English translation — תולדות ג

Talk 3<pg>116</pg>

A.

In the Ramban on the Torah<sup>1</sup>

writes on the matter of the wells of Yitzchak: "The Scripture tells and elaborates on the matter of the wells, and in the simple narrative there is no benefit nor great honor for Yitzchak,

and he and his father made them equally,

but there is in the matter a hidden matter within it, because it comes<sup>2</sup>

to inform of a future thing,

for a well of living waters<sup>3</sup>

hints to the House of God which the sons of Yitzchak will make, and therefore it mentioned<sup>3</sup>

a well of living waters, as it said<sup>4</sup>

the source of living waters is with God,

and he called the first Esek, it hints to the first Temple..

and the second he called its name Sitnah..

and it is the second Temple..

and the third he called Rechovot, it is the future Temple that will be built speedily in our days, and it will be made without strife and contention, and God will broaden our border..

and it is written regarding the third Temple<sup>5</sup>

and it was broad and went around higher and higher, and our fruit<sup>6</sup>

in the land".

And behold, the hints about the matter of the three Holy Temples regarding the Patriarchs are also found elsewhere,

as it is brought in the Sifri<sup>7</sup>

(and in the Midrash<sup>8</sup>)

that "thus you find regarding Abraham that he saw it built and he saw it destroyed and he saw it..

built and perfected in the future to come

(as it is said<sup>9</sup>

"And Abraham called the name of that place 'Hashem will see'..

will see"),

and thus you find regarding Isaac that he saw it built

[and he saw it destroyed and he saw it built]

and perfected for the future to come

(as it is said<sup>10</sup>

"See, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field which Hashem has blessed")..

and thus you find regarding Jacob that he saw it built and he saw it destroyed and he saw it built and perfected for the World to Come

(as it is said<sup>11</sup>

"How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God")

"<sup>12</sup>.

However, it can be said that in the hint of the wells explained in the Ramban there is a novelty regarding the vision of the Holy Temples of the Patriarchs that is hinted at in the verse

(according to the exposition of the Sifri etc.)

[In addition to the essence of the matter,

that in the commentary of the Ramban a long story in the Torah is explained "which in the simple meaning of the story has no benefit"]

:

א)

The hint in the Sifri

(and Midrash)

informs us of this only in a general way "he saw it built and destroyed and built etc.",

without explaining and detailing that they saw the first Beis HaMikdash, the second¹³

and the third¹⁴

;<pg>117</pg>

But not so in the hint of the wells, all three Batei Mikdash are detailed

(hinted at in the content of the names of the wells — Esek,

Sitnah and Rechovos,

as explained in the Ramban¹⁵).

b)

In the Sifri

(and Midrash)

the hint is only that the Patriarchs saw the Holy Temples,

but regarding that of the wells, it is in the aspect of "the deeds of the Patriarchs are a sign for the children"&lt;sup&gt;16&lt;/sup&gt;,

that Isaac's deed in digging the three wells was a sign and caused&lt;sup&gt;17&lt;/sup&gt;

— giving of power&lt;sup&gt;18&lt;/sup&gt;

— for the work of the children,

the building of the three Holy Temples.

2.

And this can be explained based on the known that all the deeds of the Patriarchs,

and especially those explained in the Torah,

are

(like all matters of the Torah)

with utmost precision.

And thus it is understood that this that the three Temples are hinted at in the deeds of the Patriarchs specifically regarding Isaac,

even though we find

(as above)

that all the Patriarchs saw the Holy Temple built and destroyed and built,

it is because here it speaks about a special matter in the Holy Temple that pertains specifically to Isaac.

And one can say,

that this matter is emphasized in that in the deed of Yitzchak there is a particular hint for each Beis HaMikdash by itself,

and not in a general manner "built and destroyed and built"

(as in that the Avos saw the Beis HaMikdash),

for the discussion here is not about the matter that is equal in all the Batei Mikdash but about their unique essence and content of each one of them,

which comes as a result of that each one was made and built in a manner different from the other two,

and therefore it is hinted specifically

(not in that they saw the Beis HaMikdash,

but)

in the deed of the Avos — and in the deed of Avos itself — in the digging of the wells of Yitzchak.

3.

And this will be understood with an introduction of additional explanation in the connection between the Batei Mikdash and the digging of wells specifically:

Regarding mikvaot we find¹⁹

(in general)

two types: a mikveh of water — made by human hand,

and a spring that is by Heaven's hand,

and there is no human grasp in it.

Regarding the aforementioned wells we find in this: they were made by human digging in labor and exertion,

and on the other hand — the gushing of the water in the well

(for this is its main matter)

does not come about by human action,

but rather that through his work in digging and removing the earth, the waters that are under the ground burst forth into the well²⁰.

And to note that this is relevant to halachah — "The cisterns made by human hands, wellsprings flow from them even though their waters do not go out&lt;pg&gt;118&lt;/pg&gt;

The law of a complete spring it has"&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt;,

because "there is no&lt;sup&gt;22&lt;/sup&gt;

in the formation of the water any human grasp, but rather he dug in the ground in order to reveal the water

(even though by means of a human the water was revealed)

it is obvious that the law of a complete spring it has"&lt;sup&gt;23&lt;/sup&gt;.

And it can be said that that thing is regarding the Holy Temple and its building: The purpose of the commandment of making the Mishkan and the Holy Temple is — "And they shall make Me a sanctuary and I will dwell in their midst"²⁴

— their content is the Shechinah of Hashem that is in them

(which comes from heaven)²⁵,

and together with this we were commanded "And they shall make Me a sanctuary",

and it must be said before the "and I will dwell" the making and action of man — "And they shall make"; and it can be said even more than this: this obligation of man's action is not only regarding the building,

and it is

(only)

a preparation for the holiness that comes afterwards in a manner of automatically,

rather we were commanded "And they shall make Me a sanctuary",

that also the application of holiness upon the Mishkan and the Holy Temple comes through the action of the children of Israel

(as will be explained later)

—

In the manner of the digging of the wells,

that even though the essential coming into being of the well

(the water)

is by the hand of heaven²⁶,

nevertheless the verse connects this with the action of the digging of man²⁷.

And the digging makes the ownership of the digger over the water,

"Ours is the water"³.

4.

And one must say,

that this definition regarding the commandment of building the "Mikdash" — that its building and sanctity must be specifically through the action of Bnei Yisrael — also touches upon halachah:

a)

The ruling of the Rambam²⁸

"All are obligated to build and to support with themselves and with their money, men and women, like the Sanctuary in the wilderness."

And one must examine the content of this obligation,

for the commandment of building the "Mikdash" is among the commandments that are an obligation of the community — and not an obligation of each individual²⁹

— and what is the meaning of "all are obligated to build etc."?

Furthermore — the well-known discussion³⁰

regarding that women are obligated<pg>119</pg>

to build and to assist themselves etc.

(as it is written³¹

And the men came upon the women, and it is written³²

And every wise-hearted woman with her hands did spin³³)

— behold, the building of the Temple is a positive time-bound commandment,

for "One does not³⁴

build the Temple at night, as it is said³⁵

And on the day the Tabernacle was erected,

by day it is erected, not at night."

And it can be said that in "All are obligated etc." the Rambam's intention is not to say that this is an obligation of the person,

but rather it is a law regarding the object of the Temple,

similar to the law adjacent in that halacha: "One does not interrupt children of the schoolhouse for building,"

for although he already wrote it in the Laws of Torah Study³⁶,

he repeated and reiterated the law here to teach us,

that the reason one does not interrupt children of the schoolhouse is not only because of the obligation of Torah study, which is not set aside even for the building of the Temple,

but rather this is a law regarding the building of the Temple^*36,

that even from the perspective of the Temple there is no place to interrupt schoolchildren for building

(and especially if you will say — that the study of schoolchildren assists in the fulfillment of the building of the House)

— similarly it is regarding the law of "All are obligated to build and to assist themselves and with their money, men and women,"

that it is not an obligation of the person to fulfill the commandment of "And they shall make Me a Sanctuary"

(which is upon the community),

but rather it is an obligation from the perspective of the Temple,

that the definition of the building of the Temple requires that its building be by the community, "And they shall make" — the making of the entire Jewish people

(and therefore this applies to all of Israel,

men and women).

b)

Just as it is regarding the act of building,

so too is it also in relation to the place of the building and its form etc.,

that in this depends its holiness — for although “I will dwell” of the holiness in this place comes from heaven,

there must be beforehand the fulfillment of the commandment “and they shall make”,

preparation by man,

And it can be said that it includes more than this “that he will seek out”,

will exert himself to find the place etc.

And as it is brought in the Sifri³⁷

“One might think you should wait until a prophet tells you, therefore the verse says ‘to His dwelling you shall seek and there you shall come’,

seek and find³⁸

and afterwards the prophet will tell you.”

And this is because the intention and purpose of the commandment “and they shall make Me a sanctuary” is,

that the sanctuary

(will not be a free gift from above,

but rather)

will come about through the making and exertion of man,

in a manner of “seeking”³⁹

— analogous to a “well”,

which comes about through the grasp of man’s hands in a manner of labor and exertion,

digging of wells.

H.

Based on this, the novelty in the Holy Temples over the Tabernacle that Moses made in the desert is understood,

and also the difference between the Holy Temples themselves:

Regarding the Tabernacle it is said⁴⁰

"And you shall erect the Tabernacle<pg>120</pg>

according to its judgment which He showed on the mountain",

that the Holy One, blessed be He, showed Moshe the order of its erection⁴¹

; and it was found that the making

("and they shall make")

that was in the Mishkan was not in a manner of "seeking",

for its erection came about by means of that which

(he learned and)

the Holy One, blessed be He, showed him,

and consequently "and they shall make" was not fulfilled in it in completeness — making in a manner of toil and "seeking"

(in the manner of digging wells)⁴².

But in the first Holy Temple,

even though it is said about this "everything in writing from the hand of the Lord upon me He gave insight"⁴³,

behold the building of the Temple was done by human beings and with immense multiplicity

(in their number and in the length of time),

and furthermore — that the building was done by Shlomo and not by David

(to whom the prophecy was),

and also in connection with David who said "everything in writing from the hand of the Lord upon me He gave insight",

it is stated in the Sifri there in the continuation of the above homily "to His dwelling you shall seek..

seek and find and afterwards the prophet will tell you" — "and so you find with David⁴⁴

Remember, Lord, for David all his affliction, how he swore to the Lord, vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob: If I enter into the tent of my house etc., if I give sleep to my eyes etc., until I find a place for the Lord, dwellings for the Mighty One of Jacob",

meaning that David exerted himself and toiled to find the place of the Temple,

and only afterwards was it told to him by the prophet

(as in the continuation of the Sifri).

And one could say,

that this is one of the reasons that the Mishkan was a temporary dwelling,

as it is written⁴⁵

"I have not dwelt in a house etc. and I have been walking in a tent and in a Mishkan",

and in the language of the Rambam⁴⁶

"And it has already been explained in the Torah [about] the Mishkan that Moshe Rabbeinu made, and it was temporary",

but the Beis HaMikdash was a permanent dwelling⁴⁷,

and in the language of the Rambam⁴⁸

"Once the Temple was built in Jerusalem, all places were forbidden etc. and there is no house for all generations except in Jerusalem alone and on the Temple Mount" — because the matter of the permanence of the Mikdash depends on the action of Bnei Yisrael,

in a manner of "derush" — in a manner of preparing the holiness as above,

and in a very great building in actuality,

and this was

(mainly)

in the Mikdash, not in the Mishkan.

6.

And now, in this category of the Mikdash,

the action and doing of man,

there is an advantage in the Second Mikdash over the First Mikdash:

a)

The act of building did not come through revelation

(and "showed" by)

G‑d

(as in the Tabernacle)

or through the instruction of a prophet

(as in the First Temple)

but rather through the command of Cyrus⁴⁹

(and he also participated in the building⁵⁰).

b)

Also the form of the building was not clear like in the First Temple,

and as the Rambam wrote⁵¹

"

(The building that Shlomo built is already explained in Melachim,

and likewise)

the building that is to be built in the future, although it is written in Yechezkel, is not explained and clarified,

and the people of the Second Temple, when they built in the days of Ezra, built it like the building of Shlomo and similar to the things explained in Yechezkel"⁵².

<pg>121</pg>

And it is found,

that in the Second Temple, behold the seeking

("seek and find")

of the details of the building was more than in the First Temple

(and it can be said that there the "seek and find" was only regarding its place,

but not so in the Second Temple)

that they needed to seek etc. regarding the details of the building and its form⁵³.

And since the matter of permanence in the Temple depends on the deed and action of the children of Israel,

"And they shall make Me a Sanctuary",

in a manner of labor and exertion as above,

that this was in the Second Temple more than in the First Temple,

therefore also "The glory of this latter house shall be greater than that of the former"⁵⁴

which was greater in building and in years⁵⁵,

more permanence than the First Temple.

