Chapter 5 of Ezra opens a new phase in the history of the rebuilding of the Second Temple. After the work of construction ceased in the days of Cyrus due to the slander of the adversaries, we now arrive at the second year of the reign of Darius. Two prophets, Chaggai and Zechariah, arise and deliver the word of Hashem to the people: build the Temple. The chapter describes the resumption of the work, the inquiry by Tattenai the governor of the province Beyond the River, and the text of the letter he sent to Darius - a letter that, surprisingly, is not a letter of malicious accusation, but rather an inquiry seeking a royal determination, and, as will be explained, one that ultimately worked in favor of the Jewish people.
וְהִתְנַבִּי חַגַּי נְבִיָּא וּזְכַרְיָה בַר־עִדּוֹא נְבִיַּאיָּא עַל־יְהוּדָיֵא דִּי בִיהוּד וּבִירוּשְׁלֶם בְּשֻׁם אֱלָהּ יִשְׂרָאֵל עֲלֵיהוֹן׃ - Then the prophets, Chaggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the Name of the God of Israel upon them.
Chaggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo prophesied to the Jews in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, delivering a prophecy to them in the Name of the God of Israel. The substance of the prophecy: rebuild the Beit HaMikdash. And even though they did not yet have permission from Darius, and even though Cyrus had already halted their building efforts - the prophets told them: this is what we received in prophecy, to build the House even without his authorization.
בֵּאדַיִן קָמוּ זְרֻבָּבֶל בַּר־שְׁאַלְתִּיאֵל וְיֵשׁוּעַ בַּר־יוֹצָדָק וְשָׁרִיו לְמִבְנֵא בֵּית אֱלָהָא דִּי בִירוּשְׁלֶם וְעִמְּהוֹן נְבִיַּאיָּא דִי־אֱלָהָא מְסָעֲדִין לְהוֹן׃ - Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Yeshua the son of Yotzadak arose and began to build the House of God that is in Jerusalem, and with them were the prophets of God, supporting them.
At that time Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Yeshua the son of Yotzadak arose, "and began" - that is, they commenced - to build the House of God in Jerusalem, with the prophets of God assisting and supporting them.
בֵּהּ־זִמְנָא אֲתָה עֲלֵיהוֹן תַּתְּנַי פַּחַת עֲבַר־נַהֲרָה וּשְׁתַר בּוֹזְנַי וּכְנָוָתְהוֹן וְכֵן אָמְרִין לְהֹם מַן־שָׂם לְכֹם טְעֵם בַּיְתָא דְנָה לִבְּנֵא וְאֻשַּׁרְנָא דְנָה לְשַׁכְלָלָה׃ - At that time Tattenai, governor of Beyond the River, and Shethar-bozenai and their companions came to them and spoke thus to them: "Who issued a decree to you to build this House and to complete this wall?"
At that time, Tattenai came upon them. He was the "governor of Beyond the River" - the satrap or high-ranking minister in charge of the region Beyond the River (governors, or pachot, refer to high officials, as in the phrase "the ministers and governors"). With him was Shethar-bozenai, who was also a prominent official, "and their companions" - their factions, the group and entourage accompanying them.
Rashi explains that they were the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin who came to harass and slander them: when they saw that the Beit HaMikdash was being built once again, they rushed forward to try and put a stop to the construction. The Malbim, however, explains differently: these adversaries did not interfere with force. Hashem's Divine Providence was at work, ensuring that their enemies did not come upon them aggressively as they had the first time. Instead, it was only Tattenai, governor of Beyond the River, who was by no means an enemy of the Jews; he simply asked who had given them permission to build this House - for Cyrus's original decree had by then been largely forgotten. According to the Malbim, this reflects Hashem's lovingkindness: rather than the abhorrent foes who harassed them previously, they faced merely a matter-of-fact official inquiry during the reign of Darius.
Their question was: who gave you permission to build this House, "and to complete this wall" - that is, to erect these walls?
אֱדַיִן כְּנֵמָא אֲמַרְנָא לְּהֹם מַן־אִנּוּן שְׁמָהָת גֻּבְרַיָּא דִּי־דְנָה בִנְיָנָא בָּנַיִן׃ - Then we said to them accordingly, what the names of the men were who were building this building.
