English translation — תרומה ב

1.

In the beginning of chapter 4 of the Laws of the Chosen House,

after the Rambam writes what was found in the "Holy of Holies" — that "there was a stone in the Holy of Holies in its west, upon which the Ark was placed etc." — he continues:

"And at the time that Solomon built the Temple and knew that it would eventually be destroyed, he built in it a place to hide the Ark below in deep and winding vaults,

and Josiah¹

the king commanded and hid it in the place that Solomon built, as it is said*¹

And he said to the Levites who instructed all Israel, who were holy to the Lord: Put the holy Ark in the house which Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, built; you have no burden on your shoulders; now serve the Lord your God etc. And with it were hidden the staff of Aaron etc. And all these did not return in the Second Temple.

And even the Urim and Thummim that were in the Second Temple did not answer through the Holy Spirit etc."

one must understand

(as the commentators<sup>2</sup>

ask)

: what is the practical halachic difference of the entire lengthy account and narration of the matter,

where and how and through whom the Ark was hidden?

The words of the Rambam in his book Yad HaChazakah are indeed "spoken for halacha...

and matters from which no law from the laws emerges, nor ethical teaching and guidance and necessary knowledge, it is not his way, may his memory be blessed, to deal with them in this composition"?

Even more: this very matter

(how and where the Ark was hidden)

is

"It is disputed"³

— today, why does the Rambam rule according to the words of the one⁴

since the matter is seemingly not relevant to the law?

B.

Commentators²

answer,

that "there is a great need for our master in this matter according to his system that he adopted for himself later in chapter 6 of these laws⁵..

that the sanctity of the Temple was not nullified ..

for our master holds that this matter that the sanctity of the Temple was not nullified follows the one who holds that the Ark was hidden in its place ..

and in any case, regarding entry into the Temple, it is reasonable that it depends on this, for it is written⁶

(L)

from within the veil

(V)

toward the face of the cover, etc.”

But it is problematic in this answer,

because

why "sanctified for its time and sanctified for the future" — "because the sanctity of the Temple and Jerusalem is due to the Shechinah, and the <b>Shechinah </b>is not nullified"⁸

— which in this is seemingly not relevant specifically the

(place of the)

Ark — is not understood]

According to this, the Rambam should have said briefly and explicitly,

that "the ark <b>in its place </b>was hidden"; but the Rambam is —

a)

stating "he built <b>in it </b>a place to hide the ark" — which one can learn that the word "in it" refers to the "house"

(which

stands immediately before this),

and not to the "Holy of Holies"

(before His face).

It turns out that the main thing is missing from the book — the matter of "the ark was hidden in its place" is not emphasized in the words of the Rambam.

b)

He does not bring on this the verse

(which is brought in the Gemara⁹)

"and it was there until this day"¹⁰,

which emphasizes that the ark is located

(also <b>now</b>¹¹)

in its place.

3)

<b>And the main point</b>: this does not at all answer why the Rambam brings the

(the opinion)

that <b>Yoshiyahu</b> hid the Ark,

which is entirely not relevant to the matter,

whether the Ark was hidden in its place¹²

(or in the Chamber of Wood)¹³.

4)

Even more: in these two matters

(Regarding the place of concealment of the Ark,

and who hid it)

the Rambam elaborates with many details:

(a)

that <b>King Solomon</b> built the place where to hide the Ark;

(b)

that the place was "downwards in deep and winding vaults";

(c)

that Yoshiyahu the king commanded and hid it — not simply hid it¹⁴

(d)

that "and they hid it in the place where Shlomo built" — not "and they hid it there";

(e)

he brings a proof on this from a verse,

(and vav)

also copies from the verse the words

("to the Levites who understand, to all of Israel, the holy ones to Hashem ..

son of David king of Israel, you have no burden on the shoulder; now serve Hashem your G-d etc."),

which are,

at first glance,

not relevant to the proof that "King Yoshiyahu commanded and hid it in the place that Shlomo built" —

What is the practical halachic difference of all these details mentioned above?

