Let's Build the Beit HaMikdash
Will the Beit HaMikdash come down to earthly Jerusalem in fire? Or will it be constructed in a less miraculous, more "down to earth" manner by the Jewish People? We shall see. For the point here, it is irrelevant which way the actual building will come about.

But one thing is for sure. And this I believe with all my heart. We have the task of clearing the rubble of centuries in preparation of the building of the Third Beit HaMikdash. And I am not talking about the rubble on Har HaBayit. That will be taken care of in due time. There is a more immediate task, and that is holding things up.

The Mishna tells us that five tragedies occurred on the ninth of Av. The decree against the Wilderness Generation, the destruction of the first and second Beit HaMikdash, the destruction of Beitar and the plowing over of the City.

Those are the facts. What must concern us is the WHY. When we do that, we will know how to go about clearing the rubble of Jewish Life and lay the foundation for the Beit HaMikdash.

The WHYs include the attitude of the Meraglim and the panic of the People concerning Eretz Yisrael. The WHYs include the idolatry, bloodshed, immorality, disregard of Shabbat and Shmita, false oaths, and general unfaithfulness to G-d and Torah that brought about the first exile and destruction. The WHYs include the SIN'AT CHINAM that is considered the cause of the second destruction and much longer exile that accompanied it.
If elsewhere in this issue of Torah Tidbits we remind you about fingernail cutting, and tunes for Lecha Dodi, and dimming the lights in shul, and sitting on the ground, and what to do if Nacheim is omitted... then we must also focus on the real details. No amount of fasting and mourning and not wearing freshly laundered clothes and taking less pleasant showers will build the Beit HaMikdash and bring the Complete Geula.

It takes a change in attitude on the part of those people who still agree with the Meraglim that Israel is a nice place to visit but not to live. It requires an increase - quantity and quality - of commitment to Torah and Mitzvot. It demands a vast improvement in the personal relations and attitudes of each of us towards our fellow Jews. Then the rubble will be removed and G-d and or the kablanim can get to work on the building itself.