How Important is the Temple? Messages from the Haftarah
Adapted from Rabbi Braun’s sermon in 5774
Did you ever open up to the haftarah and see “Sephardim conclude here” only to realize that you are going to keep reading another 20 verses or so?
We all have and at that point I know that you are thinking – let’s adopt that custom! I can’t believe we have to sit through more when there is a shorter option available!
What we should be thinking is – the portion for the haftarah is carefully selected from the prophets. Two different selections or two cutoff points implies as argument as to what the focus of the Haftarah is or should be! I would love to know what lies behind this argument; I want to understand the rationale for why this particular section is chosen!
As you would expect the haftarah for Parshat Terumah which begins to detail the command to build the Mishkan (tabernacle), deals with the command to build the temple in the times of king Solomon. There is no question at all as to the thematic connection – tabernacle to temple, and there could be no more appropriate section to choose.
But when you take a closer look at the section chosen, it only a piece of the story, and does not retell the entire building of the temple. Our haftarah begins in chapter 5 verse 26 and ends in chapter 6 verse 13.
The totality of the preparation and building actually span all of chapters 5 and 6.
Right now you are thinking – thank God they chose the smaller section but you have to wonder why. Why start in the middle of the story and end in the middle of the story? What is the message that our sages were trying to teach us by highlighting only these verses?
In the interest of time I want to focus only on the end of the haftarah.
יב) הבית הזה אשר אתה בנה אם תלך בחקתי ואת משפטי תעשה ושמרת את כל מצותי ללכת בהם והקמתי את דברי אתך אשר דברתי אל דוד אביך
יג) ושכנתי בתוך בני ישראל ולא אעזב את עמי ישראל:
12. Concerning this house which you are building, if you will walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with you, which I spoke to David your father;
13. And I will dwell among the people of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.
That is how the haftarah ends but not the story. There are two better endings.
The very next verse would be a good choice.
יד) ויבן שלמה את הבית ויכלהו
14. And Solomon built the house, and finished it.
Or you could continue with the end of the chapter which continues to detail the building and end with
38. And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished in all its parts, and according to all its specifications. And he was seven years in building it.
Why cut it at verse 13?
Metzudat David, written by R. David and his son R. Hillel Altschuler who lived in Prague in Galicia during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, suggest that you should not think that you bring God into the house and your lives simply by building a beautiful house. Yes you are building the most beautiful of houses says the prophet, nevertheless my presence will not dwell in the house unless you will walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with you, which I spoke to David your father; And I will dwell among the people of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.
That is a critical lesson – God doesn’t need a beautiful house and the focus should not be the house. The focus is always our actions (in and out of the house) and that is what God wants. In order to hammer that message home, I believe our sages choose those verses as the end of the haftarah.
Had they gone even one verse later to 14. And Solomon built the house, and finished it the focus would have been back on the house. And had they read the entire account of the construction and finished with 38. And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished in all its parts, and according to all its specifications. And he was seven years in building it. The focus would have clearly been on the house and its construction. The choice to not finish the story was deliberate in order to teach us not to focus too much on the house. At the end of the day our relationship with God is not about the house but about our actions.
Hirsch in his commentary to the Haftarah makes the same point. He writes “they warn him against over-valuing the external appearance of the building, remind him that he has to thank his position as king solely to God’s promise to his father David and that the continuance of this promise being kept is in no way dependent upon his developing pomp and power, but is solely dependent on and conditional to his conscientiously keeping the Laws of his God in conduct and deed.”
The Malbim makes the same point but in almost casually adds one line that hints to another message for us. He writes – it is critical to remember that the ikar, the primary focus is not on the house itself, rather on its function of bringing the Jews together to serve God there. He then continues that keeping the house is dependent upon mitzvoth…
It is fascinating that his comment on the focus of service to God in the temple is actually glaringly absent from the verse. It should have read – this house etc if you serve me here as I want etc. Then the message would be it is not about the house of God but what happens in the house, the sacrifice and service.
Instead we find – this house etc walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments.Why focus on what happens outside of the Mikdash and not on what is inside?
To teach us another lesson – don’t think that this house is the place for religion and as long as the temple/shul is ok the nation will be fine.
Don’t think that your religious place is the shul and not your home and place of work or vacation.
If you want this house to survive then understand that your Judaism is not something to be practiced only in shul. It can begin in shul, we can find inspiration in shul but it must extend to all areas of our life!
That is another reason to end the haftarah in a place that does not focus on the house, and instead focus on the entirety of our Judaism.
