Chapter 29 of Divrei HaYamim II opens an entirely new page. After a wicked king like Achaz, who cut up the vessels of the House of God, shut the doors of the Beit HaMikdash and the doors of the study halls, and turned the faces of the people away from the Dwelling of Hashem - a righteous king arrives: Yechizkiyahu. Immediately at the very outset of his reign, he reopens what his father had closed.
יְחִזְקִיָּהוּ מָלַךְ בֶּן־עֶשְׂרִים וְחָמֵשׁ שָׁנָה וְעֶשְׂרִים וָתֵשַׁע שָׁנָה מָלַךְ בִּירוּשָׁלָ͏ִם וְשֵׁם אִמּוֹ אֲבִיָּה בַּת־זְכַרְיָהוּ׃ וַיַּעַשׂ הַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינֵי יְהֹוָה כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂה דָּוִיד אָבִיו׃ הוּא בַשָּׁנָה הָרִאשׁוֹנָה לְמׇלְכוֹ בַּחֹדֶשׁ הָרִאשׁוֹן פָּתַח אֶת־דַּלְתוֹת בֵּית־יְהֹוָה וַיְחַזְּקֵם׃ - Yechizkiyahu began to reign when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Aviyah daughter of Zecharyahu. And he did what was upright in the eyes of Hashem, in accordance with all that David his father had done. In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the House of Hashem and reinforced them.
Yechizkiyahu began reigning at age twenty-five, and his reign lasted twenty-nine years. He did what was upright in the eyes of Hashem, and already in the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the House of Hashem and reinforced them. Regarding this 'first month,' the Malbim cites the teaching of Chazal that Yechizkiyahu intercalated the year at that time - intercalating Nissan in Nissan - and therefore Scripture refers to it as the first month of his reign, for according to his calculation it was still the month of Adar.
Regarding the name 'Yechizkiyahu,' it is worth noting what has already been mentioned more than once in the name of the Radak: in the Prophets, a single individual often appears under several variations of his name - Yeshayah and Yeshayahu, Chizkiyah, Chizkiyahu, and Yechizkiyahu, Yoyachin and Yehoyachin. This is the way of the world, that one person may be called by several names, just as a person might be called Yaakov, Yanky, Kobi, Yankele, and the like - yet all refer to the very same individual.
וַיָּבֵא אֶת־הַכֹּהֲנִים וְאֶת־הַלְוִיִּם וַיַּאַסְפֵם לִרְחוֹב הַמִּזְרָח׃ וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם שְׁמָעוּנִי הַלְוִיִּם עַתָּה הִתְקַדְּשׁוּ וְקַדְּשׁוּ אֶת־בֵּית יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי אֲבֹתֵיכֶם וְהוֹצִיאוּ אֶת־הַנִּדָּה מִן־הַקֹּדֶשׁ׃ - And he brought in the Kohanim and the Levi'im and gathered them into the eastern plaza. And he said to them: Hear me, O Levi'im! Now sanctify yourselves and sanctify the House of Hashem, God of your fathers, and remove the impurity from the holy place.
Yechizkiyahu gathers the Kohanim and the Levi'im in the eastern plaza on the Temple Mount, because he wants to restore and reactivate the service of the Beit HaMikdash, and for this purpose he needs them. In his address to them there are two stages, as the Malbim notes: first 'sanctify yourselves' - you yourselves; and only afterwards 'and sanctify the House of Hashem, God of your fathers.' From here we learn the fundamental principle of 'adorn yourself first, and then adorn others,' as well as the concept of 'and he shall make atonement for himself, for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel.' First and foremost, a person rectifies and purifies himself, and only then can he come to rectify and purify others.
What is the 'niddah' (impurity / outcast object) that must be removed from the holy place? The Radak explains that niddah is an expression of distancing - being cast out from her husband's home, or 'and they shook (vayanidu) their heads,' meaning to move something out of its place. A niddah is distanced, and in ancient times they would sometimes even set aside a separate place for her, since anything she touched or sat upon became ritually impure. The 'distanced thing' here refers to idolatry, similar to the expression 'and they cast (vayadu) a stone at me,' which likewise denotes casting away and distancing. Remove the idolatry from the Temple and from the Altar of Hashem, where Achaz had placed his idolatrous worship.
The Malbim explains that the intention was to purify the Beit HaMikdash from the defilement of idolatry, as well as from the idolatrous images that Achaz had engraved upon the walls of the House - which had to be cleaned and scraped away; and the vessels that had been used for idolatry had to be hidden away and replaced with new ones. And why does Scripture specifically use the term 'niddah'? Because from this verse Chazal derived: 'From where do we know that idolatry defiles by being carried, just like a niddah?' That is the connection between the two, and for that reason Scripture designates idolatry as 'niddah.'
