All the people gather as one man into the broad place before the water gate, and Ezra the scribe brings the book of the Law of Moses before the congregation — men, women, all who can hear with understanding. He reads from morning until midday from a pulpit of wood; the Levites give the sense, and the people weep at the words — until they are told: 'This day is holy to Hashem your God; do not mourn; the joy of Hashem is your strength.' On the second day they find written the command of booths, and all the people make sukkot on their roofs and in their courts — such as had not been done since the days of Joshua son of Nun — and there is very great gladness.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the broad place that was before the water gate; and they spoke to Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the Law of Moses, which Hashem had commanded to Israel.
verse value 6886
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 88 letters. Notable word values: "one" (אֶחָ֔ד) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "one" (אֶחָ֔ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·the·broad·place" (אֶל־הָ֣רְח֔וֹב, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 345: the·scribe, Moses. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "to·the·broad·place" (אֶל־הָ֣רְח֔וֹב), "book·of" (אֶת־סֵ֙פֶר֙), "Israel" (אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל). The root ספר appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 66x in Nehemiah); "and·they·said" (root אמר, 66x in Nehemiah); "to·bring" (root בוא, 47x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root עזרא ("to·Ezra") in Nehemiah. First appearance of the root תורה ("law·of") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·gate·of·the·water', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 10 words.
Metzudat David
'As one man' — meaning, swiftly, as though it were the coming of a single man.
Metzudat Zion
'the scribe' — meaning, the sage; and in the words of our Sages of blessed memory: 'the scribe recites the blessing, and the unlearned person fulfills his obligation' (Chullin 118).
And Ezra the priest brought the Law before the congregation, both men and women, and all who could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month.
verse value 3859
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 66 letters. Notable word values: "one" (אֶחָ֖ד) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "and·all" (וְכֹ֖ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·law" (אֶֽת־הַתּוֹרָ֞ה, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·brought" (וַיָּבִ֣יא), "the·assembly" (הַקָּהָל֙), "from·man" (מֵאִ֣ישׁ). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·day" (root יום, 61x in Nehemiah); "and·brought" (root בוא, 47x in Nehemiah); "the·priest" (root כהן, 44x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·hear', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 4 words.
Rashi
on the first day of the seventh month That is the day of Rosh Hashanah.
Ibn Ezra
"on the first day of the seventh month" — this is connected to the beginning of the verse; the sense is: "And Ezra brought the Law" — on such-and-such a day.
Ralbag
'And all who could hear with understanding' — I think that 'all who could hear with understanding' alludes to the young children, as the Torah says in the portion of Hakhel, 'that they may hear, and that they may learn'; and he clarifies by this that only those young children who could understand what they heard were to come there.
Metzudat David
'From man...etc.' — meaning, he brought it before all of them, for all of them had gathered there. 'Who could hear with understanding' — one possessing understanding, able to grasp the words of the book. 'Upon the first day, etc.' — that is, Rosh Hashanah.
Malbim
'The Law' — Scripture does not say 'the scroll of the Law,' as it does later, 'and he read from it' [8:3], meaning from the scroll — this is in order to include that he also explained to them the Torah transmitted orally, which is not written in a scroll. Hence it says 'before the congregation, both men and women,' for in their presence the plain, straightforward matters were read; and 'all who could hear with understanding' — meaning the sages, before whom the words of the Oral Torah and its secrets were read.
And he read in it before the broad place that was before the water gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women, and of those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the Law.
verse value 5300
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 90 letters. Verse gematria: 5300 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·the·ones·who·understand" (וְהַמְּבִינִ֑ים, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 170: before, before. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·read·in·it" (וַיִּקְרָא־בוֹ֩), "the·broad·place" (הָרְח֜וֹב), "from·the·light" (מִן־הָאוֹר֙). The root פנים appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 66x in Nehemiah); "the·day" (root יום, 61x in Nehemiah); "the·men" (root איש, 44x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·the·ones·who·understand', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 4 words.
Rashi
from the light of the beginning of the day. to the Scroll of the Law All the people inclined their ears.
Ibn Ezra
"And he read in it" — referring to the scroll of the Law.
Ralbag
'And the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the Law' — they all inclined their ears to hear the words and understand them; from this it is clear that they were not speaking of other matters.
Metzudat David
'And he read in it' — Ezra read in it. 'From early [morning]' — from the first light of morning. 'And those who could understand' — those possessing understanding. 'And the ears of...etc.' — they inclined their ears to listen to the words of the Torah.
