nevi’im is that we will live Torah lives and put the spirit of Torah life back into those hollow korbanot that G-d so despises. We will keep G-d’s conditions for His dwelling among us, so that the final pasuk will come to fruition: G-d will dwell among the Children of Israel and He will not forsake His people Israel. With our efforts and G-d’s help, may we see the fulfillment of V’asu Li Mikdash BIMHEIRA B’YAMEINU AMEIN.