כִּי־מָעֲלוּ אֲבֹתֵינוּ וְעָשׂוּ הָרַע בְּעֵינֵי יְהֹוָה־אֱלֹהֵינוּ וַיַּעַזְבֻהוּ וַיַּסֵּבּוּ פְנֵיהֶם מִמִּשְׁכַּן יְהֹוָה וַיִּתְּנוּ־עֹרֶף׃ - For our fathers have acted treacherously and done what is evil in the eyes of Hashem our God, and have forsaken Him; and they turned their faces away from the Dwelling of Hashem, and turned their backs.
Chizkiyahu also confesses the iniquity of the fathers, as it is said, "And they shall confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers." The Malbim details the stages: First, "they transgressed and did evil" - they violated the Torah. Then, "and turned their faces away from the dwelling of Hashem" - they went to worship Baal and the sun. The sun rises in the east, and east is in the direction of the Mount of Olives, so whoever faces that way has his back turned toward the Sanctuary of Hashem. They would go out on horses to greet the rising sun, sun-worshipers, bowing toward the east with their backs toward the Sanctuary of Hashem and their faces eastward toward the sun.
גַּם סָגְרוּ דַּלְתוֹת הָאוּלָם וַיְכַבּוּ אֶת־הַנֵּרוֹת וּקְטֹרֶת לֹא הִקְטִירוּ וְעֹלָה לֹא־הֶעֱלוּ בַקֹּדֶשׁ לֵאלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - "They also shut the doors of the Vestibule and put out the lamps, and did not burn incense nor offer burnt-offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel."
The third stage was the total cessation of the service of the House of Hashem - closing the doors of the Vestibule, which occurred at the culmination of Achaz's deeds and his wickedness, as the Malbim notes. They extinguished the lamps of the Menorah, did not offer incense on the Incense Altar, and did not offer burnt-offerings on the Burnt-Offering Altar.
וַיְהִי קֶצֶף יְהֹוָה עַל־יְהוּדָה וִירוּשָׁלָ͏ִם וַיִּתְּנֵם לְזַעֲוָה לְשַׁמָּה וְלִשְׁרֵקָה כַּאֲשֶׁר אַתֶּם רֹאִים בְּעֵינֵיכֶם׃ וְהִנֵּה נָפְלוּ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ בֶּחָרֶב וּבָנֵינוּ וּבְנוֹתֵינוּ וְנָשֵׁינוּ בַּשְּׁבִי עַל־זֹאת׃ - "Therefore the wrath of Hashem was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and He delivered them to horror, to astonishment, and to hissing, as you see with your own eyes. And behold, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons, our daughters, and our wives are in captivity for this."
"Za'avah" (horror) means trembling fear - everyone who hears is appalled and trembles in his place, related to agitation and trembling, like a person who recoils in shock upon hearing the news. "Le-shammah" (to astonishment) - a state of desolation and bewilderment, where one stands stunned and appalled: what happened here? "U-lishrekah" (and to hissing/whistling) - as Metzudat Tzion explains, the sound made by pursing the lips, "which people customarily do over an important thing that has been destroyed." A person whistles in astonishment. Perhaps today this is less familiar, but older generations remember whistling in disbelief. Similarly, "whoever passes by shall be astonished and whistle," and "I will make this city desolate and a hissing" in Yirmeyahu.
The Malbim draws a parallel here: corresponding to their three stages of decline - first, "our fathers transgressed and did evil"; then, they turned their backs to Hashem's dwelling and bowed to the east; and finally, they shut the doors of the Vestibule and completely abolished the service - three stages of retribution befell them: first, "horror" (za'avah); then, "desolation and hissing" (shammah u-shrekah); and finally, "they fell by the sword," as foretold in the prophecies of rebuke.
עַתָּה עִם־לְבָבִי לִכְרוֹת בְּרִית לַיהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיָשֹׁב מִמֶּנּוּ חֲרוֹן אַפּוֹ׃ - "Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with Hashem, the God of Israel, that His fierce wrath may turn away from us."
"Im levavi" ("in my heart") - my desire. That very covenant that was breached until now, as we have seen, I wish to renew with the Holy One, Blessed be He. As the Torah already states, "When you are in distress, and all these things have befallen you... you will return to Hashem your God," and "Hashem your God will return your captivity." That is: we will renew the covenant so that we can return to serving Hashem properly, and the Holy One, Blessed be He, will once again protect and preserve us.
בָּנַי עַתָּה אַל־תִּשָּׁלוּ כִּי־בָכֶם בָּחַר יְהֹוָה לַעֲמֹד לְפָנָיו לְשָׁרְתוֹ וְלִהְיוֹת לוֹ מְשָׁרְתִים וּמַקְטִרִים׃ - "My sons, do not be negligent now, for Hashem has chosen you to stand before Him, to minister to Him, and to be His ministers and burn incense."