And based on this it is understood that the "sign for the children" regarding the three Holy Temples is specifically in the deed of Yitzchak

(Even though digging of wells was previously done by Avraham,

And as explicit in the Scriptures,

And as the language of the Ramban "he and his father made them equally")

— Because the main matter of doing and toiling and work is specifically the innovation and subject of Yitzchak,

As known⁵⁶

That their subject of the three Patriarchs are the three pillars of Torah, service, and acts of kindness,

Avraham his attribute is the attribute of kindness,

Yitzchak — service,

And Yaakov — Torah,

And kindness and Torah are

(In general)

Influence from above,

And service is the elevation and drawing near of man to holiness.

And it can be said that for this reason

(As explained in the Sages of blessed memory)

The first Temple is corresponding to Avraham and the second Temple corresponding to Yitzchak⁵⁷,

Because the main matter of "and they shall make",

The making and work of man,

Was in the second Temple⁵⁸

Specifically⁵⁹.

7.

However, one must understand:

How does what was said above fit,

that the main concept of permanence in the Temple is connected and dependent on "And they shall make Me a Sanctuary",

the deed and action of man specifically — with what is explained in the Ramban there,

that he explained that the well over which they did not quarrel is opposite the third Temple,

that only about it is said "and it was broad and went around",

that it will exist with eternal existence

(for this is the true and complete aspect of "permanence")

— and the eternality of the third Temple is because it is

(in the language of the Zohar⁶⁰)

"the building of the Holy One, blessed be He",

and as explained in Bachya here: And that which he mentioned the name of Hashem regarding the third well and did not do so regarding the first two,

one can say a reason, because the first ones were a building of flesh and blood by Solomon and Cyrus, but the third will be the work of Hashem and a building of heaven, and destruction will not rule over it, therefore he mentioned regarding it the blessed name.

And this is,

that the first and second Holy Temples,

which are "a building of flesh and blood"

("a building of a mortal")

there is not in them the matter of eternity,

but specifically the third Holy Temple, which will not be "a building of flesh and blood," will have in it the matter of permanence and eternity in completeness.

&lt;pg&gt;122&lt;/pg&gt;

Simply, the reason for this is: since a man has an end

(and especially that from the moment he is born he begins to dry up&lt;sup&gt;61&lt;/sup&gt;),

the works of his hands are not eternal; but the work of G-d,

that the Holy One, blessed be He, does not apply to Him any matter of change, heaven forbid,

as it is written&lt;sup&gt;62&lt;/sup&gt;

I the L-rd have not changed,

so the works of His hands are eternal.

But still lacking explanation: how is it possible,

that the first and second Beis HaMikdash, in which there was more of the aspect of action and fulfillment of the mitzvah of Israel

("And they shall make for Me a Sanctuary")

— does not have this elevation

(of eternality),

and in the third Beis HaMikdash,

which seemingly lacks the perfection of fulfillment of the mitzvah of "And they shall make for Me a Sanctuary,"

there will be this elevation?

And one can say the explanation of this⁶³

:

This that the third Beis HaMikdash "will be the work of G-d and the building of heaven and

(therefore)

destruction will not rule over it" is because it comes through the deed and service of Bnei Yisrael beforehand,

during

(length)

the time of exile,

that this is the most elevated perfection in the matter of action and service

(and it can be said — even above the service and action in the building of the first and second Beis HaMikdash).

And therefore specifically this service causes and brings about that the Temple will be the work of G-d, enduring with eternal endurance.

And along the lines of the saying of our sages of blessed memory⁶⁴

(regarding the general matter of the future redemption)

"If they merit — I will hasten it",

that when the service of Israel is in perfection,

"they merit",

then the redemption comes in a completely different manner,

"I will hasten it",

above the way of nature.

And likewise regarding the building of the future Temple — since it comes after the service of Israel during the length of this last exile&lt;sup&gt;65&lt;/sup&gt;,

through which the children of Israel have been refined, refinement after refinement,

and as we see that the children of Israel study Torah and fulfill commandments with self-sacrifice in its simple sense&lt;sup&gt;66&lt;/sup&gt;,

and also in places where the Holy One, blessed be He, has granted merit and success that there are no decrees upon the children of Israel,

there are obstacles and hindrances from the mockers, and they must stand with great strength not to be ashamed before the mockers,

and to strengthen themselves in their faith and their Torah,

even before the eyes of the nations — this self-sacrifice brings it about that the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself will build the third Temple.

That is, that the action of man

("and they shall make")

effects the permanence in the Temple, because as much as man's action increases — the Divine Presence dwells in it more&lt;sup&gt;67&lt;/sup&gt;.

8.

And for further explanation:

The perfection of man's service is when<pg>123</pg>

His service is in a manner that he does not consider himself as an independent entity,

and all his deeds are the deeds of the Holy One, blessed be He,

and the Shechinah rests in its fullness in the work of his hands.

And in the manner of that which is stated in the Gemara⁶⁸

"Greater are the deeds of the righteous than the deeds of heaven and earth, etc., regarding the work of the hands of the righteous it is written⁶⁹

a place for Your dwelling You have made, O Lord, the Sanctuary, O Lord, Your hands have established,"

and Rashi explains⁷⁰

"The Sanctuary is the work of the hands of the righteous" — and nevertheless the verse "the Sanctuary, O Lord, Your hands have established" is brought upon this,

and it is explained in the Shitah Mekubetzet⁷⁰

that this is not a contradiction,

for "the deeds of the righteous are called the deeds of the Holy One, blessed be He"⁷¹.

One can say the explanation of this,

that a righteous person is not an independent entity, and therefore the work of the hands of the righteous are themselves the work of the hands of the Holy One, blessed be He⁷².

And it can be said,

that this matter

(that the work of the hands of the person

(righteous person)

is considered the work of the hands of the Holy One, blessed be He)

is primarily when the service of the person is like the service of a servant,

that according to the Torah

(Torah of truth)

he is not an independent entity,

and whatever a servant acquires, his master acquires⁷³,

to the extent that all the service of the servant is called by the name of the master; and likewise the service of the servant — the common denominator in it in every time and in every place

(from which it is proven that this is its source, etc.)

is acceptance of the yoke,

not because of his comprehension of the greatness of the master and of the benefit of the service,

or because of the feeling in the heart toward the service,

but because he has accepted upon himself the yoke of the master,

and his service is in order to fulfill the will of the master⁷⁴.

And this is the innovation of the third Holy Temple relative to the Holy Temples that preceded it

(therefore specifically it will be the handiwork of G-d)

— for even though also in the first and second Holy Temples there was service and work,

nevertheless,

since the service of G-d then was out of deep understanding and comprehension of G-d's greatness,

which brings to love and fear of Him, etc.⁷⁵

and intellect covers and clothes the essence — then the service was openly intellectual service,

mixed with this the existence of man

(his intellect and heart's feeling),

and therefore it was not openly "the building of the Holy One, blessed be He"; and specifically through the service during the time of exile,

where the main service is in the way of accepting the yoke of the kingdom of heaven,

like the service of a servant⁷⁶,

this is complete and true "the deed of the righteous" which are the handiwork of the Holy One, blessed be He,

and therefore this causes openly that the Holy One, blessed be He will build this House,

"G-d will build a House"⁷⁷.

9.

The portion of Toldot is read every year adjacent to Rosh Chodesh Kislev

(on the Shabbat of blessing the month of Kislev

(as in this year^*77)

or on the first days of the month)

— that its conclusion and seal of this month is the days of Chanukah — and also in them one sees the content of the above matter:

Known are the words of the Ramban&lt;sup&gt;78&lt;/sup&gt;

in what the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Aaron&lt;sup&gt;79&lt;/sup&gt;

"Yours is greater than theirs, for you light and tend the lamps,"

that this refers to the Chanukah lights,

"which are never nullified,"

d­&lt;pg&gt;124&lt;/pg&gt;

Sacrifices are only at the time when the Holy Temple exists,

whereas the Chanukah lights are also in the time of our exile.

And the reason that the Chanukah lights have in them the aspect of eternity,

is explained in many places,

because these lights came about through the self-sacrifice of the Children of Israel at the time of the Hasmoneans,

for although the Greek kingdom "decreed decrees upon Israel and nullified their religion and did not allow them to engage in Torah and mitzvos"⁸⁰

nevertheless Israel sacrificed themselves⁸¹.

And since the lights came about through the perfection of Israel's service,

self-sacrifice,

therefore the Chanukah lights are never nullified,

for they endure also in the time of exile.

But that in the days of Chanukah the eternity was effected only in the matter of the lamps of the Temple,

but after the work in the length of this last exile,

it will be so regarding the entirety of the Temple,

that the building of the Third Temple will be in the ultimate perfection,

in a manner that all of it is called by the name of the Holy One, blessed be He,

"The Lord will build the house",

and it will be an eternal building forever,

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

(From the talks of Shabbat Parshat Chayei Sarah 5730,

5747)