The aspirations of a large community of people are channeled through the Temple – not the personal longing of one individual, but the longing of the entire community of Israel.
When the aspirations are concentrated together, this forms something that transcends the limits of the individual’s personal will, and the Temple then becomes a place where God can come from above to dwell down below.
From the combined aspirations of the community springs something that is not always visible to the eye.
When the right connection is formed among Jews, there is a twofold, threefold, or ten thousand-fold magnification of what lies within each one of them.
Batteries can be joined in such a way that each one remains separate, but they can also be joined in such a way that each battery adds its energy to the whole, strengthening it.
This whole is necessary so that we not remain in a situation where each individual stands separately, so that the spiritual entity called “Israel” can continue to exist.
Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz