Praying for the Temple

In the root of the word Va'etchanan, we find the name Chana, the quintessential figure of prayer. We must learn from her the power of prayer and the notion that if we can't live without something, prayer can effectuate it to become a reality. Coming off of Tisha b'Av, two dominant themes emerge.

First, we must pray for the rebuilding of the Temple. As Rabbi Glatstein shlita, who quotes Reb Chaim Kanievsky shlita, says, it's time to be those who are part of the phrase in the Shabbos zemiros, "vehu yidrosh leTziyon." The quota of suffering has been met, now we must demand that the Temple be rebuilt. Showing that this is what we want and demand speaks volumes about what we feel will complete us.

Second, prioritizing Torah must also be at the top of the agenda as the appreciation of it was lacking during Temple times. 

When delving into the all encompassing nature of Torah, we find that it can heal our body and soul. The Torah is compared to fire ("Ki ner mitzvah v'Torah ohr") and water ("Poter mayim reishit madon"), two elements that don't seem to mix. Though it's true that the fire of barad existed within the water, that was an exception where the fire and water made peace to carry out G-d's will.

If we take a holistic approach, we could suggest that fire, the toil of Torah, effectuates libun on the soul and burns out all of its impurities and goes towards mitigating yissurin. Water though, like a mikvah, refines a person from the outside, as he immerses in the Yam HaTalmud. In this way fire and water can together achieve a tocho kiboro environment

If we prioritize demanding that our Temple be rebuilt and the learning of Torah, hopefully we will merit to see the Temple rebuilt in our days.