“The Altar for
the Burnt
Offerings of Israel”
After defining the guidelines pertinent to the construction
of the Beis HaMikdash as a whole in the first chapter of Hilchos Beis
HaBechirah, the Rambam devotes the second chapter to the description
of the altar. He begins with two halachos referring to the altar’s site:
1. The altar [is to be constructed] in a very precise
location; it may never be changed; as it is written,1 “This is the altar for the burnt
offerings of Israel.”
Yitzchak our Patriarch was prepared to be sacrificed on [the
future site of the Beis] HaMikdash; as it is
written,2 “Go to the land
of Moriah,” and it is written in Divrei HaYomim:3 “And Shlomo began building G‑d’s house in
Jerusalem, on Mount Moriah, where [G‑d] appeared to David his father, in the
place where David prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan, the Jebusite.”
2. It is universally accepted that the site on which David
and Solomon built the altar on the threshing floor of Ornan, is the location on
which Avraham built the altar on which he prepared Yitzchak for sacrifice.
On this location, Noach built [an altar] when he emerged from
the ark. On this location, Cayin and Hevel offered [their] sacrifices. And Adam,
the first man, offered a sacrifice on this location after he was created.
[Indeed,] he was created from this very spot; as our Sages said,4 “Adam was created from the
place from which he [would be granted] atonement.”
The Selection of the Site of the Altar for G‑d’s Chosen House
The commentaries5 have
raised questions concerning the Rambam’s statements, for they seem to
imply that the site of the altar was chosen because of the holiness imparted to
it by the spiritual devotion of Avraham and Yitzchak and by the sacrifices
offered there previously. This is difficult to accept, because the Rambam
refers to the Beis HaMikdash as Beis HaBechirah, “[G‑d’s] Chosen
House,” and indeed, uses that term as the title for his collection of laws
describing that structure.6
G‑d’s choice is utterly free and independent, and therefore, cannot be
influenced by any external factors. To explain: In the human realm, when a
decision is made because of reasons, those reasons “force,” as it were, the
person to make his decision. Indeed, the intellectual appreciation of the
propriety of a given course of action is a far more powerful source of
compulsion than mere physical might.
Similar concepts apply in regard to G‑d’s choice. It does not come as a
response to the virtues possessed by the chosen entity, nor does that entity’s
lack of virtue obstruct that choice. Instead, G‑d’s choice is solely a function
of His own initiative.
To apply these concepts to the choice of the site of the
Beis HaMikdash: G‑d’s selection of a place for His presence to be manifest
cannot come as a result of reasons. To refer to the wording used by the Torah:7 He “caused His
presence to dwell,” in a particular location only because, as the verse states
previously, “He chose” to do so.
The same concepts apply to the selection of the site of the
altar. Indeed, the prooftext employed by the Rambam8 to demonstrate G‑d’s choice of
the site of the Beis HaMikdash1 — “This is the house of G‑d, the L‑rd,
and this is the altar for the burnt offerings of Israel” — mentions
specifically, the choice not only of the site of the Beis HaMikdash as a
whole, but also of the site of the altar in particular.9
And significantly, it is to this verse that the Rambam refers at the
beginning of the second chapter of Hilchos Beis HaBechirah when
discussing the site of the altar. Therefore, by mentioning the different
services which established the holiness of the site of the altar, the Rambam
diverts our focus from the fact that it was G‑d’s choice that established the
eternal sanctity of the altar’s site.
The connection of the concept of free choice to the
selection of the site of the altar is also indicated by our Sages’
statement:10
“Until Jerusalem was chosen, Eretz Yisrael in its entirety was fit for
altars to be constructed.” This implies that, in essence, there was no
particular virtue possessed by Jerusalem in regard to the construction of an
altar for G‑d.
Sacrifices in Anticipation
of the Future
The emphasis on G‑d’s choice does not, however, represent a contradiction to
the Rambam’s mention of the historical background of
the altar’s site. Indeed, the mention of the different sacrifices can be seen as
a corroboration of the above concepts.
