Thanks to advanced technology and AI, these days it is not difficult to produce fantastical images. In recent years, during the Tish’ah B’Av season, images circulate of the rebuilt Beis HaMikdash upon the Har HaBayis, a sight we hope to personally witness soon.
One of those images is of the Beis HaMikdash emerging from behind the Kosel. The magnificent and august facade of the Heichal building – the sanctuary that housed the Menorah, the Shulchan, the inner Mizbei’ach and the Aron – rises from behind the ancient wall in the place where the Dome of the Rock currently is.
It is very inspiring, and I love the picture. The only caveat is that it isn’t accurate. The beautiful facade of the Heichal would actually be facing the opposite direction. When one stands facing the Kosel today, he is actually facing what would have been the back of the Heichal.
A few years ago, I visited the Holyland Hotel model of Jerusalem. It is a detailed replica depiction of the city of Yerushalayim during the Herodian era, just prior to the destruction of the Second Beis HaMikdash by the Romans. Created in the 1960s, the 22,000 square foot model was originally housed at the Holyland Hotel in Bayit Vegan, but it has since been moved to the Israel Museum.
When looking at the model, one notices a fascinating thing: the Beis HaMikdash actually faced away from the city of Yerushalayim. Most of the population of the city, along with its batei midrash and shuls, were behind the Beis HaMikdash. There were also many homes to the south, in the area today known as Ir David, as well as more aristocratic homes in the north. But there were no homes in the east, the direction the Beis HaMikdash faced. Right next to the Eastern wall was a deep valley next to which rises Har HaZeisim. During the time of the Beis HaMikdash, the Parah Adumah was slaughtered atop Har HaZeisim, while the kohen doing the slaughtering was looking across the valley into the open gates of the Heichal.
Today, one standing in front of the sealed Eastern gate, known as Shaar HaRachamim, sees the deep valley and the steep mountain of Har HaZeisim next to it. Beyond Har HaZeisim is the wilderness of the Judean desert.
The Torah minces no words in lauding the physical landscape of Eretz Yisrael, praising its Seven Species and describing it as a “land flowing with milk and honey.” Yet, there is a large swath of the country that was and is desert.
What is the symbolism of such incongruous landscape in the promised land and why does it border the Holy City?
Truthfully, the Judean Desert was not always a desert. The Torah relates the original beauty of the five cities led by Sodom and Amorah. “The entire plain of the Jordan…well watered…. like the garden of Hashem” (B’reishis 13:10). When Sodom and its environs were destroyed, it was transformed into a barren desert. However, the Navi assures us, “When Hashem comforts Zion, He will comfort all of her ruins. And He will place its desert like Eden and her wasteland like a garden of Hashem” (Yeshaya 51:3).
The desert outside Yerushalayim is a reminder of the depravity of Sodom that warranted destruction. But it is also a reminder of great events that are coming.
The Beis HaMikdash did not face Yerushalayim because those living in the Holy City likely already felt elevated and connected to Hashem. Instead, the Beis HaMikdash faced the wilderness, created by sin and depravity. The holy building beckoned to those who strayed with a majestic embrace, calling its forlorn children to return home.
In the Haggadah on Pesach night, in the paragraph after Dayeinu, we conclude that Hashem “built for us the Chosen House to atone for all our sins.” The Beis HaMikdash was the ultimate place of connection and reconnection with Hashem. The very placement and direction of the building symbolized its poignant loving and embracing message.
On Tish’ah B’Av and during the weeks prior, we mourn not only the loss of the Beis HaMikdash itself, but also its symbolic meaning. Since its destruction, we have never ceased beckoning and yearning for the Beis HaMikdash to be rebuilt. During the Three Weeks, we increase that yearning, beckoning for it to be rebuilt so that it can once again beckon to us to return home.
Rabbi Dani Staum, LMSW, a rebbe at Heichal HaTorah in Teaneck, New Jersey, is a parenting consultant and maintains a private practice for adolescents and adults. He is also a member of the administration of Camp Dora Golding for over two decades. Rabbi Staum was a community rabbi for ten years, and has been involved in education as a principal, guidance counselor, and teacher in various yeshivos. Rabbi Staum is a noted author and sought-after lecturer, with hundreds of lectures posted on torahanytime.com. He has published articles and books about education, parenting, and Torah living in contemporary society. Rabbi Staum can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. His website containing archives of his writings is www.stamTorah.info.
