Why was the Temple — the dwelling place of the Divine Presence on earth — built specifically on the tribal territory of Benjamin? The Mekhilta provides two remarkable reasons, both rooted in Benjamin's unique moral and geographical distinction among the twelve tribes.
The first reason involves one of the most traumatic events in the history of Jacob's family: the sale of Joseph. When the brothers conspired to sell Joseph into slavery in Egypt, all of the tribes participated in the plot — either actively or through their silence. All, that is, except Benjamin. He was not present when the sale took place. His hands were clean of this foundational sin, this act of betrayal against their own brother.
Because Benjamin bore no guilt in the selling of Joseph, his portion of the Land of Israel was chosen to host the holiest site in the world. The Temple required a foundation of moral purity, and Benjamin's territory alone was untainted by that particular transgression.
The second reason is geographical. All of the other sons of Jacob were born outside the Land of Israel — in Haran, in Mesopotamia, in the lands of exile. Benjamin alone was born on the soil of Eretz Yisrael itself. He was the only son of Jacob to enter the world in the Holy Land, and it was fitting that the holiest structure in the Holy Land would stand on the territory of the one tribe whose ancestor had been born there.
Two qualifications — innocence and nativity — set Benjamin apart and made his land worthy of God's permanent dwelling.