Why did Avraham,11 Noach, Cayin and Hevel, and Adam offer
sacrifices on the altar’s site? Because in their prophetic vision, they knew
that G‑d would ultimately choose this location as the place for sacrificial
worship. Therefore, in anticipation of this choice, they offered their
sacrifices in the place where G‑d would ultimately accept the offerings of the
Jewish people.12 Thus it was not their worship that
caused the site to become holy; the converse was true. Their worship was
inspired by the holiness to be conveyed on the site in the future.
Why the Rambam refers
to the Sacrifices
brought in the Past
One might, however, ask: Why does the Rambam cite
these points of history? The Mishneh Torah is a text of halachah,
and halachah alone. In contrast to the Talmud which mentions many points
of history, theology, mysticism, and ethics, the Rambam includes such
concepts in the Mishneh Torah only when they also serve as halachos,
directives for our actual conduct.
It can be explained that, in the instance at hand, the
Rambam cites these points of history as support for the second point he
makes concerning the altar’s location, that “it may never be changed.” To refer
to a related issue: In Hilchos Melachim,13
the Rambam writes that the crown of royalty was given eternally to King
David. This does not, however, preclude the possibility of a prophet appointing
a king from another tribe and for that king’s sovereignty to be valid according
to the Torah. Similarly, it is possible to offer the hypothesis that although
Mount Moriah was chosen as the site for the altar, a different site might be
chosen in the future.
Indeed, there has been a change of location in regard to the resting place
for G‑d’s presence. For 369 years, the Divine Presence rested in Shiloh and it
was referred to as “the place which G‑d chose.”14 Afterwards, however, that holiness
departed. What prevents us from saying that there could be a similar change in
G‑d’s intent in regard to Jerusalem?
The Rambam replies to this question by citing the
examples of the righteous men who offered sacrifices in this place before the
Beis HaMikdash was constructed. Were this not to become the ultimate resting
place for the Divine Presence, these men would not have sought to build their
altars there.
Complementing G‑d’s Choice through Man’s Service
There is a deeper dimension to the Rambam’s statements. Just as
holiness is not a criterion for the choice of a place for G‑d’s presence to be
manifest, it does not represent a contradiction. On the contrary, the two
qualities can be combined and, indeed, doing so produces an advantage.
To explain: Holiness refers to a limited dimension of sanctity which man can
impart to an entity through his service. G‑d’s choice, by contrast, endows the
chosen entity with the unlimited sanctity that emanates from Him. Nevertheless,
His choice can be complemented by the holiness that man generates through his
service. For the sanctity that emanates from G‑d’s choice does not relate to the
entity as it exists within the context of worldly experience. It is — to borrow chassidic terminology — an encompassing
light, that elevates the entity from above. Through his service, man generates
holiness that permeates even the worldly dimensions of the entity in
question.15
In these two halachos, the Rambam demonstrates
how the site of the altar possesses both of these positive dimensions. In the
first halachah, he quotes prooftexts which indicate that this is the site
chosen by G‑d. In the second halachah, he illustrates how this location
was elevated by righteous men through their sacrifices.
The Site of the Beis HaMikdash in the Era
of the Redemption
The exact location of the Beis HaMikdash and the altar
are significant in the present age; as the Rambam writes:16 “The sanctity of the [Beis
Ha]Mikdash and of Jerusalem emanates from the Divine Presence and the
Divine Presence can never be nullified.”
Moreover, these locations will become increasingly
significant in the near future, for one of the Rambam’s
stipulations17
concerning the establishment of the identity of the Mashiach is that he
will “build the [Beis Ha]Mikdash on its place.” For as mentioned at the
outset, “This is the altar for the burnt offerings of Israel,” and will be so
forever.
May we and the entire Jewish people ascend together to
Eretz Yisrael, to Jerusalem, and to the Beis HaMikdash, happily
celebrating the ultimate Redemption and offering sacrifices on the altar. And
may this take place in the immediate future.
Adapted from Likkutei Sichos, Vol. XIX, Parshas
Re’eh
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