Small tidbits and Sparks of wisdom

asked to Rav Avigdor Miller ztz”l — May 11, 1971

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Question:

Was the Beis Hamikdash destroyed because of sinas chinam—baseless hatred—among frum Jews?

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Answer (Rav Avigdor Miller ztz”l):

No, there’s no sinas chinam among the true Torah-observant Jews. Don’t let anyone twist the narrative. The sinas chinam described in the Gemara wasn’t about a disagreement over customs or halachic nuance. It was the deep, corrosive hatred of those who despised the Torah itself and the people loyal to it. The same hatred that burned in the hearts of the Tzedukim, the Notzrim, and those who couldn’t stand to see Jews living lives devoted to Hashem—that’s the hatred that brought about the Churban.

That spirit never left.

In modern times, it reappeared in the form of Jewish communists, socialists, and so-called secular Zionists who made it their mission to uproot Torah from the Jewish people. Not just apathy—but open war against mitzvos, yeshivos, and rabbanim. They didn’t merely separate from Torah—they tried to extinguish it.
The old Tzeduki became the Israeli cultural warrior. The ancient Notzri turned into the progressive politician. Whether it was Mapai, the early Histadrut, or modern-day Knesset members who spew contempt for Torah Jews, it’s the same spiritual force: hatred of kedushah.

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This hatred has kept us in golus.

Even in the Land of Israel, we remain in exile, because the Shechinah will not dwell where Torah is trampled and mocked. The presence of Jews in Eretz Yisrael doesn’t equal redemption when the ruling hand still tries to uproot Torah.

As long as there are Jews—especially powerful Jews—who fight Torah under the disguise of Judaism itself, we remain stuck in a spiritual standstill.
They use Jewish names, Jewish language, and Jewish symbols to fight against Torah. And that’s more dangerous than open enemies.

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Hashem will not rebuild the Beis Hamikdash under those conditions.

The return of the Shechinah is not political—it’s spiritual. Either we serve Him fully, without compromise, or we remain locked in this endless internal war: religious Jews attacked by secular Jews, Torah degraded by those who claim to speak for the Jewish people while rejecting its soul.

This is the sinas chinam that delays the Geulah.
This is the reason we are still in golus.
And it cannot be healed by speeches, slogans, or unity conferences.

It must be healed by unshakable devotion to Hashem and His Torah—by the masses of Jews choosing once again to say:

> “Na’aseh v’nishma.”

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Until then, Hashem will wait.
And so will the Third Temple.