A Difference of
Opinion between the Rambam and the Ramban
In Hilchos Beis HaBechirah, after stating the
mitzvah to construct a Sanctuary, the Rambam writes:1
We must make utensils for the Sanctuary: an altar for... the
sacrifices, a ramp to ascend the altars..., a washbasin with a pedestal, an
altar for the incense offering, a menorah, and a table [for the
showbread].
By mentioning the utensils in this manner, the Rambam
underscores a theme which he mentions in Sefer HaMitzvos2 — that the
mitzvah to construct a Sanctuary also includes fashioning all the utensils
necessary to perform the various different elements of sacrificial worship
required in the Beis HaMikdash. There is no separate mitzvah to
fashion any of these utensils.
In his Hasagos to Sefer HaMitzvos,3 the Ramban
differs and explains that the construction of the Beis HaMikdash should
be considered as one mitzvah, and the fashioning of the utensils as
separate mitzvos. To quote:
The utensils are not part of the structures. Rather, they are
two mitzvos, which are not dependent on each other. We may offer
sacrifices in the Beis [HaMikdash] although it is lacking
utensils.4
What is the Purpose of the Beis HaMikdash: Sacrificial Worship or
Revealing G‑d’s Presence
The difference of opinion between these two authorities is,
conceivably, representative of a divergence of approach regarding a matter of
greater scope. In Sefer HaMitzvos,5 the Rambam describes the mitzvah of building
the Beis HaMikdash as a command to “make a house for service where
sacrifices will be offered;” i.e., he places an emphasis on the Beis
HaMikdash as being the center for the sacrificial worship of G‑d. Without
the utensils necessary for this service, the sacrifices could not be offered.
Therefore, the mitzvah of building the Beis HaMikdash also
includes fashioning the utensils necessary for this worship.
This concept is also reflected in the Mishneh
Torah,6
where the Rambam begins his discussion of the mitzvah of
constructing the Beis HaMikdash as follows: “It is a positive
commandment to construct a house for G‑d, prepared for sacrifices to be offered
within.” The mitzvah of building the Sanctuary is complete when it is
“prepared for sacrifices to be offered within.”7
The Ramban, by contrast, sees the construction of the
Beis HaMikdash as a commandment with a self-contained goal — building a
sanctuary for the manifestation of G‑d’s Presence. Thus in his Commentary to the
Torah,8 he writes: “[G‑d’s]
essential purpose in the Sanctuary was [the construction of] a resting place for
the Divine Presence.”
In this conception, sacrificial worship represents an
additional service that is not intrinsically related to the existence of the
Beis HaMikdash. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the fashioning of the
different utensils necessary for sacrificial worship be considered as
mitzvos in their own right.
A Resolution of the Differences: The Purpose of the Beis
HaMikdash in Man’s Eyes and Its Purpose in the Eyes of G‑d
This conception of the differences between the Rambam
and the Ramban cannot, however, be accepted without further explanation.
For the manifestation of G‑d’s Presence as a goal of the Beis HaMikdash
is alluded to in the very verse9
which the Rambam cites10 as the prooftext for the commandment to build the Beis
HaMikdash: “And you shall make Me a Sanctuary and I shall dwell within.”
Moreover, the Rambam describes the mitzvah of building the
Beis HaMikdash11 in Hilchos Beis HaBechirah,12 as
constructing “a house for G‑d,” indicating that preparing a structure in which
G‑d’s Presence is manifest is the primary purpose of the construction of the
Beis HaMikdash.
Conversely, we are forced to say that the Ramban
appreciated the establishment of a centralized place of worship as a
fundamental goal which is fulfilled by the construction of the Beis HaMikdash.
For there are passages from the Torah which clearly indicate this connection,
emphasizing that G‑d’s choice of “a place for His name to dwell” is associated
with the command — “there you will bring... your burnt offerings, your
sacrifices....”13
Therefore, it must be explained that the purposes emphasized
by the Rambam and the Ramban are not to the exclusion of the
other. The difference between their perspectives stems from the choice of the
dimension which they choose to stress. The Rambam speaks of the Beis
HaMikdash in terms of the mitzvos to be fulfilled by man in
relating to G‑d. Hence, he emphasizes the dimension of sacrificial worship. The
Ramban, by contrast, focuses on “[G‑d’s] essential purpose in the
Sanctuary.” Therefore, he places the emphasis on the manifestation of G‑d’s
Presence.
In the Era of
the Redemption
Both these purposes, the manifestation of G‑d’s Presence and man’s
sacrificial worship, will reach their utmost level of fulfillment in the Third Beis HaMikdash
in the Era of the Redemption. For this will be “the Sanctuary of G‑d,
established by Your hands,”14 and “there, we will offer to You our obligatory
sacrifices... with love, in accord with the command of Your
will.”15
May our study of the different elements of the Beis
HaMikdash herald the time when we will rejoice in its construction. And may
this take place in the immediate future.
Adapted from Likkutei Sichos, Vol. IV, p. 1346-1347;
Vol. XI, Terumah
