In light of the above, we must express our astonishment at a number of our contemporary rabbis who have written in their books material concerning the descent of a Temple from Heaven in this world, and so -- in their opinion, the positive precept of building a Temple is no longer valid. V. the book Shalhevetya by R. Shlomo Aviner, who writes as follows: "Maimonides certainly did not overlook all the Talmudic excerpts and all the midrashim [?] which apparently teach us that a fiery Temple will descend from Heaven, ready-built and complete" (p. 13, ibid.).
On p. 55, the author also writes under the title "A Fiery Temple" in the name of M.H. Luzatto, "that the Third Temple will descend in its entirety from Heaven." He wrote there, too, that "Rashi and Tosafot quote our Sages that a fiery Temple will descend from Heaven." This is surprising: where are all the Talmudic excerpts and all the midrashim he mentions? And where did he find in the writings of M.H. Luzatto any reference to the descent of a fiery Temple in this world? Where, too, did Rashi and the Tosafot mention the concept of a fiery Temple -- and in the name of our Sages, no less?
As already noted, Rashi writes in explaining the words of the prophet Zekharia: and I shall be for it a wall of fire -- words which are nothing but a parable. In other words, the Almighty will be for Jerusalem as a shield as if made of a fiery wall, whereas R. Shlomo Aviner turned this prophetic parable into reality in this world, his conclusion thus being: The Third Temple -- is of an entirely Heaven nature! It is entirely fire descending from Heaven!
XIX. The Appearance of a Temple of Pearls and Precious Stones.
Another author who relies on Rashi's statement regarding "the future Temple that will appear and come from Heaven" is Rabbi Hayim Nathanson, in his book Avoda Tamma (part VII), writes: "The future Temple will be Heaven-made, of precious stones and pearls unequaled throughout the world. . . . At any rate, both the Temple and the altar will not be made by flesh and blood." V. ibid., where he bases his ruling on the words of our Sages in Tractate Bava Batra 75.
A careful study of that source reveals that it refers in parables and hints to the period of the world to come, the concepts of "precious stones and pearls" and the descriptions of future Jerusalem being references to a perfect world. It is thus surprising that the author used this Aggadic source as a Halakhic ruling, what he calls Rashi's opinion, forbidding the construction of the Temple in this world!
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# pgs: 1 + article index, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Volume I, Number 1
