"The Burning of the Holy Temple Was Just an Illusion!"

A person needs to know that when he says the "offerings" in prayer, he must envision the entire Holy Temple before his eyes. The entire Holy Temple is present! It was not burned! It was not destroyed! The Holy Temple stands before our eyes, it is in front of us! The burning of the Holy Temple was just an illusion! It was an illusion only for the non-Jews! The "Ten Sayings" state that at the time of the destruction of the Holy Temple, spirits and demons came and placed burnt lime stones in place of the Holy Temple, all for the non-Jews, to satisfy the eyes of the wicked (so they would think they burned the Holy Temple).

The Zohar says (Shemot Pekudei 240b) the stones and foundations of the First and Second Temples are all hidden and shining! They are all hidden! The Holy Temple was not damaged in the slightest! Not a single stone from the stones of Jerusalem was lost! Not from the Jerusalem of the First Temple, nor from the Jerusalem of the Second Temple, everything stands in its place! "For eye to eye they will see when Hashem returns..." When the redemption comes, everyone will see that the non-Jews did not destroy any wall! Not a single wall! And everything the non-Jews destroyed was only those lime stones that the spirits brought with them, everyone will see that it was all just an illusion.

"The Service of the Offerings Continues, Because the Holy Temple Exists"

Therefore, the "Emek HaMelech" says about the Gemara "I heard that offerings are brought even though there is no Temple" (Megillah 10a), he says – Know this! The service of the offerings certainly continues! The Holy Temple exists! The offerings exist! The services continue! Elijah the Prophet offers sacrifices in the Holy Temple! The angel Michael offers sacrifices in the Holy Temple! As it is brought about the Baal Shem Tov that he saw Elijah the Prophet buying sheep for the service of the Holy Temple.

When we say the "offerings" in the morning, we empower Elijah the Prophet and the angel Michael, who are now the High Priests, to continue offering the sacrifices, by saying the offerings we are truly participating in the service of the Holy Temple. When we begin to say the offerings, the priests begin the service of the offerings, the priests begin the work! They light the sin offering, they light the daily offering, when offerings are said, Elijah the Prophet and the angel Michael receive strength to continue the service of the offerings.

"When a person says the offerings, he must direct everything upon himself"

When a person sins, there is impurity, and the impurity reaches up to the Foundation Stone, up to the Holy Temple! From the impurity, the Holy Temple was destroyed! Therefore, we say in the "offerings" "and its blood requires sprinkling between the poles and on the curtain..." the impurity reached between the poles! Up to the curtain! Until it burned the Holy Temple. "And its blood requires sprinkling on the curtain on the golden altar..." Why is there no curtain? Why is there no golden altar? It's all because we constantly defile the Holy Temple, a person opened his eyes and defiled everything! There is no golden altar! There is no altar of burnt offering! There are no courtyards! There is nothing! Therefore, when a person says the offerings, he must direct everything upon himself! "The bulls that are burned and the goats that are burned..." I deserve to be burned! I am the bulls that are burned! The whole point of the offerings is to subdue the animalistic nature! They burn the animal and slaughter it. When we mention in the offerings the slaughtering and burning... then they slaughter me, they burn me.

"The Saying of the Offerings Atones Like the Offering of the Daily Sacrifices"

The Rebbe writes in Torah 22 "and he shall slaughter it on the north side of the altar before Hashem..." when a person says "and he shall slaughter it" he must intend that now he is being slaughtered! They slaughter him for all the sins he committed, and he must accept upon himself the four death penalties of the court, stoning, burning, killing, strangling, and with this intention, all his sins are forgiven. The Tanna D'bei Eliyahu says - whether a non-Jew or a Jew, even a non-Jew who says the verse "and he shall slaughter it on the north side of the altar..." all his sins will be forgiven, and certainly a Jew. When they say the flaying, dissecting, wholly on the fire, everything must be directed upon oneself! They light the sin offering, they flay the daily offering, it all goes on me! They flay me! They cut me! They burn me! The guilt offering, thanksgiving, peace offerings, it all goes on me, to burn me, to cut me, to sprinkle my blood.

When they say the offerings, they begin to break through all the shells! They begin to break through the shells of the World of Action, everything is atoned! And one must say the offerings slowly with self-sacrifice! When a person says "offerings" he breaks through the shells he created! Just as in the Holy Temple the morning daily offering would atone for the sins of the night, and the afternoon daily offering would atone for the sins of the day. So too, when a person mentions in the offerings the morning daily offering, it atones for the sins of the night, and when he mentions the afternoon daily offering, it atones for the sins of the day.

"Hashem Wants Us to Do Teshuvah Before We Ask"

A person commits sins twenty-four hours a day, he has endless sins! He must accept upon himself death, strangling, burning, stoning for the sins. If a person did not say the offerings with intention, then he did nothing! Hashem says – what are you coming to me for!? Give me this.. give me that.. first do teshuvah! First ask for forgiveness for everything you did in the twenty-four hours! You brought impurity into the world! Forbidden thoughts, forbidden sights, say the offerings with intention! Intend "in the bulls that are burned" I am ready to be burned, I am ready to be stoned, intend! Say the offerings out loud! Because the very fact that you accept upon yourself burning, killing, strangling, the very fact that you admit you sinned, then everything is atoned and the prayer is accepted.

The prayer begins with the saying of the "offerings" the Zohar says – one must not skip the offerings! If a person did not say the offerings, the prayer was not accepted! He did not break through the shells! He did not break through the screens! Offerings are the highest thing! The offerings come from Atika Kadisha, from the head that is not known, "the ascent of the offering to infinity" offerings are infinite! One must not skip a single word of the offerings! One must arrive on time for prayer and say the offerings word by word, and through this, the prayer is accepted.

In memory of Rabbi Shmuel ben Sarah zt"l.