The people of Israel replied to Tattenai and Shethar-bozenai, telling them the names of the men who were erecting this building. Their intention was: We are not building on our own authority. Zerubbabel is here, and the Kohen Gadol is here, and we are building according to their command. Zerubbabel was an official governor appointed by the king, and he certainly has authorization from the king, for a governor does nothing without royal permission. As for what exactly they replied in greater detail - we will see below in the text of the letter.
וְעֵין אֱלָהֲהֹם הֲוָת עַל־שָׂבֵי יְהוּדָיֵא וְלָא־בַטִּלוּ הִמּוֹ עַד־טַעְמָא לְדָרְיָוֶשׁ יְהָךְ וֶאֱדַיִן יְתִיבוּן נִשְׁתְּוָנָא עַל־דְּנָה׃ - But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, and they did not stop them until the report should go to Darius, and then an answer by letter be returned concerning this.
The eye of the Holy One, blessed be He, was upon the elders of the Jews, so that they were not stopped from the work of rebuilding the Temple in the meantime. While those governors dispatched a letter to Darius to inquire whether there was authorization to build or not, no stop-work order was issued, and the people of Israel continued building the Beit HaMikdash while the letter traveled back and forth.
פַּרְשֶׁגֶן אִגַּרְתָּא דִּי־שְׁלַח תַּתְּנַי פַּחַת עֲבַר־נַהֲרָה וּשְׁתַר בּוֹזְנַי וּכְנָוָתֵהּ אֲפַרְסְכָיֵא דִּי בַּעֲבַר נַהֲרָה עַל־דָּרְיָוֶשׁ מַלְכָּא׃ - The copy of the letter that Tattenai, governor beyond the river, and Shethar-bozenai, and his companions the Apharsachites, who were beyond the river, sent to King Darius.
פִּתְגָמָא שְׁלַחוּ עֲלוֹהִי וְכִדְנָה כְּתִיב בְּגַוֵּהּ לְדָרְיָוֶשׁ מַלְכָּא שְׁלָמָא כֹלָּא׃ - They sent a report to him, and thus was written inside it: To King Darius, all peace.
This is the copy of the letter and the details of its contents. The Malbim addresses a redundancy here: Why does the verse state both "the copy of the letter" and "they sent a report to him," and then "and thus was written inside it" - within it?
The Malbim explains: When they would send a letter, there was a portion written on the outside of the scroll and a portion written inside it. On the outside, it was customary to write the sender's name and seal it with their signature, just as we do today. This is the meaning of "The copy of the letter that Tattenai, governor beyond the river, and Shethar-bozenai, and his companions the Apharsachites, who were beyond the river, sent" - the names of the senders (the Apharsachites being an additional nation beyond the river that was subject to King Darius). Furthermore, it was written on the outside, "they sent a report to him," meaning: this letter contains no petition, no slander, and no dire accusation; rather, all we seek is an inquiry - that the king issue his verdict and reply.
"And thus was written inside it" - from here on, the verse details what was written within. It opens with: "To King Darius, all peace." According to Rashi, this means: May all peace be yours, a blessing that he be granted the fullness of peace. The Malbim, however, explains that their intention was to convey that the letter contains no slander or bad news, but rather everything is peaceful, everything is well - serving as an advance notice: You have received a letter, do not be alarmed.
יְדִיעַ לֶהֱוֵא לְמַלְכָּא דִּי־אֲזַלְנָא לִיהוּד מְדִינְתָּא לְבֵית אֱלָהָא רַבָּא וְהוּא מִתְבְּנֵא אֶבֶן גְּלָל וְאָע מִתְּשָׂם בְּכֻתְלַיָּא וַעֲבִידְתָּא דָךְ אָסְפַּרְנָא מִתְעַבְדָא וּמַצְלַח בְּיֶדְהֹם׃ - Be it known to the king that we went to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God, and it is being built with huge stones, and timber is being laid into the walls; this work is being done with diligence, and it prospers in their hands.
Let it be known to the king that we went to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God, and behold, it is being built with even gelal - marble stones; "and timber is placed in the walls" - logs are being set into the walls; "and this work is being done with diligence" - their work is proceeding swiftly and expeditiously; "and prospers in their hands" - and they are succeeding in their labor.
Now seemingly, why all this description? Did they not know that there was an edict halting the construction of the Beit HaMikdash? Why did they bother describing the stone and the timber in the walls and the speed of the work? The Malbim explains that they did not come to harm them, but rather sought the good of the Jewish people. Chazal say that Cyrus commanded them to place wooden beams in the walls. Some explain this to mean that they paneled the Temple with cedar lining on the inside, as in the days of Shlomo. Chazal, however, explain that they would place three layers of stone and one layer of wood - a thick timber beam instead of a row of stones - followed again by three layers of stone and one layer of wood.
And what was the reason for such construction? Cyrus wanted them to build the House, but on the other hand, he feared a rebellion, for the Beit HaMikdash is a massive fortress. Therefore, he decreed that they place wood within the walls, so that if a problem were to arise, they could set fire to the House and it would collapse like a house of cards: three rows of stone and wood, three rows of stone and wood - the fire consumes the wood and the entire structure collapses. That was the plan. Therefore, they inform him: the work is being done in precisely this manner, so that if they rebel against you, you will be able to take action against them.
Furthermore: "It is being done diligently and prospers in their hands" - the work is progressing swiftly and succeeding in their hands, meaning that the surrounding nations are not halting their work, unlike at first when all the adversaries and accusers came to stop them. This implies that they see in this no concern of rebellion or harm to the king. In this, too, they reassure Darius.
אֱדַיִן שְׁאֵלְנָא לְשָׂבַיָּא אִלֵּךְ כְּנֵמָא אֲמַרְנָא לְּהֹם מַן־שָׂם לְכֹם טְעֵם בַּיְתָא דְנָה לְמִבְנְיָה וְאֻשַּׁרְנָא דְנָה לְשַׁכְלָלָה׃ - Then we questioned those elders, speaking to them as follows: "Who gave you an order to build this House and to complete these walls?"
And when we saw the building being constructed, we asked these elders: Who gave you permission to build this House and establish its walls?
וְאַף שְׁמָהָתְהֹם שְׁאֵלְנָא לְּהֹם לְהוֹדָעוּתָךְ דִּי נִכְתֻּב שֻׁם־גֻּבְרַיָּא דִּי בְרָאשֵׁיהֹם׃ - We also asked them their names to inform you, so that we might write down the names of the men who are at their head.
We also asked for their names, in order to inform you and provide you with precise information, so that you would know who is building the House - so that if there is any rebellion or misconduct here, you can act against them.
וּכְנֵמָא פִתְגָמָא הֲתִיבוּנָא לְמֵמַר אֲנַחְנָא הִמּוֹ עַבְדוֹהִי דִי־אֱלָהּ שְׁמַיָּא וְאַרְעָא וּבָנַיִן בַּיְתָא דִּי־הֲוָא בְנֵה מִקַּדְמַת דְּנָה שְׁנִין שַׂגִּיאָן וּמֶלֶךְ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל רַב בְּנָהִי וְשַׁכְלְלֵהּ׃ - And thus they returned us an answer, saying: "We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the House that was built many years before this, which a great king of Israel built and completed."
In this manner they answered us: We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the House that had been built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and finished - referring to King Shlomo. There are three key points here: First, we are servants of the God of heaven, and this House is being built for the sake of Hashem. Second, this House has an established precedent - we are not simply seizing land and building arbitrarily, for this House was already built long ago. Third, the one who built it was no ordinary person, but an exalted king. It follows that this construction is fully legitimate, with no rebellion or offense against the king.
לָהֵן מִן־דִּי הַרְגִּזוּ אֲבָהָתַנָא לֶאֱלָהּ שְׁמַיָּא יְהַב הִמּוֹ בְּיַד נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל כַּסְדָּאָה וּבַיְתָה דְנָה סַתְרֵהּ וְעַמָּה הַגְלִי לְבָבֶל׃ - But because our fathers provoked the God of heaven to wrath, He gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this House and exiled the people to Babylon.
However, when our ancestors angered the God of heaven, Hashem delivered them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, and he destroyed this House and exiled the people to Babylon. Their point was: the demolition of the building was our own fault, because we did not walk in the ways of Hashem. But now that we are walking in Hashem's ways, we may return and rebuild the House.
בְּרַם בִּשְׁנַת חֲדָה לְכוֹרֶשׁ מַלְכָּא דִּי בָבֶל כּוֹרֶשׁ מַלְכָּא שָׂם טְעֵם בֵּית־אֱלָהָא דְנָה לִבְּנֵא׃ - However, in the first year of Cyrus, king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree to rebuild this House of God.
However - they say - the destruction occurred because of our sins, and the exile atoned for us. In the first year of Cyrus, the seventy-year period reached its fulfillment, the time of redemption arrived, and the king issued a decree to build the Temple. Thus, we are building with royal permission.
וְאַף מָאנַיָּא דִי־בֵית־אֱלָהָא דִּי דַהֲבָה וְכַסְפָּא דִּי נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר הַנְפֵּק מִן־הֵיכְלָא דִּי בִירוּשְׁלֶם וְהֵיבֵל הִמּוֹ לְהֵיכְלָא דִּי בָבֶל הַנְפֵּק הִמּוֹ כּוֹרֶשׁ מַלְכָּא מִן־הֵיכְלָא דִּי בָבֶל וִיהִיבוּ לְשֵׁשְׁבַּצַּר שְׁמֵהּ דִּי פֶחָה שָׂמֵהּ׃ - And also the gold and silver vessels of the House of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the Temple in Jerusalem and brought to the temple of Babylon, King Cyrus took out of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered to one named Sheshbazzar, whom he had appointed governor.
Not only did he grant permission, but Cyrus himself took out the vessels that Nebuchadnezzar had captured when he destroyed the Beit HaMikdash, removed them from the pagan temple in Babylon, and gave them into our hands, entrusting them to Sheshbazzar - whom Chazal identify as Daniel - whom he appointed governor to oversee all our affairs. If so, there is an explicit authorization here from King Cyrus.
וַאֲמַר־לֵהּ אֵל מָאנַיָּא שֵׂא אֵזֶל־אֲחֵת הִמּוֹ בְּהֵיכְלָא דִּי בִירוּשְׁלֶם וּבֵית אֱלָהָא יִתְבְּנֵא עַל־אַתְרֵהּ׃ - And he said to him: Take these vessels, go, deposit them in the Temple in Jerusalem, and let the House of God be rebuilt on its site.
And so Cyrus said to Sheshbazzar, who is Daniel: Take these vessels, go and bring them down into the Temple in Jerusalem, and let the House of God be rebuilt on its site.
אֱדַיִן שֵׁשְׁבַּצַּר דֵּךְ אֲתָא יְהַב אֻשַּׁיָּא דִּי־בֵית אֱלָהָא דִּי בִירוּשְׁלֶם וּמִן־אֱדַיִן וְעַד־כְּעַן מִתְבְּנֵא וְלָא שְׁלִם׃ - Then this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the House of God in Jerusalem; and from then until now it has been under construction, yet it is not completed.
Sheshbazzar then came and laid the foundations of the House of God in Jerusalem, and from then until now it has been under construction and has not been completed. Notice what occurred here: they omitted one part of the story - the part where Cyrus reversed his decree. For as we saw in the previous lesson, Cyrus had second thoughts and ordered the construction of the Beit HaMikdash halted following the slander spoken against the people of Israel, yet they do not mention this at all. Why? Because, as we explained, the whole thing was a deception: they told him that Israel was building Jerusalem and its walls, from which he deduced an intent to rebel, and therefore he ordered the construction of Jerusalem to stop. But the scribes altered the wording and wrote that the request was to halt the construction of the Beit HaMikdash.
וּכְעַן הֵן עַל־מַלְכָּא טָב יִתְבַּקַּר בְּבֵית גִּנְזַיָּא דִּי־מַלְכָּא תַמָּה דִּי בְּבָבֶל הֵן אִיתַי דִּי־מִן־כּוֹרֶשׁ מַלְכָּא שִׂים טְעֵם לְמִבְנֵא בֵּית־אֱלָהָא דֵךְ בִּירוּשְׁלֶם וּרְעוּת מַלְכָּא עַל־דְּנָה יִשְׁלַח עֲלֶינָא׃ - And now, if it pleases the king, let a search be made in the king's treasure house there in Babylon, whether it is so that a decree was issued by King Cyrus to rebuild this House of God in Jerusalem; and let the king send us his pleasure concerning this matter.
Finally, they advise the king: If you wish to verify that everything stated here is true, let a search and investigation be made in the king's treasure house in Babylon - the royal archive - and let the record be examined there, and you will see that Cyrus indeed issued a decree to rebuild the House of God in Jerusalem. "And let the king send us his pleasure concerning this matter" - that is, send us your decision and royal directive on the subject. This concludes the letter sent by Tattenai and Shethar-bozenai to the king, to ascertain his position on the rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash.