Chapter 6 of Ezra marks a turning point. Following the slander and the halt of construction, King Darius initiates an inquiry in the royal archives, Cyrus's decree is discovered, and Darius issues a response that does not merely permit the building, but commands that it be aided with royal funds and all necessary provisions. The chapter concludes with the completion of the edifice, the dedication of the Temple, and the first Passover celebration of the returned exiles in the Temple. Throughout the chapter, the Malbim emphasizes that everything unfolded as a hidden miracle: the Holy One, Blessed be He, cloaked Divine Providence within the guise of nature - a king's concerns, a misplaced letter discovered, a new royal decree - and everything was orchestrated by Hashem.
בֵּאדַיִן דָּרְיָוֶשׁ מַלְכָּא שָׂם טְעֵם וּבַקַּרוּ בְּבֵית סִפְרַיָּא דִּי גִנְזַיָּא מְהַחֲתִין תַּמָּה בְּבָבֶל׃ וְהִשְׁתְּכַח בְּאַחְמְתָא בְּבִירְתָא דִּי בְּמָדַי מְדִינְתָּא מְגִלָּה חֲדָה וְכֵן־כְּתִיב בְּגַוַּהּ דִּכְרוֹנָהּ׃ - Then King Darius issued an order, and they searched in the house of the archives, where the treasures were deposited there in Babylon. And there was found in Achmetha, in the palace that is in the province of Media, a single scroll, and within it was written such a record.
King Darius then gave an order to search the archives where all state documents were kept in Babylon, yet a scroll was found in the capital of the province of Media, and thus was written within it for a record - this is "dichronah", a memorandum. On the surface, this appears puzzling: the king commanded them to inspect the treasury in Babylon where the archives were stored, yet the next verse states that the discovery occurred "in Achmetha" - similar to a chemet (a pouch or waterskin), meaning inside a chest or container - "in the citadel that is in Media." If the royal seat and its archives were in Babylon, how did this document end up in the province of Media?
The Malbim explains: The capital was initially in Babylon, and all the royal records and edicts were kept there, including the decree that Cyrus had dispatched in three copies. However, during the reign of Ahasuerus, who relocated his seat to Shushan the Capital - "when King Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the Capital" - this letter went missing. How did it disappear? The Malbim suggests that someone was likely meddling behind the scenes. Who had a vested interest? Haman the Agagite, prime minister to King Ahasuerus. This document was the official authorization for the Jews to rebuild the Beit HaMikdash, something Haman vehemently opposed. Furthermore, the king's royal scribe was his son Shimshai, who consequently had direct access to the archives, knowing exactly where documents were stored and which ones to make vanish. In this way, the letter disappeared from Babylon.
Yet through Divine Providence, a record remained in the capital city in Media - a small scroll upon which this decree had been recorded for posterity, in the royal book of chronicles. The Malbim notes that Haman had no access to the royal chronicles; for had he possessed access, he would have erased the account of Mordechai saving the king's life as well. While Chazal express an opinion that Shimshai did have access - and that Shimshai would erase and the angel Gabriel would rewrite - the Malbim maintains that Haman lacked access to it. Thus, while the official original edict bearing the royal seals had disappeared, the abbreviated memorandum in the book of chronicles endured.
בִּשְׁנַת חֲדָה לְכוֹרֶשׁ מַלְכָּא כּוֹרֶשׁ מַלְכָּא שָׂם טְעֵם בֵּית־אֱלָהָא בִירוּשְׁלֶם בַּיְתָא יִתְבְּנֵא אֲתַר דִּי־דָבְחִין דִּבְחִין וְאֻשּׁוֹהִי מְסוֹבְלִין רוּמֵהּ אַמִּין שִׁתִּין פְּתָיֵהּ אַמִּין שִׁתִּין׃ - In the first year of King Cyrus, King Cyrus issued a decree concerning the House of God in Jerusalem: Let the House be built, a place where they offer sacrifices, and let its foundations be firmly supported; its height sixty cubits, and its breadth sixty cubits.
What was written in this scroll? In the first year of King Cyrus, Cyrus issued an order: Concerning the House of God in Jerusalem - first, "the House shall be built." Second, "a place where they offer sacrifices." This includes explicit permission for the sacrificial service: he specifies this in his decree and accounts for it, since he could have permitted the building while prohibiting the sacrifices had it clashed with his own religion and beliefs. Yet he declares: this place is a venue where sacrifices are offered - meaning, I am fully aware of this and approve it.
