Sicha Level 3 - Teitzei

Alef: There’s a mitzvah to make a fence around the roof of your house – bayis = heichal - the BHMK
Q: the jewish law states that a shul/beis medrash are expempt from putting a fence on their roof – it says gagecha – your roof – to exclude shuls & beis medrash. So why is the mikdash obligated in this mitzvah?

Beis: The rogitchover {gave the Rebbe sicha} answers: right when you inaugurate the building you have to put the fence up. Before you enter & use it. By a BHMK before it was build it wasn’t mekudash yet – “bonin b’chol v’achar kach makdishin”. When the BHKK was being built it wasn’t holy yet.
This answer needs a lot of explanation:
1) A shul/beis medrash isn’t exempt because it was holy – it’s just because it says gageCHA – its not YOURS. Everyone paid for the BHMK, so that should apply there also. Even if it was build in a mundance level, that’s not what we’re talking about here.
• We can say that the rogitchover said this because of what the Rambam said that the reason why a shul doesn’t need a fence is that it has to do with the fact that it’s not a home. With the BHMK, when it was built it was chol, so it could have been used as a home.
Not a good answer – 1)the whole point is that you’re building it to be the future site of the BHMK! Technically, maybe not, but that’s what it is, don’t pretend it could be a home.
2) If someone wants to buy a home and turn it into a shul, and there’s already a fence on the roof, you can tear down the fence, because now it’s a shul. So even if you want to say that it was build b’chol, it’s not relevant.

Gimmel: Rashi explains that everyone has rights to a shul, that’s why this is different from the halacha that if 2 partners build a home they do have to make a fence. Because it doesn’t matter how many people own, someone could still fall off! So why can’t someone fall off a shul?? With a shul someone across the ocean has the same right to the shul – so who does the blame fall on?

The pasuk gives a reason: ki yipol hanofel mimenu – doesn’t matter how many people own it, we’re worried that someone will fall off it.
Q: So why is a shul different from any other place? A person can fall of it also!
True, but we’re talking practically – this has to be the Jewish courts – who will be blamed?
Pertaining to other laws we do find people of the city being responsible for the shul, but that’s not a contradiction because in regards to makeh it’s only a question of a) ‘makom ladur’ – is it a place you could live? No. b) it belongs to every jew in the world, not to one person. These 2 things exempt anyone from being liable.
They got the money for the mishkan from the shevatim – we helped pay for it! We also gave money and gifts to building it. So aren’t we all partners?
But that’s not what it says in the gemara about it – everyone donated money and then their individual identity ceased to exist – there was just a communal total.
But the individuality is still there – Moshe Rabbeinu asked that the chelek of Korach (korban) should not be accepted by Hashem – everyone paid communally.
So then there must must have been an individual aspect also. So they DID have to build a fence on the roof because everyone was individual partners. They are owners.

SUMMARY:
A shul has NO ownership – everyone owns it & is welcome
The BHMK DOES have ownership – everyone that gave money to it is an owner – every single yid – like the concept of partners that build a house

One final question: The obligation to put a guardrail is only for a home – because you’re dependant on it – need to live there.
Is the BHMK a home?
The main idea of a home is eating – like the din by sukkah is that you have to LIVE in eat = the main mitzvah is eating. The set place to eat the bbq after the sacrifice is the BHMK. But you’re supposed to eat it in the azara, not the heichal! If there were a circumstance that you can’t eat it in the azara, then you’re supposed to go in the heichal.
But what about a shul? The truth is, you’re not allowed to eat in a shul.
(A talmid chacham can eat in shul if it’s an emergency situation – but that’s just a one time allowance, it doesn’t define the shul as a dira – but by the bhmk it’s a MITZVAH to eat that meat – it’s not just allowed, you’re obligated if you have to do it in the heichal).

Vov: PNIMIUS HA’INYONIM
The difference between a shul & a bhmk.
What’s a maakeh in our lives?
Gagecha – is your gayva – you have to limit your gayva. Put a guardrail around one.
So why does the BHMK need one?
You might think ego only has to do with when you’re out doing your business & gashmius – but IN the BHMK – in the depth of holiness – you still have to watch out for gayva
“talmid chacham has to have one 8th of an 8th” – he has to have some personality – you might think that it’s okay to have an ego if it’s for kedusha. So comes the parsha and says that even the kodesh hakedoshim needs a fence – as high as you may seem, you always have to have bittul.
“a keili that’s completed btahara, to bring it into the BHMK you have to dip it in the mikvah” – if you feel like you’re the perfect vessel, you STILL have to cleanse it first.
Mikvah = bittul bkodesh. When you immerse yourself in water you don’t exist.

Zayin: You have to make sure to put up a fence around ego ESPECIALLY when you’re dealing with another person – involved in shlichus. To build a new home = to build another person’s life, you already have your home, go help someone else build their home for Hashem.
Shouldn’t think well I have an ego, but at least I’m doing good things – but that’s a problem too – because you can harm the other person.
If you show beauty & clarity & simplicity – words from the heart – without your ego, then the other person will accept it properly. But if you give them words full of your ego, it’s not only an impediment, but it can push the person away.
“Ki yipol HANOFEL mimenu” – he was destined to fall,
someone can say ‘he’s a ‘faller’ – he’s already a hopeless case, no matter what I say he’ll disagree, etc. ‘ if he was a normal person, he’d accept what I’m saying even with my ego”
Doesn’t matter – the obligation is on YOU – it’s his problem what happens after that, you have to do your part. You shouldn’t be the one that this person’s fall had to come through.