Midrash Tanchuma on the Study of the Temple Architecture

"When Yechezkiel saw the vision of the future Temple, he exclaimed to God, 'You tell me to go and tell Israel the form of the House? Leave them until they go back to the Land and then I will tell them.' God answered, 'Is it right that because My children are in exile that the building of My Temple should be ignored?' Then God said, 'The study of the Temple architecture in the Torah is considered as being of equal importance to its construction. Go, tell them to study the Temple architecture and as a reward I will consider their study as equivalent to actually constructing the Beit haMikdash.'"

-- Midrash Tanchuma, Tzav 14