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Rambam  Sefer HaMitzvot 21  Talmud Yevamot

Translation:

1. Rambam writes in Hilchot Beit-Habechirah:

“There is a Positive Commandment to hold the Temple in awe, as (Lev.19:30) states: "And you shall revere my Sanctuary." Nevertheless, it is not the (physical building of) the Temple which must be held in awe, but rather, He who commanded that it be revered.”

The source of his statement is in the Beraita,

(on the verse, “You shall keep My Shabbatot, and revere My Sanctuary” (את שבתותי תשמרו)):

The term keeping (שמירה) is stated with regard to Shabbat, and the term reverence (מורא) is stated with regard to the Temple. Just as regarding Shabbat, you do not revere Shabbat, but rather, one reveres He Who warned about the observance of Shabbat, so too, the same applies to the reverence stated with regard to the Temple: You do not revere the Temple itself but He Who warned about the Temple.”

This requires explanation:

Why does Rambam cite this detail. What is the ramification in Halacha that the fear is,

“not of the Temple . . but rather, of He who commanded that it be revered”.

Especially since the explanation of “Fear of the Temple” is (expressed in deed, such as),

“A person should not enter the Temple Mount holding a staff etc. “

like the continuation of the Beraita that Rambam cites here?

Regarding fearing the Temple itself, as the Talmud states:

“One might have thought that a person should be in reverence of the Temple”,

Tosafot explains (why we did not ask this regarding one's father, for there is an equal command to fear one’s father):

“Regarding one’s father we did not need to say so, for obviously he does not bow to him (his father) to be his deity; However, this is needed regarding the Mikdash, for it is a consecrated object”.

According to this, it is possible to say that the words, “it is not the Temple which must be held in awe” is indeed related to Halacha – for one should not bow to the physical Mikdash, as a deity (as it states in Tosafot).

However, it is extremely forced to answer Rambam’s words so. For in order to negate the supposition of bowing to the Mikdash “as a deity”, it would have seemingly been sufficient to write,

“It is a Positive Commandment to hold the Temple in awe, as it states: ‘And you shall revere my Sanctuary’",

and immediately subsequent to this, write:

“How is reverence for it manifest? A person should not enter etc. “

Therefore, (one knows that) there is no place for the supposition of bowing to the Mikdash as a deity.

There are those that explain that the ramification of this is regarding - Fear of the Temple after its destruction. For if the explanation of the verse, “you shall revere my Sanctuary” is literal- meaning fear of the Temple, the command is just in force when the Temple is standing. However, in the time where the Temple does not stand, there is no law of “Fear of the Temple”. However, since the fear is from “He Who warned about the Temple” - this law is in effect both when the Temple is standing as well as when it is not standing.

However, even this explanation is problematic in Rambam’s words. For Rambam writes this law explicitly, further on, in a separate Halacha:

“Even though, the Temple is now in ruin because of our sins, a person must hold it in awe, as one would regard it when it was standing . . as it states: "You shall observe My Sabbaths and you shall revere My Sanctuary." Just as the observance of the Sabbath is for eternity, so too, the reverence for the Temple must be eternal. Even though it is in ruin, it remains holy".

This requires examination:

1. This Halacha does not come subsequent to Halacha 1.
2. So much so, that the source of fearing it while it is in ruin, is derived from an independent study.

2. One must also understand:

In the aforementioned Beraita, the wording is:

“From He Who warned about the Temple”

 Similarly, this is the wording in Torat Kohanim,

“From He Who commanded (שפקד) about the Temple”

However, Rambam changes and writes,

“He who commanded that about its fear” (ממי שציוה על יראתו).

One must understand: What is Rambam’s intent with this change, that the fear is from the “One who commands its fear”?

Moreover:

In Sefer HaYad, Rambam changes even from the wording that he writes in Sefer HaMitzvot.

There he writes:

“You do not revere the Temple itself but He Who rests His Shechinah in this place”.

Seemingly, according to the wording in Sefer HaMitzvot it also explains the reason for the fear – that it is due to the resting of the Shechinah in the Mikdash.

Therefore, why did he change it in Sefer HaYad?

(According to this wording, it is also understood why there is an obligation to fear the Temple even after its destruction, since the resting of the Shechinah in the Temple is not nullified. As Rambam writes in the previous chapter that the sanctity of the Mikdash endures, “Because the sanctity of the Temple . . stems from the Shechinah, and the Shechinah can never be nullified").

3. This can be understood by prefacing the differences in the aforementioned homilies of the Sages on this verse,

(“You do not revere the Temple itself but etc.”, "You shall observe My Sabbaths and you shall revere My Sanctuary. Just as the observance of the Sabbath is for eternity, so too, the reverence for the Temple must be eternal").

between the Torat Kohanim and the Talmud:

• In Torat Kohanim two homilies are cited one subsequent to the other. Afterward, it continues and details the laws of Fear of the Temple:

(“Which is its fear? One should not enter the Temple Mount with his staff and with his traveling bag, with his shoes, with his money-belt, and with the dust on his feet; and he must not make a short-cut of it — and, and all the more so one may not spit in it”.)

• Whereas in the Talmud, the detail of the laws,

“Which is fear of the Mikdash? One should not enter etc. “

comes in conjunction to the first homily,

“it is not the (physical building of) the Temple which must be held in awe, but rather, He who warned about the Mikdash”.

After the detailing of the laws,

(“And what is the reverence of the Temple? One may not enter the Temple Mount with his staff, his shoes, his money belt, the dust on his feet . . and all the more so one may not spit in it”)

it continues,

“And I have derived only that one is obligated to act in this manner when the Temple is standing. From where do I derive that the Mitzvah to revere the Temple is in force when the Temple is not standing? The verse states: “You shall keep My Shabbatot, and revere My Sanctuary etc.”.

Even Rambam, in his Sefer cites these homilies in two manners:

In Sefer HaMitzvot he writes,

“The scope of this fear is as is mentioned in the Sifra: ‘Which is fear” etc.”

At the end of his words he cites the two homilies together,

“The wording of the Sifre (Sifra), ‘I only know that this applies when the Beit HaMikdash is standing. How do I know that it applies even when the Beit HaMikdash is not standing? Therefore it states . . so too the Mitzvah of having awe for the Mikdash is forever. They also explain there, ‘You do not revere the Temple itself but He who rests His Shechinah in this place’".

Whereas in Sefer HaYad he cites the details of the laws,

(“Which is its fear? One should not enter the Temple Mount etc.”)

immediately after the first Halacha,

(“it is not the (physical building of) the Temple which must be held in awe, but rather, He who commanded that it be revered”).

Moreover, only after many Halachot (Halacha 7) he writes,

“Even though, the Temple is now in ruin because of our sins, a person must hold it in awe, as one would regard it when it was built”.

And there he cites the homily:

"Just as the observance of the Sabbath is for eternity, so too, the reverence for the Temple must be eternal".

One must also understand:

In Halacha 2, 3 and 4, Rambam delineates many specific laws that flow from the obligation of “Fear of the Temple”, and at the conclusion of Halacha 4, he writes:

“All this is (in order to) fear the Temple”.

Afterward in the following Halacha (Halacha 5) he writes:

“A person should not act frivolously before the eastern gate of the Temple Courtyard (Azarah) which is the gate of Nicanor, for it is positioned opposite the chamber of the Holy of Holies.

Everyone who enters the Temple Courtyard should walk in a dignified manner, in the region where he is permitted to enter. He should conceive of himself as standing before G-d, as it states: "My eyes and My heart will be there forever."

One should walk with awe, fear, and trembling, as it states: "We would walk in the House of the L-rd with fervor”.

One must understand the flow and order of his words:

Why does he conclude Halacha 4 with the words:

“All this is (in order to) fear the Temple”.

Seemingly, also the laws in Halacha 5 are due to the obligation to Fear the Temple?

4. One could say that the explanation of all this is:

In the scope of “Fear of the Temple”, there is a place to learn this in two manners:

• Whether the obligation is on fear, literally (כפשוטה), a feeling of fear and awe in one’s heart.
• Or whether the obligation entails doing certain deeds that express the aspect of fear (or refraining from doing deeds that are the opposite of fear).

According to this, one could say that according to the Beraita in the Talmud, who uses the expression,

“You do not revere the Temple itself, but He Who warned about the Temple.”

(and subsequent to this writes),

“Which is its fear? One should not enter etc.”

that these deeds, themselves, are the fulfillment of the Mitzvah of fearing the Temple.

Whereas, according to Torat Kohanim, who does not immediately cite the details of the laws, the scope of “Fear of the Temple” is literal. Namely, that one must have a feeling of awe in one’s heart. However, from this, many detailed laws flow. Namely, the deeds that one is obligated to perform, due to this fear of the heart.

This difference between the Talmud and Torat Kohanim is expressed in Rambam in the different expressions that he writes in Sefer HaMitzvot and Sefer HaYad:

In Sefer HaMitzvot Rambam writes:

“We are commanded to extremely fear the Temple, to the extent that we place in our hearts the burden of fear and trembling. This is fear of the Mikdash”.

Thus, it is explicit in his words that the essence of “Fear of the Temple” is the awe and fear in the soul. For this reason, he specifically cites the wording of the Sifra – that follows this opinion.

According to this, this also explains the conclusion of Rambam’s words there. For he cites (from the Sifra):

“They also explain there, ‘You do not revere the Temple itself but He who rests His Shechinah in this place’".

With this he explains how it is possible to awaken the feeling of awe and fear, in one’s soul, for the Temple, due to the fear of the Shechinah that rests in this house.

Whereas in Sefer HaYad, Rambam follows the opinion of the Beraita in the Talmud. Namely, that the scope of “Fear of the Temple” is

(not the feeling of fear and awe in one’s heart, but rather)

the deeds etc. of “Fear of the Temple”.