3.

Also one must understand:

a)

From the plain language of the Rambam

("and he knew that its end is to be destroyed, he built in it a place")

it implies,

that Shlomo built the "place" in the Beis HaMikdash of his own accord

(because "he &lt;b&gt;knew &lt;/b&gt;that its end is to be destroyed").

It is perplexing: all the parts and details of the House were indeed built according to the command of Hashem — "&lt;b&gt;everything &lt;/b&gt;in writing &lt;b&gt;from Hashem &lt;/b&gt;upon me He gave insight"&lt;sup&gt;15&lt;/sup&gt;

— so how does it come that

Should Shlomo build a "place" in the Beis HaMikdash on his own accord?

b)

What does the Rambam conclude regarding the above

(and at length)

Regarding the Urim VeTumim in the Second Beis HaMikdash - at first glance: indeed the Urim VeTumim have a common aspect with that which "did not return in the Second Beis HaMikdash"¹⁶

- but the entire matter of Urim VeTumim does not belong to the laws of Beis HaBechirah,

rather to the priestly garments,

whose place is in "Laws of the Temple Vessels and Those Who Serve in It"

(and the Rambam indeed brings it there¹⁷)

- why does the Rambam bring this matter here in the laws of Beis HaBechirah?

One must say,

that the connection of the Urim and Thummim to the Ark is not only in that which "they did not return in the Second Temple,"

but they have a connection to the essential matter of the Ark,

and for this reason it is brought in the Laws of the Chosen House together with the laws of the Ark.

D.

This will be understood by prefacing a precision regarding the &lt;b&gt;place&lt;/b&gt;,

where this law stands in the Rambam:

In the beginning of the laws of the Chosen House, the Rambam says¹⁸

"These are the things that are fundamental in the building of the Temple,

they make in it the Sanctuary and the Holy of Holies ..

a hall etc.",

and afterwards¹⁹

he says "And they make in the Temple vessels etc.",

and enumerates the Temple vessels and their place.

In the following chapters — chapters two and three — the Rambam explains the form of the vessels etc.,

and in chapter four — the form

the house

(the walls of the house,

the Sanctuary,

gates etc.).

The question arises: the Ark apparently belongs to the vessels of the Temple — so how does the

(the lengthiness in the)

above-mentioned law regarding the concealment of the Ark,

in chapter four

(the form of the house)?

Is from this itself compelled,

that that which the Ark is located in the Holy of Holies,

is

(according to the opinion of the Rambam)

a detail of the <b>form of the House</b>; the Ark is not only a <b>vessel</b>,

which <b>is located</b> in the Holy of Holies

(in the manner of the other vessels of the Temple which are located in the Sanctuary etc.),

but it is a part of the Holy of Holies

(building)

itself"²⁰

— since the Ark makes the Temple into a "House <b>for God</b>"²¹,

as it is written²²

And I will meet with you there.

(at the beginning of Laws of the Chosen House)²³

: "And they make in the Temple vessels etc." — because the Ark is not a vessel

(in itself)

; it is a part of the Holy of Holies²⁴].

Based on this, however, a great difficulty arises: according to this, it will turn out,

that in the Second Temple,

where the Ark was not found

(in its place),

the <b>Holy of Holies</b>

(of which the Ark is a part)

was not in its completeness; that is,

that in the Second Temple there was lacking

(not just a detail,

but)

one of the things that are a “<b>fundamental in the building of the Temple</b>”?

And in order to remove this difficulty,

the Rambam brings the entire lengthy discussion about the concealment of the Ark,

by which it becomes understood that also in the Second Temple there was no lack of “in the building of the Temple”²⁵.

5.

The explanation in this:

That which the Rambam says "And at the time that Shlomo built the Temple etc. he built in it a place to hide the Ark etc." is <b>the intention in this</b> not to decide where the Ark was hidden

(for what was was),

rather he means with this to innovate a <b>law</b> in <b>the building of the Temple</b>.

