בס”ד
THE HOUSE OF PRAYER FOR ALL PEOPLES
In less than 24 hours, we will begin Tishah B’Av, the ninth day of the month of Av, which begins this year on Monday night. This day is a significant day of mourning for the tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people throughout history. These include the sin of the spies as recorded in the Bible, the destruction of the First and Second Temples, the declaration of the First Crusade by Pope Urban II in 1095, the expulsions from England in 1290 and Spain in 1492, the deportation of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto to Treblinka in 1942, and the bombing of the AMIA Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires in 1994. This bombing was funded and orchestrated by the same country that currently threatens to wipe Israel off the map and has made significant efforts towards achieving this aim.
The date of Tishah B’Av is associated with many sad events. It holds a dualistic nature. While we are mourning the loss of the Temple, we are also pivoting towards the future—the restoration of the Temple and the ultimate redemption of the Jewish people and the world. This concept of the Third Temple has a central place in our understanding of the world that will be. We are not just looking for a return of the Temple; we are anticipating the Third Temple and the events that surround it.
On Tishah B’Av, we mourn the destruction of the Temple and other tragedies with specific practices. We do not conduct weddings, listen to music, eat meat, or drink wine during this period. This mourning is not about looking back to a past that we want to return to but about moving forward towards a future redemption. The difference between mourning and depression is crucial here. Mourning is a reflection on what has been lost, while depression is a sense of hopelessness. Tishah B’Av contains a seed of hope because, according to tradition, the Messiah is born on this day. Thus, it carries both sadness and the promise of redemption.
For Noahides, the mourning aspect of Tishah B’Av can be relevant as we all hope for the Temple’s return and the restoration of divine justice. The role of the Temple in the broader context of the Seven Noahide Laws and its implications for all humanity is significant.
In Ezekiel 43:10-12, there is a description of the future Temple, its sanctity, and its construction. The Rambam (Maimonides) in Mishneh Torah, Chapter 1, Law 1, explains that the commandment to build the Temple applies in every generation. This indicates that the Temple is not a relic of the past but a continuing, meaningful concept.
| 10 Thou, son of man, show the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and let them measure accurately. | י אַתָּה בֶן-אָדָם, הַגֵּד אֶת-בֵּית-יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת-הַבַּיִת, וְיִכָּלְמוּ, מֵעֲוֺנוֹתֵיהֶם; וּמָדְדוּ, אֶת-תָּכְנִית |
| 11 And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, make known unto them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof, and write it in their sight; that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them. | יא וְאִם-נִכְלְמוּ מִכֹּל אֲשֶׁר-עָשׂוּ, צוּרַת הַבַּיִת וּתְכוּנָתוֹ וּמוֹצָאָיו וּמוֹבָאָיו וְכָל-צוּרֹתָו וְאֵת כָּל-חֻקֹּתָיו וְכָל-צוּרֹתָו וְכָל-תּוֹרֹתָו הוֹדַע אוֹתָם, וּכְתֹב, לְעֵינֵיהֶם; וְיִשְׁמְרוּ אֶת-כָּל-צוּרָתוֹ, וְאֶת-כָּל-חֻקֹּתָיו–וְעָשׂוּ אוֹתָם. |
| 12 This is the law of the house: upon the top of the mountain the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the house. | יב זֹאת, תּוֹרַת הַבָּיִת: עַל-רֹאשׁ הָהָר כָּל-גְּבֻלוֹ סָבִיב סָבִיב, קֹדֶשׁ קָדָשִׁים–הִנֵּה-זֹאת, תּוֹרַת הַבָּיִת. |
Mishneh Torah Hilchot Beit HaBechirah, Chapter 1, Law 1
| It is a positive commandment to construct a House for God, prepared for sacrifices to be offered within. We [must] celebrate there three times a year, as [Exodus 25:8] states: “And you shall make Me a sanctuary.” | מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה לַעֲשׂוֹת בַּיִת לַה’ מוּכָן לִהְיוֹת מַקְרִיבִים בּוֹ הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת. וְחוֹגְגִין אֵלָיו שָׁלֹשׁ פְּעָמִים בַּשָּׁנָה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות כה ח) “וְעָשׂוּ לִי מִקְדָּשׁ |
| 8 And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. | ח וְעָשׂוּ לִי, מִקְדָּשׁ; וְשָׁכַנְתִּי, בְּתוֹכָם. |
The interpretation is that G-d will dwell within humanity through this edifice. The Midrash compares the Tabernacle and the Temple to the neck of the world, which, like the neck, provides essential sustenance and connection. The Temple’s role is central in bringing spiritual and physical blessings to the world.
In Isaiah 2:2-3, it is prophesied that many nations will come to the Temple to worship G-d.
| 2 And it shall come to pass in the end of days, that the mountain of the L-RD’S house shall be established as the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. | ב וְהָיָה בְּאַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים, נָכוֹן יִהְיֶה הַר בֵּית-ד’ בְּרֹאשׁ הֶהָרִים, וְנִשָּׂא, מִגְּבָעוֹת; וְנָהֲרוּ אֵלָיו, כָּל-הַגּוֹיִם |
| 3 And many peoples shall go and say: ‘Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the L-RD, to the house of the G-d of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the L-RD from Jerusalem. | ג וְהָלְכוּ עַמִּים רַבִּים, וְאָמְרוּ לְכוּ וְנַעֲלֶה אֶל-הַר-ד’ אֶל-בֵּית אֱלֹקי יַעֲקֹב, וְיֹרֵנוּ מִדְּרָכָיו, וְנֵלְכָה בְּאֹרְחֹתָיו: כִּי מִצִּיּוֹן תֵּצֵא תוֹרָה, וּדְבַר-ד’ מִירוּשָׁלִָם. |
Zechariah 14:16 also describes the pilgrimage of all nations to Jerusalem for the Festival of Sukkot in the Messianic era.
| 16 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations that came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the L-RD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. | טז וְהָיָה, כָּל-הַנּוֹתָר מִכָּל-הַגּוֹיִם, הַבָּאִים, עַל-יְרוּשָׁלִָם; וְעָלוּ מִדֵּי שָׁנָה בְשָׁנָה, לְהִשְׁתַּחֲוֺת לְמֶלֶךְ ד’ צְבָאוֹת, וְלָחֹג, אֶת-חַג הַסֻּכּוֹת. |
The daily prayer for the rebuilding of the Temple reflects our hope for the restoration of sacrificial services and the divine presence. The absence of the Temple is felt as a spiritual void, and its restoration will be a time of great spiritual and physical abundance.
Babylonian Talmud, Sukkah 55b discusses the significance of the 70 bulls offered during Sukkot, corresponding to the 70 nations of the world.
| Rabbi Elazar said: These seventy bulls to what do they correspond? They correspond to the seventy nations Why a single bull? It corresponds to the singular nation, [Israel]. | אָמַר רַבִּי (אֶלְעָזָר): הָנֵי שִׁבְעִים פָּרִים כְּנֶגֶד מִי — כְּנֶגֶד שִׁבְעִים אוּמּוֹת. פַּר יְחִידִי לָמָּה — כְּנֶגֶד אוּמָּה יְחִידָה. |
These offerings were for atonement and world peace. In the absence of the Temple, this atonement is not available, reflecting the current spiritual burden on humanity.
The Temple is considered the neck of the world, essential for spiritual sustenance as the neck provides food, air, and water to the body. The absence of the Temple affects our connection to Divine blessings.
Noahides have a special role in supporting and recognizing this sacred mission. The observance of the Seven Noahide Laws is connected to the ultimate redemption and the building of the Third Temple. Maimonides, Laws of Kings and Their Wars 11:1 describes the Messiah as restoring the Davidic kingdom and rebuilding the Temple, gathering the dispersed of Israel and re-establishing all the laws, including sacrificial rites.
| In the future, the Messianic king will arise and renew the Davidic dynasty, restoring it to its initial sovereignty. He will build the Temple and gather the dispersed of Israel. | הַמֶּלֶךְ הַמָּשִׁיחַ עָתִיד לַעֲמֹד וּלְהַחְזִיר מַלכוּת דָּוִד לְיָשְׁנָהּ לַמֶּמְשָׁלָה הָרִאשׁוֹנָה. וּבוֹנֶה הַמִּקְדָּשׁ וּמְקַבֵּץ נִדְחֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל. |
In Isaiah 56:7, it is stated that the Temple will be “a house of prayer for all nations.” The Noahide laws provide the ethical foundation for participating in this Divine plan.
| 7 Even them will I bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer; their burnt-offerings and their sacrifices shall be acceptable upon Mine altar; for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. | ז וַהֲבִיאוֹתִים אֶל-הַר קָדְשִׁי, וְשִׂמַּחְתִּים בְּבֵית תְּפִלָּתִי–עוֹלֹתֵיהֶם וְזִבְחֵיהֶם לְרָצוֹן, עַל-מִזְבְּחִי: כִּי בֵיתִי, בֵּית-תְּפִלָּה יִקָּרֵא לְכָל-הָעַמִּים. |
The Messianic era will bring universal recognition of G-d’s sovereignty and the fulfillment of the Noahide mission. Maimonides emphasizes that the prophets longed for the Messiah not for world domination but for the freedom to study Torah without oppression. The ultimate goal is a world of justice, peace, and Divine Awareness.
Tishah B’Av, while a day of mourning, is also referred to as a mo’ed (appointed time), indicating that it will eventually be replaced by joy with the restoration of the Temple and the coming of the Messiah. We should all hope to see this fulfillment soon in our days.
By Rabbi Tani Burton
More shiurim of Rabbi Tani Burton
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