And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Uriah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchijah, and Hashum, and Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
verse value 7307
Insights
Verse structure: 24 words, 122 letters. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "upon·tower·of·wood" (עַֽל־מִגְדַּל־עֵץ֮, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 130: and·stood, and·stood. 11 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "upon·tower·of·wood" (עַֽל־מִגְדַּל־עֵץ֮), "Mattithiah" (מַתִּתְיָ֡ה), "and·Shema" (וְשֶׁ֡מַע). The root עמד appears 2 times in this verse. 23 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 66x in Nehemiah); "they·made" (root עשה, 55x in Nehemiah); "for·the·purpose" (root דבר, 33x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root חלקיה ("and·Hilkiah") in Nehemiah. First appearance of the root מעשיה ("and·Maaseiah") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·his·right·hand', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 8 words.
Rashi
on a wooden tower That wooden tower was made for the purpose of reading the Scroll of the Law upon it.
Ibn Ezra
"a pulpit of wood" — shaped like a tower, similar to what we make here in synagogues.
Ralbag
'And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose,' etc. — they made this so that he would be raised above the people and all of them would hear his words; and since that platform was ten handbreadths high or more, and so formed a domain of its own, there were men standing there with him, on his right and on his left, so that a matter of sanctity would not be spoken in the presence of fewer than ten [people].
Metzudat David
'Which they had made for the purpose' — [something] made from the outset for this purpose.
Malbim
'And beside him stood' — there were seven on each side, with Ezra counted as belonging to the right. But according to our Sages in Megillah (23b), there were six on each side aside from Ezra, [reading] 'Zechariah Meshullam' as a single name. Yet in Ezra (8:16), 'Zechariah and Meshullam' appear as leaders — that is, as two separate names — and this requires further study.
And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people—for he was above all the people—and when he opened it, all the people stood up.
verse value 2622
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 51 letters. The shortest word is "was" (הָיָ֑ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·when·he·opened·it" (וּכְפִתְח֖וֹ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 170: to·the·eyes·of, for·above. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·opened" (וַיִּפְתַּ֨ח), "to·the·eyes·of" (לְעֵינֵ֣י), "for·above" (כִּֽי־מֵעַ֥ל). The root כל appears 3 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "was" (root היה, 48x in Nehemiah); "all·the·people" (root כל, 31x in Nehemiah); "stood" (root עמד, 31x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'was', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיִּפְתַּ֨ח [and·opened] (504) + עֶזְרָ֤א [Ezra] (278) + הַסֵּ֙פֶר֙ [the·book] (345) + לְעֵינֵ֣י [to·the·eyes·of] (170) + כׇל־הָעָ֔ם [all·the·people] (165) + כִּֽי־מֵעַ֥ל [for·above] (170) + כׇּל־הָעָ֖ם [all·the·people] (165) + הָיָ֑ה [was] (20) + וּכְפִתְח֖וֹ [and·when·he·opened·it] (520) + עָֽמְד֥וּ [stood] (120) + כׇל־הָעָֽם [all·the·people] (165) = 2622.
Rashi
for he was above all the people Therefore, they all saw him. and when he opened it, all the people stood And when he opened it to read, all the people stood silent. stood Heb. עָמְדוּ, an expression of silence (they stood silent), like (Job 32:16): “...for they remained silent (עָמְדוּ) ; they no longer answered.”
Ibn Ezra
"and when he opened it, all the people stood up" — the "standing" spoken of here refers to speech; its meaning is that they fell silent and were still, as in "they stood, they answered no more" (Job 32:16). But it is also possible that they stood up on their feet in honor of the Law — proof of this being "and they stood up in their place" (Nehemiah 9:3). And so, too, our Sages, of blessed memory, said: "From the days of Moses until Rabban Gamliel they would study [Torah] standing."
Ralbag
'And when he opened it, all the people stood up' — meaning, as soon as he opened the scroll of the Torah, all the people stood up in their places; not one of them moved from his spot, so that they would be able to understand the words of the Torah.
Metzudat David
'In the sight of all the people' — all of them saw him open the book, for he stood on the pulpit above all the people, and so everyone could see. 'And when he opened it' — when he opened the book, or when he opened his mouth to speak, all the people fell silent.
Metzudat Zion
'stood up' — the term includes silence/stillness, as in 'they stood still and answered no more' (Job 32:16).
Malbim
'Above all the people' — for the pulpit was a high platform. 'Stood up' — they ceased talking (Sotah 39a).
And Ezra blessed Hashem, the great God. And all the people answered: ‘Amen, Amen’, with the lifting up of their hands; and they bowed their heads, and fell down before Hashem with their faces to the ground.
verse value 3127
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 76 letters. The shortest word is "Amen" (אָמֵ֤ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·bowed·down" (וַיִּֽשְׁתַּחֲו֛וּ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 142: and·answered, in·lifting·of. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·blessed" (וַיְבָ֣רֶךְ), "and·answered" (וַיַּֽעֲנ֨וּ), "in·lifting·of" (בְּמֹ֣עַל). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "God" (root אלהים, 62x in Nehemiah); "their·hands" (root יד, 39x in Nehemiah); "all·the·people" (root כל, 31x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·great', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 11 words.
