Why Learn About the Holy Temple?

Ezekiel said: Master of the World, why are You telling meto go and tell Israel the form of the House . . . They are nowin exile in the land of our enemies. Is there anything they can do [about it]?Let them be until they return from exile. Then, I will go and inform them.

Gd answered: Should the construction of My House beignored because My children are in exile?

The study of the Torah's [design of the Holy Temple]can be equated to its construction. Go tell them to study the form of theTemple. As a reward for their study and their occupation with it, I willconsider it as if they actually built it.

Implicit in the wording used in this passage is that thestudy of the laws of the Holy Temple has ramifications that extend far beyondthe ordinary sphere of intellectual activity. Rather, through this study, aperson fulfills his obligation to build the Temple.

Thus, the Rebbe teaches us, it is especially appropriateto learn these laws during the Three Weeks, when we mourn the destruction ofthe Holy Temple and our subsequent exile.

Over the course of more than a millennium, theHoly Temple appeared in several iterations. Several key elements run through them all, but there are also significantdifferences.

As outlined in the Book of Exodus, Gds firsthome was the Tabernacle(Mishkan), which was built in the desert and continued to function (in variousforms) until the days of Solomon.

The best place to learn about this Temple isin the Book of Exodus, where we read both about Gds instructions regardingits construction and how it was actually built.

What Was theMishkan? Learn the FourMishkan-Related Torah Portions

For more than 800 years, two successive HolyTemples stood in Jerusalem. The architecture of the SecondTemple is discussed extensively in the Talmud and then again in Maimonidescode.

Study the Talmud's Description of the Second Holy Temple (Video)ReadMaimonides Depiction of the Second TempleLearn MaimonidesText With Rabbi Gordon (Video)Read theRebbes Insights on Maimonides Depictions9 Holy TempleFacts

For nearly 2,000 years, there has been no HolyTemple in Jerusalem. Yet, it is an axiom of Jewish belief that the Temple will berebuilt in Jerusalem. Known as the Third Temple, it will be built according tothe prophecies of Ezekiel.

ExploreEzekiels Vision for the Yet-to-Be Built Temple 4 UniqueCharacteristics of Ezekiels TempleNow take theHoly Temple quiz

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Learn About the Holy Temple in Depth - Texts and Classes Describing the Holy Temple - Chabad.org