Our Gemara on Amud Aleph quotes a verse in Mishley (25:17):

הֹקַ֣ר רַ֭גְלְךָ מִבֵּ֣ית רֵעֶ֑ךָ פֶּן־יִ֝שְׂבָּעֲךָ֗ וּשְׂנֵאֶֽךָ׃

⁦Visit your neighbor sparingly, Lest he have too much of of you and loathe you.

The gist of this verse is to not overstay your welcome. The Talmud extends this idea by metaphor to not frequent the Beis HaMikdash with offerings, as presumably frequency can lead to a lack of respect. The Gemara rejects this idea and reframes it is not coming with sin offerings, but one is always welcome to come with Shelamim and olos sacrifices.

While within the halakhic give-and-take of the Gemara this principle is rejected. Apparently, the Rambam felt that it was only rejected in a rhetorical sense. That is to say, with the proper intentions one is always welcome to the sanctuary. However, the Rambam in the Moreh III:47 uses this exact verse to explain the many holiness and purity rituals of the Bais HaMikdash. Essentially, he says that familiarity breeds contempt, and that the various requirements of purity and holiness elevate regard for the Bais HaMikdash.

While we do not have a Bais HaMikdash, it is important for us to have holy places in our lives. Part of what makes something holy is that we do not engage frequently and casually with it. People believe that there is a prohibition to talk during davening. However, the prohibition is much stronger than that. It is even prohibited to speak idle chatter in a Shul (See Shulkhan Arukh , OC 13), even outside of prayer time. Not all of us are up to praying with fervor and concentration, but it would be a great start to simply recognize the holiness of the place by not talking. 

In a related manner, in the Psychology of the Daf Chaggigah 5, we discussed some of the modesty requirements for marital intimacy. While we saw that there was great range in terms of practice, the idea of making it sacred and holy, may also be related to this concept. Relating to sexuality with awe and reverence may not be so much about abstention and abnegation for its own sake. Rather, it might be in order to allow us to appreciate it and not become bored or disinterested in one of the great joys of life.

 

Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation cool

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