Rashi
with the uplifting of their hands with the raising of their hands, meaning that they lifted their hands on high to thank the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is stated: (I Kings 8:22): “...and spread forth his hands towards heaven.”
Ibn Ezra
"with the lifting up of their hands" — from the root ayin-lamed-lamed, and similarly, "and I have rolled my horn in the dust" (Job 16:15); it is like ma’aleh from the root ayin-lamed-heh ("to go up"), for these are two roots sharing one meaning, like shogeg and mishgeh [both meaning "erring"]. And he further explains "with the lifting up" — as "with the raising of their hands," in the sense of "lift up your hands to the sanctuary, and bless Hashem" (Psalms 134:2).
Ralbag
'And Ezra blessed Hashem, the great God,' etc. — this is the blessing over the Torah, and from this it appears that he had already recited a blessing before his reading of the Torah. 'With the lifting up of their hands' — meaning, they raised their hands upward to Hashem, exalted be He, as they answered 'Amen.'
Metzudat David
'Amen, Amen' — the repetition is for emphasis. 'With the lifting up of their hands' — with raising their hands upward. 'Their faces' — each one with his face to the ground.
Metzudat Zion
'with the lifting up' — from the language of raising and lifting. 'and they bowed their heads' — meaning, they bent their heads down.
Malbim
'With the lifting up of their hands' — meaning with the raising of their hands. According to Ibn Ezra it is a noun formed on the doubled-root pattern, with the mem serving to fix the noun, like 'morekh' (Leviticus 26:36). See what I wrote in Sefer HaTorah VehaMitzvah on Bechukotai (siman 63).
Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, even the Levites, caused the people to understand the Law; and the people stood in their place.
verse value 4924
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 92 letters. The shortest word is "Hanan" (חָנָ֤ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Sherebiah" (וְשֵׁרֵ֥בְיָ֣ה, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·Sherebiah" (וְשֵׁרֵ֥בְיָ֣ה), "Jamin" (יָמִ֡ין), "Shabbethai" (שַׁבְּתַ֣י). The root עם appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·Bani" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "the·people" (root עם, 47x in Nehemiah); "and·the·Levites" (root לוי, 45x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root שרביה ("and·Sherebiah") in Nehemiah. First appearance of the root הודיה ("Hodiah") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·the·law', dividing the verse into phrases of 17 and 2 words.
Rashi
explained...to the people meaning that they would translate the words of the Torah to the people. in their place meaning that they were standing on their feet.
Ibn Ezra
"caused the people to understand the Law" — made them understand, so that they would listen attentively to the Law.
Ralbag
'Caused the people to understand the Law' — meaning, they explained the Torah to them.
Metzudat David
'Caused...to understand' — they were the ones who understood [the reading] and made known to the people the words of the Torah that Ezra read. 'In their place' — in the place where they stood, and they did not move from their place.
And they read in the book, in the Law of God, distinctly; and they gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.
verse value 3513
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 43 letters. The shortest word is "sense" (שֶׂ֔כֶל, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·they·read" (וַֽיִּקְרְא֥וּ, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "distinctly" (מְפֹרָ֑שׁ), "and·gave" (וְשׂ֣וֹם), "sense" (שֶׂ֔כֶל). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "God" (root אלהים, 62x in Nehemiah); "in·law·of" (root תורה, 21x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root שכל ("sense") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'distinctly', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַֽיִּקְרְא֥וּ [and·they·read] (323) + בַסֵּ֛פֶר [in·the·book] (342) + בְּתוֹרַ֥ת [in·law·of] (1008) + הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים [God] (91) + מְפֹרָ֑שׁ [distinctly] (620) + וְשׂ֣וֹם [and·gave] (352) + שֶׂ֔כֶל [sense] (350) + וַיָּבִ֖ינוּ [and·they·caused·to·understand] (84) + בַּמִּקְרָֽא [in·the·reading] (343) = 3513.
Rashi
and gave sense Heb. וְשּׂם שֶׂכֶל, and giving wisdom; וְשּׂם is an expression of doing.
Ibn Ezra
"distinctly" — he explained each matter clearly. "and gave the sense" — they set the people’s minds to understand this reading, this "setting" being done with careful attention of the heart, in the sense of "and I applied my heart to know wisdom" (Ecclesiastes 1:17).
Ralbag
'And they read in the book, in the Law of God, distinctly,' etc. — meaning, that the Levites read in the book, in the Law of God, in a clear and explicit manner, for they translated it for them; and it was not enough for them merely to translate it into a language the people understood, but they made an effort to apply intelligence and wisdom to the matter being translated. This they did by explaining to them the intent for which the Torah stated this, and by making them understand [it] through the manner of the reading of the Torah, so that it would accord with what was intended by it; and this they did by pausing in their reading at points that were, in some sense, an ending, and not pausing in the middle [of a thought].
Metzudat David
'And they read' — meaning, [the people] heard the sound of the reading, for Ezra alone was the one reading. 'Distinctly' — a clear reading, so as to know and understand what was said in it. 'And gave the sense, etc.' — they applied their minds — meaning, they set their hearts to grasp the true meaning of the matter — and they succeeded in understanding the reading.
Metzudat Zion
'and they gave the sense' — from the language of placing/setting (sima).
Malbim
'In the book, in the Law of God' — meaning: in the written book, which is the Written Torah, and also in the Law of God as transmitted orally, the Oral Torah. For this reason he doubles the reference, one for each: concerning 'in the book' it says 'distinctly,' which our Sages explained to mean the Targum — that they translated it into the language of the people. And corresponding to 'in the Law of God' it says 'and gave the sense,' meaning that they instructed them in the Oral Torah. And how do we derive the Oral Torah from the Written Torah? For this it says 'and caused them to understand the reading.' Our Sages (Nedarim 36 and Megillah 3) said: 'and gave the sense' refers to the division into verses, and 'and caused them to understand the reading' refers to the [Masoretic] tradition — namely, that the division of verses, the cantillation marks, and the manner of reading are also part of the Oral Torah: for example, whether to read 'becheilev' [fat] or 'bechalav' [milk] of its mother, or 'zeicher Amalek' [remembrance] or 'zachar' [male]; and there are five verses that have no clear determination, as our Sages stated.
And Nehemiah, who was the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites who taught the people, said to all the people: ‘This day is holy to Hashem your God; do not mourn, nor weep.’ For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law.
verse value 7312
Insights
Verse structure: 23 words, 120 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "do·not·mourn" (אַל־תִּֽתְאַבְּל֖וּ, 8 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "the·explaining" (הַמְּבִינִ֨ים), "holy·he" (קָדֹֽשׁ־הוּא֙), "do·not·mourn" (אַל־תִּֽתְאַבְּל֖וּ). The root כל appears 2 times in this verse. 21 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 66x in Nehemiah); "your·God" (root אלהים, 62x in Nehemiah); "the·day" (root יום, 61x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·do·not·weep', dividing the verse into phrases of 17 and 6 words.
Rashi
The day is holy because it is the day of Rosh Hashanah. for all the people were weeping because they did not uphold the Torah appropriately.
Ibn Ezra
"to all the people" — this connects with "and he said," which is the beginning of the verse.
Ralbag
'This day is holy to Hashem your God' — this makes clear that it was the day of the remembrance of the [shofar] blast, which is what we call Rosh Hashanah. 'For all the people wept,' etc. — it appears that they had just read to them, at that point, the passage of the curses, so that they would fear Hashem.
Metzudat David
'Who taught the people' — [meaning] they were giving the people understanding of the words of the Law. 'To all the people' — they said to all the people: is not this day holy to Hashem, for it is Rosh Hashanah, and it is not fitting to mourn and weep on it? 'When they heard [the words of the Law], etc.' — for they saw that they had not fulfilled the Torah properly.
Malbim
'For ... wept' — it can be explained that he read before them the Torah portion of the day and made them understand that this day is a day of judgment, and therefore they wept out of fear of the judgment, and also wanted to fast. So he said to them, regarding the fasting, 'go, eat of the fat,' and regarding the weeping, 'and be not grieved.' As stated in the Midrash: Israel has a day of judgment, yet they make it a festival, because they are confident that Hashem will bring forth their verdict for merit. This is the meaning of 'for the joy of Hashem is your strength' — by this you will see that you have strength in Hashem, who will do good to you in His kindness. The word 'joy' here denotes spiritual joy, and this joy is 'your strength' — it is the joy of the soul in cleaving to Hashem; there is strength in it, and Hashem is its strength and its stronghold.
Then he said to 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.’
verse value 5290
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 93 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֔וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֔וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·do·not·be·grieved" (וְאַל־תֵּ֣עָצֵ֔בוּ, 8 letters). 11 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "fat·things" (מַשְׁמַנִּ֜ים), "and·drink" (וּשְׁת֣וּ), "sweet·things" (מַֽמְתַקִּ֗ים). 20 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·them" (root הם, 67x in Nehemiah); "and·he·said" (root אמר, 66x in Nehemiah); "the·day" (root יום, 61x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·our·Lord', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 5 words.
Rashi
to whoever has nothing prepared to a poor man who has no food prepared for himself.
Ibn Ezra
"for the joy of Hashem is your strength" — the joy will be your strength, if you maintain it, for so it is written: "and you shall rejoice in your festival" (Deuteronomy 16:14).
Ralbag
'Go your way, eat the fat,' etc. — he said this for the enjoyment of the festival day; and because the Torah commanded us, in all our rejoicing on our festivals, to gladden the destitute with all the good that Hashem has given us, he commanded them to send portions to those who had nothing ready and prepared [for themselves] — that is, the poor. And since they read from the Torah until midday, we learn from this that the festivals were given so as to gladden, in part, the soul — which is engagement with the Torah — and to gladden, in part, the body — which is delighting in pleasant foods and drinks. 'For the joy of Hashem is your strength' — meaning, the fortress and the strength by which you will be made strong is that you rejoice in that which Hashem, exalted be He, wished you to rejoice in, namely, the festivals; for through them there is a wondrous guidance toward attaining [closeness to] Hashem, exalted be He, as we explained in our commentary on the Torah, and with joy and expansiveness of soul it is more likely that this will be attained. It is also possible to say that the intent is that you ought to rejoice in what you have heard from the Torah, so that you will be guided to observe it, and that this is the fortress and strength you will derive from this — for your rejoicing in it is a sign that you wish to conduct yourselves according to the Torah. And this is what is said afterward: 'And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions,' etc.
Metzudat David
'The fat' — rich foods. 'The sweet' — sweet drinks. 'To him for whom nothing is prepared' — to one who has no food ready and available for him, meaning, the poor of the people. 'For the joy of Hashem' — meaning, the joy of the festival, which is a joy of mitzvah — this will give you strength and might.
Metzudat Zion
'portions' — means a share, a gift, as in 'and it shall be your portion' (Exodus 29:26).
So the Levites stilled all the people, saying: ‘Hold your peace, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.’
verse value 2132
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 41 letters. Verse gematria: 2132 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·do·not·be·grieved" (וְאַל־תֵּעָצֵֽבוּ, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "stilling" (מַחְשִׁ֤ים), "be·silent" (הַ֔סּוּ). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 66x in Nehemiah); "the·day" (root יום, 61x in Nehemiah); "and·the·Levites" (root לוי, 45x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'holy', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 1 words. Full calculation: וְהַלְוִיִּ֞ם [and·the·Levites] (97) + מַחְשִׁ֤ים [stilling] (398) + לְכׇל־הָעָם֙ [to·all·the·people] (195) + לֵאמֹ֣ר [saying] (271) + הַ֔סּוּ [be·silent] (71) + כִּ֥י [for] (30) + הַיּ֖וֹם [the·day] (61) + קָדֹ֑שׁ [holy] (404) + וְאַל־תֵּעָצֵֽבוּ [and·do·not·be·grieved] (605) = 2132.
Rashi
quieted They admonished all the people to be quiet, that they should weep no longer. Hush Heb. הַסוּ, an expression of silence, like (Num. 13:30): “And Caleb hushed (וַיַהַס).”
Ibn Ezra
"stilled all the people" — a transitive (causative) verb. "Hold your peace" (haso) — stressed on the penultimate syllable because of the disjunctive pause [in the cantillation]; and likewise, "raze it, raze it, to its very foundation" (Psalms 137:7).
Ralbag
'So the Levites stilled all the people,' etc. — meaning, they were quieting the people from weeping and mourning. 'Hold your peace' — [meaning,] be silent.
Metzudat David
'Stilled' — they were quieting all the people, and told them: be silent from weeping.
Metzudat Zion
'stilled' — silenced, as in 'a time to keep silence' (Ecclesiastes 3). 'Hold your peace' — be silent, as in 'and Caleb silenced [the people]' (Numbers 13).
Malbim
'Hold your peace, for the day is holy' — because earlier (verse 9) it said, 'this day is holy to Hashem your God,' in keeping with what our Sages said, 'divide it: half for Hashem and half for you.' There it spoke of the first half of the day, which they had consecrated to Hashem. Now that he commanded them to go to their homes to eat of the fat, the Levites added that the second half, too, is holy, through their fulfilling in it the joy of the festival. Hence it simply says, 'the day is holy,' without qualification.
And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.
verse value 4581
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 69 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·to·drink" (וְלִשְׁתּוֹת֙, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·they·went" (וַיֵּלְכ֨וּ), "and·to·drink" (וְלִשְׁתּוֹת֙), "and·to·send" (וּלְשַׁלַּ֣ח). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·them" (root הם, 67x in Nehemiah); "that" (root אשר, 66x in Nehemiah); "and·to·make" (root עשה, 55x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root שמחה ("joy") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'great', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 6 words.
Metzudat David
'And to send portions' — [understood as before,] to him for whom nothing is prepared. 'Because they had understood' — they gained understanding and knowledge of the words of the Law that had been made known to them, and rejoiced in this.
Malbim
'Because they had understood' — that it is a commandment to rejoice, and to bring joy also to the poor, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow. Therefore they sent portions and made great mirth, so that the poor and the rich among the people would rejoice together.
And on the second day the heads of fathers’ houses of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, were gathered together to Ezra the scribe, even to give attention to the words of the Law.
verse value 3891
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 69 letters. The shortest word is "the·second" (הַשֵּׁנִ֡י, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·to·give·attention" (וּלְהַשְׂכִּ֖יל, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "the·second" (הַשֵּׁנִ֡י), "to·Ezra" (אֶל־עֶזְרָ֖א), "and·to·give·attention" (וּלְהַשְׂכִּ֖יל). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·in·the·day" (root יום, 61x in Nehemiah); "and·the·Levites" (root לוי, 45x in Nehemiah); "the·priests" (root כהן, 44x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·scribe', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 3 words. Full calculation: וּבַיּ֣וֹם [and·in·the·day] (64) + הַשֵּׁנִ֡י [the·second] (365) + נֶאֶסְפוּ֩ [were·gathered] (197) + רָאשֵׁ֨י [heads·of] (511) + הָאָב֜וֹת [the·fathers] (414) + לְכׇל־הָעָ֗ם [of·all·the·people] (195) + הַכֹּֽהֲנִים֙ [the·priests] (130) + וְהַלְוִיִּ֔ם [and·the·Levites] (97) + אֶל־עֶזְרָ֖א [to·Ezra] (309) + הַסֹּפֵ֑ר [the·scribe] (345) + וּלְהַשְׂכִּ֖יל [and·to·give·attention] (401) + אֶל־דִּבְרֵ֥י [to·words·of] (247) + הַתּוֹרָֽה [the·law] (616) = 3891.
Rashi
And on the second day of Rosh Hashanah.
Metzudat David
'And on the second day' — of Rosh Hashanah; for in the days of Ezra they intercalated the month of Elul [adding an extra day to it], and so they kept two festival days of Rosh Hashanah — so our Sages, of blessed memory, said. 'Of all the people' — belonging to all the people. 'To give attention' — to read in it with intent of heart, in order to know the commandments of Hashem that were to be performed.
And they found written in the Law, that Hashem had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month;
verse value 4817
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 64 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֨ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Israel" (בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֧ל, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, that. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·they·found" (וַֽיִּמְצְא֖וּ), "commanded" (צִוָּ֤ה), "by·hand·of·Moses" (בְּיַד־מֹשֶׁ֔ה). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of·Israel" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "that" (root אשר, 66x in Nehemiah); "should·dwell" (root ישב, 22x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root סכה ("in·the·booths") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·law', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 11 words. Full calculation: וַֽיִּמְצְא֖וּ [and·they·found] (153) + כָּת֣וּב [written] (428) + בַּתּוֹרָ֑ה [in·the·law] (613) + אֲשֶׁ֨ר [that] (501) + צִוָּ֤ה [commanded] (101) + יְהֹוָה֙ [Hashem] (26) + בְּיַד־מֹשֶׁ֔ה [by·hand·of·Moses] (361) + אֲשֶׁר֩ [that] (501) + יֵשְׁב֨וּ [should·dwell] (318) + בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֧ל [sons·of·Israel] (603) + בַּסֻּכּ֛וֹת [in·the·booths] (488) + בֶּחָ֖ג [in·the·feast] (13) + בַּחֹ֥דֶשׁ [in·the·month] (314) + הַשְּׁבִיעִֽי [the·seventh] (397) = 4817.
Malbim
'That the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast' — this is a very strange matter, that Israel had not built sukkot from the days of Joshua until now, as is stated below, 'for the children of Israel had not done so since the days of Joshua the son of Nun' — and indeed the Gemara in Arachin (32) expresses astonishment at this. It appears, based on what the Rema writes in Orach Chaim, siman 637, that one may not build a sukkah in a public domain (reshut harabim). Accordingly, since we hold that Jerusalem was not divided among the tribes, there was no private domain (reshut hayachid) there — just as houses in Jerusalem were not rented out, since they belonged to no one tribe or family — and therefore they could not build a sukkah there. But since in the days of Ezra they reacquired the land of Israel a second time by an act of possession and resanctified it, the court stipulated that sukkot could be built in Jerusalem and in other public domains, as stated in the Tosefta (Bava Kamma, chapter 6), that it was a stipulation of the court that sukkah-roofing could be placed over a public domain. This means that Ezra's court stipulated this at that time, for otherwise they would not have been able to build sukkot in Jerusalem; and indeed it is explicitly stated that they built them 'in the courtyards of the House of God and in the street of the Water Gate,' which is truly a public domain. The Tosefta speaks of the land of Israel, where Ezra's court made this stipulation at the time they resanctified the land; but outside the land of Israel no such stipulation was made, especially in a place inhabited by idolaters — as the Magen Avraham investigates there. Now, Joshua too could have enacted this ordinance when he first sanctified the land, for at that time the court had the authority to allot the land on condition that the site of a sukkah would always be considered a private domain; but Joshua did not do so, and from his time until Ezra the children of Israel did not do so — meaning, they did not dwell in a sukkah built in a public domain. Likewise, in the days of David and Solomon no sukkot were built in Jerusalem for the reason stated, since it had not been divided among the tribes. And what is said, 'and that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities,' means that they announced that in the other cities as well one could build sukkot in a public domain. By this we can understand what is said there in Arachin, that the statement 'for it had not been done so since the days of Joshua the son of Nun' means that Ezra resanctified the land a second time. But how can we derive this from the wording 'for they had not done so since the days of Joshua'? Rather, from this very statement it is clear that Ezra resanctified the land anew and had the power to make stipulations just as in the days of Joshua; and from this the Gemara there proves that the first sanctification did not sanctify the land for all time.
and that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying: ‘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.’
verse value 7622
Insights
Verse structure: 23 words, 104 letters. The shortest word is "tree" (עֵ֣ץ, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·all·their·cities" (בְּכׇל־עָרֵיהֶם֮, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 116: and·branches·of, and·branches·of, and·branches·of. 15 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "should·publish" (יַשְׁמִ֗יעוּ), "and·proclaim" (וְיַעֲבִ֨ירוּ), "voice" (ק֥וֹל). The root עלה appears 4 times in this verse. 20 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·that" (root אשר, 66x in Nehemiah); "saying" (root אמר, 66x in Nehemiah); "to·make" (root עשה, 55x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root שמן ("oil") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'thick', dividing the verse into phrases of 20 and 3 words.
Rashi
And that they should announce And they commanded that they announce that they celebrate the Festival of Sukkoth, and so it is customary for Scripture to speak in this manner, like (I Sam. 9: 27): “Tell the servant and he will go ahead of us.” myrtle leaves It is explained in Tractate Succah (12a) that this is a wild myrtle which is unfit for the lulav and only fit to make a sukkah. date palm leaves for a lulav. and leaves of plaited trees This is the myrtle that is fit for the lulav as is explained in Tractate Succah (ad loc.).
Ibn Ezra
"and that they should publish and proclaim" — "branches of wild olive, and myrtle branches, and palm branches" — the vavs [joining these] do not add anything to the sense; rather, the meaning is "or branches of wild olive, or myrtle branches," as in "and curses his father or his mother" (Exodus 21:17). And we know by tradition that the myrtle (hadas) and the "thick trees" (avot) are one and the same species; so, too, the Targum renders it, in short, as "avot hadassin" (plaited myrtles). But there is a kind found with three leaves [to a whorl], which is the one called, from its plaited growth, "avot"; and I have found one with six leaves, which is the loveliest of all and most deserving to be called "avot." And some say a kind is found with seven leaves. And our Sages called [the inferior kind] "wild myrtle."
Ralbag
'Go forth to the mount, and fetch olive branches,' etc. — meaning, branches with leaves, to make a sukkah. 'And myrtle branches' — since it goes on to mention afterward 'branches of thick trees,' we learn that the myrtle mentioned first is not [what is meant by] 'a thick tree'; it appears that they chose some of these for their beauty and some for their pleasant fragrance.
Metzudat David
'And that they should publish' — this is an abbreviated verse, as though it said: 'and they commanded that they should publish,' etc. 'Olive branches' — branches while still bearing their leaves. 'Wild olive' — this is a species of non-fruit-bearing tree. 'And myrtle branches' — our Sages, of blessed memory, said that this is the wild myrtle, which is not kosher for the lulav; and they commanded that it be brought to cover the sukkah with it, together with olive leaves, wild-olive leaves, and palm leaves — this [the palm branch] is the lulav. 'Branches of thick trees' — this is the myrtle, whose leaves are entwined with one another, which is kosher for the lulav; and likewise they commanded to bring the etrog and the willows of the brook, but the verse did not mention them, in order to be brief about a matter [already] understood. 'To make booths' — to cover the sukkot with them; and this refers back to the olive leaves, the wild-olive leaves, and the myrtle leaves.
Metzudat Zion
'that they should publish and proclaim' — this means a public announcement, as in 'and they proclaimed throughout the camp' (Exodus 36:6). 'of thick trees' — from the language of 'thick' (av); meaning, dense with leaves and braided together with one another; and so too 'the two thick (avot) chains of gold' (Exodus 28).