"And let its foundations be firmly supported" - he permits the Temple to be erected upon sturdy foundations. He does not tell them to build a flimsy hut, nor does he instruct them to build of wood; rather, the foundations must be strong and capable of supporting stone walls. "Its height sixty cubits, and its breadth sixty cubits" - and here too Divine Providence is evident, as these dimensions matched those of the First Temple, which had a height of sixty cubits and a length of sixty cubits.
נִדְבָּכִין דִּי־אֶבֶן גְּלָל תְּלָתָא וְנִדְבָּךְ דִּי־אָע חֲדַת וְנִפְקְתָא מִן־בֵּית מַלְכָּא תִּתְיְהִב׃ - With three layers of heavy stones and one layer of new timber, and let the expenses be given from the king's house.
He commands them how they are to build: three rows of marble stones and one row of new timber. And as we explained, the row of wood was poised for burning, so that if they were to rebel against him, he could burn the wood in a single moment, causing the foundations and the walls built upon it to collapse, thereby quelling the rebellion in an instant. "And the expenses shall be given from the king's palace" - and all expenses shall be provided from the royal treasury, as we saw in the explicit decree that the construction expenses were at the king's expense.
וְאַף מָאנֵי בֵית־אֱלָהָא דִּי דַהֲבָה וְכַסְפָּא דִּי נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר הַנְפֵּק מִן־הֵיכְלָא דִי־בִירוּשְׁלֶם וְהֵיבֵל לְבָבֶל יַהֲתִיבוּן וִיהָךְ לְהֵיכְלָא דִי־בִירוּשְׁלֶם לְאַתְרֵהּ וְתַחֵת בְּבֵית אֱלָהָא׃ - "And also let the gold and silver vessels of the House of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took forth out of the Temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, be restored and brought back to the Temple in Jerusalem, to its place, and deposited in the House of God."
And also the gold and silver vessels of the Beis HaMikdash, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the Sanctuary in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon - let them return them and take them back to the Sanctuary in Jerusalem to its place, and deposit them in the House of God.
כְּעַן תַּתְּנַי פַּחַת עֲבַר־נַהֲרָה שְׁתַר בּוֹזְנַי וּכְנָוָתְהוֹן אֲפַרְסְכָיֵא דִּי בַּעֲבַר נַהֲרָה רַחִיקִין הֲווֹ מִן־תַּמָּה׃ - "Now, Tattenai, governor of Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and their companions the Apharsachites, who are Beyond the River, keep far away from there."
Here the king's response begins. After a thorough investigation and comprehensive inquiry, Darius realized that everything had been done with permission; there was nothing illegal here, and there was clear evidence for this - for he had returned the vessels to them and even appointed a man from among them as governor. Therefore, he writes to Tattenai, governor of Beyond the River, to Shethar-bozenai, and to their companions, that is, their factions, and to the Apharsachites who were an additional nation with them: "Keep far away from there" - in simple terms, distance yourselves from there. Do not disrupt them and do not weaken the hands of those doing the work, so that they may continue to carry out the king's command.
שְׁבֻקוּ לַעֲבִידַת בֵּית־אֱלָהָא דֵךְ פַּחַת יְהוּדָיֵא וּלְשָׂבֵי יְהוּדָיֵא בֵּית־אֱלָהָא דֵךְ יִבְנוֹן עַל־אַתְרֵהּ׃ - "Leave the work of this House of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this House of God upon its site."
He commands: Leave the work of this House of God alone; do not interfere in the matter. Why? Because the task is placed upon the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews - they are the ones who shall build the House upon its site. And this holds a great benefit: after all, where did it all begin? The adversaries of Judah and Benjamin came and said, "We also want to be partners," and that was the initial opening through which they launched all their hostility. Here, Darius, through Hashem's kindness, prevents them from doing so: he tells them not to help or assist in the building of the House itself, but rather to let the Jews build it alone - and consequently, they should not seek to be partners.