"Al tishalu" ("do not be negligent") - related to inadvertent error (shegagah); the Targum translates bishegagah as beshalu. In other words: let there be no error or negligence on your part in this matter; rather, purify the Temple properly, in a precise and complete manner, without faltering in anything. And why does he add, "for Hashem has chosen you to stand before Him"? Metzudat David explains: it is fitting that you be especially careful in the service of Hashem, since this responsibility has been placed upon you and you are relied upon. And regarding the apparent redundancy, "to minister to Him, and to be His ministers and burn incense" - the Malbim explains: "to minister to Him" refers to the Levites, while "and to be His ministers and burn incense" refers to the Kohanim, since burning offerings - both the sacrificial fats (eimurim) and the incense - is not the service of Levites, but exclusively that of Kohanim.
וַיָּקֻמוּ הַלְוִיִּם מַחַת בֶּן־עֲמָשַׂי וְיוֹאֵל בֶּן־עֲזַרְיָהוּ מִן־בְּנֵי הַקְּהָתִי וּמִן־בְּנֵי מְרָרִי קִישׁ בֶּן־עַבְדִּי וַעֲזַרְיָהוּ בֶּן־יְהַלֶּלְאֵל וּמִן־הַגֵּרְשֻׁנִּי יוֹאָח בֶּן־זִמָּה וְעֵדֶן בֶּן־יוֹאָח׃ - Then the Levites arose: Mahath the son of Amasai and Joel the son of Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathites; and of the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi and Azariah the son of Jehallelel; and of the Gershonites, Joah the son of Zimmah and Eden the son of Joah.
וַיַּאַסְפוּ אֶת־אֲחֵיהֶם וַיִּתְקַדְּשׁוּ וַיָּבֹאוּ כְמִצְוַת־הַמֶּלֶךְ בְּדִבְרֵי יְהֹוָה לְטַהֵר בֵּית יְהֹוָה׃ - They gathered their brethren and sanctified themselves, and came, according to the commandment of the king by the words of Hashem, to cleanse the House of Hashem.
Scripture enumerates by name the descendants of Kohath, Merari, and Gershon, the sons of Elizaphan, the sons of Asaph, the sons of Heman, and the sons of Jeduthun. We see that the prophet makes a point of always mentioning the names of those who exert themselves for a mitzvah, etching them for eternity - these are the individuals who volunteered and came first to purify the House of Hashem. "By the words of Hashem, to cleanse the House of Hashem" - this was true divine service: purifying the House so that it would be fit for sacrifices.
וַיָּבֹאוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים לִפְנִימָה בֵית־יְהֹוָה לְטַהֵר וַיּוֹצִיאוּ אֵת כׇּל־הַטֻּמְאָה אֲשֶׁר מָצְאוּ בְּהֵיכַל יְהֹוָה לַחֲצַר בֵּית יְהֹוָה וַיְקַבְּלוּ הַלְוִיִּם לְהוֹצִיא לְנַחַל־קִדְרוֹן חוּצָה׃ - The priests went inside the House of Hashem to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the Sanctuary of Hashem into the courtyard of the House of Hashem; and the Levites received it to carry it outside to the Kidron Valley.
The explicit emphasis on "the priests" is not accidental: entry into the interior is permitted only to Kohanim, not to Levites, in accordance with the law cited at the end of Tractate Eruvin, as the Malbim points out. "All the uncleanness" refers to the idolatry placed in the House of Hashem. The Kohanim carried it out as far as the courtyard of the House of Hashem, where the Levites received it - since Levites do not enter within - and carried it outside the city to the Kidron Valley to burn it there.
וַיָּחֵלּוּ בְּאֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ הָרִאשׁוֹן לְקַדֵּשׁ וּבְיוֹם שְׁמוֹנָה לַחֹדֶשׁ בָּאוּ לְאוּלָם יְהֹוָה וַיְקַדְּשׁוּ אֶת־בֵּית־יְהֹוָה לְיָמִים שְׁמוֹנָה וּבְיוֹם שִׁשָּׁה עָשָׂר לַחֹדֶשׁ הָרִאשׁוֹן כִּלּוּ׃ - They began to sanctify on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the Portico of Hashem; and they sanctified the House of Hashem for eight days, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they finished.
They began on the first of the first month, reached the Portico on the eighth of the month, and finished on the sixteenth of the month - nearly half a month dedicated entirely to purifying the House. The commentary attributed to Rashi explains that Ahaz had covered all the walls with painted imagery, echoing the phrase "images of the Chaldeans carved with vermilion" - he had carved colored idols into the walls of the Beit HaMikdash, and it took eight days to destroy the forms of the idols from the walls, as they had to scrape the walls down; and by the sixteenth of the month, they finished the entire House and courtyard. This explains why it took so long: seemingly, removing idolatry could be done in a single day's work, but when all the walls are coated with idolatrous images that must all be peeled away, it is a lengthy task.
