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Cheshvan:
Mikdah vs. Mabul
by Rabbi Ron-Ami Meir
"In the eleventh year, during the month of Bul -
which is the eighth month - the Beit Hamikdash was
completed according to all of its details and halachot.
It took seven years [to finish]." (Sefer Melachim
I Chapter 6) Radak explains that the month referred
to here is Cheshvan, the eighth month counting from
Nissan. "It is called Bul," writes Radak, "because
during this month, the flood activity begins."
Why does the Tanach refer to essential winter rain
as a flood? Also - why does the pasuk use the short
form of the word for flood - "Bul"? Why not simply
call Cheshvan, "Chodesh HaMabul"?
Rabbi Eliyahu Kitov cites midrashim that note that
even after the Flood, heavy rains fell annually
from the 17th of Cheshvan (the month of "the Flood")
to the 27th of Kislev. They were so intense, that
people dreaded the onset of winter. Once the Beit
Hamikdash was built, however, the storms abruptly
subsided. Cheshvan thus became known as "'Bul" -
the word "Mabul" minus the Hebrew letter "mem" -
the numerical value of which is forty.
How did the building of the Temple impact on world
climate?
God promised Noach that if a given generation were
ever worthy of destruction as was Noach's, He would
"look" at the rainbow and refrain from destroying
the world. We should never rejoice when seeing a
rainbow - it's actually a sign that the world has
no objective right to exist; God, because of his
pledge, has simply held back. Mankind hardly reached
spiritual perfection after the Flood: It was only
God's commitment not to bring another flood that
prevented a repeat of the first one. Like rainbows,
the forty days of intense rains were an allusion
to mankind's ongoing lowly moral state.
If the Mikdash eliminated these rains, it must have
represented a "tikkun" or remedy of the spiritual
underpinnings of these storms.
What were the root causes of the Flood? Rashi cites
sexual immorality and idolatry. Following the Gemara
in Sanhedrin, Rashi adds that "Hamas" or theft sealed
the generation's fate.
How did the Beit Hamikdash remedy these three sins?
As the central sanctuary for the worship of the
single, indivisible, invisible God of history -
the Beit Hamikdash clearly represents a blunt negation
of idolatry, Avoda Zara. What part, however, does
the Mikdash play in eliminating deviant sexual practices?
The answer may lie in the halachot of Sotah, aimed
at discouraging marital infidelity. In response
to a suspicious husband, the Torah creates a framework
aimed at ultimately fostering peace between a man
and wife; to this end, God even consents to have
His holy name written, and then dissolved in the
Sotah waters! If the wife is guilt-free, the Torah
promises that the woman will now "produce seed".
Rebbe Yishmael explains this means that a once-barren
woman will now be blessed with children. Rebbe Akiva
says that a woman who had earlier experienced difficult
labors would now deliver with ease. In another strong
statement against promiscuity, the Torah (Devarim
23:19) invalidates a sacrifice purchased with money
earned through prostitution.
We noted above that the Flood was ultimately a response
to the sin of theft. In Vayikra 1:1-2, we read:
"God called out to Moshe . from Ohel Mo'ed saying:
Speak to B'nai Yisrael and tell them: 'A person
("Adam") who sacrifices from amongst you a korban
to God - must choose it from cattle and sheep.'
"
Why didn't the Torah simply say "One who sacrifices"?
Why insert the term "person"- "Adam"?
According to Rashi, the Torah is instructing us
to offer Korbanot in the same fashion as Adam HaRishon.
Just as he did not sacrifice to God from stolen
property - since the whole physical world was his
- we must not offer Korbanot from stolen property.
Several other halachot connected to the Mikdash
discourage greed and encourage contentment. Jews
are commanded, for instance, to bring their Bikkurim,
"first fruits", to the Temple. This mitzvah, writes
Sefer Hachinuch, is designed to encourage us "to
remember and understand that all of the blessings
in the world come to us from Him; we were therefore
commanded to bring those who serve Him in His House
(the Kohanim) the first fruits that ripen on our
trees.."
MarCheshvan may be "bitter" because it doesn't boast
any Yamim Tovim, but it has a lot to be proud of
as well: It was in Cheshvan that the Beit Hamikdash
- may it be built "Bim'hera Biyameinu" - brought
the world "back to basics": In Cheshvan, the Mikdash
began to refocus man's attention on the basics of
morality sorely lacking in Noach's generation and,
despite the Flood, in the centuries that followed.
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