Why does the Torah not require for us to be present in the Bet Hamikdash on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur? By Torah law, on the 3 Festivals of Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot, Jews were required to ascend to Jerusalem and visit the Holy Temple.

Yet, on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, the days which are the holiest  and most significant of all days, Jews were not commanded to be present in the Holy Temple. This is very interesting in light of the fact that the Holy Temple Service of Yom Kippur was the holiest service of the entire year.

Let us attempt to analyze the reason for the Mitzvah of Oleh Regel (The 3 Pilgrimage Festivals). It is clear that a main facet of this Mitzvah is that we worship G-d through SIMCHA (joy). There are 2 elements that advance one's ability to observe this aspect of the Mitzvah – 1. Presence in the Holy Temple and 2. communal worship.

There is no better location to worship G-d through joy than the Holy Temple, for this is the unique place where the Presence of G-d is most manifest. Concurrently, one's ability to be joyful and to express that joy is enhanced when one has others with whom to share his joy. When alone, it is hard to become exuberant, and if one actually becomes joyful, he becomes frustrated in that he has no one with whom to share his joy. This is one reason for the Torah's requiring us to make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem and the Holy Temple for the 3 Festivals to share our joy with others.

However, the nature and function of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur (The Days of Awe) are quite different from that of the 3 Pilgrimage Festivals. During the Days of Awe, the emphasis is on serving G-d through Awe. Rosh Hashana, The Day of Creation of Adam, is also the day when Adam sinned. Because of Adam's sin on this day, all humanity is judged each and every year on this very day of Rosh Hashana.

Yom Kippur, which falls 9 days after Rosh Hashana, is the day on which G-d promised Israel that He will accept our Teshuva for the Sin of the Golden Calf. Thus, Yom Kippur became the Day of Teshuva on which any negative verdict, handed down on Rosh Hashana, can be cancelled.

As such, the emphasis of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur consists of recognizing G-d as the Universal Judge of all mankind and doing Teshuva for our sins.

True Teshuva is best done in solitude, when one can focus on introspection and self improvement (Cheshbon Hanefesh). Therefore, the Torah does not command us to make pilgrimage to the Holy Temple during the Days of Awe, because crowds are a distraction to the Teshuva process.