The Malbim analyzes the division of time itself: what took place up to the eighth of the month, and what took place up to the sixteenth? Initially, they consecrated the vessels, and purifying vessels from corpse-impurity (tumat meit) requires sprinkling on the third and seventh days, so the purification was completed only on the eighth day. Afterward, the Kohanim themselves, who had touched the impurity, also needed to be purified - and that took an additional eight days, making sixteen days in total. The Yerushalmi records that there was actual corpse-impurity present, as they found the skull of Araunah the Jebusite buried under the altar; hence they were impure with corpse-impurity and required sprinkling on the third and seventh days. Although there is an opinion that a non-Jew does not impart impurity through an ohel (tent-canopy), that is not the accepted halachah, and the ruling followed here is that a non-Jew does impart impurity through an ohel.
וַיָּבוֹאוּ פְנִימָה אֶל־חִזְקִיָּהוּ הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיֹּאמְרוּ טִהַרְנוּ אֶת־כׇּל־בֵּית יְהֹוָה אֶת־מִזְבַּח הָעוֹלָה וְאֶת־כׇּל־כֵּלָיו וְאֶת־שֻׁלְחַן הַמַּעֲרֶכֶת וְאֶת־כׇּל־כֵּלָיו׃ - And they went inside to King Hezekiah and said, "We have cleansed the entire House of the Lord, the altar of the burnt offering and all its utensils, and the table of the arrangement and all its utensils."
"Inside" here means into the inner house, the king's royal chamber. They come and announce to him that they have completed the task he placed upon them. "The table of the arrangement" (the Shulchan HaMa'arechet) refers to the table upon which they would arrange the Showbread (Lechem HaPanim), and it was named after that arrangement.
In this context, it is worth noting the practice of borrowing sacred terms for mundane matters. Today, sacred concepts are frequently borrowed and profaned. "Heichal" (palace/sanctuary) is an expression of sanctity; "Chashmal" is an exalted, elevated mystical concept found in sacred books, which is why it is customary to write it with spaces between its letters. For this reason, you will see that the halachic authorities do not write "chashmal" for electricity, but rather "electric". One who reads this might wonder why they insist on a foreign word when a Hebrew word exists - the answer is that the Hebrew word is an exalted, holy term that was secularized and co-opted for mundane use, and it was not proper to use it as such.
וְאֵת כׇּל־הַכֵּלִים אֲשֶׁר הִזְנִיחַ הַמֶּלֶךְ אָחָז בְּמַלְכוּתוֹ בְּמַעֲלוֹ הֵכַנּוּ וְהִקְדָּשְׁנוּ וְהִנָּם לִפְנֵי מִזְבַּח יְהֹוָה׃ - And all the utensils that King Ahaz in his reign discarded through his treachery, we have prepared and sanctified, and behold, they are before the altar of the Lord.
According to the plain meaning, it would seem that the utensils Ahaz discarded were prepared and sanctified. However, the Gemara in Avodah Zarah explains: "We prepared" - we hid away (placed in genizah); "and sanctified" - we consecrated others in their place. Do not think that the very vessels used for idolatry were returned to sacred service - certainly not. One may not use for sacred service stones that were used for idolatry, utensils that were used for idolatry, nor a kohen who officiated before an idolatrous altar: a kohen who ministered to idolatry is permanently disqualified from ascending the altar of the Lord. Anything that served idolatrous worship can never again be used in the House of the Lord.
Radak writes similarly: according to the peshat, "we prepared" means that we purified them and rededicated them to the Lord as before; however, Chazal explained that "we prepared" means we hid them away, because they were no longer fit to serve the Lord, and "we sanctified" means we consecrated others in their place. The Malbim, on the other hand, agrees that they consecrated new utensils, but explains "we prepared" not in the sense of genizah, but in its literal sense of preparation: we prepared other utensils in place of those Ahaz had defiled, and those we consecrated for sacred service.
וַיַּשְׁכֵּם יְחִזְקִיָּהוּ הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיֶּאֱסֹף אֵת שָׂרֵי הָעִיר וַיַּעַל בֵּית יְהֹוָה׃ - Then King Hezekiah arose early, gathered the rulers of the city, and went up to the House of the Lord.
וַיָּבִיאוּ פָרִים־שִׁבְעָה וְאֵילִים שִׁבְעָה וּכְבָשִׂים שִׁבְעָה וּצְפִירֵי עִזִּים שִׁבְעָה לְחַטָּאת עַל־הַמַּמְלָכָה וְעַל־הַמִּקְדָּשׁ וְעַל־יְהוּדָה וַיֹּאמֶר לִבְנֵי אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֲנִים לְהַעֲלוֹת עַל־מִזְבַּח יְהֹוָה׃ - And they brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven he-goats for a sin offering for the kingdom, for the sanctuary, and for Judah; and he commanded the sons of Aaron, the kohanim, to offer them on the altar of the Lord.
Pseudo-Rashi writes that this was a temporary injunction (hora'at sha'ah), and the emphasis is "on the altar of the Lord" - and not on the altars that Ahaz had built. The offerings came to atone for the kingdom, for the sanctuary, and for Judah - all of them required atonement.
The Malbim explains differently: this was akin to the sin offering and burnt offering brought when the community errs inadvertently (he'elem davar shel tzibbur), in which they bring a bull for an olah and a goat for a chatat. Some of the tribes were already gone - Reuben, Gad, half of Manasseh, Zebulun, and Naphtali had already gone into exile earlier - leaving seven tribes remaining. Therefore, he brings seven of each species to atone for the seven remaining tribes. Although generally a majority of the tribes determines the status of the rest, the Malbim explains that this applies only when they are still in the Land of Israel; here, however, where those tribes had been exiled and only seven remained, they bring only seven. Thus it is said, "for the kingdom, for the sanctuary, and for Judah" - for those present were only the people of Judah.
And why was this matter considered an he'elem davar (an erroneous communal ruling)? Because Achaz, together with the leaders of the generation, had led the people astray into sin, and the people were considered unwitting offenders - like an erroneous ruling of the Sanhedrin (shegagat hora'ah). Since the people acted unwittingly, an offering had to be brought on their behalf, and therefore they brought the equivalent of the chatat (sin offering) and olah (burnt offering) of an he'elem davar. The rams and lambs were voluntary offerings (nedavah).
וַיִּשְׁחֲטוּ הַבָּקָר וַיְקַבְּלוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים אֶת־הַדָּם וַיִּזְרְקוּ הַמִּזְבֵּחָה וַיִּשְׁחֲטוּ הָאֵלִים וַיִּזְרְקוּ הַדָּם הַמִּזְבֵּחָה וַיִּשְׁחֲטוּ הַכְּבָשִׂים וַיִּזְרְקוּ הַדָּם הַמִּזְבֵּחָה׃ - And they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests received the blood and sprinkled it on the altar; and they slaughtered the rams and sprinkled the blood on the altar; and they slaughtered the lambs and sprinkled the blood on the altar.
The Malbim asks: The blood of a chatat generally precedes the blood of an olah, so why were the cattle, rams, and lambs slaughtered first here? He answers: in the case of an he'elem davar, the order is reversed - the olah precedes the chatat. And since he preceded with the olah, he also, by extension, offered the rams first, which were purely voluntary offerings.
וַיַּגִּישׁוּ אֶת־שְׂעִירֵי הַחַטָּאת לִפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ וְהַקָּהָל וַיִּסְמְכוּ יְדֵיהֶם עֲלֵיהֶם׃ - And they brought forward the he-goats of the sin offering before the king and the congregation, and they laid their hands upon them.
Just as it says, "And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands" - the king and two members of the Sanhedrin perform semichah (laying of hands); according to Rabbi Shimon, five perform semichah. And according to what is cited in the Yerushalmi, the tribal chieftains perform semichah when it concerns a sin of the congregation. Therefore, here they brought them before the king and the congregation, and they laid their hands upon them.
וַיִּשְׁחָטוּם הַכֹּהֲנִים וַיְחַטְּאוּ אֶת־דָּמָם הַמִּזְבֵּחָה לְכַפֵּר עַל־כׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּי לְכׇל־יִשְׂרָאֵל אָמַר הַמֶּלֶךְ הָעוֹלָה וְהַחַטָּאת׃ - And the priests slaughtered them and purified the altar with their blood to make atonement for all Israel, for the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering be for all Israel.
Applying the blood with the finger onto the horns of the altar is called chittui (purification). The atonement was on behalf of all Israel, as the Malbim explains - for the he'elem davar, for the idolatry in which all of Israel had stumbled, and that is why the king commanded to sacrifice it all. A chatat requires application of blood with the finger on the four horns of the altar; and the Malbim adds that purification was also needed on the golden altar, since the blood of an he'elem davar offering is sprinkled inside - and therefore it says, "to make atonement for all Israel."
וַיַּעֲמֵד אֶת־הַלְוִיִּם בֵּית יְהֹוָה בִּמְצִלְתַּיִם בִּנְבָלִים וּבְכִנֹּרוֹת בְּמִצְוַת דָּוִיד וְגָד חֹזֵה־הַמֶּלֶךְ וְנָתָן הַנָּבִיא כִּי בְיַד־יְהֹוָה הַמִּצְוָה בְּיַד־נְבִיאָיו׃ - And he stationed the Levites in the House of Hashem with cymbals, with harps, and with lyres, by the commandment of David, and of Gad the king's seer, and of Nathan the prophet; for the commandment was from Hashem through His prophets.
The matter of the Levites' song with musical instruments is not explicitly written in the Torah - there is no mention in the Torah that an offering requires song; rather, Hashem commanded through the prophets to sing over the offering. Chazal in Masechet Arachin ask: From where do we know that the Levites are required to sing with musical instruments? They derive it from avodat avodah ("service of service"): What is a service that requires another service alongside it? You must say this is song with musical instruments - playing cymbals and lyres is avodat avodah. The commentary attributed to Rashi adds that avodat massa ("service of bearing") can also rightly be interpreted as referring to song, as it is written: "And Kenaniah, chief of the Levites, was in charge of the song (massa), for he was knowledgeable" - for he was appointed to raise the voice in singing the melody; thus, the craft of song is called massa.
The Malbim explains that what they did here was a form of consecration (chinuch) of the Temple. As is known, when the Temple is built, it must be consecrated, as we saw in the days of Solomon; likewise, when extending the courtyards, the area must be consecrated - and the consecration is performed with sacrifices and song. Here, since the Temple service had been defunct for many days, this was like a reconsecration. Therefore, he stationed the priests with trumpets, just as was done at the dedication of Solomon's Temple and at the dedication of the Second Temple. And this is what is meant below by "you have consecrated yourselves to Hashem" (literally, "filled your hands") - for inauguration is termed millui yad.
וַיַּעַמְדוּ הַלְוִיִּם בִּכְלֵי דָוִיד וְהַכֹּהֲנִים בַּחֲצֹצְרוֹת׃ - And the Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets.
וַיֹּאמֶר חִזְקִיָּהוּ לְהַעֲלוֹת הָעֹלָה לְהַמִּזְבֵּחַ וּבְעֵת הֵחֵל הָעוֹלָה הֵחֵל שִׁיר־יְהֹוָה וְהַחֲצֹצְרוֹת וְעַל־יְדֵי כְּלֵי דָּוִיד מֶלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - Hezekiah commanded that the burnt-offering be offered upon the altar; and when the burnt-offering began, the song of the Lord began, along with the trumpets, accompanied by the musical instruments of David, king of Israel.
The Levites stood with the instruments that David had prepared for them, and the Kohanim held the trumpets to sound them. As the offering of the burnt-offering commenced, the song of the Lord and the trumpets began, and all played on the instruments of David. This is what was stated earlier, "by the commandment of David" - these instruments were crafted at David's command, which itself was based on prophecy: "and Gad the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet; for the commandment was from the Lord through His prophets." One should not imagine that they innovated anything here on their own accord - everything was from the Lord through His prophets.
וְכׇל־הַקָּהָל מִשְׁתַּחֲוִים וְהַשִּׁיר מְשׁוֹרֵר וְהַחֲצֹצְרוֹת מַחְצְרִים הַכֹּל עַד לִכְלוֹת הָעֹלָה׃ - And the entire congregation prostrated themselves, and the song was sung, and the trumpets sounded; all this continued until the burnt-offering was finished.
"And the song was sung" (vehashir meshorer) is explained in two ways. Radak explains that this is an elliptical phrasing, meaning that the singer sang, as if it were written vehasar meshorer; alternatively, vehashir means that the song was resounding and being played. We are not coming to alter the biblical text, but to understand what Scripture means. "And the trumpets sounded" (vehachatzotzerot machtzerim) means the trumpets were playing; and Radak notes that although the written text is mechatztzerim, the traditional reading is machtzerim, with the second letter tzadi left unvocalized.
וּכְכַלּוֹת לְהַעֲלוֹת כָּרְעוּ הַמֶּלֶךְ וְכׇל־הַנִּמְצְאִים אִתּוֹ וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ׃ - And when they had finished offering, the king and all who were present with him knelt and prostrated themselves.
When they finished offering the sacrifices, all of them fell to their knees and prostrated themselves.
וַיֹּאמֶר יְחִזְקִיָּהוּ הַמֶּלֶךְ וְהַשָּׂרִים לַלְוִיִּם לְהַלֵּל לַיהֹוָה בְּדִבְרֵי דָוִיד וְאָסָף הַחֹזֶה וַיְהַלְלוּ עַד־לְשִׂמְחָה וַיִּקְּדוּ וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ׃ - King Hezekiah and the officers commanded the Levites to praise the Lord with the words of David and of Asaph the seer; and they praised with great joy, and bowed their heads and prostrated themselves.
Hezekiah and the officers instructed the Levites to continue and offer praise using the words of David and Asaph, who was also one of the psalmists. The commentary attributed to Rashi explains that this refers to "Give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name," which was quoted earlier in Divrei HaYamim. "And they praised with joy" - out of the praise, song, and exaltation, they attained the spiritual level of true joy. This illustrates a profound principle: the heart follows one's actions - through song, musical accompaniment, and praise, they were elevated to the level of genuine joy.
וַיַּעַן יְחִזְקִיָּהוּ וַיֹּאמֶר עַתָּה מִלֵּאתֶם יֶדְכֶם לַיהֹוָה גֹּשׁוּ וְהָבִיאוּ זְבָחִים וְתוֹדוֹת לְבֵית יְהֹוָה וַיָּבִיאוּ הַקָּהָל זְבָחִים וְתוֹדוֹת וְכׇל־נְדִיב לֵב עֹלוֹת׃ - Then Hezekiah spoke and said, "Now you have consecrated yourselves to the Lord; draw near and bring sacrifices and thanksgiving-offerings to the House of the Lord." And the congregation brought sacrifices and thanksgiving-offerings, and everyone of a willing heart brought burnt-offerings.
"Consecration" (millui yadayim) signifies the commencement of an undertaking and its inauguration, as in "and you shall consecrate Aaron" (literally, fill the hand of Aaron). Hezekiah was telling them: Until now you did not serve in the Beit HaMikdash, but now you are beginning the service and dedicating the House anew. This explains the distinction in the verse: the general congregation brought "sacrifices and thanksgiving-offerings," whereas "burnt-offerings" were brought only by the generous of heart. Why? Because with peace-offerings and thanksgiving-offerings, the owner also partakes of the meat and derives personal enjoyment, so one does not need to possess extraordinary generosity. But the burnt-offering is consumed entirely on the altar fire - "it shall be burned completely" - and to bring such an offering requires true generosity of heart, since one gives up everything entirely to the Lord.
וְכׇל־נְדִיב לֵב עֹלוֹת - "and everyone of a willing heart [brought] burnt offerings."
From here is the source for the well-known halachah that if a person resolved in his heart to give charity, he is obligated to give what he intended, even though he did not utter it with his lips. This is a very common occurrence, and many stumble in it. A collector comes to gather charity, and someone says in his heart: "When he passes by here, I will give him five shekels." And if he did not pass by, he says, "Baruch Hashem he didn't pass by." There is no "Baruch Hashem" - you are obligated to give! Go out after him and pursue him. And if you cannot find him, give to the same cause: if he was collecting for hachnasat kallah (assisting a bride), give to hachnasat kallah; if for orphans, to orphans. But if you find him, you must give it to him.
And from where do we derive this? In the Torah, it says several times, "whose heart moves him" (yidvenu libo), and in Parashat Vayakhel it says, "everyone of a willing heart" (kol nediv lev). And the Gemara in Shevuot 26b states: "'That which is gone out of your lips you shall observe and do' - I only know this of one who articulated it with his lips; from where do we know that mental resolve is binding? The verse teaches, 'everyone of a willing heart.'" Thus, consecration (hekdesh) takes effect through thought alone. And so too we learn from the verse here, "and everyone of a willing heart [brought] burnt offerings" - a person who willingly resolved in his heart to bring a burnt offering becomes obligated to bring it.
The Rama in Yoreh De'ah 258 cites two opinions as to whether mental resolve takes effect for charity just as it does for consecrated offerings, and rules that the primary opinion is that it does. The Mishnah Berurah likewise rules in practice that whoever resolved in his heart to give a certain amount to charity is obligated to give it. Now, this is not related to bidding in the synagogue: when an honor is auctioned and one person bids thirty, another forty, fifty, seventy, eighty, and it is finally sold for a hundred - the person who bid eighty is not obligated to pay eighty, because his intention from the outset was only to pay if he won the bid. But when someone's intention was that in any case he intends to give charity, and ultimately he does not give it, he violates the principle of "everyone of a willing heart [brought] burnt offerings," and this constitutes a kind of vow to which he is bound.
Therefore, the best advice is: when a charity collector arrives, one should say in his heart, "Beli neder, if he passes by me, I will give him." There is no need to say "I hereby vow" - the thought of the heart is sufficient to obligate; therefore, one should think in his heart that only if he passes by will he give, meaning that he does not commit himself unconditionally - and then he is under no binding obligation.
The principle of mental intent applies only to sacrifices and charity, not to other matters. However, when it comes to spoken statements, the Gemara in Masechet Nedarim says regarding someone who says, "Tomorrow I will wake up and study this chapter," that he has made "a great vow to the God of Israel." This is an extremely common mistake, and a person may be certain that he has no issue with vows - yet if he examines himself, he will see how many times he has stumbled in this. Someone asks him: "What happened, we don't see you anymore?" and he replies, "Tomorrow I am coming to pray at sunrise" - that is a vow, and he is obligated to come tomorrow. "Tomorrow I am coming to the shiur, you will see me first" - a vow, and you must arrive first. "By the end of the week I will finish the tractate" - a vow. "Tomorrow I will recite such-and-such chapters of Tehillim" - a vow. "I will call my parents" - a vow, for honoring one's father and mother is a mitzvah. Any matter of a mitzvah that a person utters with his mouth becomes a vow.
In mundane matters, this is not a vow: one who says, "Tomorrow I will travel to Tel Aviv" is not making a vow, and it does not become a vow unless he explicitly says, "I vow" or "I swear." But with mitzvot, there is no need to mention the terminology of a vow at all - the mere statement, "I will do this," is a vow. Therefore, a person should accustom himself, whenever he is about to say that he will perform a mitzvah - "I will give tzedakah," "I will do such-and-such," "I will come," "I will learn," "I will call you," "I will bring it to you" - to always say "beli neder," and let it become habitual on his tongue so that he does not stumble in vows.
