Rav Wolfson:Parshas Bechukosai

Note: HaRav Isser Wolfson shlita is a noted talmid chacham, dayan and posek. The shiurim were transcribed by me and reviewed by Rav Wolfson. What you are reading is just an excerpt and not the whole shiur. I have also taken the liberty of making some slight editorial changes to the original version in order to make it read better. This week's excerpt is from Bechukosai 5763.

In the parsha HKBH promises to destroy the bais hamikdash if the B’nei Yisroel doesn’t listen to the Torah. There is a machlokes in the Toras Kohanim whether Nevuchadnetzar destroyed the first bayis entirely or if he just knocked down the walls but he left the yesodos. The Rash (Para 3:3) brings a Yerushalmi that Nevuchadnetzar only destroyed the walls but he left the yesodos. This is actually hinted to in the possuk “zechor Hashem livnei Edom es yom Yerushalayim v'omru arur arur ad hayesod bah”. Only Edom/Rome was able to destroy the yesodos of the bais hamikdash while Bavel only succeeded in knocking down the walls.
The Gemara says that even after the first churban, Yerushalayim still retained its kedusha. Tosfos Zevachim (Daf 60) asks why is this so? If there is no bais hamikdash how could Yerushalayim still retain its kedusha? Perhaps we can answer that there were really two kedushos to the Bais HaMikdash. The first kedusha was done thru Dovid HaMelech when he built the yesodos of the mikdash. The second kedusha was done thru Shlomo HaMelech when he built the rest of the bayis. Based on what we said above, the yesodos of the bayis were never destroyed. Therefore, this kedusha was never batul and consequently Yerushalayim can also retain its kedusha. It wasn’t until Edom destroyed the yesodos by churban bayis sheini that Yerushalayim lost its kedusha. This is also meduyak in the possuk we quoted above. The possuk says “zechor Hashem livnei Edom es yom Yerushalayim v'omru arur arur ad hayesod bah". Not only were the yesodos destroyed thru Edom but also the “Yom Yerushalayim” or the kedusha of Yerushalayim was destroyed as well.