“Dust” means not having any movement of his own, but everyone messes with it. In other words, anyone who wants to, builds his house on it and it cannot protest. Therefore, both good things and also to the contrary.

Therefore, the meager, who is the poor one, meaning the point in the heart, when a person comes to such lowliness that he cannot protest against undesirable people from building their homes, since the person received an inheritance from his teachers not to let anything be built on this dust, except for the Temple.

One should pay attention in the days between Kesseh and Assor [“ten penitential days” (between the Jewish New Year and the Day of Atonement)]. Kesseh means that he has a Kissui [cover] over Providence, and Assor comes from the word Isru Chag Baavotim [chain the festival with shackles]. This means one’s hands and legs are tied and he cannot protest against his indecent thoughts, so they do not build their home there.

This is the meaning of what our sages said, “Seek the Lord while He is found; call upon Him while He is near” (Yevamot 105). Why is He near specifically at that time? It is because “The Lord is high and the low will see,” meaning the quality of the mind. “From the trash” means the heart, when one is placed in the trash, namely the lusts of this world. At that time, a person comes to full recognition that “Unless the Lord builds a home, its builders labor in it in vain.” For this reason, precisely then we must not give up on being rewarded with building the Temple.