Nehemiah · Chapter 13

'On that day' — on the day they dedicated the wall. 'Should not enter, etc.' — they should not accept converts from them to intermarry with them.

On that day - This was the day recalled below on which he threw out the vessels of Tobiah, who was also an Ammonite, and who was a son-in-law and relative by marriage to the officials of the people who had intermarried with him, as stated above (6:18). It was then that he commanded that the Book of Moses be read - that is, the Book of Deuteronomy, which Moses spoke, for that is where this warning is found.

'Did not meet' — they did not come out ahead of them to go toward them with bread and water, at the time they went out of Egypt. 'However, [our God] turned, etc.' — this too they read in the Torah; and since he did not wish to end on a note of something bad, he therefore also said, 'and [Hashem] turned,' etc.

'they did not meet' — they did not come before them, as in 'with what shall I come before Hashem' (Micah 6:6).

Because they did not meet [them] - That is to say, if they had truly been afraid of them (one can excuse this by noting that they later hired Balaam), they should have met them with bread and water and sought peace and a covenant with them. And if they did not meet them with bread because they were not afraid of them, then why did they hire Balaam? And do not say that Balaam's curse accomplished nothing anyway, so what did it matter - therefore it says, 'but our God turned the curse into a blessing,' implying that had this not happened, his curse would have caused harm.

all mixtures Every mixture of heathens, like (Exodus 12:38): “A great mixed multitude (עֵרֶב רַב) also went up with them.”

'that they separated from Israel all the alien mixture' — it appears that some had converted from Ammon and Moab, and they separated these from the rest of Israel, so that they would not intermarry with them.

'All the alien mixture' — every admixture from the children of Ammon and Moab.

And it came to pass - Then they separated out all the mixed multitude, that is, the Ammonite and Moabite converts who had intermingled among them. And even though the law is that the nations have since become intermixed, so that 'whatever separates [from a mixed group] is presumed to be from the majority,' as Rabbi Yehoshua states in tractate Yadayim and as brought in Berachot (28), one can say that at that time the Ammonites were still identifiable by their lineage - for the essential mixing of the nations came about through Nebuchadnezzar, as Tosafot state in Megillah 12 and Yevamot 76 - and this was after the destruction [of the Temple], when there were still some from these nations who had not yet become intermixed.

Now prior to this Heb. וְלִפְנֵי מִזֶה, before this. was a kinsman of Tobiah Eliashib the priest was a kinsman of Tobiah the companion of Sanballat, and the priest placed Tobiah’s vessels there.

"Now before this" — meaning: before this act of separation.

'being allied to Tobiah' — now, Tobiah was an Ammonite, as mentioned earlier (2:19).

'Now before this' — before this separation [took place]. 'Who was appointed, etc.' — meaning, [Eliashib,] who held office over the chamber of the house of our God, was close with Tobiah the Ammonite mentioned above, the associate of Sanballat.

Now before this - He explains what brought about their reading from Deuteronomy on that day: it was because Eliashib the priest's chamber was near Tobiah's chamber, for he had made a large chamber for Tobiah next to his own. In that chamber they had formerly placed the meal-offering and so forth, but at that time [the people] had stopped giving the tithes and offerings, so the chamber stood empty, and the priest gave it to Tobiah to dwell in.

And he made Eliashib [made]. in previous times Before I came to Jerusalem, they would put [them] there. which were ordained for the Levites the gifts due the Levites.

"had prepared for him a great chamber" — Eliashib is the one who made it, for Tobiah; and in Tobiah's chamber they used to store the items mentioned [the meal-offerings, frankincense, vessels, and tithes].

'Had prepared for him a great chamber' — Eliashib made and arranged for Tobiah a great chamber in the courtyard of the house of Hashem — meaning, he cleared out a chamber to be his residence. 'Where formerly' — in that chamber they used to place, previously, before Eliashib cleared it out to be a residence for Tobiah. 'The meal-offerings' — fine flour for the meal-offerings. 'The frankincense' — that which was brought with the meal-offering and with the showbread. 'And the vessels' — the vessels of the Temple. '[Given] by commandment to the Levites' — that which we are commanded to give to the Levites, the singers, and the porters. He says this to indict Eliashib all the more, as if to say: how could his heart allow him to clear away the portions of the servants of Hashem, in order to make room for Tobiah the Ammonite?

'had prepared' — refers to preparation, as in 'and he hastened to prepare it' (Genesis 18:7).

Now with all this during this entire episode. I came to the king when I returned to Babylon. I requested of the king to give me permission to go up and to return to Jerusalem.

'But in all this time I was not at Jerusalem' — meaning, at the time when a chamber was made for Tobiah in the courts of the house of God. This is because in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes, king of Babylon, I had gone to the king, and at the end of the year I asked leave of the king, and received permission from him to return to Jerusalem.

'But in all this' — at the time this thing happened — that Eliashib cleared out all these things for Tobiah's sake — I had gone to the king; it was then that this evil thing was done. 'And after certain days' — and at the end of some days, without specifying how many. 'I asked leave' — I requested of him to give me permission to go to Jerusalem.