Malbim
'And fetch olive branches' — our Sages explained in [tractate] Sukkah that olive leaves and oleaster wood are for the sukkah-roofing, myrtle leaves and palm leaves are for the lulav, and 'branches of thick trees' means wild myrtle, also for the roofing. Now although his main intent was not to instruct them regarding the four species — for if so he should also have mentioned the citron and the willows of the brook — nevertheless, because there were among the Sages some who expounded, following Rabbi Yehudah, that a sukkah's roofing may be made only from the four species (as stated in Sukkah 36), he taught them that they could bring myrtle leaves and palm leaves, which in any case they were taking for the four species; and in addition they should also bring olive leaves and oleaster wood — a non-fruit-bearing tree, like 'and oil trees' (1 Kings 6:23) — so that people would not establish a rule requiring that the roofing be made specifically from the four species, on the basis of an a fortiori argument. This is why it says, 'to make booths, as it is written' — meaning, we should not derive by a fortiori reasoning that only the four species may be used, but rather use whatever is written.
So the people went forth, and brought them, and made themselves booths, every one upon the roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the broad place of the water gate, and in the broad place of the gate of Ephraim.
verse value 5629
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 86 letters. Verse gematria: 5629 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "the·people" (הָעָם֮, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·in·their·courts" (וּבְחַצְרֹ֣תֵיהֶ֔ם, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 570: gate, gate. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·they·went·out" (וַיֵּצְא֣וּ), "and·they·brought" (וַיָּבִ֒יאוּ֒), "upon·his·roof" (עַל־גַּגּוֹ֙). The root חצר appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·them" (root הם, 67x in Nehemiah); "God" (root אלהים, 62x in Nehemiah); "house·of" (root בית, 60x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'God', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 6 words.
And all the congregation of those who had come back out of the captivity made booths, and dwelt in the booths; for since the days of Joshua the son of Nun to that day the children of Israel had not done so. And there was very great gladness.
verse value 5417
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 92 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·the·assembly" (כׇֽל־הַ֠קָּהָ֠ל, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 407: from·the·captivity, not·they·did. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "the·returnees" (הַשָּׁבִ֨ים), "not·they·did" (לֹֽא־עָשׂ֡וּ), "son·of·Nun" (בִּן־נ֥וּן). The root עשה appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Nun" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "from·days·of" (root יום, 61x in Nehemiah); "and·they·made" (root עשה, 55x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'that', dividing the verse into phrases of 18 and 4 words.
Ibn Ezra
"Joshua" — he is called by three [different] names.
Ralbag
'For since the days of Joshua the son of Nun... the children of Israel had not done so' — meaning, that the heart of all who came there was wholly with Hashem, and that they read day by day in the book of the Law of God; and it appears that this is also what they did in the days of Joshua the son of Nun — that they, too, read in the book of the Law of God. Or the statement 'had not done so' may refer back to the making of the booths, [namely,] with all their hearts [devoted] to Hashem.
Metzudat David
'And dwelt in the booths' — meaning, they dwelt in them as a fixed dwelling, to a great degree, as is proper. 'Had not done so' — meaning, they performed the mitzvah in the most exemplary manner, in a way that had not been done since the days of Joshua the son of Nun; and the verse is inverted, as though it said: 'for the children of Israel had not done so from the days of...' until that day. 'And there was gladness' — over the fact that they had fulfilled the mitzvah in so proper a manner.
Malbim
'And all the congregation ... made' — this is as stated, that they built them in the public domain, which was now the sukkah of the congregation, since this was now the court's stipulation. Therefore, 'and dwelt in the booths' — for until now, many had not dwelt in sukkot, because they had no private domain of their own.
Also day by day, from the first day to the last day, he read in the book of the Law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to the ordinance.
verse value 5951
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 85 letters. The shortest word is "to" (עַ֖ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·they·made·feast" (וַיַּֽעֲשׂוּ־חָג֙, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "the·first" (הָֽרִאשׁ֔וֹן), "the·last" (הָאַחֲר֑וֹן), "and·they·made·feast" (וַיַּֽעֲשׂוּ־חָג֙). The root יום appears 6 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "God" (root אלהים, 62x in Nehemiah); "day" (root יום, 61x in Nehemiah); "and·they·made·feast" (root עשה, 55x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·last', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 7 words.
Rashi
day by day every day.
Ibn Ezra
"day by day" — he explains this as: on the day proper to it, the meaning being in keeping with the theme of that day.
Metzudat David
'He read' — Ezra read before the people every day, from the first day of the festival onward, etc. 'And they kept the feast' — they offered the sacrifices of the festival. 'A solemn assembly' — they held a solemn assembly and offered on it the sacrifices appropriate according to the law of the Torah.
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion