On the verse, "And you shall make a sanctuary for Me" (Exodus 25:8), the Ohr HaChaim writes: "It is a mitzvah for all times." At the very opening of His Hilchot Beit HaBechirah, the Rambam writes: "It is a positive commandment to construct a house for G-d...as it is written, 'And you shall make a sanctuary for Me.'"
We have discussed this subject on numerous occasions, and we will continue stressing that the mitzvah to build the Temple is an UNCONDITIONAL commandment, NOT dependent on the Messiah or the nation's spiritual level. But in this article, our goal is not to deal with the different argument advanced against building the Temple in contemporary times. For in recent years, these arguments have been refuted in the hearts of many Jews, as heightened awareness of the subject has caused them to study it in halachic depth.
But before we can pick up brick and mortar to start fulfilling the awesome mitzvah of building the Holy Temple, there is one small problem: the mosques. The desire to be accepted by large segments of the public has prevented all talk about REMOVING these terrible specimens of Chilul Hashem on the Temple Mount.
Let us not make the same tragic mistake regarding the Temple Mount that Yesha leaders made regarding the settlements. What mistake am I referring to? Since the very beginning of the Gush Emunim movement, my father, HY"D, warned that if we do NOT deal with the "negative" side of the mitzvah of yishuv ha'aretz- i.e., expelling the gentiles- the settlements will not last, G-d forbid, as the Torah explicitly states. But his warnings fell on deaf ears. Settlement leaders preferred dealing with the "positive" side of yishuv ha'aretz not wanting to jeopardize public support by discussing the Arab threat. We see the results today: The Arabs have risen up in rebellion; the Left labels all the settlers "extremists" anyway, etc., etc.
There is an important difference, though, between yishuv ha'aretz and building the Temple. Regarding yishuv ha'aretz, Jews were able to erect settlements and temporarily ignore (with the help of their illusions) the Arab powder keg that lay beneath their entire enterprise. But regarding building the Temple, even this is impossible. What will they do? Build the Temple on the second floor of the mosque?
The REMOVAL of the mosques is an OBLIGATION that PRECEDES the obligation to build the Temple. One must turn from evil (sur me'ra) before one can do good (asei tov). And so, we must speak about removing the mosques just as we speak about building the Temple. What are we afraid of? That they will call us fanatics? THEY ALREADY DO!!!!
Darka Shel Torah, 1996
Shabbat Shalom!
