A vort from the Rebbe on this week's parashah, Parashat Toldot. In Parashat Toldot, we learn about the three wells that Yitzchak dug. First he dug a well, and the people of גרר argued against it, and they took it away. Then there was a second well that he dug, and again, the people of גרר argued against it and took it away. Then he dug a third well, and that was left by him, and the mefarshim say, the Ramban and others, that the three wells represent the three Batei Mikdash. We have the first Beit HaMikdash, a second Beit HaMikdash, and there'll be the third. Just like the Beit HaMikdash was destroyed, the first well was taken away. Just like the second Beit HaMikdash was destroyed, that is represented in the fact that the second well was taken away. And the third well represents the third Beit HaMikdash, which will stay forever. So here we have that the Torah is מרומז, hints, to the three Batei Mikdash in these פסוקים that deal with the wells of Yitzchak. The question is, why did the Torah choose to tell us about the Beit HaMikdash, the three Batei Mikdash, דווקא when it talks about Yitzchak?

And the Rebbe explains this by bringing what the Megaleh Amukot says. The Megaleh Amukot says that the three Avot are כנגד, are parallel to the three pillars that the world stands on. It says in Pirkei Avot, the world stands on three pillars: תורה, עבודה, וגמילות חסדים. Torah is obviously the learning of Torah. Avodah is the avodah, the service that they did in the Beit HaMikdash, bringing the korbanot, the sacrifices. Now that we don't have a Beit HaMikdash, tefillah is instead, so avodah represents tefillah, but originally avodah meant the avodah in the Beit HaMikdash. And gemilut chasadim, which is good deeds and mitzvot, etc., etc. So the three Avot are כנגד these three עמודים, these three pillars. Avraham represents גמילות חסדים, we know that in Torah we learn all about the kindness of Avraham Avinu, so גמילות חסדים is represented by Avraham. Yitzchak represents avodah, and Yaakov represents Torah. So the Rebbe says, therefore, when we're talking about the בית המקדש, where does the Torah hint to us about the three בתי מקדש? When it talks about Yitzchak, because Yitzchak's ענין is avodah, and avodah means avodah in the בית המקדש, and since Yitzchak represents avodah, therefore the ענין of the בית המקדש was hinted by Yitzchak.

But then the Rebbe asks, why is the Torah hinting this ענין of the בית המקדש, even though it is in Yitzchak, why davka concerning digging of the wells? There must be some connection to of the בית המקדש to the digging of the wells. So the Rebbe explains like this: when you dig for a well to find water, there are two sides to it. On one hand, the digging is done by people, and you have to work on it, while afterwards what happens? The water comes out by itself. After you dig, the water comes out by itself, and they come up out of the place where you dug, and it comes by itself. So here we have two parts: we have one part, the part that the person has to do, and the other part is that happens by itself, obviously which means happens by Hashem. So in the בית המקדש, we have the same two things. The fact that the שכינה was in the בית המקדש, that came from Hashem. But in order that the שכינה should come, the Yidden had to do, to build the בית המקדש and do what they were supposed to, and that would automatically bring the שכינה coming from shamayim. So that's why the Torah hints the ענין of the בית המקדש concerning the digging of the wells, because there is a similarity. Just like by digging of the wells, you have to dig and work, and then the water comes by itself, so too by the בית המקדש, the Yidden had to prepare, build the בית המקדש, and do everything they had to do, then the שכינה came down by itself. We know when we talk about the בית המקדש, we only don't mean the physical בית המקדש, always also talks about the בית המקדש that's there in every single Yid. When the Eibershter said ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם, make for Me a Mikdash and I will dwell amongst them, that it means בתוך כל אחד ואחד, in everyone there is a בית המקדש. So we have to remember the same thing b'nogea the בית המקדש of every single Yid. Every single Yid has to do what he has to do, and then what will happen? The Eibershter from above will give him a lot more, the שכינה will come down in him, but it starts off by him doing what he has to do. And when a Yid does what he has to do, then the Eibershter comes down מלמעלה. And if all the Yidden will do their Avodah in their personal בית המקדש, that definitely will bring that we will see the physical בית המקדש will be built, and then Hashem's שכינה will come down forever.