These sources explore how the prayers, tears, and spiritual efforts of each generation accumulate across time to advance redemption. They establish that individual and communal suffering, repentance, and service are recorded in the heavens and contribute incrementally to the rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash and the restoration of Israel.
כל דור שאינו נבנה בימיו כאילו נחרב בימיו
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What the sources say
The clearest and most explicit source is the Sefat Emet (Devarim 3), who teaches that the geulah is not brought by any single generation's merit alone — rather, "all the generations join together, and all the illuminations of Israel's service gather to make them worthy of redemption," with the building of the Beit HaMikdash continuing incrementally across every generation of exile, like the ongoing prayer of "Boneh Yerushalayim."
This cumulative structure finds its archetypal model in Shemot 2:23–25, where after a long span of time Israel's cries and groaning finally "rose up to God," who heard their moaning and remembered the covenant — implying that the accumulated outcry of generations was what triggered the divine response.
The Zohar, as explained by the Sulam (Zohar, Pekudei 491), adds a dimension specific to tears: the tears shed at the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash and over the passing of the righteous are preserved in the supernal chariot-worlds and intermingled with one another, awaiting the future consolation when God will "wipe away the tear from every face."
The gradual, cumulative nature of the redemption process is further described in Jerusalem Talmud Berakhot 1:1, where Rabbi Chiya the Great teaches that Israel's deliverance is like the dawn — "at first very little, and growing as it goes on" — while Tehillim 126:5–6 provides the foundational image: "They who sow in tears shall reap with songs of joy," framing tears themselves as seeds whose harvest comes only after the planting endures.
איכה ה׳:כ״א
Lamentations 5:21
The plea 'Return us to You, O Lord, and we shall return' expresses the idea that human longing and repentance elicit divine restoration. It is often read as a model of our generation’s prayers joining the cry of earlier generations.
הֲשִׁיבֵ֨נוּ יְהֹוָ֤ה ׀ אֵלֶ֙יךָ֙ (ונשוב) [וְֽנָשׁ֔וּבָה] חַדֵּ֥שׁ יָמֵ֖ינוּ כְּקֶֽדֶם׃
Take us back, O ETERNAL One, to Yourself, And let us come back; Renew our days as of old!
שמות ב׳:כ״ג-כ״ה
Exodus 2:23-25
The Israelites' groaning under oppression rises to God, who hears their cry, remembers His covenant, and sees their suffering. This is a foundational biblical model for collective anguish arousing divine redemption.
וַיְהִי֩ בַיָּמִ֨ים הָֽרַבִּ֜ים הָהֵ֗ם וַיָּ֙מׇת֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ מִצְרַ֔יִם וַיֵּאָנְח֧וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל מִן־הָעֲבֹדָ֖ה וַיִּזְעָ֑קוּ וַתַּ֧עַל שַׁוְעָתָ֛ם אֶל־הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים מִן־הָעֲבֹדָֽה׃ וַיִּשְׁמַ֥ע אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶת־נַאֲקָתָ֑ם וַיִּזְכֹּ֤ר אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶת־בְּרִית֔וֹ אֶת־אַבְרָהָ֖ם אֶת־יִצְחָ֥ק וְאֶֽת־יַעֲקֹֽב׃
A long time after that, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites were groaning under the bondage and cried out; and their cry for help from the bondage rose up to God. God heard their moaning, and God remembered the covenant with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.
תהילים קכ״ו:א׳-ו׳
Psalms 126:1-6
The psalm links tears and sowing to future joy: those who go out weeping, carrying seed, will return with song and abundant harvest. It is a classic source for present sorrow as the precondition of redemption.
הַזֹּרְעִ֥ים בְּדִמְעָ֗ה בְּרִנָּ֥ה יִקְצֹֽרוּ׃ הָ֘ל֤וֹךְ יֵלֵ֨ךְ ׀ וּבָכֹה֮ נֹשֵׂ֢א מֶשֶׁךְ־הַ֫זָּ֥רַע בֹּא־יָבֹ֥א בְרִנָּ֑ה נֹ֝שֵׂ֗א אֲלֻמֹּתָֽיו׃ {פ}
They who sow in tears shall reap with songs of joy. One who goes along weeping, carrying the seed-bag, shall come back with songs of joy, carrying the sheaves.
Sulam on Zohar, Pekudei 491
Certain tears shed at the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash and tears shed upon the deaths of righteous and worthy people are recorded permanently on the heavenly chariots and are never erased; the heavenly chariots gather these tears of the righteous and mingle them with those shed over the destruction, which is why in the future God will wipe away tears from all faces.
ויש דמעות אחרות, שרשומים תמיד על כל אלו מרכבות העליונות, ואינם נמחות, אלו הם דמעות שנשפכו למעלה ולמטה כשנחרב בית המקדש, שבהם מעורבות בחינות ממנעולא, שעליהן אינו מועיל תשובה. ואלו דמעות הנשפכות על צדיקים וזכאים כשמסתלקים מן העולם. כולן לוקחות אותן אלו המרכבות ומערבות אותן באלו הדמעות שנשפכו על חורבן בית המקדש. וע"כ כתוב, לעתיד לבא, ומחה ה' אלקים דמעה מעל כל פנים.
Tanna DeBei Eliyahu Rabbah:22
In every generation, the Holy One holds the deeds of that generation in both His hands and places them against His heart, then against His arms, and weeps over them—sometimes secretly and sometimes openly—weeping in secret because it would be shameful for a lion to weep before a fox, for a king before his servants, for a master before his students, or for a master of a household before his worker; the passage cites Yirmiyahu's words "Who will give my head water and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I may weep day and night for the slain of my people" not as speaking of Yirmiyahu alone but of the Holy One Himself, who divided His world into two measures—one of the righteous and one of the wicked—such that when a person studies Torah from age twenty onward and learns from it fear of Heaven and good deeds, these accompany him until he enters the world to come, and the Holy One rejoices and comes toward him and says that if he has a
בכל דור ודור צופה הקב"ה בשתי ידיו ונותנן כנגד לבו וחוזר ונותנן כנגד זרועותיו ובוכה עליהן בין בסתר בין בגלוי ומפני מה הוא בוכה בסתר מפני שגנאי הוא לארי שיבכה לפני שועל וגנאי הוא למלך שיבכה לפני עבדיו וגנאי הוא לרב שיבכה לפני תלמידיו וגנאי הוא לבעל הבית שיבכה לפני הפועל ששכרו. שנאמר מי יתן ראשי מים ועיני מקור דמעה ואבכה יומם ולילה את חללי בת עמי (ירמיה ח) וכי נגד ירמיה הכתוב מדבר הא אין הכתוב מדבר אלא כנגד הקב"ה שחלק את עולמו לשתי מדות אחת של צדיקים ואחת של רשעים אחד של מדת הצדיקים כיצד צא ולמד מבן עשרים שנה ואילך כיון שבא אדם למשנה ולמד מהן יראת שמים ומעשים טובים מלוין אותו עד שהוא נכנס לבית עולמו והקב"ה שמח ובא כנגדו ואומר מה אם יהיה לו בן או בן בן ממלא מקומו של אביו שנאמר (תהלים יז) ממתים ידך ה' ממתים מחלד וגו'.
תלמוד ירושלמי ברכות א׳:א׳
Jerusalem Talmud Berakhot 1:1
Rebbi Yose bar Abun relates that Rebbi Chiyya and Rebbi Shimon ben Ḥalaphta observed the morning star gradually growing brighter and used this to teach that Israel's deliverance begins small and continuously grows, illustrated through the stages of Mordecai's rising fortune in the book of Esther, from sitting at the king's gate to eventually bringing light and joy to all the Jews.
אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי בֵּי רִבִּי בוּן הֲדָא אַיַילְתָּא דְשַׁחֲרָא מַאן דְּאָמַר כּוֹכָבְתָא הִיא טָעְיָא זִימְנִין דְּהִיא מְקַדְּמָא וְזִימְנִין דְּהִיא מְאַחֲרָה. מַאי כְּדוֹן כְּמִין תְּרֵין דֻּקוֹרְנִין דִּנְהוֹר דְסַלְּקִין מִן מַדִּינְחָא וּמְנָהֲרִין. דֵּלֹמָא רִבִּי חִיָיא רַבָּא וְרִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן חֲלַפְתָּא הַוּוּ מְהַלְּכִין בַּהֲדָא בִקְעַת אַרְבֶּל בִּקְרִיצְתָּה וְרָאוּ אַיֶילֶת הַשַׁחַר שֶׁבָּקַע אוֹרָהּ. אָמַר רִבִּי חִיָיא רַבָּה לְרִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן חֲלַפְתָּא בִּירְבִּי כַּךְ הִיא גְאוּלָּתָן שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּתְּחִילָּה קִימְאָה קִימְאָה כָּל מָה שֶׁהִיא הוֹלֶכֶת הִיא רָבָה וְהוֹלֶכֶת. מַאי טַעְמָא כִּי אֵשֵׁב בַּחוֹשֶׁךְ יי אוֹר לִי. כָּךְ בַּתְּחִילָּה וּמָרְדְּכַי יוֹשֵׁב בְּשַׁעַר הַמֶּלֶךְ. וְאַחַר כַּךְ וַיִּקַּח הָמָן אֶת הַלְּבוּשׁ וְאֶת הַסּוּס. וְאַחַר כַּךְ וַיָּשָׁב מָרְדְּכַי אֶל שַׁעַר הַמֶּלֶךְ. וְאַחַר כַּךְ וּמָרְדְּכַי יָצָא מִלִּפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ בִּלְבוּשׁ מַלְכוּת. וְאַחַר כַּךְ לַיְּהוּדִים הָיִתָה אוֹרָה וְשִׂמְחָה.
Rebbi Yose bar Abun said: Anybody who identifies the “morning hind” with the planet Venus is in error; that planet sometimes is too early and sometimes too late. What is it? It is like two double horns of light that arise from the East and give light. Explanation: The great Rebbi Ḥiyya and Rebbi Simeon ben Ḥalaphta were walking in the valley of Arbela before morning and saw “the morning hind” that started radiating. The great Rebbi Ḥiyya said to Rebbi Simeon ben Ḥalaphta, the great man: so will be the deliverance of Israel; it starts out very little and grows and longer as it goes on. What is the reason (Micha 7:8): “When I shall dwell in darkness, the Lord is my light.” So also at the start (Esther 2:21): “Mordocai was sitting at the king’s gate.” After that (6:11): “Haman took the garment and the horse.” After that (6:12): “Mordocai returned to the king’s gate.” After that (8:15): “Mordocai left the king’s presence in royal garb.” After that (8:16): “The Jews had light and joy.”
סנהדרין צ״ח א — ד"ה אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן
Sanhedrin 98a:10
The Gemara describes the Messiah as coming either in a generation wholly meritorious or wholly guilty, and elsewhere in the sugya the theme is that redemption emerges from the spiritual state of the generation. It is a useful backdrop for thinking about a generation's collective avodah and yearning.
אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: אִם רָאִיתָ דּוֹר שֶׁמִּתְמַעֵט וְהוֹלֵךְ, חַכֵּה לוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְאֶת עַם עָנִי תּוֹשִׁיעַ וְגוֹ׳״. אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: אִם רָאִיתָ דּוֹר שֶׁצָּרוֹת רַבּוֹת בָּאוֹת עָלָיו כַּנָּהָר, חַכֵּה לוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״כִּי יָבֹא כַנָּהָר צָר רוּחַ ה׳ נֹסְסָה בוֹ״, וּסְמִיךְ לֵיהּ: ״וּבָא לְצִיּוֹן גּוֹאֵל״. וְאָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: אֵין בֶּן דָּוִד בָּא אֶלָּא בְּדוֹר שֶׁכּוּלּוֹ זַכַּאי, אוֹ כּוּלּוֹ חַיָּיב. בְּדוֹר שֶׁכּוּלּוֹ זַכַּאי – דִּכְתִיב: ״וְעַמֵּךְ כֻּלָּם צַדִּיקִים לְעוֹלָם יִירְשׁוּ אָרֶץ״. בְּדוֹר שֶׁכּוּלּוֹ חַיָּיב – דִּכְתִיב: ״וַיַּרְא כִּי אֵין אִישׁ וַיִּשְׁתּוֹמֵם כִּי אֵין מַפְגִּיעַ״, וּכְתִיב: ״לְמַעֲנִי אֶעֱשֶׂה״. אָמַר רַבִּי אֲלֶכְּסַנְדְּרִי: רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי רָמֵי, כְּתִיב ״בְּעִתָּהּ״ וּכְתִיב ״אֲחִישֶׁנָּה״. זָכוּ – אֲחִישֶׁנָּה, לֹא זָכוּ – בְּעִתָּהּ.
Rabbi Yoḥanan says: If you saw a generation whose wisdom and Torah study is steadily diminishing, await the coming of the Messiah, as it is stated: “And the afflicted people You will redeem” (II Samuel 22:28). Rabbi Yoḥanan says: If you saw a generation whose troubles inundate it like a river, await the coming of the Messiah, as it is stated: “When distress will come like a river that the breath of the Lord drives” (Isaiah 59:19). And juxtaposed to it is the verse: “And a redeemer will come to Zion” (Isaiah 59:20). And Rabbi Yoḥanan says: The son of David will come only in a generation that is entirely innocent, in which case they will be deserving of redemption, or in a generation that is entirely guilty, in which case there will be no alternative to redemption. He may come in a generation that is entirely innocent, as it is written: “And your people also shall be all righteous; they shall inherit the land forever” (Isaiah 60:21). He may come in a generation that is entirely guilty, as it is written: “And He saw that there was no man, and was astonished that there was no intercessor; therefore His arm brought salvation to Him, and His righteousness, it sustained Him” (Isaiah 59:16). And it is written: “For My own sake, for My own sake will I do it; for how should it be profaned? And My glory I will not give it to another” (Isaiah 48:11). § Rabbi Alexandri says: Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi raises a contradiction in a verse addressing God’s commitment to redeem the Jewish people. In the verse: “I the Lord in its time I will hasten it” (Isaiah 60:22), it is written: “In its time,” indicating that there is a designated time for the redemption, and it is written: “I will hasten it,” indicating that there is no set time for the redemption. Rabbi Alexandri explains: If they merit redemption through repentance and good deeds I will hasten the coming of the Messiah. If they do not merit redemption, the coming of the Messiah will be in its designated time.
הכוזרי ב׳:כ״ד-כ״ו
Kuzari 2:24-26
The passage states that incomplete return from Babylonian exile resulted from the majority's unwillingness to leave their homes and affairs, and that Divine Providence grants people only what their receptive capacity allows; had the people returned with pure intention and wholehearted readiness, they would have received the full measure of salvation that their ancestors received.
(כד) אָמַר הֶחָבֵר: הוֹבַשְׁתַּנִי מֶלֶךְ כּוּזָר, וְהֶעָוֹן הַזֶּה הוּא אֲשֶׁר מְנָעָנוּ מֵהַשְׁלָמַת מַה שֶּׁיְּעָדָנוּ בוֹ הָאֱלֹהִים בְּבַיִת שֵׁנִי, כְּמָה שֶׁאָמַר: "רָנִּי וְשִׂמְחִי בַּת־צִיּוֹן", כִּי כְבָר הָיָה הָעִנְיָן הָאֱלֹהִי מְזֻמָּן לָחוּל כַּאֲשֶׁר בַּתְּחִלָּה אִלּוּ הָיוּ מַסְכִּימִים כֻּלָּם לָשׁוּב בְּנֶפֶשׁ חֲפֵצָה, אֲבָל שָׁבוּ מִקְצָתָם וְנִשְׁאֲרוּ רֻבָּם וּגְדוֹלֵיהֶם בְּבָבֶל, רוֹצִים בַּגָּלוּת וּבָעֲבוֹדָה – שֶׁלֹּא יִפָּרְדוּ מִמִּשְׁכְּנוֹתֵיהֶם וְעִנְיָנֵיהֶם. וְשֶׁמָּא עַל זֶה אָמַר שְׁלֹמֹה: "אֲנִי יְשֵׁנָה וְלִבִּי עֵר", כִּנָּה הַגָּלוּת בְּשֵׁנָה וְהַלֵּב הָעֵר הַתְמָדַת הַנְּבוּאָה בֵינֵיהֶם. "קוֹל דּוֹדִי דוֹפֵק", קְרִיאַת הָאֱלֹהִים לָשׁוּב. "שֶׁרֹאשִׁי נִמְלָא־טָל" עַל הַשְּׁכִינָה שֶׁיָּצְאָה מִצִּלְלֵי הַמִּקְדָּשׁ, וּמַה שֶּׁאָמַר: "פָּשַׁטְתִּי אֶת כֻּתָּנְתִּי", עַל עַצְלוּתָם לָשׁוּב. "דּוֹדִי שָׁלַח יָדוֹ מִן־הַחוֹר", עַל עֶזְרָא שֶׁהָיָה פוֹצֵר בָּהֶם וּנְחֶמְיָה וְהַנְּבִיאִים, עַד שֶׁהוֹדוּ קְצָתָם לָשׁוּב הוֹדָאָה בִלְתִּי גְמוּרָה, וְנָתַן לָהֶם כְּמַצְפּוּן לִבָּם, וּבָאוּ הָעִנְיָנִים מְקֻצָּרִים מִפְּנֵי קִצּוּרָם, כִּי הָעִנְיָן הָאֱלֹהִי אֵינֶנּוּ חָל עַל הָאִישׁ אֶלָּא כְּפִי הִזְדַּמְּנוּתוֹ לוֹ, אִם מְעַט – מְעָט וְאִם הַרְבֵּה – הַרְבֵּה. וְאִלּוּ הָיִינוּ מִזְדַּמְּנִים לִקְרַאת אֱלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ בְּלֵבָב שָׁלֵם וּבְנֶפֶשׁ חֲפֵצָה, הָיִינוּ פוֹגְעִים מִמֶּנּוּ מַה שֶּׁפָּגְעוּ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ בְּמִצְרָיִם. וְאֵין דִּבּוּרֵנוּ: "הִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לְהַר קָדְשׁוֹ", וְ"הִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לְהֲדוֹם רַגְלָיו", וְ"הַמַּחֲזִיר שְׁכִינָתוֹ לְצִיּוֹן", וְזוּלַת זֶה, אֶלָּא כְצִפְצוּף הַזַּרְזִיר, שֶׁאֵין אֲנַחְנוּ חוֹשְׁבִים עַל מַה שֶּׁנֹאמַר בָּזֶה וְזוּלָתוֹ, כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמַרְתָּ מֶלֶךְ כּוּזָר.
24. The Rabbi: This is a severe reproach, O king of the Khazars. It is the sin which kept the divine promise with regard to the second Temple, viz.: Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion' (Zachariah 2:14), from being fulfilled. Divine Providence was ready to restore everything as it had been at first, if they had all willingly consented to return. But only a part was ready to do so, whilst the majority and the aristocracy remained in Babylon, preferring dependence and slavery, and unwilling to leave their houses and their affairs. An allusion to them might be found in the enigmatic words of Solomon: I sleep, but my heart waketh (Song of Songs 5:2-4). He designates the exile by sleep, and the continuance of prophecy among them by the wakefulness of the heart. 'It is the voice of my beloved that knocketh' means God's call to return; 'My head is filled with dew' alludes to the Shekhinah which emerged from the shadow of the Temple. The words: 'I have put off my coat,' refer to the people's slothfulness in consenting to return. The sentence: 'My beloved stretcheth forth his hand through the opening' may be interpreted as the urgent call of Ezra, Nehemiah, and the Prophets, until a portion of the people grudgingly responded to their invitation. In accordance with their mean mind they did not receive full measure. Divine Providence only gives man as much as he is prepared to receive; if his receptive capacity be small, he obtains little, and much if it be great. Were we prepared to meet the God of our forefathers with a pure mind, we should find the same salvation as our fathers did in Egypt. If we say: 'Worship his holy hill--worship at His footstool--He who restoreth His glory to Zion' (Psalms 99:9, Psalsm 99:5), and other words, this is but as the chattering of the starling and the nightingale. We do not realise what we say by this sentence, nor others, as thou rightly observest, O Prince of the Khazars.
נפש החיים, שער ב י״א — ד"ה ומ"ש לפני חילו
Nefesh HaChayim, Gate II 11:1
The work teaches that human speech and action arouse higher spiritual worlds, so the prayers of one generation can have cosmic effect and participate in the ongoing repair of creation. This supports the notion that accumulated prayer contributes to redemption.
ומ"ש לפני חילו. רמז זה העיקר הגדול של ענין התפלה. שכלל כוונתה הוא. לכוין רק להוסיף כח בקדושה שכמו שהאיש מאנשי החיל משליך כל ענינו וצרכי עצמו מנגד ומוסר נפשו ברצונו רק על כבוד המלך. שיתגדל הכתר מלוכה של אותה המדינה ותנשא מלכותו. כן ראוי מאד להאדם הישר לשום כל כוונתו וטוהר מחשבתו בתפלתו רק להוסיף תת כח בהעולמות הקדושים. ולעורר בקולו הקול העליון לאמשכא מניה ברכאן ונהירו לכלא. להעביר רוח הטומאה מן העולם ויתוקן עולם במלכותו ית"ש. ולא על עניניו וצרכי עצמו כלל. ועינינו הראות בנוסח תפלת ר"ה שהוא מסודר מראשו עד סופו רק על כבוד מלכותו ית"ש שתתעלה כבתחלה קודם חטא אדה"ר. וגם נוסח תפלת כל השנה. אף שלפי פשוטו הנראה רובו ככולו מסודר על עניני צרכי עצמנו. ודאי ברור לכל מבין וממקומו הוא מוכרע שלא כיונו אנשי הכנסי' הגדולה על הנראה מפשוטי פי' המלות לבד וכמש"ל פ"י.
And what is written “before his army” hints at the great fundamental principle of the matter of prayer, that the general principle of its purpose is for us to intend only to add power to holiness, for just as a soldier casts aside all of his concerns and personal needs, and devotes his life willingly only to the honor of the king, that he should capture the crown of that specific [enemy] nation and that his reign should be exalted, so too it’s very fitting for the righteous person to apply his entire attention/ intention and clarity of thought related to his prayers so as only to increase the strength given to the holy worlds, and to awaken the supernal voice with his voice, and to draw down from it blessings and light to all, and to cause the spirit of impurity to pass away from the world, and to rectify the world in His sovereignty (blessed be His name), and not in any way towards his own concerns or personal needs. And we see when we examine the wording of the Rosh Ha-shanna prayer service, that it is organized from its start to its end so as to honor His sovereignty (blessed be His name), that it should be as exalted as it was in the beginning prior to the sin of First Adam. And also the wording of the daily prayer service, even though it superficially appears to mostly be organized relative to the matters of our personal needs, with certainty, it is clear to all who understand, as can be determined from its context, that the Notables of the Great Assembly did not intend the plain meaning of the words alone, and it’s as I wrote above in chapter 10.
אגרות משה, או"ח ב׳:רל״ה
Igros Moshe OC 2:235
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Likkutei Sichos 5, Vayetzei 1
The Rebbe develops the idea that the work of the fathers and the experiences of earlier generations continue to empower later generations, so that present avodah is genuinely cumulative. This provides a Chassidic basis for the notion that our prayers and tears build on those before us to hasten geulah.
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שפת אמת, דברים, דברים ג׳
Sefat Emet, Deuteronomy, Devarim:3
The Yerushalmi states that each generation's merits accumulate throughout the exile to contribute toward redemption, with each generation's Torah and mitzvos assisting incrementally in the building of the Beis Hamikdash through the continuous process reflected in "Boneh Yerushalayim," such that a generation that does not contribute to this building is considered as if it destroyed it in their days, and similarly each individual's actions assist in the construction of the Beis Hamikdash through accepting the yoke of Heaven.
כל דור שאינו נבנה בימיו כאילו נחרב בימיו. קשה להבין שהיו הרבה דורות צדיקי עליון שנאמר שהי' ראוי להיות נחרב בימיהם. ונראה לפרש כי כל ימי הדורות מצטרפין ומתכנסין כל ההארות של עבודת בנ"י להיות ראוין לגאולה, כי היעלה על הדעת שדור הגאולה יהיו כ"כ ראוין בזכותם בלבד לגאולה. רק שזכות כל דור ודור עוזר ומביא מעט בנין בהמ"ק. והבנין נמשך כל ימי הגלות כמאמר בונה ירושלם. וז"ש שכל דור שאינו מסייע לבנינו. וז"ש שאינו נבנה בימיו שאין ימיו בכלל הבנין כנ"ל. וכל אדם בפרט ג"כ צריך לידע שכל מעשיו הם סיוע לבנין בהמ"ק. וכפי מה שמקבלין ע"ע עול מלכות שמים מסייעין לבנינו כמ"ש הכל מסייעין לבנינו של מלך כו':
The Gemara Yerushalmi (Yuma 1:1) states that any generation in which the Beis Hamikdash is not rebuilt is as if it has been destroyed in their days. This does not imply that earlier generations were unworthy or that the generation in which it will be rebuilt is superior. Rather, each generation must contribute through their Torah and mitzvos to the ongoing process of rebuilding the Beis Hamikdash, as reflected in the continuous prayer "Boneh Yerushalayim" (He who builds Jerusalem). Therefore, any generation that does not contribute at all to its rebuilding is as if it has destroyed it in their days. On an individual level, each person must recognize that their actions contribute to the rebuilding of the Beis Hamikdash. By accepting the yoke of Heaven and engaging in mitzvos, they assist in its construction, as "everything assists in the King's construction."