Experiencing the Bet Ha’mikdash
Kedushah (sanctity) exists in three domains – time, place, and people. Shabbat is the holiest time, the Bet Ha’mikdash is the holiest place, and the kohen gadol is the holiest person.
The implication of this concept is that the sanctity of Shabbat resembles the sanctity of the Bet Ha’mikdash. When we begin Shabbat, we enter into an area of time that is no less sacred than the place of the Bet Ha’mikdash. This is why right at the beginning of Shabbat, in the Lecha Dodi hymn, we make mention of the Bet Ha’mikdash: מקדש מלך עיר מלוכה קומי צאי מתוך ההפכה – “The Sanctuary of the King, the city of kingship, arise and leave your state of ruin.”
Particularly during the month of Elul, as we prepare for Rosh Hashanah, when we celebrate the מלוכה, G-d’s Kingship over the world which is manifest most clearly in the Bet Ha’mikdash, it is worth examining this connection between Shabbat and the Bet Ha’mikdash, and reminding ourselves that we have the opportunity to experience the special kedushah of the Bet Ha’mikdash each and every week, on Shabbat.
Appropriately, many of our customs and practices on Shabbat parallel features of the service in the Bet Ha’mikdash. Just as the kohanim wore special garments in the Bet Ha’mikdash, we wear our finest clothing on Shabbat. We light candles in our home on Shabbat just as the kohanim kindled the menorah in the Bet Ha’mikdash. Special bread was placed on the table in the Bet Ha’mikdash, and we prepare special loaves for Shabbat. (Many Kabbalists follow the practice of having twelve loaves on the Shabbat table, corresponding to the twelve loaves on the table in the Bet Ha’mikdash.) The kohanim were required to wash their hands and feet before entering the Bet Ha’mikdash to serve, and halachah requires bathing before Shabbat, minimally washing one’s hands and feet. The Leviyim sang songs of praise in the Bet Ha’mikdash as the sacrifices were being offered, and we sing songs of praise on Shabbat. The Sanhedrin used to convene specifically in the area of the Bet Ha’mikdash, in a special chamber called the לשכת הגזית, in order to emphasize the integral connection between the Torah and the Bet Ha’mikdash, and we likewise spend time learning Torah on Shabbat and make a point of speaking words of Torah at the Shabbat table.
All these parallels serve to underscore the relationship between Shabbat and Bet Ha’mikdash, and show that Shabbat is to time what the Bet Ha’mikdash is to space.
Kiddush as a Song of Praise
An especially powerful association between Shabbat and the Bet Ha’mikdash appears in the commentary of the Rashbam to Masechet Pesahim (106a), and demonstrates just how real this concept is, how even as a matter of practical halachah, Shabbat is treated like the Bet Ha’mikdash.
The Rashbam cites a fascinating comment of the She’iltit, which was written by the one of the Ge’onim, explaining the essence of kiddush that we recite when we begin the Friday night meal. The She’iltot explained that the kiddush text which we recite is actually a שיר – a song of praise, as we joyfully proclaim that G-d created the world. The Gemara in Masechet Berachot (and in Masechet Arachin) establishes, אין אומרים שירה אלא על היין – song of praise to Hashem is sung only over wine, and for this reason, the She’iltot explained, we must recite kiddush specifically over a cup of wine.
To understand the significance of the She’iltot’s remarks, we need to take a closer look at the rule of אין אומרים שירה אלא על היין. Tosafot (in Berachot) raises the question, is it really true that we cannot sing praise to Hashem unless we drink wine? Aren’t there numerous occasions when we recite Hallel even without wine? Tosafot answer that this rule refers specifically to offerings on the mizbe’ah (altar) in the Bet Ha’mikdash. The Leviyim would sing in the Bet Ha’mikdash only over wine, and not in the absence of wine.
In light of Tosafot’s explanation, the She’iltit’s analysis of kiddush becomes striking. The She’iltit applies the rule of אין אומרים שירה אלא על היין, a rule which is relevant only in the Bet Ha’mikdash, to our Friday night kiddush. This can only be because in the view of She’iltot, every Jewish home attains the status of the Bet Ha’mikdash on Shabbat. Since our homes are all endowed with the special sanctity of the Bet Ha’mikdash, we apply the rule of אין אומרים שירה אלא על היין and require wine for our song of praise, kiddush.
When we speak of our homes resembling the Bet Ha’mikdash on Shabbat, some people might dismiss this concept as an exaggeration, or as a poetic depiction of the sanctity of Shabbat. The She’iltit’s comments, however, show us that this concept is very real, even in a strict halachic sense. When we recite kiddush on Friday night, we are standing alongside the altar singing a song of praise to Hashem, and for this reason we require a cup of wine.
Once we recognize and appreciate this unique status of kedushah with which Shabbat is endowed, we will treat it with special respect and honor. Kedushah is commonly associated with kavod – respect. For example, the angels in heaven sing each day, קדוש קדוש קדוש ה' צב-אות מלא כל הארץ כבודו – connecting Hashem’s special holiness with כבודו – the honor that we must show Him. And thus in reference to Shabbat, the prophet Yeshayahu commands לקדוש ה' מכובד – we must show honor to “the sacred day of Hashem.” The special sanctity of Shabbat requires us to treat the day with honor, just as the special sanctity of Hashem requires us to give Him honor.
An enlightening expression of this concept can be found in Rabbi Akiva Eiger’s notes to the Shulhan Aruch. The Torah formulates the command of kiddush with the pasuk, זכור את יום השבת לקדשו, which is understood to mean that we must verbally pronounce the sanctity of Shabbat. As such, on the level of Torah obligation, one fulfills his kiddush requirement by proclaiming the sanctity of Shabbat; the requirement to recite kiddush specifically over a cup of wine was enacted by our Sages. Rabbi Akiva Eiger clarifies that one can fulfill the Torah obligation of זכור את יום השבת לקדשו even without reciting the kiddush text, if he notes the special status of Shabbat. Moreover, Rabbi Akiva Eiger goes so far as to say that even wishing somebody “Shabbat Shalom” – or, as Ashkenazim greet one another, “Good Shabbos” – fulfills the Torah obligation. Later commentators explain that this greeting fulfills the obligation of זכור את יום השבת לקדשו because people do not normally mention the day when they greet another. It is very rare for somebody to wish his fellow “Good Sunday,” or “Good Wednesday.” Therefore, wishing somebody “Shabbat Shalom” is, in effect, an expression of the special status of Shabbat, and thereby shows honor to Shabbat. Even a simple greeting of “Shabbat Shalom” shows a recognition of the special sacred quality of Shabbat, and thus constitutes a minimal fulfillment of the command of זכור את יום השבת לקדשו.
Of course, we should not feel content with a mere greeting, and must show respect to the sanctity of Shabbat by the way we conduct ourselves throughout the entirety of Shabbat. When we recognize the true extent of the kedushah of Shabbat, that it is, without any exaggeration, as sacred as the Bet Ha’mikdash, then we will naturally treat it with the respect that it deserves. We must relish the special privilege we have to experience the sanctity of the Temple Mount and the Bet Ha’mikdash each and every week, and by appreciating the special kedushah of Shabbat, we will be worthy of experiencing also the kedushah of the rebuilt Bet Ha’mikdash, speedily and in our days, amen.