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The Rambam · Sefer Avodah

הלכות בית הבחירה א׳The Chosen Temple 1

Chapter 1 of 8 in The Chosen Temple — 20 halachot

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Halacha 1א׳

מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה לַעֲשׂוֹת בַּיִת לַה' מוּכָן לִהְיוֹת מַקְרִיבִים בּוֹ הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת. וְחוֹגְגִין אֵלָיו שָׁלֹשׁ פְּעָמִים בַּשָּׁנָה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות כה ח) "וְעָשׂוּ לִי מִקְדָּשׁ". וּכְבָר נִתְפָּרֵשׁ בַּתּוֹרָה מִשְׁכָּן שֶׁעָשָׂה משֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ. וְהָיָה לְפִי שָׁעָה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים יב ט) "כִּי לֹא בָאתֶם עַד עָתָּה" וְגוֹ':

It is a positive obligation to build a house for God where offerings may be brought and to make pilgrimage to it three times a year as it says "and they shall make Me a sanctuary." The tabernacle which Moses made in the desert has already been described in the Torah, but it was a temporary measure, as it says "for you have not yet reached, etc."

Halacha 2ב׳

כֵּיוָן שֶׁנִּכְנְסוּ לָאָרֶץ הֶעֱמִידוּ הַמִּשְׁכָּן בַּגִּלְגָּל אַרְבַּע עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה שֶׁכָּבְשׁוּ וְשֶׁחִלְּקוּ. וּמִשָּׁם בָּאוּ לְשִׁילֹה וּבָנוּ שָׁם בַּיִת שֶׁל אֲבָנִים וּפָרְשׂוּ יְרִיעוֹת הַמִּשְׁכָּן עָלָיו וְלֹא הָיְתָה שָׁם תִּקְרָה. וְשס"ט שָׁנָה עָמַד מִשְׁכַּן שִׁילֹה וּכְשֶׁמֵּת עֵלִי חָרַב וּבָאוּ לְנֹב וּבָנוּ שָׁם מִקְדָּשׁ. וּכְשֶׁמֵּת שְׁמוּאֵל חָרַב וּבָאוּ לְגִבְעוֹן וּבָנוּ שָׁם מִקְדָּשׁ. וּמִגִּבְעוֹן בָּאוּ לְבֵית הָעוֹלָמִים. וִימֵי נֹב וְגִבְעוֹן שֶׁבַע וַחֲמִשִּׁים שָׁנָה:

Once [the Israelites] entered the Land, they set up the tabernacle at Gilgal [where it remained fourteen years while] they conquered and divided the land. From there it went to Shiloh, where they built a stone building without a ceiling and spread the sheets from the [original] tabernacle over it. It stayed in Shiloh for 369 years until Eli [the High Priest] died and it was destroyed and moved to Nob. When Samuel died, it moved to Gibeon, and from there it came to the Eternal House. The period of Nob and Gibeon [together] was 57 years.

Halacha 3ג׳

כֵּיוָן שֶׁנִּבְנָה הַמִּקְדָּשׁ בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם נֶאֶסְרוּ כָּל הַמְּקוֹמוֹת כֻּלָּן לִבְנוֹת בָּהֶן בַּיִת לַה' וּלְהַקְרִיב בָּהֶן קָרְבָּן. וְאֵין שָׁם בַּיִת לְדוֹרֵי הַדּוֹרוֹת אֶלָּא בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם בִּלְבַד וּבְהַר הַמּוֹרִיָּה שֶׁבָּהּ נֶאֱמַר (דברי הימים א כב א) "וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִיד זֶה הוּא בֵּית ה' הָאֱלֹהִים וְזֶה מִּזְבֵּחַ לְעלָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל" וְאוֹמֵר (תהילים קלב יד) "זֹאת מְנוּחָתִי עֲדֵי עַד":

Once the Temple was built in Jerusalem, all other places became ineligible for building Houses of God or to offer sacrifices there, and for all generations there is no Temple other than the one in Jerusalem and only on Mt. Moriah about which David said "This is the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar for the offerings of Israel" and it says "This is My resting place forever."

…and 15 more halachot in this chapter.

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Mishneh Torah, Torat Emet 363 edition, via Sefaria — public domain

English: Sefaria Community Translation — CC0