'I asked leave' — from the language of asking and requesting; and because his request concerned himself, it is phrased in the reflexive [nif'al] form, as in 'David earnestly asked leave' (I Samuel 20).

But in all this time - This was during the period when I was not in Jerusalem, when these breaches occurred. And 'after certain days' means that the king had summoned him and commanded him to remain with him for a fixed period, and when that fixed period ended, 'I asked leave of the king' - that is, I obtained permission from him to return - 'and I came to Jerusalem and understood the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah,' that is, on Tobiah's account, in profaning the Temple.

'And understood the evil' — I set my mind to understand the evil of the deed that Eliashib had done regarding Tobiah, in fixing up and clearing out for him a chamber in one of the courtyards of the house of Hashem.

'a chamber' — like lishkah (chamber/hall).

'And it grieved me sore' — this thing was evil in my eyes. 'All the household stuff, etc.' — meaning, the household furnishings.

And it grieved me sore, and I cast forth - Since Tobiah's relatives and the officials complained against Nehemiah about this, he then commanded that the Torah be read, to show them that Tobiah was forbidden to enter the assembly.

And I commanded I commanded to purify it, and they purified the chambers, etc.

'Then I commanded, and they cleansed the chambers' — meaning, the chamber of Eliashib and the chamber of Tobiah; and there, in the chamber of Tobiah, I again brought the vessels of the house of God, the meal-offering and the frankincense.

'Then I commanded' — I gave orders about the matter, and they purified the chambers of every trace of impurity and revulsion. 'And there I again brought, etc.' — so that it should be as it had been before, prior to Tobiah's dwelling there.

Then I commanded... and there I again brought the vessels of the house of God - For in this chamber the vessels, the meal-offering, and the frankincense had previously been kept, as mentioned above in verse 5, and these he restored to their place. He also wished to restore there the tithe and the terumah that had been there, as mentioned above, and from this he learned that the people were not giving the tithes and offerings - which is what it says next.

portions Heb. מְנָיוֹת, [like] מָנוֹת. had not been given that the Israelites had not placed the gifts there, and because of that they fled and wandered here and there to ask for their gifts, and were not occupied as much with their service.

"the portions of the Levites" — which Hashem commanded to give to them. "had not been given" — it speaks of a single [portion], for the word is used in the singular though it stands for the many, namely, the various portions.

'And I perceived that the portions of the Levites had not been given them' — meaning, that the portions of the Levites had not been given to them at the house of God; that is why the Levites and the singers had fled, each to his own field, to go about the threshing-floors in search of their portions.

'And I perceived' — it became known to me that the gifts of the Levites had not been given, and they did not have enough for their sustenance; therefore each one fled to his field, to work it by plowing and harvesting, to keep himself alive. 'Who did the work' — the work of song and of shutting the gates.

And I perceived - that the portions of the Levites, that is, the portions, 'had not been given'; the singular verb form refers to the mitzvah of giving [as a single act]. 'And they fled' - and because of this the Levites abandoned their posts and fled to work their own fields.

And I gathered them I gathered the priests and the Levites to station them on their watches in their service, and all of Israel brought them their gifts there.

'Then I contended with the rulers,' etc. — for they had not given the Levites their portions at the house of Hashem. And I gathered the Levites together and restored them to their former post, and I arranged matters so that all Judah brought the tithe of the grain, the wine, and the oil to the storehouses of the house of Hashem, so that the Levites would not need to abandon the service of the Temple.

'Why is [the house of God] forsaken' — why has it been abandoned by the Levites, the servants of the house? 'And I gathered them together' — I gathered the Levites and set them back in their posts, each one at his watch, as it had been before.

'Then I contended' — from the language of strife (riv).

And I gathered them - I gathered the Levites and set them back at their posts of service, and then all Israel began once again to give tithes as before.

'Then all Judah' — once the Levites returned to their posts, [the people] too returned to bringing the tithes to the treasuries, to be distributed to the Levites.

for they were deemed trustworthy to distribute the gifts among them [the Levites].

"And I made treasurers" [va'otzrah] — a verb derived from 'otzarot' [treasuries], meaning: I appointed a treasurer over them.

'For they were counted faithful,' etc. — for they were presumed trustworthy, and they would restore to their brethren their share.

'And I made treasurers' — I placed treasurers, meaning officials and treasurers, over the treasuries. 'And next to them' — attached to them and subordinate to them was Hanan, etc. 'They were counted' — in the eyes of the people. 'And their office was' — I placed upon them [the duty] to distribute the tithe to their brethren the Levites.

And I made treasurers - This verb is transitive, even though it belongs to the group of many verbs whose pattern occurs only in the kal form, and which are sometimes intransitive and sometimes transitive - unlike Radak['s view].

'And do not wipe out my good deeds' — that is, do not blot them out.

'Remember to me' — that I may be credited for this good deed, and do not blot out the kindnesses, etc. 'And for its wards' — to set them firmly in their place.

'do not wipe out' — like timcheh; it refers to erasure.

