By Rabbi Aryeh Citron
The Torah portion of Vaeschanan begins with the prayer of Moshe Rabeinu – that he be allowed to cross the Jordan River and “see the good land on the other side of the Jordan, that good hill country, and the Lebanon.”
[1] Although the word Lebanon in the Tanach usually means the cedars of Lebanon[2] or a forest,[3] in this context the commentaries say Moshe Rabeinu is referring to the Beis HaMikdash.[4]
I have found six reasons why the Beis HaMikdash is called Lebanon: [5]
1. Cleanses Sins
The Beis HaMikdash whitens (cleanses) the Jewish people from their sins (lavan means white), as it says,[6] “If your sins will be like scarlet, I will make them as white (pure) as snow.”[7] This was accomplished by the many sacrifices offered in the Beis HaMikdash.[8]
2. Made Out of Cedars
The Beis HaMikdash was made out of the cedars of Lebanon.[9]
3. Was Near a Forest
The Beis HaMikdash was located near a forest made up of cedars of Lebanon.[10]
4. Frankincense Was Offered There
One of the important services in the Beis HaMikdash was to offer incense and meal offerings in which Levonah/frankincense (similar to the word Lebanon) was an important ingredient.[11] In this sense, the name “Levanon” is like the name “Har HaMoriyah” (Mount Moriah) in that both refer to the incense burned in the Beis HaMikdash.[12] (Moriah alludes to the Myrrh, another spice that was in the incense.)
5. An Elevated Place
The Beis HaMikdash was elevated (spiritually) above the rest of the world just as trees are elevated above the ground from which they grow. (See above that “Lebanon” can mean cedars.) This is why the Jewish people received atonement through the Beis HaMikdash, for by visiting and worshipping there, they would be elevated and removed from their sins just the trees are elevated. [13]
6. Divine Wisdom and Knowledge Was Found There
The word לבנון/Lebanon is made of two words – לב, which is the gematriyah of 32 and נון, which (as a letter) has the gematiryah of 50. This refers to the 32 paths of chochmah (Divine wisdom)[14] and the 50 gates of binah (Divine understanding) that were revealed in the Beis HaMikdash.[15]
Sources:
[1] Deut. 3:25
[2] See Metzudot David on Psalms 29:6
[3] See Metzudot Tziyon on Kings I, 7:2
[4] Rashi (and other commentaries) based on Sifri on the verse and on Bereishit Rabbah 15:1
[5] See Gittin 56b where Raban Yochanan ben Zakai told Vespasian that he must be a king since he had besieged Jerusalem, and the Beis HaMikdash could only be destroyed by a king, as the verse says, “Lebanon will fall into the hands of a mighty one (Isaiah 10:34).”
[6] Isaiah, 1:18
[7] Sifri on the verse and Yoma 39b quoted in Aderet Eliyahu by the Gaon of Vilna, on the verse
[8] See Bamidbar Rabbah 21:21 that no man ever slept in Jerusalem with a sin “in his hand” as the Tamid (daily sacrifice) would atone for their sins on a daily basis.
[9] Chizkuni on the verse. See Kings I, 5:20.
[10] Ralbag on Kings I, 7:2
[11] The Lubavitcher Rebbe in HaMa’or Shebatorah on the verse (from Sichat Parshat Vaet’chanan 5737). See Rashi on Gen. 22:2 in explanation of the name “Mount Moriah.” See Exodus 30:34, Levit. 2:1 and in many places
[12] See Rashi on Gen. 22:2 “[It is called Moriah] because of the service of the ketoret (incense) which had Myrrh and other spices.”
[13] The Maharal in Gur Aryeh
[14] לב also means heart as the 32 paths of wisdom are supposed to reach one’s heart.
[15] Nachal Kidumim
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Lebanon is as Christian as it is Muslim. There also used to be a sizeable Jewish population. About 50% of all Lebanese people who currently reside in Lebanon are Christians.