Will President Trump Build Bet Hamikdash?

Rabbi Shay Tahan

The Building of the Beit HaMikdash by President Trump
Last week, a Jewish reporter at a White House briefing posed an intriguing question to the press secretary:
“Since President Trump will be remembered for generations as the greatest leader of our time, has the topic of building the Beit HaMikdash in Jerusalem ever been discussed?”
The spokeswoman politely replied that it had not been brought up.
Beyond the curiosity of the question itself, it raises a fascinating halachic discussion.
Will the Third Beit HaMikdash be built by human hands, or will it descend from Heaven fully constructed?
And if it is to be built by people, may a non-Jew participate in its construction, or must it be built solely by Jews?
It is commonly believed that the Third Beit HaMikdash will descend from Heaven, already completed. This view is found in Rashi (Sukkah 41a) and Tosafot (Shevuot 15b). However, what is less well known is that many disagree with this position—and even those who agree often interpret it non-literally.
Indeed, the Midrash Tanchuma (Ki Tisa 13) and the Zohar (Bereishit 28) seem to support Rashi’s opinion.
On the other hand, the Rambam rules that there is a positive commandment to build the Beit HaMikdash—an obligation upon all Israel, undisputed by any authority. Therefore, to passively wait for a Heavenly structure is to neglect this mitzvah.
Similarly, the Talmud Yerushalmi (Megillah 1:11) states that in the future, the Jewish people themselves will rise up and build the Beit HaMikdash. The Meiri (Sukkah 41a) also writes that it will be built by human hands, and the Rambam explicitly states that the Third Beit HaMikdash will be built by Mashiach.
Is this merely a halachic disagreement, or can these views be reconciled?
The commentaries offer several approaches:
The Maharam Shik (Yoreh De’ah 213) distinguishes between two types of redemption. If Israel is not worthy—what the prophets call be’itah (in its due time)—the Beit HaMikdash will be built by man. But if the people are meritorious and the redemption is hastened—achishenah—then Hashem will cause it to descend from Heaven, representing a higher spiritual level.
Rav Yaakov Ettlinger, author of Aruch LaNer, offers another explanation: the people of Israel will build the physical structure, and afterward Hashem will infuse it with holiness and Divine Presence.
In any case, it would seem that the Beit HaMikdash cannot be built by non-Jews, since it must be constructed lishmah—for the sake of Heaven. The Torah says, “And they shall make Me a sanctuary, and I shall dwell among them” (Shemot 25:8). Rashi explains: “They shall make for My Name- Lishmah, a house of holiness.” A non-Jew is not qualified to perform actions requiring such intention.
However, Rav Asher Weiss cites the Tiferet Yisrael (Middot 1:1), who writes that the Beit HaMikdash may indeed be built with the assistance of non-Jews. As precedent, he notes that King Hiram of Tyre sent craftsmen to help King Shlomo build the First Temple, and the pasuk says, “Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks” (Yeshayahu 61:5).
Rav Bachya ben Asher (Vayikra 11:4) goes even further, writing that the Roman Empire itself will play a role in building the Third Temple:
“In the Midrash Tanchuma it is taught that the Roman kingdom is compared to a pig, for in the future the Holy One will ‘return’ upon them the attribute of judgment. Some versions read that He will ‘return the crown to its former glory.’ The meaning is this: the first two Temples were built by Israel—King Shlomo from the tribe of Yehudah built the First, and Zerubavel, also from Yehudah, built the Second, with the permission of Cyrus. But the Third Temple will be built by this very nation of Rome, of which it is said, ‘He will return the crown to its former glory,’ since they were the ones who destroyed it.”
Rav Asher Weiss explains that this does not mean the non-Jews will physically build the Mikdash. Rather, they will assist in its preparation—by removing obstacles or providing resources. He supports this from the Talmud (Shabbat 119b), which says that even the study of Torah by children should not be interrupted for the building of the Mikdash. Obviously, this does not mean children would do the actual building—since intention lishmah is required—but that they might assist indirectly, such as by helping raise funds or organizing logistics.
In this light, since President Trump is viewed as the contemporary head of the Western Roman world—identified by the early commentators as representing modern Christendom—the question posed to the White House was not far-fetched. According to Rabenu Bachya’s view, Rome indeed plays a role in the rebuilding of the Third Temple—not by constructing it themselves, but by aiding the process: removing political opposition, supporting Jerusalem, and providing the means necessary for its realization.
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