כיצד נשמרה המסורת על מקום המקדש מחורבן הבית ועד ימינו? | הרב אלישע וולפסון

With Hashem's help, today is the 7th of Cheshvan. On the 7th of Cheshvan, we begin asking for rain; the matter is already known. The Mishnah asks: Why wait until the 7th of Cheshvan? Why not immediately? As soon as Sukkot ends, why don't we begin asking for rain? So that the last of the Israelites—the furthest one—who made the pilgrimage, can return home to all of the House of Israel. If we asked for rain right after being here at the Temple, Hashem would answer our prayers immediately, and everyone returning home would get stuck in the mud. So, we wait. Yes, that could arguably be claimed—it makes sense while the Temple still stands, but we, unfortunately, haven't had the Temple built for nearly 2,000 years. So, every day that rain is needed and we don't ask—lives depend on this. Why don't we ask for rain? Why wait even in times of destruction until the 7th of Cheshvan? This appears, the Ran brings this, that since even after the destruction of the Temple, Israel continued to make the pilgrimage, the ordinance remains in place. One could have thought: alright, 50 years, 100 years, and then by the time of the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmud, hundreds of years later, that’s it— who remembers, unfortunately for our sins, the site of the Temple? It’s over, it’s void, let’s ask for rain . But what is the truth? In fact, Chazal say that the people of Israel never stopped making the pilgrimage, even until today, one could say, whenever it was possible for Jews to go on pilgrimage. As Chazal say, yes, Chazal say this in the Midrash Shir HaShirim Rabbah: "Even though the Temple was destroyed, Israel did not cancel their pilgrimages three times a year." This is very significant. Why? Some say, how can we possibly know where the site of the Temple is? Almost 2,000 years have passed since the destruction. Jews weren't here for hundreds of years. It is obvious that it's impossible to know exactly where the Temple stood. Right? There is general knowledge. Where is Jerusalem? It is recognizable that this is the Temple Mount. Okay, that we can accept. But where exactly is the site of the Temple? How could a tradition have been passed down? There were hundreds of years when there were no Jews in Jerusalem. That is what some believe. But when you truly examine the sources, you see that it wasn't the case. It is true that full residency had more difficult and less difficult periods, but when we look closely at the words of Chazal, we see that indeed, always, really always, in every period, Jews went up to Jerusalem. Someone who compiled these things in a very beautiful and extensive way is the book called "The Tradition of the Temple Site," by Rabbi Yossi Pala and Rabbi Noam Shapira. Unfortunately, the book hasn't been distributed; it's only available as a file. In any case, I will read from their words several sources so we can see. So, of course, the first source is the famous source where we see the testimony of the Tannaim, which is written like this: the Gemara says in Makkot, and in another place, they would go up to Jerusalem. Once they arrived at Mount Scopus—yes, Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Joshua, and Rabbi Akiva—upon reaching Mount Scopus, they tore their garments. Once they arrived at the Temple Mount, they saw a fox emerging from the site of the Holy of Holies. They began to weep, but Rabbi Akiva laughed, and so on. That is to say, they arrive here, they see the destruction, the Temple destroyed, and they see a fox coming out of the Holy of Holies. Meaning, even though the Temple was destroyed, the site of the Holy of Holies was still recognizable; it was clear where it was located. Right? There is also a similar description regarding Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai. It is written: They said that one time, Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai was walking in Jerusalem, and Rabbi Joshua was following him, and he saw the Temple in ruins. He said: "Woe to us that the Temple is destroyed, the place where our sins are atoned for." Now, let us look at several other sources on this matter. Rabbi Shimon ben Azzai, who was a student of Rabbi Joshua ben Hananiah and a colleague of Rabbi Akiva, said: " I found a genealogical scroll in Jerusalem in which it was written: ' So-and-so is a bastard, born of a married woman.'" That is to say, we see that there is a community, a genealogical scroll was found in Jerusalem, and there is a wonderful description of Ben Zoma seeing the crowds on the Temple Mount. He said, " Blessed is the Wise One of secrets," and some say, "Blessed is He who created all these to serve me." Now, this is a tremendous wonder: 600,000 people. >> Yes, a population of 600,000, and we see there was some kind of mass immigration after the destruction. Massive; it is truly a tremendous wonder. Um. It is further written in a Baraita in Tractate Semachot: Rabban Gamliel had a burial cave in Yavne where they would bring the deceased, lock the door before him, and then they would come, stand in a row, offer comfort, and resolve the grief, and afterwards they would bring him up to Jerusalem. Yes. A long time after the destruction. Um. That is what is implied, that is how I understand it, and there is a well-known Gemara, um. Rosh Hashanah, Beitzah...Rabbi Eliezer had a vineyard in a village, and Rabbi Eliezer wanted to declare it ownerless for the poor. Why? He did not want— simply put—to go through the trouble of bringing it up to Jerusalem. Yes, even though it was after the destruction, there were debates here: after the destruction, why go up? After all, it could not be eaten without an altar, and there are discussions about this. In any case, um, we see that he sought to, yes, so as not to necessitate himself to go up to Jerusalem. His students said to him, because—if I remember correctly—his students said to him: "Rabbi, we have already decided regarding you, like your colleague," and they referred to his colleague Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai. Yes, so here too we see a custom of addressing Halachic questions regarding going up to Jerusalem after the destruction. And, of course, there is the famous Midrash, um, which says that in the days of Rabbi Joshua ben Hananiah, the wicked government decreed to rebuild the Temple, yes, to put it plainly; they appointed Pappus and Lulianus to manage the funds, the gold and silver, for the needs of the people . In the end, the matter did not come to fruition, but we see that even though the Temple was destroyed, the Jews—what is that? They continued, continued completely as if the Temple were really built, and they were building it. Uh, but this is talking about decades after the destruction. Later on, we have the Hadrianic decrees , and there is a lot of complicated trouble here. Sources that are also much later, uh, there too we find pilgrimages to Jerusalem. Yes? So, an incident with a certain man, the Gemara says—yes, this is in Tosefta Nedarim and also in the Bavli—a story about a man who forbade his wife from going on a pilgrimage, and she went against his wishes and went on the pilgrimage. And he came before Rabbi Yose—yes, meaning this isn't a description of something from the past; he came before Rabbi Yose. He said to him, yes, Rabbi Yose, a student of Rabbi Akiva, he said to him: "Had you known that she would go against your wishes and go on a pilgrimage, would you have forbidden her?" He said to him: "No." And here, look, Rabbi Yose—yes, so anyway, even here we see halachic questions about pilgrimages a long time after the destruction. >> Uh, there is also the story of Rabbi Eleazar ben Shammua, sending you... >> Later, definitely. >> Just a second, just a second. Rabbi Eleazar ben Shammua, who was a great Tanna, saw a ship that was being tossed at sea, he saw it, it sank, and everything that was in it. He saw one man who was sitting on a piece of the ship, he managed to—he succeeded, thank God, in being saved, and he was naked and hiding on the seashore. And this happened at a time when Israel was going on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, that is how the Midrash describes it. And of course, there is the description at the beginning of Masechet Berakhot: Rabbi Yose said: Once I was traveling on the road and I entered one of the ruins of Jerusalem to pray. Elijah came , may he be remembered for good, and stood guard for me at the entrance, right? And I heard a heavenly voice cooing like a dove and saying: "Woe to the children, on account of whose sins I destroyed My house and burned My sanctuary and exiled them among the nations." So he hears this when the Temple is destroyed and he is in one of the ruins of Jerusalem, meaning he is in Jerusalem. It is also written: Rabbi Yose said: Once I was standing in Jerusalem and I found a baby of the house of...well, interesting, look there. And there is another description : Once again Rabbi Nathan entered the Temple, he found the Temple destroyed and one wall standing, and so on. Now, even later sources. Rabbi Ishmael the son of Rabbi Yose. Yes, it is written like that. Rabbi Ishmael the son of Rabbi Yose went up to pray in Jerusalem . The source here is Bereshit Rabbah. Rabbi Ishmael the son of Rabbi Yose went up to pray in Jerusalem, passed through the plaza in Shechem, and saw a Samaritan. He said to him, "Where are you going?" He said to him, "I am going to pray in Jerusalem." He said to him, "Wouldn't it be better for you to pray on this mountain of blessing?" And, may God have mercy, he refers to the site of the Temple as a house of refuse— God save us, heaven forbid. But we see that he is going up to Jerusalem to pray; the Temple has been destroyed for a long time, it is referred to as a house of refuse—heaven forbid—a long time, but they go up to pray there . Uh, It is written like this, and here we see even more than that: not just descriptions of one person, but a community. Rabbi Yossi ben Likim testified in the name of the Holy Congregation of Jerusalem, "Whoever recites the 'Shema'[should recite it] all day long." We have some kind of Holy Congregation that transmits rumors and traditions; yes, from them come the laws. Also, it is written in Tractate Yoma: And Rabbi Shimon ben Pazi said in the name of Joshua ben Levi: Rabbi [X] said in the name of the Holy Congregation of Jerusalem, "Even if one says [only] a little, it is forbidden to sleep." Meaning, here too we have laws that are transmitted from the Holy Congregation of Jerusalem long after the destruction. Another example like this: Rabbi Shimon ben Pazi said, Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said, Rabbi Yossi ben ...Shaul said, Rabbi [X] said in the name of the Holy Congregation of Jerusalem. Rabbi Shimon and his colleagues...may you see good things like the method of Rabbi Meir the renowned. So once again, there is a description here. Rabbi Joshua ben Levi testified in the name of the Holy Congregation of Jerusalem regarding two months that are sanctified on the day they are intercalated; so we truly have laws transmitted from the Holy Congregation of Jerusalem. Meaning, even though we are after the destruction and after the decrees of Hadrian and the reality here is very difficult, Jews are not leaving Jerusalem, not leaving the place of the Temple. Ah, it is late, I will try to hurry. Now we are starting to reach the Amoraic period, long after the destruction. Rabbi Hanina, Rabbi Yonatan, and Rabbi Joshua ben Levi went up to Jerusalem. Yes. Joshua ben Levi the Amora, the Land of Israel Amora. Fruits were given to them. ...To settle them in the borders, and so on. I am skipping, but we do see here the sources of the Jerusalem Talmud, many sources in the Jerusalem Talmud where we see the Amoraim who are in Jerusalem . Ah, look: Shimon Qamtaria asked Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba: "Because I am a merchant and go up to Jerusalem every hour, I am constantly going up to Jerusalem, what is it like to be called an 'oleh'[pilgrim]?" Do I also need to read [the law regarding] the garment every time? He said to him: "Within 30 days you do not need to read, after 30 days you must read." Do you see? It is amazing, these are laws that one cannot argue with. We are talking here about Amoraim. Ah, well, I am skipping. There are many, many more very beautiful sources here. Right, right, right, there are many more very beautiful sources here about the holy ones. Ah. Rabbi Pinchas said, Rabbi Pinchas said: A story about two wealthy brothers who were in Ashkelon, and they had bad neighbors from the nations of the world , and they said, "When will these Jews go up to Jerusalem to pray so we can rob them?" When did these Jews go up to pray in Jerusalem? And we will, ah, steal from them, and so on. And as is known, the time came and they went up, and the Holy One, blessed be He, sent angels, and when they returned they said: "Where were you?" They said to them: "Where were you?" They said to them: "In Jerusalem." When did you go up? On such and such a day. They said: "Blessed is the God of the Jews who did not leave them and whom they did not leave." Yes, miracles and wonders. And another important description: Rabbi Yochanan bar Mari in the name of Rav Pinchas: We learned that the Sages would take off their sandals under the arch of the Temple Mount, implying that the area under the arch of the Temple Mount was not sanctified. The fact that we see the Sages removing their shoes at the entrance to the Temple Mount, under the width of the gate, implies that the width of the gate was not sanctified and does not hold the holiness of the Temple Mount. Yes, so here too we see very practical halachic descriptions of ascending the Temple Mount many years after the destruction. And there are many sources there. Perhaps I will conclude with just one source, from the Talmud of Rabbi Chiya, Rabbi Avraham bar Chiya HaNasi, who writes as follows: At first, when the Romans destroyed it, they did not prevent Israel from coming and praying within it, as we saw in all the testimonies. The kings of Ishmael would practice a good custom, allowing Israel to come to the House of the Temple, and all the exiles of Israel near the House would ascend during the holidays and festivals to pray within it and offer their prayers. This custom was practiced by all the kingdoms of Ishmael until the wicked kingdom of Edom spread over this House, and so on. Therefore, in summary, my teachers and rabbis, we see that although Jerusalem had some very, very difficult years, there are many clear testimonies of the presence and pilgrimage of the people of Israel, who never left Jerusalem and never left the site of the Temple. Consequently, it is clear how the tradition regarding the site of the Temple was passed down, and so when the Dome of the Rock was built, the Jews knew exactly where the place was; and there is a law that states when one sees the site of the Temple, one must rend their garments, and one must direct their prayers toward the Holy of Holies. And that is how the tradition was handed down to us, generation after generation. From this, we can today ascend the Temple Mount in holiness, by walking in the permitted areas, while being mindful of the site of the Temple . And may it be His will. Amen.