Sefer HaChinuch ספר החינוך

The commandment of awe for the Temple: To be inawed from the Temple, meaning to say that we set it up in our souls as a place of fear and awe, so that our hearts soften in our coming there to pray or to offer sacrifices, as it is stated (Leviticus 19:30), “and be inawed by My Temple.” And they, may their memory be blessed, explained in Sifra, Kedoshim, Chapter 7:9 and likewise in Berakhot 54a, “Which is awe? One may not enter the Temple Mount with his staff, with his shoes, with his money belt, with the dust on his feet or with money bundled into his cloak; and he may not make it a shortcut” — meaning to say he enter from one opening and exit from an opening across from it, only in order to shorten his path — “and through an a fortiori inference, spit “— and there is no need to say that the place is forbidden for spitting. And they also elucidated in Sanhedrin 101a that it is only fit for kings of the House of David to sit in the [Temple] yard, due to the honor of the monarchy — as it is stated (II Samuel 7:18), “And King David came and sat before the Lord.” And they said in Sifra, Kedoshim, Chapter 7:7, “Not from the Temple should you be inawed, but from the One Who commanded about the Temple.”

I have written above on the commandment of “And let them make Me a sanctuary” (Sefer HaChinukh 95) [in the] Order of Vayikchu Li Terumah and in other places about the roots of this commandment.

From the laws of the commandment is that which they, may their memory be blessed, said (Megillah 28b) that a person may only enter any of the Temple Mount for the matter of a commandment. And anyone who has finished his service in the [Temple] and retires, walks backwards a little at a time; and so [too,] the men of the shift, the men of the watch and the Levites from their platforms, would leave like this from the Temple. And [also] that which they, may their memory be blessed, said (Berachot 61b) [that] it is always forbidden to defecate or sleep between east and west, because the Sanctuary is in the West. And so [too,] (Rosh Hashanah 24a) is it forbidden for a person to build a house in the form of the Sanctuary, nor a portico in the form of the chamber nor a courtyard in the form of the [Temple] yard. And all of this is from the awe of the place. And the rest of the details of the honor of the [Temple] and its awe are in Middot and Tamid. (See Mishneh Torah, Laws of The Chosen Temple 7.)

And this commandment is practiced [even today] by males and females. As even though the Temple is destroyed today on account of our iniquities, every person is [still] obligated in its awe. And [so] he should only enter a place that it is permitted to enter when it is built, and he should not even sit in the courtyard; and he should not be light-headed opposite the Eastern Gate — as it is stated (Leviticus 19:30), “You shall keep My Shabbats and be inawed by My Temple”; and they said in Sifra, Kedoshim, Chapter 7:8, “Just like keeping the Shabbat is forever, so too is awe of the Temple forever.” And one who transgresses it and acts light-headedly in these matters that we have said has violated this positive commandment.