I
I will place My sanctuary among you... I will walk among you (Vayikra 26:11,12)
The Seforno explains this to mean: My presence will dwell among you wherever you are, as it was destined before the [sin of the golden] calf, as He said (Shemos 20:21), "Wherever I mention My name I will come to you and bless you". The Seforno renders "wherever I mention My Name" to refer to the houses of Hashem, such as a beis hamedrash where Torah is learned (see Oz Vehadar edition footnote 39). Hashem is saying as follows: I will not be limited to one place only, as it was in the Mishkan and in the Mikdash (as it says in Shemos 25:8, "They shall make a sanctuary for Me so that I may dwell among them"), rather, I will walk among you and My glory will be seen wherever you are. My holy upper presence (Tehillim 46:5) is wherever the righteous of the generation will be.
Elsewhere (Shemos 25:9; 31:18) the Seforno explains that the Mishkan was necessitated by the sin of the golden calf; ideally, there is no need for the Mishkan because Hashem's presence is everywhere, as the beracha in Parshas Bechukosai states. Nevertheless, even in the ideal eschaton, there will be a third Beis Hamikdash, but for a surprising reason: "the nations shall know that I am Hashem Who sanctifies Am Yisrael, as My Mikdash will be among them forever" (Yechezkel 37:28). The Malbim explains this to mean that Hashem's presence will Divine Presence will dwell upon all of Am Yisrael so much so that they themselves will not need the sanctity of the Mikdash. The Mikdash will exist only so that the nations will know that Hashem sanctifies Am Yisrael.
II
"May it be Your will, Hashem, that Your city will be built speedily in our days, and give us our portion in Your Torah" (Avos 5:30). The more familiar version of this statement, recited after Shemoneh Esrei, substitutes "The Beis Hamikdash" in place of "Your city". The juxtaposition of the tefilla for the Beis Hamikdash and the tefilla for our portion in Your Torah requires explanation.
Rav Chaim Ya'akov Goldvicht (Asufas Ma'arachos, Shavuous p.154) refers to the very beginning of Parshas Bechukosai, which states the prerequisite for the ensuing berachos: "If you will follow My decrees" (26:3). Rashi explains this to mean, "that you will toil in the [study of] Torah". Only by immersion in Torah study can one earn the beracha of the Divine Presence dwelling within him. Moreover, as Tosafos (Bava Basra 21a) cites from the Sifri, the very purpose of going up to Yerushalayim is to learn to fear Hashem always (Devarim 14:23). When one would see the great sanctity and the kohanim doing the avoda, he would serve Hashem better and learn Torah. While staying in Yerushalayim to consume his ma'aser sheni, he would see everyone serving Hashem and he, too, would focus on fear of Hashem and learn Torah.
When we pray for the rebuilding of the Beis Hamikdah, we immediately add, "and give us our portion in Your Torah", since this is the ultimate purpose of the Beis Hamikdash. Rav Goldvicht cites the Gemara (Berachos 58a) which states: eternity (netzach) refers to Yerushalayim and glory (hod) refers to the Beis Hamikdash. The sanctity of Yerushalayim flows from the power of Torah. The sanctity of the Torah flows from the inner Divine Presence ("I will build a Mishkan in my heart") which is eternal, and thus eternity refers to Yerushalayim. The sanctity of the Mikdash, by contrast, is only the outer revelation of our inner sanctity. We pray that Hashem appear, and reveal His glory upon us in the eyes of all living (Musaf on Yom Tov), as the Malbim explains. The glory of the Beis Hamikdash is not eternal, as we no longer have it. When we pray for its return, we hasten to add a prayer for our share in the eternal Torah.
III
Next Friday is Yom Yerushalayim, 28 Iyar. I was privileged to be a student of Rav Goldvicht in Kerem B'Yavne when Yerushalayim was reunited on that day in 1967. One week later, on Shavuos, the Old City and the Kosel Hama'ravi were opened to the public. The talmidim of Kerem B'Yavne who were not in the Army held a mishmar in Heichal Shlomo and marched, and danced, to the Kosel for Musaf. The unforgettable experience culminated with the partially fulfilled prayer, "bring us to Tziyon Your city with joy and to Yerushalayim with eternal happiness." Only "Your Beis Hamikdash" was missing. The euphoria of the event, and the miraculous turnaround from open threats of annihilation to a stunning military victory in six days, preoccupied all of us. We were taken to Kever Rachel and Me'aras Hamachpela, sites we had never expected to see in our lifetime just weeks earlier. A lavish se'udas hoda'ah was held in the Yeshiva.
It was then that Rav Goldvicht cautioned us to have a proper perspective. Surely there is an obligation to thank Hashem for the miracles, and to be inspired by our newfound closeness to the site of the Beis Hamikdash. However, as our daily tefilla states, and as the Seforno and the Malbim explain, studying Torah is an even higher level. It is an internal and eternal sanctity, our share in Hashem's Torah.
The Rosh Yeshiva quoted the Gemara (Makkos 10a): one day in Your courtyards is better than a thousand (Tehillim 84:11). Hashem said [to David Hamelech]: one day that you learn Torah before me is better than a thousand offerings that your son Shlomo will sacrifice before Me on the mizbeach. This demonstrates that Torah learning is a higher value than the Avoda in the Beis Hamikdash.
The heady days of June 1967 are but a memory, however glorious and unforgettable. The city and land of Hashem, reunited and liberated, suffer from terror and divisiveness which did not exist back then. The glory is not eternal.
This week's parsha begins with toiling in Torah, and its berachos culminate in the personal sanctity of Torah, which is not bounded by time or place. This week's perek in Pirkei Avos adds the prayer for our share in Torah to the prayer for the rebuilding of the Beis Hamikdash. As we celebrate Yom Yerushalayim and Shavuos, may we merit the speedy fulfillment of both these prayers.
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