The Evolution of the Sanctuary
In Parshat Terumah, the command "V’asu li mikdash" (Make for Me a sanctuary) serves as a broad instruction for all generations. The Rambam outlines how this mitzvah progressed as the Jewish people moved toward permanence:
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The Mishkan: A portable structure for the desert.
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Gilgal: Stood for 14 years during the conquest of the land.
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Shilo: A stone structure without a roof (covered by the Mishkan’s tapestries) that stood for 369 years.
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Nov and Giv’on: Temporary locations totaling 57 years.
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Jerusalem: The final, eternal resting place of the Beis HaMikdash.
This progression shows that while the holiness remains the same, the physical structure constantly "improved" toward a more permanent state.
The Mizbe’ach: Copper or Wood?
The Mizbe’ach Hachitzon (Outer Altar) was made of acacia wood and covered in copper. This raises a halachic question: Is it considered a copper vessel or a wooden vessel?
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Beis Shammai (and Rabbi Eliezer) judge based on the surface. If it looks like copper, it is copper.
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Beis Hillel judges based on the essence. The copper is merely a covering; the core of the altar is wood.
Seeing the "Kalla" (The Soul)
The Rebbe applies this debate to how we view the Jewish people:
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The Bride: In the Talmud, Shammai says to praise a bride "as she is" (if she has faults, do not lie). Hillel says to praise every bride as "beautiful and graceful." Hillel’s reasoning is that to the groom who chose her, she is beautiful. We must see her through his eyes.
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The Converts: Shammai pushed away three potential converts because their initial requests seemed insincere or superficial (e.g., learning the Torah on one foot). Hillel accepted them, looking past their ignorance to the deeper spark of interest that brought them there in the first place.
The Takeaway: Just as the Altar’s copper covering didn't change its wooden essence, the external "faults" of a person do not change their essential holiness. The Halacha follows Hillel: we must look deeper than the surface. Whether dealing with a struggling student or a fellow Jew, we should never "write someone off" based on appearances.