The concealment of the Ark is not only a matter of "after the fact" and no choice²⁶,

but during the building of the Temple it was <b>from the outset set up</b>,

that the Ark should

(as if)

have two places in the Holy Temple: a)

a revealed place,

on the Foundation Stone in the Holy of Holies; b)

a place to hide it,

"below" the Holy of Holies

("in deep and winding hiding places")

— also the

place is from the outset a part of My Temple²⁷.

That is: the hiding of the ark is not an additional matter upon the Holy Temple

(which was done in order to

(and when one needed)

hide and conceal the &lt;b&gt;ark&lt;/b&gt;),

but this is a law in the &lt;b&gt;building of the Temple&lt;/b&gt;: just as for the completeness of the Temple a place must be built

(Holy of Holies)

where the ark should stand in a revealed manner,

so too must the Holy Temple also have a hiding place

(in the Holy of Holies&lt;sup&gt;28&lt;/sup&gt;)

for the ark

(and thereby the eternity of the Holy of Holies is safeguarded,

since the ark is a part

(essential)

of the Holy of Holies,

as above).

And this is the explanation of the words of the Rambam "And at the time &lt;b&gt;that he built &lt;/b&gt;Solomon etc. and he knew that in the end it would be destroyed, he built in it a place etc.": not that Solomon built the place of his own knowledge,

heaven forbid,

but he, during the &lt;b&gt;building&lt;/b&gt;, had to know that it would be destroyed and they commanded him and he built the hiding place:

The ark must indeed be located in the Holy of Holies; so if Shlomo would simply have dug out a place below

(according to the command),

not knowing the purpose thereof,

it would have turned out,

that at the time of the building²⁹

the place was not sanctified as a

place for

(the sanctity of)

the ark³⁰

(in the Holy of Holies).

does the Rambam emphasize,

that "Shlomo ..

knew that its end is to be destroyed

(and therefore)

built in it a place to hide the ark" — he built from the outset a place &lt;b&gt;of hiding for the ark &lt;/b&gt;

that it was a place

(suitable &lt;b&gt;for hiding &lt;/b&gt;—)

"below in deep and winding vaults"],

then it is understood that he sanctified it&lt;sup&gt;31&lt;/sup&gt;

as

(the place of the ark,

and consequently)

a part of the Holy of Holies&lt;sup&gt;32&lt;/sup&gt;.

6.

According to this, the reason that the Rambam continues and adds will also be understandable,

that "Yoshiyahu the king commanded and hid it in the place that Shlomo built":

In order to further prove that the hiding of the ark in this place is

(not a matter of "bedieved",

but is)

was from the outset set up

( — that this should be its place

(the hidden one)

of the ark,

as a part of the Holy of Holies)

the Rambam explains,

that also the hiding of the ark took place

(not at the time of &lt;b&gt;the destruction&lt;/b&gt;&lt;sup&gt;26&lt;/sup&gt;

— the time of bedieved,

but)

at the time when the Temple was not in danger &lt;b&gt;at all &lt;/b&gt;— as is known the strength of the hand of Israel

In the time of <b>Yoshiyahu</b> — and what is even more,

that the bringing to its place of concealment was in the manner and likeness of the bringing of the Ark into the Holy of Holies by <b>Shlomo</b>:

(a)

<b>King Yoshiyahu</b> was the one who "commanded" to conceal it

(in the manner of its bringing into the Holy of Holies by <b>King Shlomo</b>)³³,

(b)

The bringing was carried out by "the Levites who understand, for all Israel, the holy ones to God" — in the manner of by Shlomo, that "and the priests brought³⁴

the Ark of the covenant of God to its place"³⁵.