Remember to me - Here he relates that there were three things that they had accepted upon themselves by oath [above, chapter 10]: bringing the tithes, keeping the Sabbath, and separating from foreign wives. All of these were violated during the time Nehemiah was away from Jerusalem, and he restored all of them to their proper order. And since the first time they had accepted these upon themselves through Ezra, or of their own accord, it was not credited to Nehemiah; now, after the matter had been breached and he repaired the breach and restored it to good order, he asked that this merit be counted to him as righteousness, as though he himself had done the whole thing from the outset. This is what he means by 'concerning this' - that is, on account of the fact that I repaired the breach, remember the entire deed as though I alone had done it.

the stacks sheaves of grain. and I warned I warned them not to do it. on the day they sold provisions On the day they were selling food and provisions. צָיִד, provisions, as (Gen. 45:21): “...and he gave them provision (צֵדָה) for the way.”

"and I forewarned them in the day when they sold victuals" — properly it should read 've-a'id bam' [and I forewarned them].

'Treading winepresses on the sabbath' — this is one of the labors for which a person is liable on the sabbath. 'And bringing in heaps of corn,' etc. — meaning, they were loading heaps of produce onto their donkeys on the sabbath; and Israel is commanded regarding the rest of their animals as well. 'And I forewarned them in the day when they sold victuals' — meaning, I warned them against all of this on the day when they were selling provisions and food on the sabbath day.

'Treading winepresses' — treading grapes in the winepresses to extract the wine. 'And bringing in heaps of corn' — bringing the heaps of grain home, and loading them onto donkeys to carry them. 'As also wine, etc.' — loading these onto donkeys, to carry them and bring them home on the sabbath day. 'And I forewarned them' — I warned them not to do this again. 'In the day, etc.' — meaning, on the market day, when they would sell provisions, for at that time everyone was gathered together.

'winepresses' — the vessel in which grapes are trodden to extract the wine is called a gat (winepress); and so too, 'like one who treads in the winepress' (Isaiah 63). 'heaps' — stacks of grain, as in 'and they made heaps' (II Chronicles 31). 'and lading' — refers to loading a burden, as in 'and each man loaded his donkey' (Genesis 44:13). 'victuals' — from the language of provisions and food.

In those days - This too was breached during the time he was away from Jerusalem. He lists them from the more severe to the less severe: treading winepresses [on the Sabbath] is an offense punishable by stoning, while as for 'bringing in heaps' and 'lading' [asses] - one can say that they loaded the asses on Friday and brought them in on the Sabbath, thereby violating the resting of their animals. 'And I forewarned them in the day when they sold victuals' - they had made the Sabbath into their market day, so he warned them on the day fixed for them to sell provisions and food, that they should not sell on that day.

and the Tyrian Merchants of Tyre would bring fish to sell.

"who brought in fish" [da'ag] — the alef functions as the middle letter of the root, as in [the word] 've-qa'am sha'on' [and tumult arose].

The men of Tyre, that is, the merchants of Tyre, dwelt there on the sabbath day, and they would bring fish and all manner of merchandise into Jerusalem, and would sell it there on the sabbath day to the children of Judah.

'Men of Tyre' — the men of Tyre who dwelt in Jerusalem would bring in fish and every kind of merchandise, and would sell it on the sabbath to Israel. 'And in Jerusalem' — as if to say: even though it is a holy city, with the Temple in it, they profaned the sabbath there.

'fish' — meaning, a quantity of fish.

Men of Tyre also - and because of this, foreign merchants came and settled there and sold on the Sabbath, for they were not concerned about the prohibition of buying and selling, since it is not explicitly stated in the Torah.

Here Nehemiah contended with the nobles because they were profaning the sabbath day through these three things: one of which is from the words of the Sages, namely buying and selling on the sabbath; and two of which are from the Torah itself — the first, that their animals did not rest on the sabbath, and the second, that they performed labor on the sabbath by treading the winepresses.

'And profane the sabbath day' — by buying on it from the men of Tyre.

'the nobles of Judah' — the officers of Judah.

Then I contended - and therefore he contended with the nobles, who had not protested the matter, for the responsibility hung around their necks.

'Did thus' — profane the sabbath. 'This city' — meaning, the one known to all. 'You bring more wrath, etc.' — in addition to the wrath that was already upon our fathers.

Now it came to pass when the gates of Jerusalem cast shadows When the shadows of the Sabbath eve fell on the gates, I ordered the doors of the city to be closed and not re-opened until after the Sabbath so that the traffickers would not enter the city to sell their merchandise and cause Israel to profane the Sabbath.

"when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark" [tzallelu] — from the same root as 'tzel' [shadow]; the meaning is the shadow reaching the gates. "there should no burden be brought in" — meaning: that the peddlers — that is, the merchants who mix together many different kinds of goods — should not enter; this is why one who mixes up matters [a talebearer] is called a 'rakhil.'

'And it came to pass that, when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath' — this was in the evening, when the shadows lengthened over the gates. 'I commanded that the doors should be shut' — so that the merchants would not come there and become a stumbling-block to the children of Judah, who might not be careful to refrain from buying from them on the sabbath.