וּמִנִּי שִׂים טְעֵם לְמָא דִי־תַעַבְדוּן עִם־שָׂבֵי יְהוּדָיֵא אִלֵּךְ לְמִבְנֵא בֵּית־אֱלָהָא דֵךְ וּמִנִּכְסֵי מַלְכָּא דִּי מִדַּת עֲבַר נַהֲרָה אָסְפַּרְנָא נִפְקְתָא תֶּהֱוֵא מִתְיַהֲבָא לְגֻבְרַיָּא אִלֵּךְ דִּי־לָא לְבַטָּלָא׃ - "And by me a decree is made regarding what you shall do with these elders of the Jews for the building of this House of God: that from the royal funds, from the tribute of Beyond the River, expenses shall be diligently given to these men, so that they not be hindered."
Here there is an addition. Darius says: Beyond reaffirming the orders and protocols of Cyrus, I have a decree of my own. Cyrus had only said that he granted permission for them to build - neither to help nor to hinder. But "And by me a decree is made" - until now it was the decree of Cyrus, and from here on it is my own new decree: it is not enough for you to refrain passively, it is not enough that you do not halt the work and do not disturb them; rather, you are obligated to be of aid and assistance to them. The actual building - Israel builds alone; but everything pertaining to auxiliary support, bringing the stones and the timber, and all necessary operations, in this you must assist.
Furthermore: "from the royal funds, from the tribute of Beyond the River" - from the tax of Beyond the River. We have seen three types of taxes: minda, belo, and halach. "Midat" is the tax known as minda. Darius tells them: This tax that you collect in Beyond the River for the king's treasury - transfer it to them, so that they can continue to build and the House will be built swiftly. For when funds are lacking, construction is delayed - see how many unfinished building frames stand abandoned merely because the money ran out midway.
The Malbim explains that the difference lies in the fact that Cyrus's decree stated that the expenses would come from the royal palace. But what does "expenses from the royal palace" mean? Submitting forms, dealing with clerks, obtaining approvals, passing legal counsel, then checking for appeals and seeing if it passes through budget reconciliation - and only at the very end, after the patient has already died, do they decide he is eligible for medicine. That is bureaucracy. Therefore, Darius says: I want this done swiftly. Transfer the tax you collect directly to them, with no clerks and no paperwork. Through this, asparna - the House will be built swiftly, and di la levatala - so that they will not have to cease their work for lack of funds.
וּמָה חַשְׁחָן וּבְנֵי תוֹרִין וְדִכְרִין וְאִמְּרִין לַעֲלָוָן לֶאֱלָהּ שְׁמַיָּא חִנְטִין מְלַח חֲמַר וּמְשַׁח כְּמֵאמַר כָּהֲנַיָּא דִי־בִירוּשְׁלֶם לֶהֱוֵא מִתְיְהֵב לְהֹם יוֹם בְּיוֹם דִּי־לָא שָׁלוּ׃ דִּי־לֶהֱוֺן מְהַקְרְבִין נִיחוֹחִין לֶאֱלָהּ שְׁמַיָּא וּמְצַלַּיִן לְחַיֵּי מַלְכָּא וּבְנוֹהִי׃ - And whatever is needed: young bulls, rams, and sheep for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the word of the Kohanim in Jerusalem, let it be given to them day by day without fail; so that they may offer pleasing sacrifices to the God of heaven and pray for the life of the king and his sons.
He adds further to Cyrus's decree by ordering that they also provide for the operating expenses of the Beis HaMikdash. Chashchan (needed) is related to concern - be attentive to this matter and see to it: bnei torin are young bulls; dichrin are rams (a ram is called dichra in Aramaic); imrin are sheep; le'alvan - to offer burnt offerings to the God of heaven. Chintin - wheat; melach - salt, which must accompany every sacrifice; chamar - wine; umeshach - oil. Kema'amar kahonaya di viYerushlem - according to the instruction of the Kohanim in Jerusalem. Lehevei mityehav lehom yom beyom di la shalu - this you must give them day by day, and shalu denotes negligence or error: take care not to be negligent in this, not to falter or make a mistake, but rather carry out each day whatever is required. And why? Di lehevon mehakrevin nichochin le'Elah shemaya umtzalayin lechayei malka uvnohi - so that they may offer pleasing sacrifices to the God of heaven and pray for the life of the king and his sons. In simple terms: I have a personal interest in this.
וּמִנִּי שִׂים טְעֵם דִּי כָל־אֱנָשׁ דִּי יְהַשְׁנֵא פִּתְגָמָא דְנָה יִתְנְסַח אָע מִן־בַּיְתֵהּ וּזְקִיף יִתְמְחֵא עֲלֹהִי וּבַיְתֵהּ נְוָלוּ יִתְעֲבֵד עַל־דְּנָה׃ - Also I have issued a decree that whoever alters this edict, a beam shall be pulled from his house, and he shall be impaled and hung upon it, and his house shall be made a dunghill for this.
And a decree is issued by me that anyone who alters this word and fails to carry out what is written in this letter - yitnesach a' min beiteih. According to Rashi, this means his house will be destroyed, with timber pulled from his house, similar to "and you shall be plucked (venisachtem) from off the land" (Devarim 28:63), which denotes destruction. But according to the Malbim, this connects directly to what follows: yitnesach a' min beiteih uzkif yitmcha alohi - a beam shall be pulled from his house, and upon it he shall be stretched out and hanged.
And who was hanged on a gallows taken from his own home? Haman the wicked. He looked for a beam fifty amos tall and found none, except in his own palace; he went and dismantled his palace to make a fifty-amah gallows to be hanged upon. There is great humiliation in this. In the ancient world as well, in Greek lore and among ancient peoples, the ultimate disgrace was for a person to be killed by his own sword - as was the case with Goliath. That is why Goliath's sword was preserved, and when David saw it, he said, "There is none like it." Yet Achimelech son of Achituv hesitated to give it to him, saying there was no sword there except Goliath's - why? Because they believed it brought bad fortune, since its owner had been killed with it, and it was considered an ominous sign. David replied to him: on the contrary, how was he killed? By my hand. Thus it is my sword and bears good fortune, which is why "there is none like it" - for someone else it might hold bad fortune, but for me a miracle was wrought through it, and for me it is the finest of all. The same principle applies to Haman, and the same principle applies here: the ultimate disgrace is having your own home dismantled, a beam pulled from it, and being hanged upon it. Uveiteih nevalu yit'aved - and beyond the dismantling of the beam from his house, his house shall be made into a dunghill; nevalu is an expression of filth and privy. Al dena - for having violated the king's order.
וֵאלָהָא דִּי שַׁכִּן שְׁמֵהּ תַּמָּה יְמַגַּר כָּל־מֶלֶךְ וְעַם דִּי יִשְׁלַח יְדֵהּ לְהַשְׁנָיָה לְחַבָּלָה בֵּית־אֱלָהָא דֵךְ דִּי בִירוּשְׁלֶם אֲנָה דָרְיָוֶשׁ שָׂמֶת טְעֵם אָסְפַּרְנָא יִתְעֲבִד׃ - And may the God Who caused His Name to dwell there overthrow any king or nation who puts forth his hand to alter this, to destroy this House of God that is in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued a decree; let it be carried out with all diligence.
Darius says: All these commands I can impose upon those subject to my authority. But as for those who are not under my authority - kings who are not subservient to me, should they attempt to stop the House - for them, too, I have plenty of "blessings" and wishes. May the God Who caused His Name to dwell there in the Beis HaMikdash overthrow any king or nation who stretches out his hand lehashnaya, to alter what I have commanded and destroy this House in Jerusalem. Ana Daryavesh samet te'em asparna yit'avid - I, Darius, have given the order that the House be built swiftly without any delay.
אֱדַיִן תַּתְּנַי פַּחַת עֲבַר־נַהֲרָה שְׁתַר בּוֹזְנַי וּכְנָוָתְהוֹן לָקֳבֵל דִּי־שְׁלַח דָּרְיָוֶשׁ מַלְכָּא כְּנֵמָא אָסְפַּרְנָא עֲבַדוּ׃ - Then Tattenai, governor of the region beyond the river, Shethar-bozenai, and their companions, in accordance with what King Darius had sent, acted accordingly with all diligence.
Then, when they saw this decree, in accordance with and on account of what the king sent in his letter - "asparna avadu" - they carried out the matters and fulfilled his directive with dispatch. Here it is worth noting: anyone reading these words might think this was a king who grew up in a cheder, not a gentile monarch! In truth, Daryavesh was the son of Esther. Being Esther's son, it is no wonder that we find him exerting himself so much with commands and directives, anxious and concerned that the House be built, that it be built quickly, that no funds be lacking, that everything be done according to the requirement and will of G-d, and that they offer sacrifices and pray. Once we realize that all of this stems from Jewish roots, we understand that it all emanates from that same holy source.
וְשָׂבֵי יְהוּדָיֵא בָּנַיִן וּמַצְלְחִין בִּנְבוּאַת חַגַּי נְבִיָּא וּזְכַרְיָה בַּר־עִדּוֹא וּבְנוֹ וְשַׁכְלִלוּ מִן־טַעַם אֱלָהּ יִשְׂרָאֵל וּמִטְּעֵם כּוֹרֶשׁ וְדָרְיָוֶשׁ וְאַרְתַּחְשַׁשְׂתְּא מֶלֶךְ פָּרָס׃ - And the elders of the Jews built and succeeded through the prophecy of Chaggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo; and they built and finished it by the decree of the G-d of Israel and by the decree of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes, king of Persia.
"And the elders of the Jews" - the Jewish elders, were building and succeeding in accordance with the prophecy of Chaggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo. This explains what we saw at the beginning of the previous chapter: there it stated that they prophesied without specifying the content of the prophecy, whereas here Scripture tells us that they were building and succeeding according to the prophecy of Chaggai and Zechariah - from which we learn that their prophecy was: Arise and resume building the House.
Regarding all this, the Malbim explains that a hidden miracle took place here. The Holy One, blessed be He, in full Divine Providence, cloaked events in nature: as it were, Cyrus suddenly had misgivings and halted the construction because of the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin, and Darius suddenly found the scroll and now granted authorizations - yet all of this was directed by G-d. This is what Scripture emphasizes: "and they built and finished it by the decree of the G-d of Israel" - everything originated from Hashem, the G-d of Israel, even though it was also "by the decree of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes, king of Persia," through whose agency the matter was carried out.
And this is what Chazal say: Israel was worthy of having a miracle performed for them in the days of Ezra just as a miracle was performed for them in the days of Yehoshua bin Nun, but sin prevented it. That is to say, in the days of Ezra, the Temple foretold by Yechezkel was meant to be built in all its grandeur and perfection, and the ultimate redemption was meant to occur, gathering the dispersed of His people Israel. However, sin prevented it, for they were not worthy: only about fifty thousand returned from exile while the vast majority remained behind, and because of this, they did not merit it.
If we look closely, three kings are mentioned here: Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes. Chazal state: Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes were all the same person. Rashi explains that Artaxerxes is Darius; why then was he called Artaxerxes? Because that was the royal title, just like Pharaoh - Pharaoh was the title of the monarchy, and each individual Pharaoh had his own personal name. Similarly, "Darius" was his personal name, and "Artaxerxes" was the royal title.
In contrast, the Razah - Rabbeinu Zerachiah HaLevi, the Ba'al HaMa'or, one of the Rishonim whose glosses on the Rif are known as HaMa'or - writes in the first chapter of Rosh Hashanah that this identification is the approach of the Midrash, but according to the peshat, the correct interpretation is that Cyrus began the work, Darius completed it, and Artaxerxes built the walls of Jerusalem. Indeed, the plain sense of Scripture implies that these were three distinct kings, which is why each is mentioned individually. The Malbim notes that various opinions and approaches have already been offered regarding the reckoning of the Persian kings and their names, and nothing is definitive in this matter.
In truth, this is not our main concern. We seek to understand the verses, and understanding the verses is sufficient for us; we are not here to conduct historical research. When a historian studies the Gemara and reads that someone ate kasa deharsena, he begins investigating its composition, how much oil was in it, and how many fish - occupying himself with the externals and empty shell of the matter. What do we care what kind of food it was? The essential point in the Gemara is which berachah to recite on it! So too, when people set out to investigate what clothing was worn at the time or what the style of leadership looked like - these things are not our concern at all. What matters to us is the inner content.
וְשֵׁיצִיא בַּיְתָה דְנָה עַד יוֹם תְּלָתָה לִירַח אֲדָר דִּי־הִיא שְׁנַת־שֵׁת לְמַלְכוּת דָּרְיָוֶשׁ מַלְכָּא׃ - And this House was completed on the third day of the month of Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.
"Shetsitzi" is an expression of completion: the construction was concluded on the third of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of Darius. Since the directive was given in Darius's second year, it turns out that they built the Temple over the course of four years. The First Temple had been built in seven years and seven months, and even that was done with great alacrity, for Chazal say that Shlomo took thirteen years to build his own royal palace, proceeding deliberately, whereas he built the Beit HaMikdash quickly. The reason the First Temple took longer was that it was magnificent and elaborate beyond measure: all the relief carvings, the splendor, the majesty, and the silver and gold with which they overlaid the walls of the House, a tremendous and demanding undertaking in its own right. By comparison, the Second Temple was far less ornate; therefore, as we saw earlier, whoever remembered the First Temple wept at the sight of the second. To make an extreme contrast, the difference was like that between a simple storage room and a fine home. But for those who had never seen the First Temple, the Second Temple was magnificent in its own right, and so they rejoiced, having no basis for comparison.
וַעֲבַדוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל כָּהֲנַיָּא וְלֵוָיֵא וּשְׁאָר בְּנֵי־גָלוּתָא חֲנֻכַּת בֵּית־אֱלָהָא דְנָה בְּחֶדְוָה׃ - And the children of Israel, the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the returned exiles celebrated the dedication of this House of God with joy.
After the construction was finished, they celebrated the dedication of this House with joy. And why the specific phrasing "beit Elaha denah", this House of God? The Malbim explains that based on what was explained earlier, this is wonderfully understood: had they been worthy, the time of the future Redemption would have arrived, and immediately following the earthly construction, the Beit HaMikdash would have descended from Heaven, as in the Temple envisioned by Yechezkel, built of fire, and they would have begun immediately with the second dedication described there in the Book of Yechezkel. But they were not worthy, and so they had to make do with the joy of this earthly House. Hence the emphasis: their celebration was for the "dedication of this House of God" - this was the primary focus of their rejoicing, rather than the celebration of Purim.
וְהַקְרִבוּ לַחֲנֻכַּת בֵּית־אֱלָהָא דְנָה תּוֹרִין מְאָה דִּכְרִין מָאתַיִן אִמְּרִין אַרְבַּע מְאָה וּצְפִירֵי עִזִּין לְחַטָּאָה עַל־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל תְּרֵי־עֲשַׂר לְמִנְיָן שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - And they offered for the dedication of this House of God one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and twelve he-goats as a sin offering for all of Israel, corresponding to the number of the tribes of Israel.
For the dedication of the House of God, they offered one hundred bulls (torin), two hundred rams (dikhreen), and four hundred sheep (imrin). In addition, they brought "tzfirei izin", he-goats, as a sin offering. What place was there for a sin offering here, on whose behalf, and for what? The Metzudat David explains that this was brought on behalf of all of Klal Yisrael who had not returned in the Second Temple era: after all, who had returned? Only Yehudah and Binyamin; the bulk of the Jewish people had not returned, and the sin offering was sacrificed for them. Chazal note that this was a temporary ruling (hora'at sha'ah), since a sin offering cannot normally be brought as a voluntary gift, yet here it was offered voluntarily by virtue of that special ruling.
וַהֲקִימוּ כָהֲנַיָּא בִּפְלֻגָּתְהוֹן וְלֵוָיֵא בְּמַחְלְקָתְהוֹן עַל־עֲבִידַת אֱלָהָא דִּי בִירוּשְׁלֶם כִּכְתָב סְפַר מֹשֶׁה׃ - And they established the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their courses for the service of God in Jerusalem, as it is written in the book of Moses.
They set the kohanim "biflugatehon", divided in their service, and the Levites "bemachlekatehon", each in his respective course, for the service of God in Jerusalem, as written in the book of the Torah of Moshe. The Malbim explains: the kohanim were divided into twenty-four watches (mishmarot); each watch served for one week, and each watch was divided into seven ancestral houses (batei avot), with each house serving on one day of the week. But as to which specific task each individual would perform, that was determined by lottery: one slaughters, one carries the blood, one clears the ashes from the altar. By contrast, among the Levites, the heads of the ancestral houses personally assigned each individual his specific role. Therefore, regarding the Levites the verse says "bemachlekatehon", because they had a more detailed breakdown of assigned roles, with individual tasks designated by the heads of the families, whereas regarding the kohanim it says "biflugatehon", because they did not have fixed individual assignments, but determined their tasks by lottery.
וַיַּעֲשׂוּ בְנֵי־הַגּוֹלָה אֶת־הַפָּסַח בְּאַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר לַחֹדֶשׁ הָרִאשׁוֹן׃ - And the returned exiles observed the Passover offering on the fourteenth day of the first month.
