Brachos 54a - Good Is Eternal

We say a pasuk every day in davening [during Uva Li-tzion] that we should think about more than we probably do.

ה' אלקי אברהם ויצחק ויעקב אבותינו שמרה זאת ליצר מחשבות עמך והכן לבבם אליך - The G-d of our forefathers Avraham Yitzchak and Yaakov preserve this purpose forever to be the product of the thought of the hearts of Your people and set their hearts towards You. [Divrei Hayomim 1 29/18].

This pasuk was said  by Dovid after the Jews brought their donations for the building of the Beis Hamikdash. The meaning is that just like now the Jews had a positive spirit and followed their yetzer hatov by contributing to the Beis Hamikdash , so they should always follow their yetzer hatov.

Maran HaRav Hutner in a letter to the alumni of his yeshiva [Collected Letters 69] asks a classic Hutnerian question: Why do we find nowhere else but here that a special tfilla was said asking that we should follow our yetzer hatov. Their must be something about giving to the beis hamikdash that inspired this special tfilla.

He explained that the Beis Hamikdash was a "Beis Olamim" an eternal structure, so this was the most auspicious time to daven that just as the building for which they are donating is an eternal structure, so should their נדיבות הלב - feeling of generosity be an eternal and everlasting feeling. [He then asked everybody to contribute to the building of the yeshiva - I join him in asking that people help build my yeshiva/kollel!!].

In Marbeh Yeshiva [page 148] Rabbi Homnick offers a sparkling explanation as is his wont. In the Torah with respect to the building of the Mishkan the Torah uses the word לב [Shmos 25/2]. However with respect to the building of the Beis Hamikdash the Tanach consistently uses the word לבב [see Divrei Hayomim Chapters 28-29 and Melachim 1 Chapter 8].

The gemara in Brachos [54a] says that a person should serve Hashem בכל לבבך - with his two yetzers, his yetzer hatov and his yetzer hara. That is the difference between the Beis Hamikdash and the Mishkan. The Beis Hamikdash was for the goyim as well [see Melachim there and the pasuk כי ביתי בית תפילה יקרא לכל העמים] while the Mishkan was exclusive to the Jews. The Mikdash includes all of the כחות of the world - even the כחות הרע. It elevates everything to Hashem and can't be built with the לב alone but with לבב. 

The reason the Mikdash is called בית עולמים an eternal structure, and about which it is stated אל המנוחה ואל הנחלה - the resting place and inheritance, is because it is the place where even the evil is transformed to good and Divine purposes. The gemara in Succah talks about the nullification of the Yetzer Hara at the end of days and in that context we discuss the "Tikkun Gadol" of mechitza in the Beis Hamikdash [see there]. [Every day we say Hashem Echad which according to Rashi is referring to the end of days when everybody will know that Hashem is One. Right after that we talk about loving Hashem with all of your heart בכל לבבך - even with the yetzer hara].

In Divrei Hayomim [29/14] Dovid asks Hashem how it is possible to GIVE anything to Hashem when everything belongs to Him. He further wonders [15] how it is possible to build an eternal structure.

He is answered that both are possible because   אני ביושר לבבי התנדבתי כל אלה
ועתה עמך הנמצאו פה ראיתי בשמחה להתנדב לך  - we are giving with our לבב, both the yetzer hatov and yetzer hara. That is why we ARE giving from our own [כביכול] and through this transformation of the yetzer hara the building will be eternal.

Now we understand why specifically here there was a special tfilla that the yetzer hatov should be perpetuated forever. The time of the building of the Mikdash was a shadow of the end of days when the yetzer hara will be obliterated and all the כחות will become good.

Something to think about tomorrow when you say this pasuk....:-)