Exile is a state of being, freedom is a choice

This Shabbat falls on the day before Tisha B’Av, when we commemorate the destruction of the Temples in Jerusalem and express our deep yearning for the time when we will return and rebuild the Third Temple. This hope and belief has been part of the Jewish soul since the moment of destruction. And throughout nearly two thousand years of exile, persecution, inquisitions, blood libels, pogroms, the Holocaust, Nazism, and Islamist terror that have afflicted our people, we have remained strong and resilient.
The focus on rebuilding, rather than just grieving and mourning the destruction, comes from G-d Himself. In the book of Ezekiel, the prophet is instructed to describe the Third Temple in all its detail. Known as Ezekiel's Temple, the prophecy lays out with great precision the architecture and dimensions of the future Beit Hamikdash.
The Midrash describes a conversation in which Ezekiel asks G-d, “Why are You teaching the people of Israel the laws of the Temple, the design, its entrances and exits, if they are not building it now?”
At the time, the Jews were in exile. Foreign rulers and adversaries had taken over their land and holy site, forbidding them from even entering it, let alone rebuilding. What was the purpose of learning about these ideas Ezekiel wondered?
G-d replies, “Should the building of My House be cancelled because My children are in exile? Go and tell them to study its form in the Torah. When they read about it and study it, I will consider it as though they are actually building it.”
This is not just a second-best option and it’s not simply a preparation for the future. G-d is revealing a deeper truth: when we engage with something deeply, when we study the details of the Temple and immerse our minds and hearts in it, we are transported to that reality. Even though we are physically still in exile and without the Beit Hamikdash, we can live emotionally, mentally, and spiritually in a state of redemption and rebuilding.
Even today, as adversaries continue finding new ways to attack us, whether through violence or by twisting “moral conscience” against the Jewish people, we can stand firm in our conviction. If we truly desire, we can live with a sense of freedom and redemption, and the peaceful wholesomeness it brings us and those around us.
We also build in a physical sense. Jewish communities, synagogues, and schools are blossoming across the world. This has always been the true Jewish response to destruction and death: rebuilding and birth. Thanks to your support, that is exactly what we are doing here in South Dakota.