Magic on Earth

The Bais HaMikdosh (Temple) in Jerusalem was a magical place. Tradition tells us that there were miracles occurring there on a daily basis. It was a space and time warp. Entering its confines meant you were leaving the zone in which the laws of nature applied, and you were entering into a world where the rule of God was evident.

People who came to visit the Bais HaMikdosh came away awe-inspired by the sight they had seen. The majestic power of God left them inspired as they returned home to their mundane lives.

But there was trouble in this magical world; people who saw the trees, could frequently not find the forest. So amazing were the miracles that people often neglected to see, or to find, the roots of the spiritual power that lay beneath them. The glitz and glamour of the miracles wowed them but they failed to stop to find out how that should affect the way they lived their lives.

Nowadays people frequently fall into the same trap when they meet a highly spiritual person. They will often come away from such a meeting having adopted some of the superficial mannerisms and customs of this saintly person, but neglect to truly get the message of the inner self-evaluation that enabled this person to achieve spiritual heights.

So God decided that he had to take away the Bais HaMikdosh from us. It wasn't serving its purpose. It was creating generations of people who were superficially righteous, but internally had much left to be desired. God exiled us from the place of this magic and sent us searching through the world to find all the places in which He had hidden Himself waiting to be found. But this time He would not be found in neon lights. He would only be found by those willing to do the blue-collar grunt work of sifting through the frailties in their own selves and finding God within.

On Wednesday evening, August 29 and Thursday, August 30, we commemorate the loss of the Bais HaMikdash. Rather than focus on the loss, let's rededicate ourselves to what we received in exchange: the ability to find God within ourselves and within any place in the world, as long as we look honestly and sincerely.