Haftorah Commentary
Parshas Tetzaveh
By Rabbi Dovid Siegel
This week’s haftorah shares with us an important perspective regarding our long dark exile and the brilliant light awaiting us at the end of it. The haftorah begins in the midst of an elaborate prophetic vision that the prophet Yechezkel was privileged to view. In the previous three chapters Hashem showed the prophet the detailed blueprints of the future and final magnificent Bais Hamikdash. In our haftorah Hashem instructed Yechezkel to share his vision with the Jewish people. Hashem said, “Tell the House of Israel the vision of the Bais Hamikdash in order that they should be embarrassed from their sins when they measure the completed structure.”(43:10) Yechezkel was commanded to remind the Jewish people about their wrongdoings which ultimately led to the destruction of the previous Bais Hamikdash. They were presently in the midst of the Babylonian exile and the sight of the Bais Hamikdash was intended to remind them of all their previous faults. They could easily realize that the Bais Hamikdash would have been theirs if not for their previous sinful ways.
Hashem continued, “And if they are embarrassed for all of their wrongdoings then show them the form of the Bais Hamikdash, its specific rooms, entrances and exits …. and write this before them and they should retain its entire image and all its specifications and they will construct them. ”The Radak explains that the prophet Yechezkel was given specific instructions to reveal these detailed plans only after the Jewish people sense embarrassment. Only after regretting their sinful ways which caused the destruction the first Temple would the Jews be privileged to observe the vision of the third Bais Hamikdash. Apparently the reason for this was because this edifice would be an everlasting one and could only be constructed after the world was free of sin. Therefore, even beholding the sight of the third Bais Hamikdash required special merit and only those who had forsaken their sinful ways could be privileged to view it.
But in truth, the timing of this prophecy requires serious reflection. The Scriptures reveals earlier (see 40:1) that this prophecy came to Yechezkel fourteen years into the Babylonian exile long before the second Temple was even in sight. It is therefore quite shocking for us to discover here a prophecy about the third Bais Hamikdash, rather than the second. The wounds of the first Temple’s destruction were not healed and Hashem was already revealing the plans for the third Temple. Wouldn’t it have been mor timely and appropriate to share with the Jewish people visions of the second Temple rather than the third?!
The lesson which can be gleaned from this is a striking perspective about Hashem’s mercy and kindness. Radak explains the above passages in the following manner. The Jewish people were being presented a challenge and at the same time an extraordinary opportunity. Hashem revealed to them that they could be granted the personal privilege of erecting the third and final Bais Hamikdash.
If they repented and contemplated their final redemption they could be ultimately involved in every one of its aspects. Although the Jewish people were presently in exile they were shown then a glimpse of the perfect world, the one after the revival of the deceased. They were informed that it was within their ability to merit their personal return in that final era and to actually be personally involved in the construction of
the third Bais Hamikdash.
Yechezkel told them to focus on every detail of the future Bais Hamikdash and commit it to memory. If they believed in and aspired to being present during that glorious era they would merit it. And if they concentrated now on the details of the construction of the Bais Hamikdash and their participation therein they would actually merit it then.
The Radak quotes as his source, the famous principle of Chazal, “Whoever believes in the advent of Mashiach will merit the redemption.”
Radak explains that in this same vein Hashem gave the Jewish people, then in exile, the opportunity of constructing the third Bais Hamikdash. They were informed that if they believed in it and in their participation therein they would merit it.
With the above in mind we now understand and appreciate the timely messageof Hashem regarding redemption. This special revelation at its particular moment was intended to be an unbelievable comforting thought to the Jewish people. At that time they viewed themselves as rejected by Hashem and couldn’t envision a glorious era awaiting themselves. They felt lost in exile and had forfeited their cherished relationship with Hashem.
Suddenly during their moments of despair Hashem revealed to them His boundless love. Hashem showed them that during those very same moments, He was focusing on their most glorious era,
the era of Mashiach.
He reminded them not to despair because their trying predicament was but a fleeting moment on the horizon of eternity.
Hashem therefore showed them a glimpse of eternity and their personal involvement in it. He invited them to rise above their present predicament and focus on their bright future. If they could display sincere faith in Hashem they would, in fact,
rebuild the final Bais Hamikdash.
Hashem’s love for the Jewish people is eternal and even during our mosttrying times Hashem is focusing on this eternity. The Jewish people were therefore given here the fullest opportunity to repent. If they could regret their past and forsake their sinful ways eternity would be theirs. Now in the midst of their exile they could actually prepare for the construction of the final Bais Hamikdash and establish themselves as the builders of eternity. Hashem’s love transcends all borders, time included, and is always focused on the eternal redemption of His people. We should learn from this never to despair and to realize that there is always
a glorious moment awaiting us soon.
With propre reflection and true repentance,
may we see the building of the Final Beit HaMikdash speedily & in our time…
And now let’s explore how the Chabad rabbis deal with this significant reading
Tetzaveh Haftarah Companion
For an informed reading of Ezekiel 43:10-27
By Rabbi Mendel Dubov
The second half of the portion of Tetzaveh is devoted to the inaugural services (“milu’im”) of the Tabernacle in the wilderness. The Torah describes in detail the various offerings and services that were to be done during this inaugural period,
which lasted seven days.
The haftarah picks up on this theme, with G‑d instructing the prophet Ezekiel to teach the Jews all the specifications and laws of the future Temple and of the inauguration service that would
take place at its dedication.
Ezekiel’s prophecies of comfort, including this one, were delivered after the destruction of the First Temple and the exile of the Jews to Babylonia. As with many other prophecies of the bright Jewish future after the Babylonian exile, these were only partially (if at all) fulfilled in the building of the Second Temple and the return of the Jews to Israel at that time. In our case, many of the details foreseen by Ezekiel were not incorporated into the plan of the Second Temple. Our sages tell us that “the second entry into the Land, in the days of Ezra, could have been as miraculous and strong-handed as the first entry, in the days of Joshua,” and the same was true for the Temple itself. Ezekiel had prophesied of a great future Temple in a time to come. This could have come to be with the Second Temple, but it did not; it awaits the building
of the Third Temple.
Although the Jews had done teshuvah for the wrongdoings that caused the initial exile, this teshuvah was not done with a resolve strong enough to stop them from collectively sinning again. Furthermore, intermarriage with non-Jewish women was rife, thus demonstrating the people’s weak spiritual nature.
Whatever the case, the people were not ready for the full and final redemption, nor were they deserving of it. They did return to the Land and they did build the Temple, but this was made possible only with the permission of King Cyrus, and it was built without the visible and revealed hand of G‑d.
G‑d appeared to Ezekiel and instructed him to teach his Jewish brethren the details and laws of the Temple. One purpose was so that they should regret the sins they committed, which had brought about the destruction in the first place. Another was for them to know that G‑d had not forsaken them and would yet allow the rebuilding of the Temple
to in all its glory.
Ezekiel is also further instructed to “write all this down before their eyes, so that they may safeguard its entire form and all its rules, and fulfill them.” Indeed, for close to two and a half thousand years we, the Jewish people, have lovingly preserved and studied the laws of the Temple building and all the services therein, down to the most minute detail. As the commentaries point out, the verse alludes to the fact that by “safeguarding its entire form” the Jews would eventually merit the resurrection of the dead at the time of Moshiach, and will be able to actually “fulfill” the very laws they preserved.
The beginning of our haftarah is actually the last segment of a detailed description of the Temple blueprint. Here the prophet deals with the measurements of the mizbe’ach, the large altar
in the Temple courtyard.
One interesting fact to note in this description is that the common amah (cubit) measurement had different lengths for different parts of the altar.
For most of the structure the amah was a “large” one, consisting of six handbreadths, whereas other parts were measured in a regular amah
of five handbreadths.
After laying out the design and measurements of the altar, the verses begin describing the details of its inauguration service. Upon its completion, a bull is to be brought as a sin-offering. Its blood is to be put on all the four corners of the altar and of the Temple courtyard, and then burned outside the Temple precincts. (This service is quite similar to the annual sin-offering brought each Yom Kippur by the high priest.) For seven days after this, a bull,
a he-goat and a ram are also to brought
as sin-offerings.
Reflecting the points mentioned above, there is controversy among the early commentators of the Talmud as to whether the inaugural sacrifices brought by Ezra in the Second Temple were the sacrifices referred to in these verses. Many are of the opinion that the description here will be fulfilled only in the Third Temple, with Moshiach.
Ezekiel was active at the very beginning of the Babylonian exile, decades before the opportunity for building the Second Temple would arise. The prophet therefore was hesitant: why should he teach his people all about the Temple, when it had just been destroyed and there was no way of rebuilding it? Would this not just be adding insult to injury?
Come and see: when the Holy One, blessed be He, showed Ezekiel the form of the Temple, He said, “Describe the Temple to the House of Israel; let them be ashamed of their sins, and measure the plan.” Ezekiel responded, “Sovereign of the Universe! We are now in exile in the land of our enemies, and You say to me to go and inform Israel about the form of the Temple, and to ‘write it before their eyes, that they should preserve its form and all of its statutes and do them’? Are they able to do them? Let them be until they emerge from the exile,
and then I will go and tell them!”
The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Ezekiel, “Just because My children are in exile, should the building of My Temple be left idle? Reading about it in the Torah is as great as building it. Go and tell it to them, and they will occupy themselves with reading from the Torah about the form of the Temple. In reward for reading it—occupying themselves with reading about it—I will count it for them as if they were occupied with the actual building of the Temple.”4
The language of the Midrash is powerful indeed. Ezekiel’s problem was that the study of the Temple structure and its service could not be implemented practically, and therefore would only cause pain to the people. G‑d, in turn, rhetorically asked, “Just because My children are in exile, should the building of My Temple be left idle?”—meaning to say that the Jews did have a way of “building” the Temple: studying the laws of the Temple is the part of building the Temple that we can do today. Thus, when we do it, it is not a mere memory, or even a preparation for the fulfilment of a future mitzvah, but an element of fulfilling the mitzvah itself.
In the words of G‑d to Ezekiel, “the building of My Temple” will then not be “left idle.”
This demonstrates the importance of studying the laws of the Temple and of its service: in this way we are able to take part in the actual mitzvah of building the House of G‑d.
In our day and age, on the threshold of the final redemption, the study of the laws of the Third Temple is real and practical
as never before.
May we see it speedily in our days.
B’azrat HaShem (with the help of G-d)…
I pray that this is a lesson that blessed each of you
and that you will SHARE it widely.
Please continue to pray that Debra & I remain in good health so that we may continue to serve HaShem as we serve His people. And also pray that we are led to new ways of doing so…