We open the Book of Chagai. Chagai is one of the three final prophets - Chagai, Zechariah, and Malachi - and his book contains just two chapters. Before entering into the study of the chapter, let us preface with a few points regarding the status of these prophets.
These three prophets formed a vital link in the chain of Torah transmission from generation to generation. The Rambam writes: "And Ezra and his court received [the tradition] from Baruch ben Neriah and his court," and the court of Ezra are those known as the Men of the Great Assembly - including Chagai, Zechariah, Malachi, and many other sages. In other words, they were an integral stage in the transmission of the Torah.
Moreover, we find explicit halachot transmitted in their names. The Gemara in Rosh Hashanah (19b) states: "Rabbi Simai testified in the name of Chagai, Zechariah, and Malachi regarding the two Adars, that if they wished to make them both full [thirty-day] months, they may do so." In Yevamot (16a): "I call heaven and earth to witness that upon this mortar sat Chagai the prophet and said: The rival wife of a daughter is forbidden; Ammon and Moav separate Second Tithe in the Sabbatical year; and converts are accepted from the Cardyenians and the Tarmodians." And Rabbi Yaakov bar Idi said: "They stated this based on a received tradition, from the mouths of Chagai, Zechariah, and Malachi." In Kiddushin (43a): "If one says to his agent, 'Go out and kill someone,' the agent is liable and the one who sent him is exempt; Shammai the Elder says in the name of Chagai the prophet: The one who sent him is liable." Likewise in Nazir (53a) and Chullin (137b): "Rabbi Yochanan said: It was stated based on a received tradition, from the mouths of Chagai, Zechariah, and Malachi." We hardly find such expressions regarding earlier prophets as direct sources of halachah.
Rabbah bar bar Chana further said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan: Three prophets ascended with them from the Diaspora - one who testified to them concerning [the dimensions of] the Altar, one who testified concerning the location of the Altar, and one who testified that sacrifices may be offered even if there is no Temple standing. And some say: one testified to them that the Torah may be written in Ashurit script. Who were they? Chagai, Zechariah, and Malachi, the prophets who returned at the beginning of the Second Temple era - as will be reflected at the opening of our book.
The Targum is also attributed to them: The Gemara in Megillah (3a) states that the Targum of the Prophets was uttered by Yonatan ben Uzziel from the mouths of Chagai, Zechariah, and Malachi. According to the Septuagint, Chagai and Zechariah authored several of the final psalms in the Book of Tehillim. They were also the final prophets, as the Gemara in Sotah (48b) notes: "When Chagai, Zechariah, and Malachi died, the Holy Spirit departed from Israel; nevertheless, they still made use of a Bat Kol" - a Heavenly echo. Notice that Chagai rarely appears in rabbinic citations on his own, but almost always as part of the trio "Chagai, Zechariah, and Malachi," who stood as the final authority marking the conclusion of prophecy.
בִּשְׁנַת שְׁתַּיִם לְדָרְיָוֶשׁ הַמֶּלֶךְ בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשִּׁשִּׁי בְּיוֹם אֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ הָיָה דְבַר־יְהֹוָה בְּיַד־חַגַּי הַנָּבִיא אֶל־זְרֻבָּבֶל בֶּן־שְׁאַלְתִּיאֵל פַּחַת יְהוּדָה וְאֶל־יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן־יְהוֹצָדָק הַכֹּהֵן הַגָּדוֹל לֵאמֹר׃ - In the second year of King Darius, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Chagai the prophet to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the High Priest, saying:
The Darius mentioned here is the son of Ahasuerus, and Chazal state that he was born to Ahasuerus and Esther. He was the one who commanded that the Beit HaMikdash be rebuilt for the second time. Initially, as detailed at length in the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah, Cyrus decreed that the Temple be built, but the adversaries of Judah harassed them and wrote slanderous accusations alleging an impending rebellion against the king. Consequently, construction was halted. This stoppage lasted for eighteen or nineteen years, until Darius arose and renewed authorization, whereupon the Temple was built and stood in its full glory.
This requires clarification: What were these two distinct periods? Why was rebuilding initially permitted only to be halted, and why did the second opportunity arise only later? After all, we frequently find rulers miscalculating the seventy-year timeline of the end of the exile. It is said of Ahasuerus that he displayed varied sacred vessels because he miscalculated the designated end; the same is said of Nebuchadnezzar; and Belshazzar famously erred in this calculation, prompting him to bring out the vessels of the Beit HaMikdash, whereupon a mysterious hand emerged and inscribed on the palace wall: "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin," and "in that very night Belshazzar was killed."
