Korach: To Guard and Revere the Mikdash
In my ongoing effort to mine this parashah for topics OTHER than the saga of Korach, I've decided to take up a difficult question about an obscure topic. My thanks to Rabbi Yoni Sacks for his insight.
This week's Torah content has been sponsored by Meir, l'zeicher nishmas Zelda bas Ziesel, his grandmother, on the occasion of her yahrzeit.
Click here for a printer-friendly version of this article, and click here for the podcast version.
Korach: To Guard and Revere the Mikdash
Parashas Korach concludes with additional laws for Kohanim and Leviim. Among these laws is the duty of shmiras ha’Mikdash (guarding the Temple), which Rambam (Hilchos Beis ha’Bechirah 8:1-3) codifies as follows:
Shmiras ha’Mikdash is a positive mitzvah, even though there is no fear of enemies or thieves, for its shmirah is only for its kavod (glory); a palace with guards is incomparable to a palace without guards.
The Sefer ha’Chinuch (Mitzvah #388) explains that the reason for this shmirah is “so that the kavod of the Temple will cause its mora (reverence) to be instilled in people’s hearts.” Mora ha’Mikdash isn’t merely a philosophical objective or ideal, but is its own separate mitzvah, as the Rambam (Sefer ha’Mitzvos: Aseh #21) writes:
We have been commanded to revere the Temple exceedingly, until the awe and dread of its place are firmly established in our hearts. This is mora ha'Mikdash, as He stated: “you shall revere My Mikdash” (Vayikra 19:30). The definition of this mora is stated in Sifra: "What is mora? One may not enter the Temple Mount holding his staff, or in sandals, or clad in undergarments; he should not use it as a shortcut, and certainly not spit on it” (Sifra ibid.).
To summarize: we are commanded in shmiras ha’Mikdash for the sake of kavod ha’Mikdash, which in turn, instills mora ha’Mikdash. One might therefore assume that the obligations of shmirah and mora are concurrent, but according to Sefer ha’Chinuch (#254 and #388) and Rambam, they are not: mora ha’Mikdash is in effect at all times, even when the Mikdash is in ruins, whereas shmiras ha’Mikdash is only in effect when the Mikdash is built.
The question is: Why aren’t these two obligations concurrent? If shmiras ha’Mikdash is commanded for the sake of mora ha’Mikdash, then we should likewise be obligated in shmirah even when the Mikdash is no longer there! Alternatively, if shmirah only applies when the Mikdash is built, why isn’t the same true for mora?
The simple answer is pragmatic: it isn’t realistic to expect Kohanim and Leviim to return to the site of the Mikdash to guard it every single night in organized shifts for the entire duration of our lengthy exile. This may be true, but it doesn’t really shed light on the nature of these mitzvos. Indeed, it is from their nature that the answer emerges.
Mora ha’Mikdash relates to the shechinah (divine presence), as Chazal teach: “It is not the Mikdash you revere, but the One Who caused His shechinah to dwell in that place” (ibid.). Rambam (Beis ha’Bechirah 6:16) explains:
Why do I say that the consecration of the Mikdash and Yerushalayim was for eternity? ... Because the kedushah (sanctity) of the Mikdash and Yerushalayim is because of the shechinah, and the shechinah is never nullified.
We can now answer our question. Whereas the obligation of mora is tied to the kedushah of Mikdash, which exists on site in perpetuity on account of the shechinah, the obligation of shmirah is tied to the physical structure of Mikdash itself. This is implied by the aforementioned statement of Chazal: “a palace with guards is incomparable to a palace without guards.” In other words, the kavod of the palace is enhanced by the presence of guards, even though the ultimate purpose of that kavod is to increase our reverence of the king to whom the palace belongs. (see R’ Herschel Reichman’s Reshimos Shiurim on Yevamos 6b for a similar explanation)
There’s an important lesson to be gleaned from this halachic structure. When it comes to lashon bnei adam (anthropomorphic ways of relating to God), the Torah operates with great nuance. We relate to Hashem as our King. We guard His palace just as we guard a human king’s palace. But our reverence of Him is not modeled after our reverence of a human king. Instead, it is dictated by the more abstract principles associated with His shechinah. Enosh and his generation devised their own methods of relating to Hashem based on how we relate to human kings. That experiment ultimately gave rise to avodah zarah. We must not invent our own ways of relating to Hashem based on our own imagination. Instead, we must submit to the wisdom of the King, Himself.
What do you think? Is this answer adequate? Do you have your own answer? Or a different takeaway? Let me know by leaving a comment!
Like what you read? Give this article a “like” and share it with a friend! Dislike what you read? Share it anyway to spread the dislike!
Want access to my paid content without actually paying? If you successfully refer enough friends, you can get access to the paid tier for free!
Interested in reading more? Become a free subscriber, or upgrade to a paid subscription for the upcoming exclusive content!
If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider contributing to my Patreon at www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss. Alternatively, if you would like to make a direct contribution to the "Rabbi Schneeweiss Torah Content Fund," my Venmo is @Matt-Schneeweiss, and my Zelle and PayPal are mattschneeweiss at gmail.com. Even a small contribution goes a long way to covering the costs of my podcasts, and will provide me with the financial freedom to produce even more Torah content for you.
If you would like to sponsor a day's or a week's worth of content, or if you are interested in enlisting my services as a teacher or tutor, you can reach me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail.com. Thank you to my listeners for listening, thank you to my readers for reading, and thank you to my supporters for supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.
-----
Substack: rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/
Patreon: patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss
YouTube: youtube.com/rabbischneeweiss
Instagram: instagram.com/rabbischneeweiss/
"The Stoic Jew" Podcast: thestoicjew.buzzsprout.com
"Machshavah Lab" Podcast: machshavahlab.buzzsprout.com
"The Mishlei Podcast": mishlei.buzzsprout.com
"Rambam Bekius" Podcast: rambambekius.buzzsprout.com
"The Tefilah Podcast": tefilah.buzzsprout.com
Old Blog: kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/
WhatsApp Group: https://chat.whatsapp.com/GEB1EPIAarsELfHWuI2k0H
Amazon Wishlist: amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/Y72CSP86S24W?ref_=wl_sharel
Sounds good to me. Rambam himself says in MT (beis habechirah 7:1) that it is God that we revere. I would offer that on a practical level (even if shechinah isn't present bchurbano) not treating the makom hamikdash cavalierly nowadays still makes sense towards instilling yirah whereas guarding an empty area or a mosque as the case is now doesnt add to Gods honor and borders on the ludicrous and laughable.