'When [the gates] began to be dark' — when the shadows of the gates grew long, which is toward evening, for then the sun is low on the horizon, and the shadow of everything grows long at that time. 'That the doors should be shut' — so that the men of Tyre would not come in with their goods for sale. 'That there should no burden be brought in' — so that no load of any kind of merchandise should be brought in on the sabbath; there were small gates there [besides the main ones, through which it might otherwise be smuggled in].

'began to be dark' — from the language of shadow (tzel).

When [the gates] began to be dark - meaning when the shadows lengthened on the eve of the Sabbath, after midday, nothing was to enter [the word 'and I commanded' applies here as well]. And it says that no burden should enter, meaning that they should not open the gate to let in anyone carrying a burden.

So...lodged The traffickers and the merchants lodged outside Jerusalem on the Sabbath once and twice so that the Children of Israel would open the gates and buy from them on the Sabbath.

'And the merchants lodged' — these are the traders.

'the merchants' — sellers of spices.

So [the merchants]... lodged - so that the people of the city would go out and buy small items from them and bring them into the city in secret.

and I said to them I warned those traffickers. If you repeat this if you continue to do this a second time. Since that time From that day on, they did not come on the Sabbath day.

"if you do so again" [tishnu] — if you lodge there a second time. "I will lay hands on you" — to strike or kill you.

'If you do so again' — meaning, if you repeat this a second time, I will lay my hand upon you to punish you, so that you will not do this thing again. And on account of this they were careful, and did not come into Jerusalem on the sabbath from that time on.

'Why do you lodge about the wall?' — for he was concerned lest someone go out to them, to buy something from them. 'If you do so again' — if you lodge there a second time, meaning once more, then I will lay a hand on you to punish you.

'do you lodge' — from the language of lodging overnight (linah). 'if you do so again' — from the language of repetition [a second time].

"that they should purify themselves" [mitaharim] — properly it should be 'mittaharim,' [with the additional tav of the hitpael].

I said to the Levites that they should all purify themselves and come to guard the gates on the sabbath, all the watches of the gatekeepers, to add sanctity and honor to the sabbath day. Now he commanded this because the sabbath was not otherwise distinguishable in the Temple, since the priests performed their service there on the sabbath; that is why he commanded that this distinguishing mark be present.

'That they should purify themselves' — meaning, that they should purify themselves by immersing and cleansing themselves, and would come and guard the gates while it was still day; this is what is meant by 'to sanctify the sabbath day' — that they should not arrive once the day had already become holy [i.e., after the sabbath had begun], for it would not be considered an honor to the sabbath to arrive after dark (since all the priestly watches were renewed from sabbath to sabbath, as stated in Chronicles). 'This also' — this good deed too, remember for me as a merit. 'According to the greatness of Your mercy' — for even the reward of a good deed is accounted an act of kindness, as it is written: 'Who has given Me anything beforehand, that I should repay him?' (Job 41:11).

'and spare me' — refers to compassion, as in 'you had pity on the gourd' (Jonah 4:10).

And I commanded - He commanded that on the Sabbath the Levites should guard the gates, and he said that it is part of the sanctity of the Sabbath that the guards be Levites, who are more pure and more careful to avoid all wrongdoing, and who would watch more carefully over the sanctity of the Sabbath.

who had married who had married heathen wives.

'Had married' — meaning, they settled them in their houses, having taken them as wives.

Also - now he relates that they violated the third matter that they had accepted by oath, namely that they had married foreign women.

And half...were speaking Many of their children spoke the Ashdodite language like their mothers.

'Half' — some of their children would speak the language of Ashdod, the language of their mothers' people. 'But according to the language of each people' — meaning, and likewise, some of the children of the other idol-worshipping [wives] would each speak according to the language of his own mother's people.

And their children spoke half - the meaning is: speaking half in the Ashdodite tongue, that is, they spoke a mixed language, half Hebrew and half Ashdodite, and because of this they did not properly know either language - they could speak neither Hebrew nor the language of any single [other] people, for their speech was a mixture of the two languages, their father's language and their mother's language.

and I struck I gave them lashes in order to chastise them and remind them.

"and cursed them" — this refers to placing them under the ban and excommunication; the meaning is: I put them under the ban, I excommunicated them. "and made them swear" — [I made] the people of Jerusalem [swear] not to intermarry with them.

'And cursed them' — some of them he placed under the ban and under excommunication, and some he had flogged with forty lashes less one, because they had transgressed a negative commandment. 'And plucked off their hair' — this is the plucking out of hair, done to punish them.

'And smote certain of them' — some of them. 'And plucked off their hair' — I pulled out the hair of their heads. 'You shall not give [your daughters]' — meaning, if from now on you were to give them, etc., then the punishment of the oath would fall upon you.

'and plucked off their hair' — refers to pulling out hair, as in 'and if a man's head loses its hair' (Leviticus 13:40).

And I contended with them - and afterward 'and cursed them,' and afterward 'and smote certain of them' - he escalated the punishments.

caused him even to sin If he sinned, how much more so is it certain that you will sin through your heathen wives! As is written in the next verse, “Shall we hearken, etc.?” i.e., Solomon was found sinning through his heathen wives, and you have married foreign wives in order to sin?

'The foreign women caused even him to sin' — and this although he was a great and perfect sage; how much more so will they cause you to sin.

'By these things' — Solomon sinned on account of idolatrous wives, for they turned his heart to sin against Hashem. 'Yet among many nations, etc.' — and even though among all the many idolatrous nations there was no king as wise as he, and it is a difficult thing to turn a wise man's heart away from his own judgment. 'And he was beloved of his God' — he was so beloved of Hashem that He made him king over all Israel, and he therefore ought to have been very careful to keep Hashem's commandments. 'Even him' — despite all his wisdom and Hashem's love for him, he was not wise enough to respond as he should have, and his idolatrous wives were able to persuade him, turning his heart after their own views, causing him to sin against Hashem.

Did not [Solomon sin by these things] - Because the Torah gives the reason [for the prohibition] as 'for he will turn your son away from following Me,' they said [in their defense] that they were assured that they themselves would not be turned away from the Torah by foreign wives. To this he answered: did not Solomon too say, in effect, 'I will sin and not be turned away'? And he, even though it was easier for him not to be turned away - whether because of his greatness, for there was no king like him, or because of his righteousness, for he was beloved of his God - nevertheless did not remain steadfast in his righteousness, and the foreign women caused him to sin. If so, 'shall we then listen to you' - how can we heed what you say, that your heart will not be turned away? And because of this you would bring about this whole great evil, whereby you would transgress against our God by taking in foreign wives.

"Shall we then hearken to you" [ha-nishma] — it is possible that this is a nif'al form built from the imperfect, [serving as] a marker for the speakers referring to themselves; and this is the more plausible reading.

'Shall we then hearken to you to do all this great evil,' etc. — shall we listen to you, after what we have heard of the words of the Torah and its curses against one who transgresses its words, so that you permit yourselves to do all this great evil, to break faith with our God by taking foreign wives? Should it not rather have been fitting for you to accept correction and to fear Hashem, upon seeing the great evil in which we find ourselves on account of our fathers' sin in matters such as these?

'Shall we then hearken to you' — meaning, if so, how much more so for you, who are not like Solomon — how could it be conceivable to listen to you, that you should willfully do all this evil, etc., settling and taking idolatrous wives? Surely they would certainly turn your heart to sin against Hashem.

'to break faith' — refers to sin and transgression.

And [one] of the sons of Joiada...was the son in law of Sanballat One of the sons of Joiada was the son-in-law of Sanballat, the adversary of the Jews; thus, I drove him away from me so that he should not frequent Jerusalem because of his son-in-law, to see the city and the ways to enter and leave it.

'Therefore I chased him from me' — because he had intermarried with the peoples of the lands, and so that Sanballat the Horonite would not become a frequent visitor to Jerusalem on his account; for Sanballat was an enemy of Judah and Benjamin, and if he were to see the exits and entrances of the city, he might succeed in finding a way to harm the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

'And one of the sons of Joiada' — one of the sons of Joiada was son-in-law to Sanballat, the enemy of the Jews. 'Therefore I chased him from me' — I banished that son from the city, because he was unwilling to divorce his idolatrous wife; and on his account, his father-in-law Sanballat still made a habit of coming to Jerusalem, spying out to learn everything that was happening there. He therefore banished the son-in-law as well, so that Sanballat too would no longer come.

Therefore I chased him from me — He could not strike him, since he was powerful; so instead he said, in effect: since I was not able to force him by might, let God punish him among the disqualified of the priesthood — for through this they became disqualified, and he was cast out both from the priesthood, that he would not serve as priest in the Temple, and from the covenant of the priesthood, in that he lost his lineage, for his sons became strangers.

Remember them the good that they did.

"Remember them, O my God" — meaning: to give them their recompense for having been defiled out of the priesthood and defiled from the covenant of the priesthood, and for the Levites, in that they took foreign wives. "they have defiled the priesthood" [go'alei] — a noun of the pattern of 'twins of a gazelle'; such forms are like passive participles in meaning, except that, because of the alef, a guttural letter, they are vocalized differently, in order to ease the reading; and the meaning of 'go'alei' is like the meaning of 'defiled ones.'

'Because they have defiled the priesthood' — meaning, that they were sullying the priesthood by intermingling with the peoples of the land.

'Remember them' — to punish them for having defiled and disgraced the priesthood by taking idolatrous wives, for through this they became disqualified from the priesthood. 'And the covenant' — they also profaned the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites, for by covenant the Omnipresent, blessed be He, promised them that they would serve in the house of Hashem, as it is written, 'a covenant of an everlasting priesthood' (Numbers 25:13); and [these women] entered into it and caused the covenant to be profaned, since [the priests] became disqualified from the priesthood.

'they have defiled' — refers to filth and repugnance, as in 'and they were deemed polluted from the priesthood' (above, ch. 7).

'Thus I cleansed them' — but I would purify them from all idol worship, for I made them swear by Hashem not to take any more of their daughters, as stated above. 'And appointed [wards]' — I established the divisions of the priests and the Levites, so that each one would be permanently fixed in his own task.

'wards' — anything imposed upon a large group of people, each one to perform in his own turn, is called a mishmar (ward); for each one keeps [to] his turn to come at the time set for him, and does not let it pass.

Thus I cleansed them — After I had cleansed them from everything foreign, I appointed the divisions of duty.

at appointed times They would cut wood for the altar pyre at appointed times. and concerning the first fruits that they should bring the first fruits at a certain time; for each species I appointed its time.

"and for the wood-offering" — on account of the wood-offering that I arranged for the priests, the Levites, and the people to bring at appointed times, and on account of the first-fruits that I commanded to be brought to the house of Hashem: 'Remember me, my God, for good.'

'And for the wood-offering, at times appointed,' etc. — meaning, I arranged everything in a complete order, so that all would be fixed and nothing would be lacking; and so I set fixed seasons at which designated men would bring the wood-offering for the altar-pyre, each at its own season, so that everything would be ready. Likewise I set one season for the first-fruits of the tree's produce and another season for the first-fruits of the grain, at which men would bring their first-fruits in those seasons. And Nehemiah asked Hashem, exalted be He, to remember all this for good, on account of what he did for His honor. This is the elucidation of what we saw fit to explain, within the bounds we set for this passage. Now, the benefits derived from it are these: The first benefit is to make known that one should always be fearful and flee from uncertainty. Thus it is recorded that after the wall was built and the doors set up, he placed at the gates of the city of Jerusalem watchmen who were men of truth and God-fearing, so that he could trust them not to be persuaded in any way to go along with the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin. He further commanded that the doors not be opened in the morning until the sun grew hot, for if they were allowed to open them earlier, it might happen that the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin could get in. For this same reason he also commanded that before the people of the city lay down at night, the doors should be closed, and he set up watches to guard at night in every single street, to protect the city. And since he saw that the city was broad and large, while the people within it were few, and there were not yet houses built, he made an effort that the officers of Judah, and a tenth of the rest of the exile who had come up from Babylon, should settle there. The second benefit is to make known that in every great undertaking there should be officers appointed to oversee that work, so that it be carried out properly — for otherwise the work cannot be completed. Thus it is recorded that after he set up the doors, he appointed the gatekeepers and the singers to their posts, and it is also recorded that over each watch there was a head of the watch to oversee it. The third benefit is to make known that the purpose of the festivals is to occupy oneself in them with Torah, since at that time the people are free from labor and this is possible for them; and that one should spend part of the day in Torah and part of it in delight and rejoicing in honor of the festival, for this is among the things by which one is guided to grasp what the Torah intended concerning the festivals. Thus it is recorded that Ezra the Scribe read from the Torah before all the people on Rosh Hashanah, from the light of morning until midday; and from midday onward he commanded them to go eat and drink and rejoice, and to send portions to whoever had none prepared, so that the poor too might rejoice in the joy of the festival. It also teaches that the Torah should be read on the festival, for it is recorded that during the Festival of Sukkot they read from the Torah every single day. The fourth benefit is to make known that a matter of sanctity cannot be conducted with fewer than ten. Thus it is recorded that because Ezra stood upon a wooden tower made for the occasion, so that he would be raised above the people and all could hear his words — and that tower constituted a domain of its own — men were required to go up there with him, on his right and on his left, so that a matter of sanctity should not be spoken with fewer than ten. The fifth benefit is to make known that at the time of the Torah reading, all the people should incline their ears to the words of the Torah. From this it is clear that it is not fitting for them to speak at all, but rather to listen to the words of the Torah and understand them each according to his ability. Thus it says that when Ezra read from the Book of the Torah, the ears of all the people were toward the Book of the Torah; and that when Ezra opened the book, all the people stood up in their places, so that they would be better prepared to incline their ears to the words. That is to say, had they been moving about, going here and there, their hearing of the words would have been confused. The sixth benefit is to make known that one who reads from the Torah should recite a blessing before the reading. Thus it is recorded that Ezra blessed Hashem the God, right after mentioning that Ezra the Scribe had opened the Book of the Torah. From this it is clear that it is even more fitting to bless afterward as well, for it is then that the benefit of the mitzvah of reading is attained; and this is shown by Grace after Meals, which the Torah obligated after eating and being satisfied, for it is then that the benefit is attained, not before. The seventh benefit is to make known that one who hears a blessing from the mouth of someone fit to recite it must answer Amen. Thus it is recorded that when Ezra blessed Hashem the God, all the people answered Amen. The eighth benefit is to make known that when someone is reading the Torah in public, there should also be someone there to explain those words to the people and clarify them. Thus it is recorded that there were many there who gave the people understanding of the Torah, while the people stood in their places to hear the words of those who were explaining what Ezra had read from the Book of the Torah; and that they read distinctly from the book, from the Torah of God, and gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading — learning, from the manner of the reading, how one is guided to grasp the intent of the text. The ninth benefit is to make known that it is not fitting to weep and mourn on the festivals, but rather one should rejoice in them with joy directed to Hashem, not a joy that leads one to turn away from Him. Thus Nehemiah said to Israel, 'This day