And therefore the verse is precise to say the wording "&lt;b&gt;Place &lt;/b&gt;the Ark of the Covenant &lt;b&gt;in the house &lt;/b&gt;which Solomon built etc." — it is not an action of &lt;b&gt;removing and taking &lt;/b&gt;the Ark from its place,

but rather the opposite,

it is &lt;b&gt;placing in the house&lt;/b&gt;&lt;sup&gt;36&lt;/sup&gt;.

And therefore the Rambam also brings the end of the verse "You have no burden on your shoulder now &lt;b&gt;serve &lt;/b&gt;the L-rd your G-d etc.",

although the Ark will from now on be in a state of concealment,

and consequently "You have no

(the possibility of)

burden on your shoulder",

it is however not that there is now a deficiency in the &lt;b&gt;service &lt;/b&gt;of the Holy Temple,

but rather "serve the L-rd your G-d etc." in the Holy Temple

(because through this there is no lack in the building of the Temple).

7.

Based on all the above one will also understand why the Rambam concludes the halacha with the lengthiness about the Urim and Tumim in the time of the Second Temple:

The Rambam brings an example to that which he says at the beginning of the halacha regarding the Ark — that also in the Second Temple the Ark was in its completeness

(namely in its place),

although there was a great change in the revealed,

they did not <b>see</b> it in the Beis HaMikdash —

that so one finds also regarding the Urim and Tumim in the Second Temple: the Urim and Tumim — according to the Rambam — were in their completeness also in the Second Temple³⁷

; although there was a great change,

"they did not <b>answer</b> etc." they did not <b>hear</b> them,

their <b>revelation</b> was lacking

(as Urim and Tumim)

as it was in the First Temple; but they were in their completeness and therefore

(as the Rambam concludes)

they completed the count of the garments of the Kohen Gadol.

8.

According to all the above, there emerges a wonder and amazement not only in relation to the completeness of the level and holiness of the Second Temple — that even then they had the Holy of Holies in its perfection and the Ark in its place — but with this is brought out a level also in the holiness of the First Temple:

Even though externally the First Temple was not an eternal building,

it could be and was destroyed

The Temple — but in inwardness, there was also given into it a matter of "eternity" — there is in the First Temple a hidden place that was not destroyed,

and the Ark is in its place "until this day."

That which "the first sanctity sanctified for its time and sanctified for the future" — this is from the aspect of the sanctity of &lt;b&gt;the place&lt;/b&gt;,

"because of the Divine Presence,"

but here the Rambam innovates a deeper matter,

that also the &lt;b&gt;building&lt;/b&gt; itself has in itself a matter,

a part which is "for its time and for the future" — the Holy of Holies was &lt;b&gt;built from the outset&lt;/b&gt; for its time and for the future,

it also has a hidden place.

9.

According to the above, there will also come a new depth in the connection of the three Holy Temples:

It is not that there are <b>three</b>

(separate)

Temples that have a connection with each other,

but primarily³⁸

they are <b>one</b> Temple³⁹

: the Second Temple and likewise the Third is

(in the main part)

not a <b>new</b> Temple,

but — the

(first)

Temple is built anew.

Already in the building of the first Temple was established a matter for its time and for the future

(as above),

eternal,

the second and the third.

: This does not mean that then will be created <b>entirely new</b> bodies,

but

The bodies will be built up from the "etzem luz"⁴¹

— which is the bone of the body that existed before,

in which it is not possible any

("destruction")

loss.

And this is the concept of "he built in it a place to hide the ark" — the place of the ark is the "etzem"

(essence,

as above)

of the Holy Temple,

in which it is not possible any destruction and loss⁴²,

and from it is built up the second and third Temple].

Yud-Dalet.

The halacha in the Rambam also brings out wondrous things in the general matter of the destruction and the exile:

In this Beis HaMikdash itself there could not be any matter of destruction — gentiles by their own power cannot have, heaven forbid, any control in this Beis HaMikdash,

the House for G-d;

That which in actuality could have been the destruction of the Temple,

is because in the Holy Temple itself,

at the time of &lt;b&gt;its building&lt;/b&gt;,

there was a giving of place and a possibility for that destruction.

