Editing The Third Temple (section)

==== In Relation to the Ingathering of Exiles ====
Expanded topic – '''Ingathering of Exiles'''

The Sages disagreed about the exact timing of the building of the Third Beis Hamikdash: some say it will be before the ingathering of exiles, and others say it will be afterward.

According to the Midrash: "It is a traditional legend that Jerusalem will not be built until the exiles are gathered... as it says: 'The Lord builds Jerusalem, He gathers the dispersed of Israel.'" This view is somewhat supported in the Gemara in Tractate Megillah, which explains the order of blessings in the Shemoneh Esrei prayer, where the prayer 'Sound the great shofar' concerning the ingathering of exiles precedes the prayer 'And to Jerusalem Your city' concerning the building of the Temple.

On the other hand, in the Zohar, our Sages interpreted that the building of the Temple will precede the ingathering of exiles. The verse "The Lord builds Jerusalem, He gathers the dispersed of Israel" is interpreted there in its sequential order, meaning first "The Lord builds Jerusalem," and only afterward "He gathers the dispersed of Israel." This view is implied in the Gemara in Tractate Sukkah, which discusses Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai's ordinance not to eat new grain on the 16th of Nissan, lest the Temple be built the day before on the 15th. Also in Tractate Berachot, Rashi explains the Gemara's words according to this approach.

As halacha, the Rambam ruled in the Laws of Kings: "The King Moshiach... builds the Temple and gathers the dispersed of Israel," "A king will arise from the house of David... and he will build the Temple in its place and gather the dispersed of Israel." According to the Rambam's principles, one can learn halachot even from the order of his words, and therefore according to the Rambam, first the Beis Hamikdash will be built and only afterward will he gather the dispersed of Israel. This ruling was also established by the Rebbe Rashab in his holy letter, where he establishes the approach that building the Temple precedes the ingathering of exiles according to Chassidic teachings. According to this explanation in Chassidut, the building of the Third Beis Hamikdash is the essence of the redemption, and it will include within it all the virtues of the promises of redemption, which will be revealed afterward each in its time - the ingathering of exiles and the completeness in the resurrection of the dead.

The Rebbe discussed this question several times. Sometimes he tends to rule like the view that building the Temple comes first, sometimes he brings that the ruling will be decided by the earthly court, and sometimes he raises the possibility that the Rambam's ruling is only what is necessary according to halacha, but in case Israel merits, the order will be that first there will be the ingathering of exiles and only afterward will the Temple be built, in complete perfection.

The Rebbe brings another possibility to reconcile the different approaches, that since there are many levels in the building of Jerusalem and the ingathering of exiles, one above the other, both orders can exist - after the exiles are gathered there will be an elevation in the Temple that was built before it, and after that an elevation in the ingathering of exiles, and so on in elevation after elevation.
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