The first return in the days of Cyrus - in which they began to build before being halted - indeed took place at the conclusion of seventy years, but it was seventy years from the start of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, not seventy years from the destruction of Jerusalem. This is what the verse means: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will remember you" - notice it does not say "I will redeem," but "I will remember (efkod)." "For Babylon" refers to Nebuchadnezzar's empire, and at that point there would only be a pakidah (a visitation or preliminary remembrance). A pakidah is a form of remembering - as in "And the Lord remembered (pakad) Sarah as He had spoken" - where the Holy One, blessed be He, as it were, remembers them, sends a reminder, and sets a process in motion, but it is not yet the full redemption.
For Israel was exiled in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar, which means that when Nebuchadnezzar's seventy years were completed, they had actually been in exile for only fifty-two years. They were missing another nineteen years (and one should not get caught up on a discrepancy of one year, for years are reckoned in fractions, which is why people say eighteen or nineteen). How were these nineteen years completed? Cyrus reigned for three years, Ahasuerus for fourteen, and Darius for another two - a total of nineteen years. Add them to fifty-two, and you get seventy years for the ruins of Jerusalem. And then, once seventy years were completed for the desolation of Jerusalem, the time arrived for the actual rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash.
According to this, what the Radak writes is wonderful: Why had the Holy Spirit not aroused them until now? Because seventy years had not yet been completed for the ruins of Jerusalem. Now, once they were completed, the Holy One, Blessed be He, turns to Chaggai - who was already in Jerusalem - to inspire Zerubbabel to build the House.
"Governor of Judah" (pachat Yehudah) - like a pasha, meaning the ruler of Judah, the governor of Judah. And why is he not called a king? Radak explains: Because they were under the dominion of the nations at that time. When they first arrived, it was by permission of Cyrus, and now, too, it was by permission of Darius - under royal charter. Consequently, you are not an independent king, but subordinate to another. For this reason, the rulers from that point on were not called kings, and certainly not the kings of the Hasmonean dynasty, who were not truly kings, since they were not from the tribe of Judah at all, but Kohanim from the tribe of Levi.
And regarding Joshua son of Jehozadak: Jehozadak went into exile with the captives, as it says in Divrei HaYamim, "And Jehozadak went along when the Lord exiled Judah and Jerusalem by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar." This Jehozadak was the brother of Ezra the Scribe - both were sons of Seraiah. Joshua his son was the Kohen Gadol, and he was the one who went up with Zerubbabel. Ezra did not go up at that time; he ascended only later, after seventy years were completed for the desolation of Jerusalem and after the House was built. The one who brought about the physical redemption and began rebuilding the walls was Nehemiah, as discussed at length in Ezra and Nehemiah. And concerning Ezra it is written that he was a giant of Torah, who was worthy of having the Torah given through him - so great was he in his generation.
The Malbim provides a brief introduction to the book, citing the Abarbanel, as he himself also wrote in several places: already from the time of the first exile under Sennacherib, the time fitting for redemption began to arrive. That is, even though we stand today after some two thousand years of exile, know that the potential for redemption began back then, and already from that era the prophets prophesied about the redemption. And the matter depended on their merits. Our Sages say that had they been worthy in the days of Hezekiah or in the days of Josiah, they would have been redeemed; the Holy One, Blessed be He, sought to make Hezekiah the Mashiach and Sennacherib Gog and Magog, but they were not worthy and did not prepare themselves properly. And similarly we saw in Zephaniah regarding Josiah: "The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord, was captured in their traps" - he was worthy of being the Lord's anointed.
Since they were not worthy, they were exiled to Babylon to purge their sins, "to terminate transgression and put an end to sin." And when Hashem saw that if they remained in exile any longer they would assimilate among the nations and drift completely away from their Judaism, He remembered them. Indeed, see what Nehemiah had to address immediately upon their return: foreign women. Ammonite women, Ashdodite women, "half of whom spoke the language of Ashdod" - people arrived with children born to foreign wives, without any conversion, and they had to figure out how to handle this spiritual crisis. And what did they do? They commanded them to send them away, and all of them complied.
Incidentally, a report recently surfaced about a defense minister saying that we ought to be more flexible regarding conversion, claiming there were severe problems in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah as well, when they arrived with non-Jewish wives "and found a solution for everyone." My friend, open a book and read what they actually did and decreed! They commanded them to divorce and send them away, and they wept and sent their wives away. It turns out to be proof to the contrary - silence would have served better. Look at the level of ignorance, and no reporter will correct the mistake, because the reporter does not know either. A generation driven by ratings - talking without studying, and no one corrects the error, because nobody knows anyway.
