Shalom,
If I'm correct on 41a the gemata talks about rebuilding the beis hamikdash on pesach. If it was built on the 15th of nissan the nation can eat chadash until chatzos.... rashi brings a gemara in shevous saying it is assur to rebuild the beis on yom tov. Rashi continues and
says that the beis hamikdash will be rebuilt and descend from heaven.my question is that the rambam says that the building of the beis hamikdash will be built by hand. How does the rambam learn this gemara; considering the gemara in shavuos?
Elie Samet, Israel
1) Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv zt'l, in his notes to Maseches Sukos 41b, writes that the opinion of the Rambam (Hilchos Melachim 11:1) that Mashi'ach will build the Beis ha'Mikdash, is consistent with the conclusion of the Gemara on 41b, which states that there is a Torah prohibition to eat Chadash until the end of 16 Nisan. According to this, it is not necessary to say that the Beis ha'Mikdash will come down from Shamayim on 15 Nisan, or on the night of 16 Nisan, because even if this would happen it would still be forbidden to eat Chadash on 16 Nisan, since this is always forbidden by the Torah. Instead, according to the conclusion of the Sugya, one may say that Mashi'ach will build the Beis ha'Mikdash on the day of 16 Nisan (so there is no problem with building the Beis ha'Mikdash on Yom Tov or at night) and Chadash will be eaten on the night of 17 Nisan.
2) It should be pointed out that the Rambam's ruling (Hilchos Ma'achalos Asuros 10:2) follows the conclusion of our Gemara that at the time when there is no Beis ha'Mikdash, Chadash is forbidden by the Torah for the entire day of 16 Nisan. This means that the beginning of our Sugya, which says Chadash is forbidden on 16 Nisan because of a Gezeirah of the Rabanan, does not apply according to the Halachah. Therefore, the words of Rashi at the beginning of the Sugya are not in accordance with the view which the Halachah follows.
Kol Tuv,
Dovid Bloom
1) The Tiferes Yisrael, in the beginning of Maseches Midos (Boaz #1), writes that according to the Rambam one can say that Nochrim will build the Beis ha'Mikdash, so this way it will be possible to build it at night or on Yom Tov. This will be a fulfillment of the prophecy (Yeshayah 61:5): "And strangers will stand up and graze your flock." The Gemara (Berachos 35b) learns from this verse that when Klal Yisrael does the will of Hash-m, their work is done by others.
The Tiferes Yisrael writes that this is not a contradiction to what was said (at the time of the building of the second Beis ha'Mikdash), "It is not for you and us to build a House for our G-d" (Ezra 4:3), because this is referring to a situation where the Nochrim build the Beis ha'Mikdash with their own means, but if they are merely workers for Klal Yisrael this is not a problem.
2) a) The Me'iri in our Sugya gives another simple explanation for how it could be that the Beis ha'Mikdash is built at night or on Yom Tov, which may also explain how the Rambam writes that it is built by the Mashi'ach. The Me'iri writes that the Gemara here is concerned that the Beis Din might make a mistake and permit it to be built on Yom Tov or at night. Because they will have such a love for building the Beis ha'Mikdash quickly, they might forget what the Halachah is.
b) However, I am not sure about whether the Me'iri is consistent with the Rambam, for a different reason. Since the Me'iri writes that the Beis Din may make a mistake, this suggests that the Beis ha'Mikdash will be built before the Mashi'ach comes. The Mashi'ach clearly will be a great Talmid Chacham who would not err. The Rambam (Hilchos Melachim 11:4) writes that "if a king from the House of David will arise and study Torah... like his father David... it can be assumed that he is the Mashi'ach." Such a great sage would not be likely to err and permit building the Beis ha'Mikdash on Yom Tov or at night. The Me'iri seems to be more consistent with the Tosfos Yom Tov (Maseches Ma'aser Sheni 4:2, DH Tenai, in the name of the Yerushalmi) who says that the Beis ha'Mikdash will be built before the kingdom of Beis David is re-established.
Dovid Bloom
Hi again,
I still am bothered. If according to rav elyashiv that if the beis hamikdash was built on the 16th why does the gemara say it may be rebuilt on the fifteenth?
1)The Rambam does not actually write on what date the Beis ha'Mikdash will be rebuilt, but he does write that Mashi'ach will build it, not that it will come down from Shamayim.
2) What the Gemara says, that it might be built on the 15th, applies only according to the intermediate stage of the Gemara, but according to the conclusion of the Gemara one does not have to say that it might be built on the 15th.
3) Rashi wrote that it will come down from Shamayim to solve the problem of how could it be that it will be built on Yom Tov or at night, but according to the Gemara's conclusion one does not have this problem of it being built on Yom Tov or at night, so one does not need to say that it will come down from Shamayim either.
Kol Tuv,
Dovid Bloom