And along these lines, as this is regarding a Jew in general,

that a non-Jew by himself has no control over a Jew,

except when the Jew

(through his deeds and actions)

gives a place for that

but also &lt;b&gt;to distinguish &lt;/b&gt;etc. the court and retinue on high have, as it were, no control over a Jew,

and the "judgment" that they rule on a Jew must be with the "consent" of that Jew&lt;sup&gt;43&lt;/sup&gt;].

And this the Rambam says,

that that which there could be the destruction of the Temple,

is because when Shlomo built the Temple,

he not only knew that its end is to be destroyed,

but he in the building itself placed the

(giving of)

place for its destruction — "he built in it a place to hide the Ark in it".

11.

But from this itself, that during the time of the building of the Holy Temple with all the joy and tumult that was then prevailing,

King Solomon actually thought about the destruction of the Temple and even performed an action in connection with this,

it is understood,

that

(also)

the destruction is truly relevant and brings to the purpose of the building of the Temple.

And the explanation of this is:

The destruction of the Temple was not for the sake of the destruction itself, heaven forbid and heaven forbid — but so that through it should come an elevation, a higher ascent — a descent for the sake of an ascent — until the building of the Third Temple which will be an eternal Temple,

and then will be the perfection in the building of the Holy Temple,

because it will be "the building of the Holy One, blessed be He"⁴⁴

("The Sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established"⁴⁵).

And this is what the Rambam says: "At the time <b>that Solomon built </b>the Temple,

(<b>incidentally</b>)

he knew that its end would be destruction" — since it is "a building <b>of a human being</b>"⁴⁶

— and therefore "he built in it a place to hide etc.,"

he from the outset placed into the building the

(giving of)

place for destruction,

so that

One should then come to the aliyah

(through the descent of the destruction)

of the third Temple.

And the matter,

that its "end is to be destroyed" is because of the aliyah afterwards,

is emphasized in the very matter that Shlomo did — "he built in it a place to hide the Ark in it",

which contains within itself both extremes:

This shows that the Temple is such that "its end is to be destroyed,"

but on the other hand, the purpose of building the hiding place — to protect the <b>eternity</b> of the Ark and the Holy Temple: through this they ensured that also in the Second Temple there should not be lacking in "the building of the Temple,"

and moreover — this ensured that the Ark itself should remain intact and from it the Third Temple will be rebuilt

(as above section 69).

12.

Based on this, one can also explain

(in the inner aspects of the matters)

the three expressions that the Rambam says regarding the place where the Ark was hidden — "in deep and winding hiding places":

With this the Rambam hints to the &lt;b&gt;elevation &lt;/b&gt;that was introduced into the Temple through that which "he built in it a place to hide the Ark": although externally this is connected to the matter

of the destruction,

"its end is to be destroyed,"

but specifically through the descent becomes

(through the correction and repentance on the descent — )

the elevation: there is revealed the aspect of "hidden treasures" — the highest levels in Divinity which in themselves are "hidden treasures"

(plural),

"&lt;b&gt;deep, deep &lt;/b&gt;who can find it"&lt;sup&gt;47&lt;/sup&gt;,

which through a regular service,

in a &lt;b&gt;straight&lt;/b&gt; manner,

cannot be drawn down;

Specifically through the service of <b>teshuvah</b>,

which comes when the person conducts himself

(not as God made man <b>upright</b>⁴⁸,

but)

in a way of "crookedness" — thereby "crookedness" becomes a virtue,

that one draws down the "hidden treasures"

(which are not drawn down in a way of direct light,

but in a way of reflected light,

"crookedness"),

which will be revealed in the third Beis HaMikdash,

the eternal building,

may it be built and revealed speedily in our days, literally,

in the true and complete redemption through Moshiach our righteous one.

(From the talk of Shabbos Parshas Devarim 5741)