28 Oct THE BUILDING OF THE BEIT HAMIKDASH BY PRESIDENT TRUMP

Last week, a Jewish
reporter at a White
House briefing posed
an intriguing question
to the press secretary:
“Since President
Trump will be
remembered for generations as the greatest
leader of our time, has the topic of building
the Beit HaMikdash in Jerusalem ever been
discussed?”
The spokeswoman politely replied that it had
not been brought up.
Beyond the curiosity of the question itself, it
raises a fascinating halachic discussion.
Will the Third Beit HaMikdash be built by
human hands, or will it descend from Heaven
fully constructed?

And if it is to be built by people, may a non-
Jew participate in its construction, or must it

be built solely by Jews?
It is commonly believed that the Third Beit
HaMikdash will descend from Heaven,
already completed. This view is found in
Rashi (Sukkah 41a) and Tosafot (Shevuot
15b). However, what is less well known is that
many disagree with this position—and even

those who agree often interpret it non-literally.
Indeed, the Midrash Tanchuma (Ki Tisa 13)
and the Zohar (Bereishit 28) seem to support
Rashi’s opinion:
“The verse says (Zechariah 2), ‘I, says
Hashem, will be for her a wall of fire round
about.’ Therefore, on this mountain, the Beit
HaMikdash will be built by Hashem and will
endure for all generations. Of this it is said
(Haggai 2), ‘Greater shall be the glory of this
latter house than of the former,’ for the first
was built by man, and this one shall be built by
the Holy One. Thus it says (Tehillim 127),
‘Unless Hashem builds the house, its builders
labor in vain.’”
On the other hand, the Rambam rules that
there is a positive commandment to build the
Beit HaMikdash—an obligation upon all
Israel, undisputed by any authority. Therefore,
to passively wait for a Heavenly structure is to
neglect this mitzvah.
Similarly, the Talmud Yerushalmi (Megillah
1:11) states that in the future, the Jewish
people themselves will rise up and build the
Beit HaMikdash. The Meiri (Sukkah 41a) also
writes that it will be built by human hands,
and the Rambam explicitly states that the
Third Beit HaMikdash will be built by
Mashiach.
Is this merely a halachic
disagreement, or can these views
be reconciled? How can we
harmonize the Midrash and Zohar,
which describe a Heavenly
structure, with the Yerushalmi and
Rambam, which describe a
human-built Mikdash?
The commentaries offer several
approaches:
The Maharam Shik (Yoreh De’ah 213)
distinguishes between two types of
redemption. If Israel is not worthy—what the
prophets call be’itah (in its due time)—the
Beit HaMikdash will be built by man. But if
the people are meritorious and the redemption
is hastened—achishenah—then Hashem will
cause it to descend from Heaven, representing
a higher spiritual level.
The Mahari”l Diskin (cited in Aruch LaNer,
note 362) suggests a novel approach: part of
the Beit HaMikdash will indeed descend
ready-made from Heaven, as described in
Midrash Tanchuma, but its doors will be
constructed by human hands—fulfilling the
statement of the Yerushalmi.
Rav Yaakov Ettlinger, author of Aruch LaNer,
offers another explanation: the people of
Israel will build the physical structure, and
afterward Hashem will infuse it with holiness
and Divine Presence.
In any case, it would seem that the Beit
HaMikdash cannot be built by non-Jews,
since it must be constructed lishmah—for the
sake of Heaven. The Torah says, “And they
shall make Me a sanctuary, and I shall dwell
among them” (Shemot 25:8). Rashi explains:
“They shall make for My Name- Lishmah, a
house of holiness.” A non-Jew is not qualified
to perform actions requiring such intention.
However, Rav Asher Weiss cites the Tiferet
Yisrael (Middot 1:1), who writes that the Beit
HaMikdash may indeed be built with the
assistance of non-Jews. As precedent, he
notes that King Hiram of Tyre sent craftsmen
to help King Shlomo build the First Temple,
and the pasuk says, “Strangers shall stand and
feed your flocks” (Yeshayahu 61:5).
Rav Bachya ben Asher (Vayikra 11:4) goes
even further, writing that the Roman Empire
itself will play a role in building the Third
Temple:
“In the Midrash Tanchuma it is taught that the
Roman kingdom is compared to a pig, for in
the future the Holy One will ‘return’ upon
them the attribute of judgment. Some versions
read that He will ‘return the crown to its
former glory.’ The meaning is this: the first
two Temples were built by Israel—King
Shlomo from the tribe of Yehudah built the
First, and Zerubavel, also from Yehudah,
built the Second, with the permission of

Cyrus. But the Third Temple will be built by
this very nation of Rome, of which it is said,
‘He will return the crown to its former glory,’
since they were the ones who destroyed it.”
Rav Asher Weiss explains that this does not
mean the non-Jews will physically build the
Mikdash. Rather, they will assist in its
preparation—by removing obstacles or
providing resources. He supports this from the
Talmud (Shabbat 119b), which says that even
the study of Torah by children should not be
interrupted for the building of the Mikdash.
Obviously, this does not mean children would
do the actual building—since intention
lishmah is required—but that they might assist
indirectly, such as by helping raise funds or
organizing logistics.
In this light, since President Trump is viewed
as the contemporary head of the Western
Roman world—identified by the early
commentators as representing modern
Christendom—the question posed to the
White House was not far-fetched. According
to Rav Bachya’s view, Rome indeed plays a
role in the rebuilding of the Third Temple—
not by constructing it themselves, but by
aiding the process: removing political
opposition, supporting Jerusalem, and
providing the means necessary for its
realization.
One can also argue that by posing such a
question publicly—viewed by people around
the world—the reporter has already advanced
the conversation. Bringing the topic of the
Beit HaMikdash into public discourse is itself
a step closer to its actual rebuilding and may
even draw the attention of the President, who
might now begin to consider the idea seriously.
There are various sources in the sefarim
indicating that we, as a nation, must actively
make the necessary efforts to advance the
cause of rebuilding the Beit HaMikdash.
However, there are several prerequisites that
must still be fulfilled even after the Beit
HaMikdash is built. To enter the holy areas
and bring offerings, we will need the parah
adumah (red heifer) for purification, accurate
identification of the true kohanim
(Meyuchasim), the bigdei kehunah (priestly
garments), and other essential elements—each
of which warrants its own detailed discussion.
May we merit soon, speedily in our days, to
witness the rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash.