Nehemiah · Chapter 6

and no breach was left therein in the wall of the city. I had not erected that doors were not made in the gates of the city.

'Though even to that time' — that is, it was also reported to them that until that time I had not yet set up the doors in the gates. He states this to explain what is said below, where Shemaiah told him to hide himself in the Temple because his adversaries would come against him; therefore he notes that they had heard I had not yet set up the doors, and so they were able to enter the city.

Breach — a break.

'Though even to that time' [I had not set up the doors] — this is why they still had hope of nullifying the work, for afterward they fell in their own estimation, as it says in verse 16.

in Kefirim This is a name of a place. [which is] in the Valley of Ono That is the name of the valley. and they were plotting against me. I understood from them that they were plotting against me to assassinate me there.

‘In one of the villages’ — meaning, in one of them; and similarly, ‘and he was buried in the cities of Gilead’ (Judges 12:7).

Let us meet together in the villages in the plain of Ono — meaning, in one of the villages that are in the plain of Ono; likewise, "and was buried in the cities of Gilead" (Judges 12:7) means in one of the cities of Gilead.

'Let us meet together' — let us hold a gathering and assembly in Kephirim, which is the name of a place located in the plain of Ono. 'But they thought' — these are Nehemiah's own words, who said: behold, I understood well that they intended to kill me there.

Let us meet — an expression of appointment and gathering, as in 'and all the kings met together' (Joshua 11:5).

'The villages' (Heb. hakkephirim) — this is the name of a place; and we find a city called Kephirah in the territory of Benjamin (Joshua 18:26).

“I am doing great work of the buildings (of the city); other editions read: [of the buildings] of dust. Why should...stop Why should the work be curtailed? when I leave it Heb. אַרְפֶּהָ, lit. [slacken] my hand from the building. and come down to you to speak with and to meet with you.

'A great work' — a great undertaking, and a necessary matter. 'Why should the work cease' — why should I do such a thing, causing the work to stop, by letting go of it and coming down to you? For once I let go of it, the work will cease entirely.

Cease — from the language of cessation and nullification. Leave it — from the language of slackening.

'After this sort' — in the language stated above: 'Come, let us meet together,' etc. 'And I answered them after the same manner' — [namely,] 'I am doing a great work,' etc.

with his servant through his servant. and an open letter was in his hand He sent me a written letter through him.

‘With an open letter in his hand’ — meaning, spread open, as in ‘and Hezekiah spread it out before Hashem’ (II Kings 19:14).

'His servant' — [meaning] with his servant. 'With an open letter' — and besides this, he also sent with him an open letter, without a seal, as if to say: I have not spoken in secret; whoever wishes to read may come and read.

'In like manner' — for even by the hand of his servant he sent an oral message that they should meet at Kephirim, and in his hand there was also a letter, to inform him that the matter was urgent.

It was written in it in that letter. It is heard among the nations that it is known to all the nations that you and all the Jews are plotting to rebel. and Gashmu says Gashmu is Geshem the Arab, and its interpretation is like a man who says to his friend, “This is the matter, and so-and-so says.” according to these words This refers back to the text, and it is a transposed verse. It is as though it was written, “According to these words was heard among the nations, etc.”

‘And Geshem says it’ [Gashmu] — he is Geshem the Arabian; the vav [added to his name] is extra, like the extra letter in ‘Yitro’ [Jethro]. ‘And you would be’ — meaning, he wishes for you to become their king. ‘Even according to these words’ — meaning, the matter he sent to me; or, alternatively, meaning, ‘these words I have heard.’

It is reported among the nations, and Geshem says it — meaning, this matter is reported among the nations, and Geshem the Westerner relates that this is indeed so, that this report is heard among the nations.

'In which was written' — this matter was written in it. 'It is reported among the nations' — it is reported among the idolaters, and Geshem also says this: that you want to rebel against the king, and that is why you are fortifying the wall — to strengthen yourselves within the city's stronghold — and that you will become their king. 'Even according to these words' — that is, these very words are what is being reported among the idolaters; this too is from the words of the letter.

Geshem says — this is Geshem the Arabian; similarly [the alternate forms] 'Yeter' and 'Yitro' [for the same name]. Would be [hoveh] — this is from the language of 'being' [havayah].

Questions: (6-7) How could Sanballat send Nehemiah a letter to frighten him with false words — that he was becoming king, and that he had set up prophets to proclaim about him that he was king in Judah? Would Nehemiah actually be afraid of false accusations? And the phrase 'according to these words' — what does it refer to; does it have no basis at all? 'It is reported among the nations, and Geshem says it' — meaning, Geshem the Arab is the one saying it, and that is how it is reported among the nations: that the reason you are building the wall is because you intend to rebel. And what it says, 'and you would be their king,' are Sanballat's own words. That is, even though the report circulating among the nations has no real substance — for it is simply that, seeing you building a wall with doors and bars, people say so by way of conjecture — nevertheless, since Geshem the Arab, who says this, had already said as much at the outset, when they first wanted to build (he had said to him, 'will you rebel against the king?,' above, 2:19), and Nehemiah paid no attention to his words then, all the more so would he ignore them now, after acting with the king's permission — Sanballat therefore added: 'and you would be their king' [he says] 'according to these words' [the word 'says,' at the head of the verse, applies to both clauses] — meaning, your becoming king is something you are doing without the king's permission [for the king appointed you only as governor, not to be called king by that title]. This he states and asserts clearly, 'according to these words,' that you intend to rebel against the king and that it is for this purpose that you built the wall. Now he explains what he means by 'and you would be their king': 'for you have also set up prophets' — for it will become clear (in verse 12) that Tobiah and Sanballat hired Shemaiah, a false prophet, to prophesy that there would be a king in Jerusalem and that Nehemiah would be that king, and he did indeed prophesy to Nehemiah that he would reign. [And in this there would be no charge of rebellion, since it could be that the prophecy would be fulfilled with the permission of the king of Persia, who might appoint him king, just as many kings served under the authority of the kings of Persia.] But they hired the prophets so that, when the need arose, they could claim that Nehemiah himself had hired them to prophesy this, which would indeed be rebellion. On this basis he made it clear to Nehemiah that he wanted to charge him with rebellion: 'for you have set up' — that is, you hired prophets to proclaim about you that you would be king in Judah [and this part was true: the false prophets did prophesy so, and they were indeed hired by the enemies of Judah]. And now this will reach the king's ears, and because of it you will be regarded as a rebel with regard to the building of the wall as well. So now, come, let us take counsel together, how you can be saved.

...also...speakers Until “...and take counsel together” was written in the letter. speakers Heb. נְבִיאִים, speakers, like (Isa. 57:19): “I created the speech (נִיב) of the lips.” saying who say that there is a king in Judea. and now it will be reported to the king After you have been called king, it will be reported to the king according to these words.

Come now therefore, and let us take counsel together — he wanted to show him that he was his friend, and so he sent to him that they should take counsel together about this, before the king would hear such things and do him harm.

'And you have also appointed prophets' — that is, you have further publicized the matter, for you set up eloquent men, skilled at arranging words in the finest speech, to proclaim about you in Jerusalem with great publicity, saying: 'You are king in Judah.' 'And now it shall be reported to the king' — that is, lest the matter be reported to the king and the outcome prove bitter in the end; therefore [he says], 'come now, let us take counsel together as to what to do, how to conceal the matter.'

Prophets — its meaning is 'masters of speech,' as in 'the fruit of the lips' (Isaiah 57).

from your heart Heb. כִּי. This כִּי is in place of אֶלָּא, but. invent them contro(u)ves eles in Old French; you are concocting them, like (I Kings 12:33): “...that he had fabricated (בָּדָה) from his heart.”

‘You feign them out of your own heart’ — meaning, you fabricate, as in ‘shall your fabrications silence men?’ (Job 11:3), and ‘in the month which he devised of his own heart’ (I Kings 12:33). And in the language of our sages, of blessed memory: ‘badai’ [a fabricator].

But you feign them out of your own heart — meaning, you are bringing these things forth from your own imagination and inventing them, for this has not been heard among the nations.

'There are no such things done' — this matter is not heard of at all among the idolaters; rather, you yourself are inventing this lie out of your own heart.

Feign — an expression of fabricating falsehood; similarly, 'shall your inventions make men hold their peace' (Job 11:3).

Questions: (8-9) Why did he need to send to him at all, saying that he was inventing these things out of his own heart, when it was so obviously false? And what is meant by 'for they all would frighten us,' and what does this teach us? 'Then I sent...' — he answered him that this matter, that I had set up prophets, never happened — you are inventing it out of your own heart. And as for your inviting me to take counsel with you, as though you were my friends wanting to strengthen my hands — that too is false. For until now, all of them — meaning all the enemies of Judah, and you among them — have been trying to frighten us, so as to make our hands drop from the work. So how could you now suddenly turn from an enemy into a friend wanting to strengthen my hands?

For they all for all the nations. fear us Heb. מְיָרְאִים. They fear us, and so they say, “Let their hands be slackened, etc.” and now, strengthen my hands to help me with the building of the wall.

‘For they all’ — used in the sense of ‘kulchem’ [all of you]; similarly, ‘return, all of you, and come now’ (Job 17:10); the meaning here is: all of you seek to frighten us, so that the work will not be done. ‘But now, strengthen my hands’ — he says this in reference to Sanballat, by way of appeasement.

'But now, strengthen my hands' — the word 'strengthen' here is not stated as a command but as an infinitive; the sense is that they intended to weaken our hands from the work, but now my hands are strengthened by these very lies with which they thought to weaken them.

'For they all' — for in the past, all of you tried to frighten us, saying this so that, out of fear, our hands would grow weak from the work of building the wall and it would not be completed; and if so, you must be counted among the enemies. How then can you now say that you wish to strengthen my hands with sound counsel? An enemy does not turn into a friend — that cannot be. Or, [he means to be] saying: let the past be the past; now I ask only that you strengthen my hands with words of comfort, and do not go on frightening me further.

They all — its meaning is like 'kulchem' [all of you]; a similar example is 'but return, all of you' (Job 17).

and he was confined for he found him at home. and he said, “Let us meet Shemaiah was a false prophet who had received a bribe from Sanballat and his colleagues to frighten Nehemiah in order to stop the work. for they are coming to assassinate you for Sanballat and his colleagues will come to assassinate you. and tonight they are coming Therefore, he warned him to enter the Temple and to close the doors about himself, because the doors of the gates of the city had not been made, as it says at the beginning of the chapter (verse 1): “Also that until that time, I had not erected doors in the gates.”

‘Who was shut up’ — confined before the Creator, to serve Him, like one who restrains himself from pleasure, confined as if in a fast; like Doeg the Edomite, who was ‘detained’ (I Samuel 21:7).

'Who was shut up' — it appears that he was closed up in his room and refrained from going outside, in the manner of one who secludes himself so that prophecy would come to him. 'And he said: "Let us meet together in the house of God,"' etc. — he gave him this advice as though by prophecy, according to what he told him, so that Nehemiah would believe his words and would agree to meet him inside the Temple, so that they would not kill him that night.

'Who was shut up' — he was confined, kept from leaving his house. 'Let us meet together' — let us arrange to gather at the House of God. 'And let us shut the doors of the temple' — to secure ourselves within it against Sanballat and his men, for the doors had not yet been set up in the gates of the city, as stated above, so that anyone who wished could enter it. 'In the night they will come' — you will not know how to guard yourself against them in the dead of night.

Shut up — restrained; similarly, 'let us detain you' (Judges 13:15).

Questions: (10-13) If Shemaiah said this in the name of Hashem, how did Nehemiah discern that Hashem had not sent him? And is it not the case that it is nowhere stated that he said this as prophecy — for then it should have said, 'Thus says Hashem: hide within the temple'? And what is the meaning of the phrase 'for he pronounced this prophecy' — should it not have said 'he prophesied by prophecy'? And what is the meaning of the phrase 'for this cause he was hired,' which seems to make no sense at all? 'And as for me, I went to the house of Shemaiah' — from that point on he resolved to investigate the prophecy Shemaiah had prophesied about him, that he would be king in Judah, and he went to his house [for Shemaiah was confined and ill, and could not be summoned to him] to investigate and inquire into the matter. 'And he said: Let us meet together in the house of God' — this he did not say to him as prophecy; rather, he told him that he had learned through spies that the enemies of Judah were coming to kill him, and that they intended to kill him that very night, and he advised him to come with him into the temple, to be shut in there all night, since the doors of the temple were kept closed, unlike the doors of the city, which stood open.

Will a man like me flee This is a question: Will a man like me flee to enter the Temple? I will not enter I will not enter there because of fear of death, and I will not transgress the commandments of the Holy One, blessed be He, that a stranger (a non-Kohen) may not enter His Temple.

‘Such a man as I’ — [the phrase occurs twice in this verse:] the first use is praise, the second a term of disparagement.

'And who is there, that, being such as I, could go into the temple and live' — he said this because there is a penalty of death for anyone who enters there without a need for the [Temple] service, as it says (Leviticus 16:2), 'and let him not come at just any time into the sanctuary,' etc.

'Should such a man as I flee' — would a man such as I flee from the enemy? Would that not be counted a disgrace? As if to say: behold, my own arm has power to fight against him. 'And who is there, that, being such as I' — and furthermore, who is the layman, such as I, who could enter the Temple and remain alive? For surely he would be put to death, as it is written, 'and the layman who comes near shall be put to death' (Numbers 3:10). 'I will not go in' — therefore I will not go into the Temple.

'And I said' — he answered him that he would not do this, for two reasons. First, that by doing so he would appear fearful and faint of heart, which would not befit a man such as himself — hence it says, 'should such a man as I flee?' Second, 'and who is there, that, being such as I, could go into the temple and live?' — for he was not a priest, and a non-priest may not approach the sanctuary.

And I discerned I discerned in his words that the Holy One, blessed be He, had not sent him on this mission, but that he wanted me to commit a transgression because of fear of death. for he spoke prophesy concerning me for he spoke these words concerning me in the name of prophecy. had hired him Heb. שְּׂכָרוֹ. Each one of them had hired him and given him pay to frighten me and to curtail the building of the wall.

‘For he pronounced this prophecy’ — [the word] is a noun, and the meaning is: the prophecy from his own heart, Shemaiah spoke against me. ‘...Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him’ — the vav joining ‘and Sanballat’ stands in place of ‘or’ [i.e., Tobiah or Sanballat]. ‘Had hired him’ — [it is] a noun, meaning as just stated: they gave him his payment; though the first reading [as a verb] is also plausible.

'And I discerned, and, lo, God had not sent him' — I then recognized that God had not sent him to speak this prophecy against me, for it was a false prophecy; Tobiah and Sanballat had each hired him to tell me this false prophecy. He spoke it because he was paid to do so, so that I would fear the words of this prophecy and act according to what he said — entering the Temple and shutting its doors — and so sin against Hashem. Tobiah and Sanballat's purpose in this matter was to bring a bad name upon me, so that they could disgrace me for having transgressed the words of the Torah.

'And I discerned' — I recognized concerning him that Hashem had not sent him; that is, his counsel was not given in trust, as if by Hashem's command, but its intent was to cause me to stumble into transgression. 'For he pronounced this prophecy' — for he claimed that a prophecy had been spoken concerning me, telling me to go into the Temple; yet there was ample relief and rescue available to him otherwise. Why then would [Hashem] command [me] to transgress His own command? For had he said this on his own initiative, one might say that on account of danger to life the matter was permitted; but Hashem would not command such a thing. By this I recognized that his counsel was not trustworthy — rather, Tobiah or Sanballat had hired him to make me stumble through his advice.

And Sanballat — the vav here stands in place of 'or,' as in 'and [i.e., or] he who curses his father and his mother' (Exodus 21:17).

'And I discerned' — from this I discerned that God had not sent him, meaning, that he was a false prophet, 'for he pronounced this prophecy against me' — that is, he was the one who had earlier pronounced the prophecy mentioned above, that I would be king over Israel, and at that time I still had doubts whether it might be a true prophecy. But now I discerned that God had not sent him, but rather that Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him — that they had hired him both for the prophecy, that he would prophesy that I would be king over Israel, and for the advice he gave me, to go into the temple. [And this he discerned now because the advice given him now contradicted the prophecy prophesied about him earlier: for if Hashem had said he would be king over Israel, how could his enemies overpower him to kill him, to the point that he would need to hide from them in the temple? On the contrary, he should have been told, 'Do not fear, for the word of Hashem does not return empty, and you shall surely reign.' From this he discerned that Hashem had not sent him, but that Tobiah and Sanballat, rather, had hired him for these two acts.]

Because he was hired he told me these things. in order that I fear in order that I fear them, to do this to enter the Temple and sin. so that they should have this for a scandal in order that they should have this as a scandal to reproach me with this sin.

‘For this cause he was hired’ — this is an expression of purpose; the meaning is: the prophecy was spoken for the purpose of his being hired. ‘That I should be afraid, and do so’ — meaning, that I should enter the sanctuary. ‘And sin’ — against Hashem. ‘That they might have matter for an evil report’ — against me, that I had shut the doors. ‘That they might taunt me’ — [saying] that I was afraid of them and hid myself.

'For this cause he was hired' — because he was hired [i.e., paid to say this], he spoke thus. 'That I should be afraid' — of Sanballat, and so act according to his words: go into the Temple sanctuary, and thereby sin. 'That they might have [matter for an evil report]' — so that Sanballat and his men would have against me a matter of evil report: that I was a non-priest who had entered the Temple sanctuary, so that they could taunt me with this evil name. This was the very essence of the intent of the plot that was devised [against me].

'For this cause' — he now explains why they hired him to prophesy about him that he would be king over Israel: 'for this cause he was hired,' namely, so that they could use this to bring a false charge against Nehemiah, claiming that he had hired him himself to prophesy so about him, as Sanballat said, 'and you have also set up prophets to proclaim about you as king.' And why did they hire him for this particular advice, that he flee into the temple? That was 'that I should be afraid, and do so' — for by this they would gain two things: first, 'and sin' — that he would sin and be punished for that sin; and second, that they would give him a bad name, 'that they might taunt me' — that I had desecrated the sanctuary of Hashem.

and also Noadiah the prophetess She and the rest of the false prophets received pay from Sanballat and his cohorts in order to frighten me with their false prophecies.

‘And also the prophetess Noadiah’ — the commentators agree that she is Shemaiah son of Delaiah, called by this name because it says, ‘let us meet [nо’ad] in the house of God’; and the word ‘ha-nevi’ah’ [‘the prophetess’] follows the pattern of the name ‘Noadiah,’ which has a feminine form merely as a matter of the word itself, not according to actual gender — like the phrasing ‘Kohelet said’ and similar forms. But [to say] that Noadiah truly was a woman, who prophesied falsely against him, is the more likely reading, and all the difficulties are thereby removed. ‘And also to Noadiah’ — the word ‘also’ comes to include Shemaiah as well, and this is the correct reading.

'Remember, etc.' — to repay each one according to these deeds of his. 'And also [the prophetess] Noadiah' — and also remember to repay Noadiah the false prophetess, and the rest of the false prophets who tried to frighten me with their lies, because they had received payment from Tobiah and Sanballat.

'Remember, O my God, Tobiah... according to these their works' — that is, that he hired false prophets against him. 'And also the prophetess Noadiah' — meaning Shemaiah and Noadiah, both of whom were hired to prophesy about him that he would reign; 'and the rest of the prophets' — who were hired to cast dread and fear upon him.

on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Ellul, in the twentieth year of King Darius, for in the twentieth year of Darius, Nehemiah went up from Babylon, and in that year he built the ruins of Jerusalem. after fifty-two days The construction of the wall was completed fifty-two days after they had started building it.

‘In fifty-two days’ — reckoning from when Sanballat sent the letter.

'In fifty-two days' — meaning, from the time they began building the wall until it was completed, only fifty-two days had passed.

'In fifty-two days' — at the end of fifty-two days from the time they began.

'On the twenty-fifth' — in that same year that he had gone up from Shushan, and the work was completed at the end of fifty-two days.

Now it came to pass when all our enemies heard this matter, that the construction of the wall was completed. that all the nations became frightened when all the nations saw that the construction of the wall of the city had been completed. and they fell very low in their own eyes They themselves fell in their own eyes; they despised themselves, for the fear of the Jews had fallen upon them.

‘And were much cast down in their own eyes’ — like those brought low, fallen from their former standing, with no strength left to rise up before them.

'And were much cast down in their own eyes' — this is like the word 'vayiflau' (they were amazed), for this matter was an immense wonder to them: how such a great work could be completed in so little time.

'When [our enemies] heard [of it]' — that the building of the wall had been completed in so short a time. '[They] feared' — the idolaters round about saw with their own eyes the speed of the construction. 'And were cast down' — they were lowered and humbled in their own eyes, in comparison to Israel. 'For [this work was wrought] of our God, etc.' — [they concluded this] on account of this great speed.

'were much cast down' — the term means lowliness and diminishment, as in 'fallen among the uncircumcised' (Ezekiel 32).

'And ... were much cast down in their own eyes' — because they knew that this had been wrought by our God, for they saw that it was under Hashem's providence, and therefore it was completed in so few days, and they could not manage to halt the work.

the rulers of Judea Heb. חֹרֵי, the princes of Judea. to Tobiah Heb. עַל-טוֹבִיָה. He was a renegade Israelite. and Tobiah’s i.e., Tobiah’s letters.

'Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah sent many,' etc. — meaning, Nehemiah had yet another group hindering him in the building of the wall; for in those days, while it was being built, the nobles of Judah kept sending their letters constantly to Tobiah, who opposed the building of the wall, and Tobiah's letters kept coming to them constantly.

'Moreover in those days' — even after the completion of the building, although they had seen that it was accomplished by God, nevertheless many of the nobles of Judah kept sending letters to Tobiah, and the letters that came from Tobiah reached them full of love and affection.

Questions: (17) What connection does 'Moreover in those days' have with the previous statement, that their enemies fell in their own estimation? 'Moreover in those days' — this is an introduction to what he will say in the next chapter, that he appointed his brother over the walls of Jerusalem and commanded that the city continue to be guarded even afterward. For although the fear of Hashem had fallen upon the nations round about, the children of Israel themselves were still stumbling blocks, since they kept sending letters back and forth with Tobiah. They were his allies for two reasons: (1) he had intermarried with the families of Shechaniah and Meshullam, who were great and honored officials; and (2) they used to speak well of him and considered him a good and upright man. Through this they would also carry Nehemiah's words and secrets out to Tobiah, so that he had spies among the children of Israel, and Tobiah also sent letters to frighten him. Therefore Nehemiah was wary of him and commanded extra vigilance even after the wall was built, even though he no longer feared the surrounding nations.

For many in Judea Heb. רַבִּים, who were great rulers in Judea, were partners in a covenant and an oath with him. for he was the son-in-law Tobiah [was the son-in-law] of Shechaniah. and Jehohanan his son [the son] of Tobiah. the daughter of Meshullam Meshullam was a great man and a ruler.

'For there were many in Judah,' etc. — for he [Tobiah] was the son-in-law of a leading officer of Judah, and his son, too, was the son-in-law of another officer. And even though Tobiah was one of the Samaritans, this marriage tie they had with him was not purged, because it was Jewish daughters who were living in his household — whereas what Ezra purged were the foreign wives that the Jewish men had taken.

'Sworn to him' — they had entered into a pact with him. 'Because he was the son-in-law' — Tobiah was the son-in-law of Shecaniah, who was a prince and a great man in Israel. 'And his son Jehohanan' — that is, the son of Tobiah.

also of his good qualities His confederates and his kinsmen would speak of them before me. his good qualities Heb. טוֹבֹתְָיו ses proezes, in Old French, his gallant exploits. they divulged to him to tell Tobiah. Tobiah sent letters He constantly sent letters to frighten me so that we would not build the wall.

‘And Tobiah sent letters’ — this connects with [the preceding clause] ‘and reported my words’; the meaning is: whatever I said to them — that Tobiah had sent letters to frighten me — they would take and report back to him, [telling him] that this is what I had told them.

'Also they spoke of his good deeds before me' — meaning, they also told me of his successes, so as to frighten me; and the words I would speak against him they would carry back to him, meaning, they would let him know of them. Tobiah had indeed sent letters to frighten me, so that I would hold back from building the wall; yet despite all this, it was from Hashem that its work was completed in a short time. This is what we saw fit to explain in this section, whose interpretation we have bounded here. Now, the benefits derived from it are these: The first benefit concerns character [middot]. It is that a person should, as much as possible, inquire into the affairs of his friends, for by this he will be guided in giving them counsel — that harm not come to them, and that good come to them as fully as possible. Do you not see that because Nehemiah inquired of the Jews how they fared, and about Jerusalem, matters were set right, so that healing came to the wall of Jerusalem, and the affairs of Israel were greatly turned to the good. The second benefit is to make known that it is fitting to weep and mourn, to fast and pray, and to confess before Hashem, exalted be He, in order to remove the evil — as we find that Nehemiah did earlier in this book, and thereby, in time, achieved the success of our building. The mention of this benefit has already come up in many places. The third benefit is to make known that when a person obtains something from a ruler, he should not hold back from asking him also for whatever else is needed to accomplish that purpose. Thus you find that when Nehemiah obtained from the king [leave] to rebuild the city of his fathers' graves, which lay in ruins, and to set up its gates that had been consumed by fire, he was not ashamed to ask the king for the things he needed in order to reach this goal — namely, that letters be given him for the governors beyond the River, so that they would let him pass through until he came to the land of Judah; and a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king's park, to give him timber to roof the gates of the fortress belonging to the Temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house he would enter. It also appears that the king sent with him a company of soldiers and horsemen at his request, so that he would be the better guarded from every enemy and ambush. The fourth benefit is to make known that one who has some task to perform should first consider carefully what that task actually involves, so that he can readily see how it may best be brought to completion. Thus you find it recorded that before Nehemiah set about building the wall, he wanted to see what the work of building it required, and so he went around the whole city to see where the breaches in the wall were. The fifth benefit is to make known that one who has a task to perform, and fears those who oppose him in it, should pursue it in great secrecy, in such a way that his opponents do not know when all or part of it will be finished. Thus you find it recorded that Nehemiah was in Jerusalem three days without yet looking into the matter of the wall, so that the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin would not sense that this was why he had come and endeavor with the king to turn him into an adversary. At night he went out with a few men to examine the wall and its breaches, and he had no animal with him except the one he rode, so that they would not notice — since some of the Jews, who were joined by marriage to the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin, would have informed their enemies of it. For this reason you also find that once Nehemiah had drawn the hearts of the officers and deputies to himself for this building project, he placed many workers in every section of it, so that it would be finished in a short time — in such a way that the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin would not be able to reach the king and induce him to put in writing an accusation about the building of the wall. Thus you find that the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin tried to stop the work in a way that would let the matter reach the king, so that they could bring an accusation from him against the building before it was finished; but Nehemiah did not listen to them and did not stop the work, for he knew what they were really after — so much so that, despite their fear of war, the work did not stop, for they kept their weapons with them even while they held to the work, and neither Nehemiah nor his companions took off their clothes. This shows their great diligence in this work, for they completed it in fifty-two days. The sixth benefit is to explain the manner of Hashem's providence, exalted be He, over His servants: when it entered the hearts of the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin to come up to war against those doing the work, by deceit and stratagem, so that they would not notice them until [it was too late], Hashem, exalted be He, brought it about that this became known to them time after time, and they were on guard against them not once or twice but many times — until this itself became the reason the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin no longer turned to this plan, seeing that God was with those doing the work. The seventh benefit is to make known that 'day' can, in one sense, be used for the span from the rising of dawn until the stars come out, even though, in strict and primary usage, it refers to the time the sun is above the earth. From this we learn that things which the laws of the Torah obligate to be done 'by day,' if done after the rising of dawn, are considered to have been done in fulfillment of the obligation — for the time allotted for such tasks includes, in a certain respect, [the span] from the rising of dawn until the stars come out. This is clarified in this very passage, which says that they worked from the rising of dawn until the stars came out, and then goes on to say, 'that in the night they may be a guard to us, and may labor in the day.' The eighth benefit is to make known that one who needs some kindness from Hashem, exalted be He, should himself act with a wisdom resembling that which he is asking of Hashem — for He repays a person measure for measure for all his deeds, and returns to him a reward resembling the good sense he showed. Thus you find that because Judah and Benjamin needed great kindness from Hashem, exalted be He — namely, that He bring them out of the servitude they were in, restore to them the land of their inheritance, and not exact from them the punishment they had incurred for their own sins and the sins of their fathers — Nehemiah resolved that they should release to their brothers the debts owed them, along with their fields, vineyards, and houses, and that they should set their servants free, meaning, that they should not hold their sons and daughters as slaves for their debts. And so Nehemiah said to them, 'Ought you not to walk in the fear of our God, because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies,' as we have explained; and because of this they all agreed to the matter. The ninth benefit is to make known that when a person achieves some good outcome that is difficult to win agreement for, but through his own good sense stirs people's hearts and draws them to agree to it, he should then recognize that this is a time of good will, and bind them in a way that they cannot later retract the matter, should regret over it overtake them. Thus you find that once Nehemiah had stirred the people's hearts to release the debts they held against their brothers — in a manner that none of them could suspect him [of ulterior motives], since he and those with him released their own debts as well — and saw that they had all agreed to this, he moved quickly, while the good will still held, to make them swear to carry it out; and they then also took upon themselves a severe curse should they fail to fulfill this pledge. The tenth benefit is to make known the goodness of Nehemiah's character, on account of which Hashem, exalted be He, made his efforts succeed: he refused to take the bread of the governor, and took nothing at all from the people, despite his great expenses — for he spent freely and fed many of the Jews at his own table. Nor did he set himself above others in the work of building the wall, for he too labored there constantly, so much that he did not even take off his clothes. The eleventh benefit is to make known that a good leader who wishes to govern the hearts of the people and move them toward the good should draw their hearts to him by doing good for them, for then they will all submit to his direction. Thus you find that Nehemiah, because he wished to move Israel toward the good so that Hashem's providence, exalted be He, would cling to them, fed at his table the deputies and many Jews who were leaders of the people, so that they would be more ready to submit to his direction for their own good; and for this same reason he also did good for the people and released the debts he held against them — together with the good that followed from this, which the rest of the Jews who held debts against their brothers likewise then did. The twelfth benefit is to make known that a person should not readily believe things told to him in a way that would move him to do something that might cause him bodily or spiritual harm, even when the one telling him claims to be speaking by prophecy — whenever the facts themselves can show that this is not so. Thus you find it recorded that Nehemiah did not believe the letters Sanballat sent him, [inviting him] to meet together over the report Sanballat had sent him, of a rumor circulating among the nations that he and the Jews with him were planning to rebel; and for this reason he refused to go and meet with him, for he judged that Sanballat had sent this to him as a stratagem, so that he would trust him, go to meet with him, and be killed there. And even though Shemaiah had already tried to frighten him by claiming prophecy, telling him that unless he took refuge in the temple, the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin would come that very night to kill him, Nehemiah did not believe his words, so as not to sin against Hashem — for he judged that this was not a genuine prophecy, since Shemaiah had said the two of them should meet together inside the temple itself; for even granting that this might be permitted to Nehemiah on account of the danger to his own life, why should this also have been permitted to Shemaiah? Moreover, Hashem, exalted be He, is never at a loss to save His servants without resorting to so grave a sin as this. Nehemiah therefore judged that this prophecy was a false one, and that Sanballat and Tobiah had hired [Shemaiah] to say it, so as to bring Nehemiah into disrepute. He likewise did not believe the words of Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who tried to frighten him. But the more they tried to frighten him, the stronger his resolve grew — and this itself was a cause of the wall's completion in so short a time.

'Also his good deeds' — good things found in Tobiah, they would tell me, in order to vex me. 'And my words' — whatever I said about him in disparagement, they would reveal to him; and therefore he kept sending letters to frighten me.