Regarding the annulment of vows (hatarat nedarim): a general annulment of vows is effective only for vows that we do not remember having made, and for vows of this sort where a person stated that he would perform a mitzvah. But when a person remembers a specific vow, he must specify the vow before a Torah scholar (chacham); if he does not specify it, it is not a valid annulment. He must approach a chacham, who will hear it, find a basis for regret (petach and charatah), and then annul it for him.
וַיְהִי מִסְפַּר הָעֹלָה אֲשֶׁר הֵבִיאוּ הַקָּהָל בָּקָר שִׁבְעִים אֵילִים מֵאָה כְּבָשִׂים מָאתָיִם לְעֹלָה לַיהֹוָה כׇּל־אֵלֶּה׃ וְהַקֳּדָשִׁים בָּקָר שֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת וְצֹאן שְׁלֹשֶׁת אֲלָפִים׃ - And the number of the burnt-offerings which the congregation brought was seventy cattle, a hundred rams, and two hundred lambs; all these were for a burnt-offering to Hashem. And the consecrated offerings were six hundred cattle and three thousand sheep.
"All these were for a burnt-offering to Hashem" is stated for added clarification, as the Metzudat David explains. Meanwhile, "and the consecrated offerings" refers to offerings of lesser sanctity (kodashim kalim), sacrifices and peace-offerings (shelamim) from which the owners partake, and of these they brought six hundred cattle and three thousand sheep.
רַק הַכֹּהֲנִים הָיוּ לִמְעָט וְלֹא יָכְלוּ לְהַפְשִׁיט אֶת־כׇּל־הָעֹלוֹת וַיְחַזְּקוּם אֲחֵיהֶם הַלְוִיִּם עַד־כְּלוֹת הַמְּלָאכָה וְעַד יִתְקַדְּשׁוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים כִּי הַלְוִיִּם יִשְׁרֵי לֵבָב לְהִתְקַדֵּשׁ מֵהַכֹּהֲנִים׃ - But the kohanim were too few, and they could not flay all the burnt-offerings; so their brethren the Levites aided them until the work was completed and until the kohanim had sanctified themselves, for the Levites were more upright of heart to sanctify themselves than the kohanim.
The kohanim were few and could not flay all the burnt-offerings, so the Levites assisted them until the work was finished. The Malbim cites two reasons here: the work on that day was immense while the kohanim were few; and furthermore, many of the kohanim had not yet purified and sanctified themselves - hence it says, "and until the kohanim had sanctified themselves." And why were the Levites quicker to sanctify themselves? "For the Levites were upright of heart" - when it came to sanctification, they were more zealous. And what does "upright of heart" mean? The Malbim explains: they withdrew from worldly desires, and their hearts were governed by the fear of God according to the uprightness planted within them. This is what led them to hasten their self-sanctification, and consequently they were able to assist the kohanim.
וְגַם־עֹלָה לָרֹב בְּחֶלְבֵי הַשְּׁלָמִים וּבַנְּסָכִים לָעֹלָה וַתִּכּוֹן עֲבוֹדַת בֵּית־יְהֹוָה׃ - And also the burnt-offerings were in abundance, with the fat of the peace-offerings, and the drink-offerings for the burnt-offering; so the service of the House of Hashem was established.
The Metzudat David notes that they also required the assistance of the Levites for this reason, since the work was so extensive: they sacrificed numerous burnt-offerings along with the fats of the peace-offerings and the libations, and the kohanim could not manage both offering all of these and flaying the animals. Therefore, "the service of the House of Hashem was established" - the Levites assisted with the flaying, and through this, the Temple service was properly set in order. The Malbim adds that a third reason is hinted at here: beyond the fact that the kohanim were few and that not all of them had sanctified themselves, they were occupied with offering up the limbs and sacrificing the numerous offerings. First of all, the burnt-offerings are offered entirely on the Altar, and each burnt-offering requires several kohanim, as explained in the Mishnah in Yoma. Furthermore, they also had to offer the fats of the peace-offerings and the libations of the burnt-offerings - tasks that could not be performed by Levites at all, but strictly by kohanim. Therefore, they needed the Levites' help specifically for the work of flaying.
וַיִּשְׂמַח יְחִזְקִיָּהוּ וְכׇל־הָעָם עַל הַהֵכִין הָאֱלֹהִים לָעָם כִּי בְּפִתְאֹם הָיָה הַדָּבָר׃ - And Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced over what God had prepared for the people, for the matter came about suddenly.
Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced over what God had prepared for the people - that everything unfolded in wonderful order, and all was accomplished "suddenly," that is, with great speed and without prior preparation. The Malbim explains: the initial awakening was an awakening from below (itaruta deletata), yet they felt that it stemmed from an awakening from Above (itaruta dele'ila) - that the Holy One, blessed be He, prepared their hearts for holy purity and provided them with an abundance of sacrifices befitting the joy of that day.