They completed the building of the Temple on the third of Adar, and they celebrated Pesach on the fourteenth of Nisan - the first time Pesach was observed in the new Temple.
כִּי הִטַּהֲרוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים וְהַלְוִיִּם כְּאֶחָד כֻּלָּם טְהוֹרִים וַיִּשְׁחֲטוּ הַפֶּסַח לְכָל־בְּנֵי הַגּוֹלָה וְלַאֲחֵיהֶם הַכֹּהֲנִים וְלָהֶם׃ - For the Kohanim and the Levi'im had purified themselves as one, all of them were pure; and they slaughtered the Pesach offering for all the children of the exile, and for their brethren the Kohanim, and for themselves.
In Ezra we see that the Levi'im sanctified themselves more than the Kohanim, and here the verse adds that at this stage all of them were purified as one. Lest one think that some Kohanim and Levi'im remained ritually impure and that not all of them had purified themselves, it states: "as one, all of them were pure" - not a single impure person remained among them. "And they slaughtered the Pesach offering" - the slaughtering of the Pesach offerings was performed by the Levi'im, as recorded in Divrei HaYamim. The text comes to praise the Levi'im: in slaughtering the Pesach offerings, they first slaughtered for the common people of Israel, then for the Kohanim - "and for their brethren the Kohanim" - and only at the very end for themselves. This demonstrates how zealous they were in their sacred duty, never seeking their own benefit first.
וַיֹּאכְלוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל הַשָּׁבִים מֵהַגּוֹלָה וְכֹל הַנִּבְדָּל מִטֻּמְאַת גּוֹיֵי־הָאָרֶץ אֲלֵהֶם לִדְרֹשׁ לַיהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - And the children of Israel who had returned from the exile ate, as did all who separated themselves from the impurity of the nations of the land unto them, to seek Hashem, God of Israel.
The children of Israel returning from the exile ate from the Pesach offering. "As did all who separated themselves from the impurity of the nations of the land unto them" - anyone who separated and distanced himself from the impurity of the peoples of the land in order to draw close to them and seek Hashem, the God of Israel; these are the converts, who separated from the impurity of the nations of the land to join the heritage of Israel.
וַיַּעֲשׂוּ חַג־מַצּוֹת שִׁבְעַת יָמִים בְּשִׂמְחָה כִּי שִׂמְּחָם יְהֹוָה וְהֵסֵב לֵב מֶלֶךְ־אַשּׁוּר עֲלֵיהֶם לְחַזֵּק יְדֵיהֶם בִּמְלֶאכֶת בֵּית־הָאֱלֹהִים אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - And they kept the Feast of Matzot seven days with joy, for Hashem had made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the House of God, the God of Israel.
They observed the festival of Matzot for seven days with great joy, for Hashem had made them rejoice and turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them. And who is the "king of Assyria"? This depends on the earlier question: if the final king was Artaxerxes, then he is the one referred to; but if the final king was Darius and "Artaxerxes" is merely a royal title, as Chazal hold, then it refers to Darius. And according to the Ba'al HaMaor, Rabbi Zerachiah HaLevi (the Razah), there were two kings - Darius, and the one who completed it, Artaxerxes, who is called here the "king of Assyria." Hashem made them rejoice by turning the king's heart to favor their work and the rebuilding of the Temple, "to strengthen their hands in the work of the House of God, the God of Israel." The verse calls him the king of Assyria even though he was the king of Persia, because he also ruled over Assyria.
Chapter 6 leads us all the way from the royal archives in Media to the festival of Matzot in Jerusalem. The scroll of remembrance that Haman failed to destroy was found; Darius confirms Cyrus's decree and adds his own royal order - not merely forbidding any interference, but actively assisting, redirecting the tax revenues of the region beyond the river directly to the construction so there would be no delay, and providing daily for the needs of the sacrifices. The Temple was built in four years and inaugurated on the third of Adar, and the first Pesach was celebrated on the fourteenth of Nisan in purity and joy. The Malbim teaches us that this entire chain of events was a hidden miracle: "and they built and completed it by the command of the God of Israel" - everything was from Hashem, even though it was clothed in the decrees of mortal kings. Even so, the joy was a tempered joy: they were worthy of a miracle like the days of Yehoshua and a complete redemption, but sin prevented it; therefore, they had to suffice with the joy of "this house of God" - this house alone.