We can surely build the Third Temple...
You realize both of our Holy Temples were built by the hands of man, and so will the Third one... There is no such thing as it coming down from heaven, this was made up by Rabbis in the Galut...
Rabbi Richman from A7 just yesterday spoke of the necessity for the Temple to be rebuilt by man...
I voted "tear down the ugly mosque and build the Temple"!
muman613, would you happen to know what the consensus opinion from Chabad is?
I am sorry to report that I have not discussed the particulars of the rebuilding of the Temple with my good Chabad Rabbis.... Last night I spent the evening listening to Rabbi Kagan reading the Eichah scroll to a dirgeful melody.
I know that Chabad is very positive that Moshiach is here, or he could be here if we are able to merit it through the observance of Mitzvot. Every Chabad Rabbi will do everything in his power in order to facilitate a Jew to observe the mitzvot. I got my Tefillin through a Chabad Rabbi and most of the good Rabbis I know are from Chabad {I know 4 Chabad Rabbis currently} and a few Modern Orthodox.
I know that the Chabad Rabbis I know are very supportive of Israel, have family in Israel, visit Israel regularly, know Rabbis who live there. Chabad Rabbis are not Kahanists, for sure, but they do support Jews in Israel and I have never heard them talk badly about the state.
That is about all I can say about this... I love Chabad and all they are doing for Jews all over the world. I believe we would be losing so many more Jews to assimilation and destruction.
One more story about Chabad. At the beginning of 2010 my father succumbed to pancreatic cancer. The evening of Jan 1, 2010 was a Friday night. I came to visit my father at his death bed that weekend, upon urgent notice. It being Erev Shabbat I needed to find a Chabad in Thousand Oaks California where my father lived with his wife. I was fortunate to find that there was a Chabad house within walking distance of my fathers house.
It was before sunset Friday and I drove to the Chabad center which was in a shopping center. When I went inside there was nobody there except the wonderful Rabbi. He asked me how I was, could he get me a drink, did I want to sit down, he was the living example of hachnasat orchim [
http://www.darchenoam.org/discussion/chesed2.htm ] .
It turned out there was not going to be a minyan at the center that night. I was a little sad to hear that but then the good Rabbi extended an invitation to have Shabbat dinner at his home. I took up his offer and we hurried to his home before sunset. His father was there and his wife and kids, and his beautiful home on the hill overlooking the city, and a library full of Talmud and Mishnah. I davened Minchah and then waited for dinner. While waiting I paged through some Talmud Gemaras I had heard about.
The dinner was spectacular and the company was brilliant. I had a magnificent time with the Rabbi and his family. Of course he invited me to stay over at his home after the meal because he did not want me to drive to my fathers house. It also turned out that the Rabbis house was only 12 blocks or so from my dads house. I walked to my fathers house and got some rest for Saturday. Saturday I walked to the Chabad center and waited outside the locked door because I had arrived early... But I saw the Rabbi coming down the road and I smiled broadly... I love Chabad and their Rabbis...