The Malbim says: Consider, that era was on a very low spiritual plane, and there was a fear that they would assimilate and merge with the nations - a second and third generation, and that would be the end, no more Jews. Therefore, Hashem remembered them with a modest visitation through Cyrus, and with them the Men of the Great Assembly went up, restoring the crown to its former glory and returning the Torah to its place. And even though it was not yet the ultimate time of redemption, there was at least a beginning here.
And the Malbim adds: Behold, Daniel envisioned four empires that would rule over Israel, and several prophets speak of the "end of wonders," which implies that it was far off. Yet despite all this, had they repented fully and all ascended together like a fortified wall at once, the redemption would have arrived then. And this is not mere theory, for the Gemara in Sotah (and also in Berachot) expounds: "'Till Your people pass over, Hashem' - this is the first entry, in the days of Joshua; 'till the people pass over whom You have purchased' - this is the second entry, in the days of Ezra." Hence, Israel was worthy of having a miracle performed for them in the second entry just as in the first entry, but sin prevented it. And Rashi explains: to perform a miracle for them - to ascend triumphantly by force and not be subjugated to the empire. A complete redemption was supposed to happen here, but their sins during the First Temple era prevented it, and it was decreed upon them that they would ascend only by permission, as it is written, "Whoever there is among you of all His people."
The Malbim further says: Even when the Beit HaMikdash was built, the possibility of redemption still hung in the balance. Had they repented, Zerubbabel would have been the Mashiach, and the Temple would have been an eternal dwelling place for Him. Elsewhere, the Malbim writes that had they successfully passed the trial period of the Second Temple, after four hundred years the eternal Third Temple would have descended, built of fire. But they were not worthy of this; on the contrary, during the Second Temple era they deteriorated even further, through baseless hatred and evil speech (lashon hara), which caused them to be exiled until our present reality.
Therefore, the Malbim explains, the light of prophecy shone upon them once more through the last prophets: Chaggai, Zechariah, and Malachi aroused them to build the Beit HaMikdash and repent. And since they were not worthy, Zerubbabel returned to Babylon, where he passed away, and indeed we find no further mention of him. Yet he is destined to bring forth an offspring from his descendants in the end of days - and this is what the Yemenite community recites at the conclusion of the shofar blowing: "May Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel come and blow his great shofar," blowing his great shofar and ushering in the eternal redemption.
The Malbim in I Chronicles (3:19) cites a dispute regarding this matter. The Radak maintains that Zerubbabel was the son of Pedaiah, the grandson of Shealtiel, and the great-grandson of Jeconiah. If so, why is he called "Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel" when he was actually Zerubbabel the son of Pedaiah the son of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel was his grandfather? Rather, explains the Radak, grandchildren are considered like children, and very often a son is named after his grandfather - especially when the grandfather was more prominent. It is quite possible that Shealtiel was more distinguished than Pedaiah. Similarly, we find with Zechariah that he is called "Zechariah the son of Iddo" even though he was Zechariah the son of Berechiah the son of Iddo - because the grandfather was well known, famous, and prominent, the grandson is called after him.
The Ibn Ezra writes that Zerubbabel was the son of Pedaiah and the grandson of Jeconiah, and that Shealtiel was his father's brother - meaning his uncle. Why would a nephew be named after his uncle? Because Shealtiel died childless, and his brother Pedaiah performed yibbum (levirate marriage) with his widow and fathered Zerubbabel with her. In accordance with the Torah's directive, "he shall succeed in the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel" - he was therefore called "Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel," named after the deceased. However, here in our context, the Ibn Ezra offers a different explanation: Shealtiel was his uncle, and Zerubbabel was named after him because the uncle raised him - for one who raises another's child is considered as though he gave birth to him. Thus, the Ibn Ezra presents two possibilities for why he was named after his uncle: either due to yibbum, or because the uncle raised his brother's son.
כֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת לֵאמֹר הָעָם הַזֶּה אָמְרוּ לֹא עֶת־בֹּא עֶת־בֵּית יְהֹוָה לְהִבָּנוֹת׃ - "Thus said the Lord of Hosts, saying: This people has said, 'The time has not yet come, the time for the House of the Lord to be built.'"