is holy to Hashem your God; do not mourn, nor weep,' and he told them, 'Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord; do not be grieved; for the joy of Hashem is your strength.' The tenth benefit is to make known that the covering (sechach) of the sukkah should be made of cut branches with their leaves, and that one should, so far as possible, choose branches with beautiful leaves and a pleasant scent. We learn this from his statement, 'Go forth to the mount, and fetch olive branches, and branches of wild olive, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written.' This, however, is the choicest way of performing the mitzvah, for the Torah itself was not particular about beauty and pleasant scent, but simply said, 'In booths you shall dwell,' regardless of the kind of branches. And we have already explained elsewhere which materials may be used as sechach. The eleventh benefit is to make known that a sukkah should be built only in an open place, not inside a house. Thus it is recorded that they made themselves booths, each man on his roof, and in their courtyards, and in the courtyards of the House of God, and in the open squares of the city. The twelfth benefit is to make known that when a sinner returns to Hashem, he should humble his heart and be broken and contrite by afflicting himself with fasting, the wearing of sackcloth, and the like, and confess his sin. Thus it is told that when Israel repented of their sin of intermarrying with the peoples of the lands, Israel gathered together in fasting and sackcloth, with earth upon their heads, and separated themselves from the peoples of the lands with whom they had intermarried, and confessed their sins, and also the iniquities of their fathers, for which Hashem's wrath had likewise come upon them. And the benefit of confessing the iniquities of their fathers was to awaken their hearts — to realize that it was on account of the abundance of their sins that they had fallen into the calamity into which they fell — and by this they were guided to take to heart the making of a covenant with Hashem, to walk in His Torah, as is related in this account at the close of the words spoken on this fast day. The thirteenth benefit is to make known that on a fast day it is fitting to read the Torah during the first quarter of the day, and to confess to Hashem, exalted be He, and bow down to Him during the last quarter, for by then a person is in great distress, and for this reason his prayer is more readily heard; and that in the time between, one should search his own deeds, to correct his wrongdoing. Thus it is told that on the fast day they read from the Book of the Torah for a quarter of the day, and for another quarter of the day they confessed and bowed down to Hashem their God. And it becomes clear that this latter quarter was the last quarter of the day, from what they said at the end of these words: 'and we are in great distress.' The fourteenth benefit is to make known that when they would say 'Barechu' in the Temple, the leader would say, 'Bless Hashem your God, from everlasting to everlasting, and bless the name of His glory, that is exalted above all blessing and praise,' and the people would answer, 'Blessed is Hashem our God, from everlasting to everlasting, and blessed be the name of His glory, that is exalted above all blessing and praise.' Thus it is told that they said, 'Stand up, bless Hashem your God, from everlasting to everlasting,' etc. The fifteenth benefit is to make known that no existing thing can properly be called by the Name Yod-Heh-Vav-Heh except Hashem, exalted be He; and we have already established that this is so, in our commentary on the Metaphysics and in the fifth treatise of the Wars of Hashem (Milchamot Hashem). Thus it says, 'You are Hashem, even You alone.' The sixteenth benefit is to make known that Hashem, exalted be He, who created the world as a whole, continually sustains it, and gives life and existence to all that lives and endures — unlike the case with the agents found here [in our lower world], whose effects have no further need of them once they have produced them. This is because the motion belonging to the host of heaven, which Hashem, exalted be He, made an instrument for sustaining all these things, comes about only because they bow down to Hashem, exalted be He. That is to say, out of their longing for what they have grasped of the very order, arrangement, and rightness of the intelligible existents — a conception present in each sphere's soul in relation to Hashem, exalted be He — they yearn to move with the motion required by that very conception, a motion from which many of the things that exist here below receive their influence, just as Hashem, exalted be He, established for them on the day they were created. Thus it says, 'And You preserve them all, and the host of heaven worships You.' The seventeenth benefit is to make known that the signs and wonders that Hashem, exalted be He, brought upon Pharaoh, and upon all his servants, and upon all the people of his land, were for the benefit of Israel — namely, that they should know that He is Hashem. And there was no injustice in this toward the Egyptians, even though Hashem, exalted be He, hardened Pharaoh's spirit and strengthened his heart; for Hashem, exalted be He, already knew that Pharaoh and his people had done great wickedness against Israel, and for this they deserved to fall into this punishment. And Hashem, exalted be He, willed that a benefit should come from it to Israel — that they should know that He is Hashem. Thus it says, 'And You did show signs and wonders,' etc. The eighteenth benefit is to publicize the greatness of Hashem's kindnesses, exalted be He, to Israel for the sake of His covenant with the patriarchs. For He saw their affliction in Egypt and heard their cry at the Sea of Reeds, even though they were not then worthy in themselves that the Divine providence should cling to them at that time; rather, this was for the sake of His covenant with the patriarchs, as is recorded in the Torah. And afterward Hashem, exalted be He, guided them to His service in a wondrous manner, through the many signs and wonders He performed for them in Egypt, at the sea, in the wilderness, at the standing at Mount Sinai, and through His perfect Torah — part of which they heard there from the mouth of Hashem, exalted be He, in that wondrous voice, and part of it from the mouth of Moses. And despite all this they hastened to sin, and made themselves a molten calf; yet even so He did not abandon them in the wilderness, but His providence clung to them to sustain them there in a miraculous way. Also in the matter of the spies they rebelled and grieved His holy spirit, and Hashem, exalted be He, prolonged their punishment until the completion of forty years, to have compassion on them as far as possible; and within that time He performed for them mighty wonders, both by way of favor and by way of rebuke, so that they would fear Hashem for their own good. And when the generation that arose after the generation of the wilderness had been guided to the fear of Hashem, He gave mighty kings into their hand and gave their land as an inheritance to Israel His people. Yet not long afterward they returned to sin; they grew fat and kicked against Hashem, exalted be He, and He gave them into the hand of their enemies; and when they returned to Him, Hashem, exalted be He, gave them a savior. And so it continued many times over; also afterward, in the time of their kings, they rebelled against Hashem, exalted be He, and forsook all His Torah, and Hashem, exalted be He, sent them His servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, and they testified against the people to inform them of the terrible evil that would befall them if they did not turn from their evil way. And Hashem, exalted be He, was very patient with them for a long time, until He saw that there was no hope that they would turn from their evil way; and then they fell into evil by degrees, until they were exiled from the land because of their treachery. And even there He did not withhold His kindness from them, but His eyes were upon them, to preserve them from destruction while they were in the land of their enemies. All this is meant to guide those who hear these words to submit themselves to the service of Hashem, exalted be He. Therefore they all made a covenant with Hashem, exalted be He, to walk in His Torah and to fulfill the commandments they had forsaken, until their memory was almost forgotten among them. The nineteenth benefit is to make known that the service of some of the Levites consisted of song, to give thanks to Hashem. Thus there were watches appointed for this, as it says, 'Moreover the Levites: Jeshua, Binnui,' etc. (above, 12:10), and it also says, 'And the chiefs of the Levites: Hashabiah,' etc. (ibid., 24), watch corresponding to watch. We have already explained this too from the words of the Torah, but it is set out more fully in this passage and in the Book of Chronicles. The twentieth benefit is to make known that the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem should be marked with thanksgiving and song. (See the second chapter of tractate Shevuot, 14.) The twenty-first benefit is to make known that it is forbidden to buy and sell on the Sabbath, even though this is not itself an act of labor, because it may lead to the performance of labor. Thus Nehemiah said to the nobles of Judah that they were profaning the Sabbath day by their buying and selling on the Sabbath. He therefore commanded that the gates of Jerusalem be closed on the Sabbath day, so that no merchandise would come in on the Sabbath, to keep Israel from stumbling in this matter. Now, this prohibition is a rabbinic enactment, a safeguard for the Torah's own safeguard. The twenty-second benefit is to make known that a judge may, as an emergency measure, punish beyond the measure the Torah itself would obligate. Thus it is told that Nehemiah contended with those who had intermarried with the peoples of the lands, and cursed some of them, while others he had flogged and had their hair pulled out — even though cursing and pulling out hair are not the punishments the Torah prescribed for this. But Nehemiah did this as an emergency ruling, because that generation was so breached in this matter; he therefore chose to rebuke them in this manner, and also made them swear by God that they would not act so again, for this same reason. The twenty-third benefit is to make known how far the severity of this transgression extends — that is to say, intermarrying with the nations. For even Solomon, who was a prophet and greatly beloved of God, was led into sin by intermarrying with the nations, even though the women had converted — so much so that this sin became a cause of Israel's exile from their land. For it was the cause of the kingdom being split, and the split of the kingdom was the cause of the golden calves being made, which in the end became the cause of Israel being cut off from their land, and Judah and Benjamin along with them, for the kings of Judah learned from the kings of Israel to do evil in the eyes of Hashem. Thus it says, 'Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things?' etc. The twenty-fourth benefit is to publicize the perfection and goodness found in these deeds that Nehemiah performed. For he completed the building of Jerusalem in this wondrous manner described above, in which there was a piety and goodness that cannot be concealed; and he established the service of the Temple in a complete way, so that the service would not be forgotten; and he purged Israel of all dross and iniquity, according to the good hand of his God upon him. Thus, again and again among these deeds, he says, 'Remember me, my God, for good' — so as to draw the hearts of people to make their own deeds resemble his. Here concludes the explanation of this book. Its completion was in the month of Adar Sheni, in the year ninety-eight of the sixth millennium since Creation. Blessed and exalted be the Creator of all, who helped me in His mercy and in the abundance of His kindnesses, above all blessing and praise, Amen, Amen, Selah. Finished and complete.

'And for the wood-offering' — I fixed set times for the offering of wood [placed] on the arrangement of the altar, [determining] when each one should come to bring his share. 'And for the first-fruits' — I fixed a time for the first-fruits, by when they were to bring the bikkurim from the first of the produce of the land. 'Remember me' — this merit, to do good to me on account of it. Chazak.

'at times appointed' — refers to preparation and fixed regularity, as in 'at times appointed' (above, ch. 10).

And for the wood-offering — Since he had restored to its proper order everything they had taken upon themselves by oath above [chapter 10] — where they also swore concerning the wood-offering [ibid., verse 35] and concerning the first fruits [ibid., verse 37] — he put this too in proper order. Hence he said, 'Remember me, O my God, for good,' as above [verse 14].