This is why he prefaced in the beginning of the chapter,

“it is not the (physical building of) the Temple which must be held in awe, but rather, He who commanded that it be revered”

(and he changes from the wording of the Talmud “Who warned about the Temple”)

For his intent is not to negate the fear of the Temple itself,

(that one should not bow to it as a deity, G-d forbid)

but rather to emphasize that the aspect of the fear here is

(not the feeling of fear “of the physical temple”, but rather)

the fulfillment of the command of the fear

(“He who commanded that it be revered”)

in deed.

This is why he immediately continues after this (like the Beraita in the Talmud):

“Which is its fear? One should not enter etc.”

According to Rambam’s words in the continuation of the laws, they progress according to their severity:

In Halacha 3 and Halacha 4, Rambam details the laws that are a part of the Mitzvah of “Fear of the Temple”:

“All who enter the Temple Mount should (face) the right side, walk around (in that direction), and leave on the left side etc. “

Afterward he describes the manner of leaving after the Service:

“Anyone who has completed his service (in the Temple and desires) to leave, should not (turn around and) leave with his back to the Temple. Rather, he should walk backwards slightly and (then), walk slowly, and (turn) to his side until leaving the Temple Courtyard.

Similarly, the members of the priestly watch . .should leave the Temple in this manner, similar to one who steps backwards after his prayers”

With this, he concludes:

“All this is to revere the Temple”.

In other words, even though they are just aspects of deeds and not the essential feeling of fear and awe in one’s heart, nevertheless all this is included in the Mitzvah of “Fear of the Temple”, since they are “to revere the Temple - in order to fulfill the Mitzvah of fear (of the Temple), which is in deed.

Afterward in Halacha 5 he begins with a new law and scope of the Mitzvah of “Fear of the Temple”:

“Everyone who enters the Temple Courtyard should walk in a dignified manner . . He should conceive of himself as standing before G-d etc. One should walk with awe, fear, and trembling, as (Psalms 55:15) states: "We would walk in the House of the L-rd with fervor."

This Halacha, not only refers to the deed of fear, but rather also to the feeling of the fear of the heart and soul. This is an independent law. On this Rambam cites other verses ("My eyes and My heart will be there forever"; “We would walk in the House of the L-rd with fervor.")

The foundation of this law is, that when one walks in the Courtyard/Azarah, one must “conceive of himself as standing before G-d”. Namely, that one automatically attains a feeling of fear and awe in one’s heart (and not just fear through deed).

This is also the difference between the first Halachot and this Halacha. For in the first Halachot, they also apply to the Temple Mount. For from there begins the obligation to do and heed deeds of “Fear of the Temple”. Whereas, the obligation to have a feeling of fear and awe in one’s heart does not apply until one enters the Azarah, for then he is “standing before G-d“.

5. One could explain Rambam’s (as well as the Talmud’s) view (in Pnimiyut):

The main aspect of “Fear of the Temple”

(“it is not the (physical building of) the Temple which must be held in awe, but rather, He who commanded that it be revered.”)

is through fulfilling G-d’s command in deed (as aforementioned, at length).

The essence of the aspect of fear is submissiveness and Bitul. This is the difference between love and fear.

• Love is connected with the being of the one who loves.
• Whereas the aspect of fear is the feeling of the one that fears him.

(which is why the service of a servant is specifically the service of fear, for the entire being of a servant is his nullification to the master).

There are manly levels in this property of Bitul and fear:

When the fear comes as a result of one’s understanding of the essence of the one that he has fear of, this is not a complete Bitul, since it is a result of his intellect.

Only when his Bitul is connected with deed, whose source is a command from the one who he fears, without intermingling his own being, then the Bitul is more inward and true (פנימי ואמיתי יותר).

Since this aspect is a primary aspect in Avodat HaShem, as the Alter Rebbe states that:

“the beginning of (divine) service, as well as its core and root” is the fear and Bitul.

Therefore, the Mitzvah of “Fearing the Temple” is constant.

As Rambam writes,

“Even though, the Temple is now in ruin because of our sins, a person must hold it in awe, as one would regard it when it was standing . . reverence for the Temple must be eternal".

One could add, that the main aspect of the fear, that is explained here, is the deed of the fear that is done due to G-d’s command, and not (so much) a feeling of the fear in one’s heart. This Bitul is mainly in the time of Galut, as is explained in another place. Namely, that the main aspect of Kaballat Ol, fear and Bitul is in the time of Galut. For despite the hiddenness of the Shechinah, Bnei Yisroel study Torah and fulfill Mitzvot. If so, the essence and quality of the Bitul is in the time of Galut, more than the time of the Temple.

May it be His will, that through the occupation with the laws of the Beit HaMikdash, where

“I consider it for them as if they are dealing with the building of the House”,

That this study strengthen, even more so, the faith of the coming of Moshiach and the awaiting “every day for him to come”.

All this should expedite and hasten, even more so, the coming of our righteous Moshiach and the building of the third Beit HaMikdash, immediately and instantly, mamosh.

M’Sichas Shabbat Parshat Devarim 5747