The Holy One, blessed be He, repeats, as it were, the people's contention: the time has not arrived for the building of the Beit HaMikdash. And why did they claim this? Rashi explains: because the adversaries disrupted their initial efforts in the days of Cyrus, the people said: Look, Hashem did not fulfill His word. Did He not say that at the completion of seventy years the Temple would be built? Yet we arrived, we began, and we built - and they halted our work. If so, there is no purpose in starting again. What they failed to understand, says Rashi, is that that first return was merely a visitation (pekidah): the seventy years counted from Nebuchadnezzar were only for a visitation - and as the Malbim notes, to ensure that the Jewish people would not assimilate among the nations. But the time for actual redemption is now, for the rebuilding of the Temple does not depend on the kingdom of Babylon, but on the desolation of Jerusalem, which occurred eighteen years later, as the Gemara in Megillah teaches: they were exiled in the eighteenth year, exiled in the nineteenth year, and so forth. Therefore, Hashem sends Chaggai to inform them: Now the time has truly arrived. What was interrupted back then was merely a preliminary visitation, and once they were remembered, that phase concluded; but now is the era of redemption, and you must begin working to build the Temple.
The Malbim explains that their hesitation stemmed from a different reason: the nation possessed a tradition received from the prophets that before the true redemption there must be wonders in heaven and on earth, and there must be the war of Gog and Magog, as the prophets foretold regarding the End of Days. They looked around and said: There are no wonders in heaven or on earth, nor is there any sign of Gog or Magog - in short, it seems that the time has not yet arrived.
In this regard, someone once asked the Brisker Rov: Rebbe, it is written that we must anticipate the arrival of Mashiach every single day, yet it is also written that thirty or forty days prior to the coming of Mashiach, Eliyahu HaNavi will arrive to herald the redemption; if Eliyahu has not yet arrived, what reason do we have to expect Mashiach today? Furthermore: is there a mitzvah to await Mashiach on Shabbat or on Erev Shabbat? Did our Sages not state that Mashiach will not arrive on Shabbat or on Erev Shabbat - on Erev Shabbat because of the burden of preparing for Shabbat, and on Shabbat because of the Sabbath boundaries (techum)? He answered them: You have asked excellent questions; when Mashiach arrives, we will ask him this as well. Tishbi (Eliyahu) will resolve all difficulties and dilemmas - including these very questions. Our duty is to believe with simple, wholehearted faith: whether on Shabbat or Erev Shabbat, whether Eliyahu has arrived or not, one must believe with pure faith. But the people back then viewed this as an insurmountable objection: Surely the war of Gog and Magog must occur first, and there must be signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, and since we have experienced none of this, it must be a sign that the time of redemption has not yet arrived.
This explains the phrase "Lo et-ba et" ("It is not the time... the time has come") - which appears repetitive. Rather, there is a time that serves as preparation for the actual time, which is the period of the building itself. They were arguing: Even the first stage of time - the preparation for the era in which the Temple is to be built - has not yet arrived. The first "time" is the period of preparation, and the second is the period of actual construction. How can you expect us to set about building the House if the preceding portents have not yet manifested? Furthermore, they understood that they required respite from their enemies prior to building the Temple, just as occurred with Solomon's Temple: the Holy One, blessed be He, told David that he would not build His House because he had shed much blood, whereas Solomon would be a "man of rest" (ish menuchah) and he would build it. From this they deduced that the builder must be a man of rest, undisturbed by persecuting enemies, whereas they were currently subjugated to the kings of Media and Persia. Thus you have two reasons for their reluctance: first, that the time of redemption had not arrived since the signs, wonders, and the war of Gog and Magog had not taken place; and second, that they were not men of rest.
וַיְהִי דְּבַר־יְהֹוָה בְּיַד־חַגַּי הַנָּבִיא לֵאמֹר׃ - "Then the word of the Lord came by the hand of Chaggai the prophet, saying:"
The meaning of this is: the light of prophecy awakened to shine once more - a sign that if they repent, prophecy will return to them as in days of old and the time of rectification will arrive. There had been a cessation of prophecy, and now it was returning anew, which is what the verse emphasizes: something is beginning here that was absent beforehand. Indeed, commentators have pointed out that throughout the Book of Chaggai, phrases such as "the word of Hashem came to Chaggai" recur repeatedly; Scripture finds it necessary to emphasize again and again that this was authentic prophecy from Hashem. Why? Because the people found it hard to believe: Prophecy had already ceased, so why would it suddenly return now? Therefore, Scripture continually underscores: Know with certainty, this is truly prophecy from Hashem.
The Radak, on the other hand, sees a new prophecy here: the first prophecy was delivered to Zerubbabel and Yehoshua, while the second prophecy was delivered to the people. There is a prophecy here to Zerubbabel - get things moving, the authority has been placed in your hands; and there is a prophecy to the people - awaken yourselves as well, come forward, and begin building.
הַעֵת לָכֶם אַתֶּם לָשֶׁבֶת בְּבָתֵּיכֶם סְפוּנִים וְהַבַּיִת הַזֶּה חָרֵב׃ - Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this House lies in ruins?
"Ha'eit" with a patach - an interrogative question mark. Is this a fitting time for you to claim that the time has not yet arrived to build the Beis HaMikdash, and is it appropriate that you dwell sheltered in your houses while this House lies in ruins? Does it seem right in your eyes to act in such a manner? Just as King David said: How can I dwell in a house of cedar while the Ark of Hashem sits within curtains?
Note that "sefunim" (paneled) is an example of modern colloquial misuse. People often say that someone is "sefun b'veito," implying he is tucked away, hiding, or secluded at home. However, all the commentators here explain that "sefunim" is used in the sense of the verse describing a house paneled with cedar - the houses were roofed and paneled with cedar wood. "Sefunim" does not refer to you, but rather to the houses: you sit in your houses that are paneled with cedar, in luxurious homes paneled with precious wood, while the Beis HaMikdash lies in ruins? This was the accusation leveled against them.
The Malbim sees an additional depth here in the question of "Ha'eit" (Is it time?). The people had claimed, "The time has not yet come for the House of Hashem to be built," and in response, the Holy One, Blessed is He, asks them: "Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your houses?" You claim that it is not yet time to build the Beis HaMikdash - tell Me, is it indeed the time for your personal house to be built? After all, that too requires its appointed time, for the prophets designated that peace and tranquility, dwelling securely in their paneled houses, "each man under his vine and under his fig tree," would come in its proper time. You went ahead and built yourself a home and settled down comfortably without asking if the time had arrived, yet when it comes to the Beis HaMikdash, suddenly you question whether the time has come?
וְעַתָּה כֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת שִׂימוּ לְבַבְכֶם עַל־דַּרְכֵיכֶם׃ - And now, thus said Hashem, Master of Legions: Set your hearts upon your ways.
The prophet tells them: Now you must observe and realize that the duty falls upon you to rebuild the Beis HaMikdash, if only you set your heart upon your ways. Reflect and see that your deeds are not pleasing, for there is no blessing in the work of your hands - and why is there no blessing? Because of the ruined state of the House. And he immediately elaborates:
זְרַעְתֶּם הַרְבֵּה וְהָבֵא מְעָט אָכוֹל וְאֵין־לְשָׂבְעָה שָׁתוֹ וְאֵין־לְשָׁכְרָה לָבוֹשׁ וְאֵין־לְחֹם לוֹ וְהַמִּשְׂתַּכֵּר מִשְׂתַּכֵּר אֶל־צְרוֹר נָקוּב׃ - You have sown much and brought in little; you eat, but there is no satisfaction; you drink, but there is no quenching of thirst; you dress, but no one is warm; and he who earns wages earns for a bundle with a hole.
"You have sown much and brought in little" - the very opposite of the natural order. A person sows a little in order to reap a lot; nobody sows much only to reap a meager harvest. This is a blight, a curse. Do you not reflect and see that there is no blessing in the labor of your hands? Do you not investigate what is causing this and why?
Not only that, but even the little you bring in lacks blessing: "You eat, but there is no satisfaction." "You drink, but there is no quenching of thirst (le-shochra)" - seemingly, what of it? Is it desirable for them to become drunk? Rather, the Radak and the Ibn Ezra already explain that drunkenness from wine also refers to satiation from wine, drinking one's fill. Naturally, there are those who overindulge and become intoxicated to the point of losing their senses, but here the intention is being satisfied by the wine - you drink wine, yet it has no flavor and brings no satisfaction. "You dress, but no one is warm" - even the clothes provide no warmth. "And he who earns wages earns for a bundle with a hole" - even in wages, in money, there is a curse: you earned money, funds came in, but it is as if the pouch has a hole. Whatever you put into your pocket simply falls out. People used to gather money into a cloth and tie it up, which is why it is called a tzror (bundle/pouch); yet you see there is a hole in it that drains everything you put in. This is the reality for many who work on Shabbos, and for many who act against Halachah - on the balance sheet, money appears to come in, but where is it? One never gets to enjoy it; the money goes out just as quickly as it came in.
Rashi cites a Midrash of Chazal here: "You sowed much, but brought in little" - for the sin of the neglected *bikkurim* (first fruits), since *bikkurim* are brought from what is sown and grown in the field. "You eat, but are not satisfied" - for the sin of the neglected meal-offerings (*menachot*), as there is no Temple and no meal-offerings are sacrificed, and the meal-offerings are nearly all made of wheat. "You drink, but not to fullness" - the taste of wine was removed, for the sin of the neglected libations (*nesachim*), as wine used to be poured on the altar. "Clothe yourselves, but no one is warm" - for the sin of the neglected priestly garments (*bigdei kehunah*); your clothes do not warm you because you feel no pain over the fact that there are no priestly garments and no Temple. "And he who earns wages earns them for a pierced purse" - every profit vanishes and dwindles away, like a person who puts his money into a purse with holes.
כֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת שִׂימוּ לְבַבְכֶם עַל־דַּרְכֵיכֶם׃ - Thus said the Lord of Hosts: Set your heart to your ways.
From all of this you will perceive and see that the Holy One, Blessed be He, desires the building of the Temple. And you will understand that everything you thought - that the time has not arrived, that there must be signs and wonders, that there must be the war of Gog and Magog - all of this depends on the condition that you set your heart to your ways, to the ways of your soul, and strive to repent. Then the redemption will come, even if you do not see all the signs, wonders, and portents.
עֲלוּ הָהָר וַהֲבֵאתֶם עֵץ וּבְנוּ הַבָּיִת וְאֶרְצֶה־בּוֹ וְאֶכָּבְדָה אָמַר יְהֹוָה׃ - Go up the mountain and bring wood and build the House, and I will take pleasure in it and be glorified, said the Lord.
Go up the mountain and bring wood to build the House; "and I will take pleasure in it" - the House will find favor before Me; "and I will be glorified" (*ve'ekabedah*) - the glory of Hashem will abide there in the Beit HaMikdash. But notice: it is written (*k'tiv*) as "ואכבד" without the letter *heh*, yet read (*k'ri*) as "ואכבדה". Why is the letter *heh* missing in the text? Chazal say: corresponding to five things that were present in the First Temple but absent in the Second Temple. In the First Temple there were ten things and in the Second only five, and these were missing: the Ark (*Aron*), the *Urim VeTumim*, fire descending from heaven, the Divine Presence (*Shechinah*), and the Holy Spirit (*Ruach HaKodesh*). Therefore it is written that those who had known the First Temple and came and saw the Second would weep, because they had known the First Temple in its splendor, and now they saw an impoverished Temple; they saw the holiness missing from it compared to the First, and their hearts ached over this.
פָּנֹה אֶל־הַרְבֵּה וְהִנֵּה לִמְעָט וַהֲבֵאתֶם הַבַּיִת וְנָפַחְתִּי בוֹ יַעַן מֶה נְאֻם יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת יַעַן בֵּיתִי אֲשֶׁר־הוּא חָרֵב וְאַתֶּם רָצִים אִישׁ לְבֵיתוֹ׃ - You looked for much, and behold, it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew upon it. Why? says the Lord of Hosts. Because of My House that lies in ruins, while each of you runs to his own house.
After informing them that the curse that rested upon them until now was because they lacked the House of Hashem, from which blessing and bounty flow, he now informs them: from now on, once you have heard from the prophet that there is a command to build and you still refuse, the curse will be directed by Divine Providence. Until now, the curse operated through the natural order; that is, when you do not do the will of Hashem, the heavens naturally withhold their dew. But now, when you hear the command and refuse, Hashem says: "And I will turn My face against you," God forbid, as it says in the curses - meaning that the curse will not stem merely from the concealment of the Divine Face (*hester panim*), but Hashem Himself will turn toward them to bring the curse upon them.
And this is far more severe. When a curse comes through *hester panim* - as has been discussed repeatedly, and as the Malbim noted above - if the celestial order and nature dictate a time of abundance, there will be abundance; *hester panim* means, as it were, "I am not dealing with you," and in that state one might succeed or one might not, and if he fails it will be very bad, because Hashem has removed His Providence from him. But when "I will set My face against that person" - it is as though Heaven takes him on as a personal focus and watches over him to bring harm upon him, and then it is not dependent on nature at all: according to nature it might be a time of blessing, yet this very individual will suffer a curse, because Hashem has set His face against him. And this is what the Holy One, Blessed be He, tells them: this is how it will be now.
As an aside, there is a story of a man who opened a business in rented space within a residential building. Someone in that building had built an extension and rented it out to him, and he relocated a business there that had previously been run from his home. He recounted that while operating from home the business did very well, but there, the situation was terrible: there was revenue and cash flow, but nothing remained - money simply came and went. After a year, he began to reflect on what was happening. He spoke with one of the neighbors and asked, "Perhaps there is someone in the building who is displeased with the whole arrangement?" It turned out that several neighbors indeed had strong grievances (*hakpadah*) - the extension had been built without a permit, and on top of that, a business had been brought in that generated heavy foot traffic, as the Gemara puts it (*marbeh drisat hareggel*), with people constantly entering and leaving. The man recounted: "That very month I terminated the lease and moved elsewhere." A few months later, his accountant called and asked, "Did you do something new in the business? Your balance sheet is completely transformed, you have huge profits - did you launch an advertising campaign?" He replied, "No, it was for entirely different reasons." Consider how serious it is to be subject to someone's grievance, when someone harbors resentment toward you - things falter and simply will not succeed.
And this is the meaning of "You looked for much, and behold, it came to little." Note the precision: earlier it stated, "You sowed much, but brought in little" - you planted much and gathered little into the house, and naturally whoever brings in little possesses little. But here, the verse is not speaking of sowing, but of gathering in: you brought much into the house, and nevertheless it will turn to little, becoming cursed and diminished. That the ground produces less - that happens; there is blight and mildew, and there are times when the land does not yield grain properly. But a situation where you have already harvested and brought in an abundance, and suddenly it dwindles to little - that is certainly direct Providence, certainly a curse sent intentionally. And even after you bring the produce into the house - "and I blew upon it," I will consume it with the breath of My mouth.
"Because of what?" - what is the reason? "Because of My House that lies in ruins, while each of you runs to his own house." Until now, when I did not arouse you to build, blessing naturally did not rest upon your work due to the concealment of the Divine Face (hester panim). But now that I have aroused you and you still do not act, while My House lies in ruins and each of you runs to his own house - you are acting deliberately, and therefore I too will act deliberately against you. You disregard Me openly, so I too will openly turn away from you.
עַל־כֵּן עֲלֵיכֶם כָּלְאוּ שָׁמַיִם מִטָּל וְהָאָרֶץ כָּלְאָה יְבוּלָהּ׃ - "Therefore, on your account the heavens have withheld dew, and the earth has withheld its produce."
Hashem says to them: Therefore, your punishment is that "the heavens have withheld dew" - in the lands of the nations rain and dew fell, but in your land the heavens held back, as though restraining the dew and refusing to bring it down. And so it says in the curses, "And I will make your heavens like iron." "On your account" ("aleichem") - specifically upon you, and not upon the other nations.
The Malbim notes precisely: Until now, the curse did not come through direct, special Divine providence from Hashem, but rather "on your account the heavens withheld dew" - through the heavens and the natural order, they withheld their dew. That is, a punishment that came not through direct intervention, but in accordance with the natural order: there are drought years and there are years of plentiful rain, and the land naturally withheld its yield. But from now on, the punishment will come through direct Divine intervention:
וָאֶקְרָא חֹרֶב עַל־הָאָרֶץ וְעַל־הֶהָרִים וְעַל־הַדָּגָן וְעַל־הַתִּירוֹשׁ וְעַל־הַיִּצְהָר וְעַל אֲשֶׁר תּוֹצִיא הָאֲדָמָה וְעַל־הָאָדָם וְעַל־הַבְּהֵמָה וְעַל כָּל־יְגִיעַ כַּפָּיִם׃ - "And I called for a drought upon the land, upon the mountains, upon the grain, upon the new wine, upon the oil, upon whatever the ground brings forth, upon man, upon beast, and upon all the labor of hands."
"Chorev" (drought) signifies parched dryness, as Radak explains: the air will be dry and there will be no moisture rising from the subterranean waters. And the key nuance lies in "And I called" - this is already direct hashgachah (providence). Until now, the punishment operated through nature and the celestial bodies, but now, I summon the drought directly, by My own call and decree, rather than through the heavens alone. The drought will be upon the land, the mountains, the grain, and the wine - even if there is grain and wine, they will dry up and spoil. "And upon whatever the ground brings forth" - the ground will produce its yield, but whatever grows will grow in parched conditions, which is to say, defective and substandard.
"And upon man, upon beast, and upon all the labor of hands" - not only man and beast, but also the labor of one's hands. Seemingly, how could the heavens inflict a curse upon the labor of hands, which is something I construct with my own hands - if I built a table, that is the labor of hands? He tells you: in this drought that I summon, the curse I bring down from heaven will strike even that. Radak explains why grain, wine, and oil were singled out: because these three are the staples of human sustenance, after which Scripture encompassed all that the ground brings forth. And why were man and beast mentioned? Because the excessive dryness of the air breeds severe illnesses in both man and beast.
וַיִּשְׁמַע זְרֻבָּבֶל בֶּן־שַׁלְתִּיאֵל וִיהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן־יְהוֹצָדָק הַכֹּהֵן הַגָּדוֹל וְכֹל שְׁאֵרִית הָעָם בְּקוֹל יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיהֶם וְעַל־דִּבְרֵי חַגַּי הַנָּבִיא כַּאֲשֶׁר שְׁלָחוֹ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיהֶם וַיִּירְאוּ הָעָם מִפְּנֵי יְהֹוָה׃ - "Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and Joshua son of Jehozadak, the High Priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of Hashem their God, and the words of Chaggai the prophet, as Hashem their God had sent him; and the people feared Hashem."
Zerubbabel and Joshua heed the voice of their God, even though Chaggai had not prophesied specifically to them but to the people (as Radak noted earlier) - for they were the leaders, and whoever is at the head bears the responsibility and is held accountable to build the Beit HaMikdash. They saw that they were meeting with no success in anything they undertook, that there was drought and that the heavens withheld their dew, and they realized that their endeavors failed because they were not attending to the building of the House of Hashem. The Torah says, "If you walk with Me with happenstance (keri), I will walk with you with the fury of happenstance" - as the Rambam explains, one must not say that suffering is mere chance: after all, drought naturally occurs from time to time, so what can be done? From this they were stirred to realize that everything is guided by Divine providence, and that they must fulfill Hashem's will and rebuild the Beit HaMikdash.
The Malbim notes a distinction: "Zerubbabel, Joshua, and all the remnant of the people" refers to the prominent leaders of the nation, and they are the ones who heeded the words of Chaggai the prophet; whereas "and the people feared" refers to the masses of the people. And the Malbim explains: "And the people feared Hashem" - they were afraid out of terror of punishment, yet despite all this, they did not actually begin rebuilding. Why? Because they were even more afraid of the king; they feared Darius and did not want to take any step that might stir sleeping bears, lest he march upon them with his armies.
וַיֹּאמֶר חַגַּי מַלְאַךְ יְהֹוָה בְּמַלְאֲכוּת יְהֹוָה לָעָם לֵאמֹר אֲנִי אִתְּכֶם נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה׃ - Then Chaggai, the messenger of Hashem, spoke by the message of Hashem to the people, saying: "I am with you, says Hashem."
"The message of Hashem" means the mission of Hashem, which is why he is called a mal'ach - for a mal'ach is an emissary or messenger. On Hashem's mission he was sent to tell them: I am with you. The Malbim explains: Do not fear, go and build, and do not wait for the king's permission - you do not need to pull a permit or go down to City Hall. Go and build the Beis HaMikdash, for Hashem is with you to save you, and because of this, no harm will come upon you from the king.
וַיָּעַר יְהֹוָה אֶת־רוּחַ זְרֻבָּבֶל בֶּן־שַׁלְתִּיאֵל פַּחַת יְהוּדָה וְאֶת־רוּחַ יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן־יְהוֹצָדָק הַכֹּהֵן הַגָּדוֹל וְאֶת־רוּחַ כֹּל שְׁאֵרִית הָעָם וַיָּבֹאוּ וַיַּעֲשׂוּ מְלָאכָה בְּבֵית־יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת אֱלֹהֵיהֶם׃ - And Hashem stirred up the spirit of Zerubavel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Yehoshua son of Yehotzadak, the Kohen Gadol, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work on the House of Hashem of Hosts, their God.
"The governor [pechat] of Judah" - the ruler of Judah, like pasha, an expression denoting an official and important person, as in "Present it now to your governor [pechatecha]" (Malachi 1:8). Hashem stirred up his spirit, that is, with a spirit of courage: until now, they were afraid of the Persian monarchy, and now they needed an illumination of spirit to fortify their hearts and awaken within them a spirit of bravery and fear of Hashem. Then they came and worked on the task, beginning to prepare the work of construction.
בְּיוֹם עֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבָּעָה לַחֹדֶשׁ בַּשִּׁשִּׁי בִּשְׁנַת שְׁתַּיִם לְדָרְיָוֶשׁ הַמֶּלֶךְ׃ - On the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the sixth month, in the second year of King Daryavesh.