Chapter 7 of Sefer Ezra opens an entirely new chapter in the history of the Return to Zion. Until now, we were engaged with the rebuilding of the Temple - the pillar of Avodah. From here on, Ezra HaSofer enters the scene, and his goal is to establish the pillar of Torah in Israel. The chapter includes Ezra's lineage, the description of his aliyah, and the text of the official letter granted to him by King Artaxerxes - a letter filled with assistance, financial support, and judicial authority to strengthen the Torah in Jerusalem.
וְאַחַר הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה בְּמַלְכוּת אַרְתַּחְשַׁסְתְּא מֶלֶךְ פָּרָס עֶזְרָא בֶּן שְׂרָיָה בֶּן עֲזַרְיָה בֶּן חִלְקִיָּה׃ - "Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah."
"After these things" - after the rebuilding of the Temple was completed. There is an opinion that the Artaxerxes mentioned here is Darius himself, according to which Ezra's aliyah took place just one year after the Temple was built. However, in the view of the Ba'al HaMa'or (the Razah), as well as the Radak in his commentary to Sefer Chaggai, Artaxerxes was a different king who reigned after Darius. According to this view, one cannot say that Ezra ascended only one year after the building of the Temple, since Darius was still reigning a year later; and if Scripture speaks of the reign of Artaxerxes, which was a long time afterward, then Ezra's aliyah took place many years later. The Malbim notes that it is impossible to decide this definitively - it is difficult to determine clearly who is being referred to and what exact year Ezra ascended.
"Ezra son of Seraiah" - in Divrei HaYamim it is explained that Ezra was Seraiah's grandson, not his direct son. We similarly find "Zechariah the son of Iddo," where he was actually the grandson of Iddo. Scripture enumerates the lineage:
בֶּן אֲבִישׁוּעַ בֶּן פִּינְחָס בֶּן אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן הָרֹאשׁ׃ - "Son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the chief priest."
"The chief priest" - the first of all the kohanim. From here we see that Ezra was a kohen, from the seed of Aharon.
הוּא עֶזְרָא עָלָה מִבָּבֶל וְהוּא סֹפֵר מָהִיר בְּתוֹרַת מֹשֶׁה אֲשֶׁר נָתַן ה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיִּתֶּן לוֹ הַמֶּלֶךְ כְּיַד ה' אֱלֹהָיו עָלָיו כֹּל בַּקָּשָׁתוֹ׃ - "This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a skilled scribe in the Torah of Moses, which Hashem God of Israel had given; and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of Hashem his God upon him."
The king granted and commanded that all of Ezra's requests be fulfilled. Furthermore, there is an opinion in Chazal that Ezra is Malachi the prophet.
What does "a ready scribe [sofer mahir] in the Torah of Moshe" mean? In its simple sense, we might understand that he wrote quickly. But the Ibn Ezra explains that he was swift in expounding and relating - his speech and his teaching were swift. And the Metzudat Tziyon explains that "sofer" means a wise scholar, as in the Gemara's phrasing, "A sofer recites the blessing and a boor [bur] fulfills his obligation" - showing that a sofer is the opposite of an ignoramus; and if a bur is unlearned, a sofer means a Torah sage.
The Malbim explains: Shimon HaTzaddik was among the remnants of the Great Assembly [Knesset HaGedolah], and he is the one who stated, "On three things the world stands: on the Torah, on the divine service, and on acts of loving-kindness" (Avot 1:2). Why did he say this? Because in the era of the Great Assembly, these three pillars were firmly fortified in practice by three pillars of the world, three spiritual giants. Through Zerubbabel and Yehoshua the Kohen Gadol - the first to ascend - the Temple was built, and through this the pillar of divine service was fortified. After them came Ezra, who was a great Torah sage, and he came and established the pillar of Torah. Afterward came Nechemiah, who, as we will see, was in charge of civil leadership, rebuilt the city walls, and acted on the political level in guiding the nation - which belongs to acts of loving-kindness. Thus, all three pillars were firmly established in that era.
And why did Ezra ascend? The verse informs us: "and he was a ready scribe in the Torah of Moshe" - he went up to establish the pillar of Torah. And because of this, the benevolent hand of God was upon him through Divine Providence, so that Torah would not be forgotten from Israel. A great sage had to be sent from Babylonia to the Land of Israel to assume spiritual leadership and strengthen the pillar of Torah.
וַיַּעֲלוּ מִבְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וּמִן הַכֹּהֲנִים וְהַלְוִיִּם וְהַמְשֹׁרְרִים וְהַשֹּׁעֲרִים וְהַנְּתִינִים אֶל יְרוּשָׁלִָם בִּשְׁנַת שֶׁבַע לְאַרְתַּחְשַׁסְתְּא הַמֶּלֶךְ׃ - And some of the Children of Israel, and of the Kohanim, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the Nethinim went up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes.
וַיָּבֹא יְרוּשָׁלִָם בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַחֲמִישִׁי הִיא שְׁנַת הַשְּׁבִיעִית לַמֶּלֶךְ׃ - And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was the seventh year of the king.
People from the Children of Israel, the Kohanim, and the Levites ascended, all in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes - and we will not revisit the dispute regarding the identity of Artaxerxes. Ezra requested permission from the king to ascend and assist the people, the king granted him leave, and he arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month, in the seventh year of the king.
כִּי בְּאֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ הָרִאשׁוֹן הוּא יְסֻד הַמַּעֲלָה מִבָּבֶל וּבְאֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ הַחֲמִישִׁי בָּא אֶל יְרוּשָׁלִָם כְּיַד אֱלֹהָיו הַטּוֹבָה עָלָיו׃ - For on the first day of the first month was the foundation of the ascent from Babylonia, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, according to the benevolent hand of his God upon him.
On the first day of the first month was the foundation, the inception, of the journey. In the view of Ibn Ezra, yesod is related to sod (counsel) - meaning that on that day they took counsel on the matter, conferred together in secret, and planned the ascent; but in practice, they did not actually depart from the Ahava River until the twelfth of the month, as we will see later.
כִּי עֶזְרָא הֵכִין לְבָבוֹ לִדְרֹשׁ אֶת תּוֹרַת ה' וְלַעֲשֹׂת וּלְלַמֵּד בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל חֹק וּמִשְׁפָּט׃ - For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Torah of Hashem, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel.
When it says "according to the good hand of Hashem upon him" - Divine Providence truly accompanied him, and the hand of Hashem was good upon him to protect him along the way. And why? In the merit of the Torah. For he had prepared his heart for three things: First, to seek the Torah of Hashem - he himself delved deeply into the Torah. Second, "and to do it" - he fulfilled it himself, for study is not the essential thing, but action; the main point is not merely to expound, but to fulfill and apply it. And as a witty play on words, people say of that very phrase: "Derash (homiletics) is not the primary thing, but ma'aseh (a story)" - there is a preacher who delivers sermon after sermon while the congregation falls asleep; tell them a story (ma'aseh) that actually happened, and see how they wake up! And third, he had a holy goal, "and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel" - to teach others both statutes (chok) and ordinances (mishpat). A chok refers to divine statutes, matters beyond human logic, while a mishpat refers to interpersonal laws, matters grasped by human intellect.
וְזֶה פַּרְשֶׁגֶן הַנִּשְׁתְּוָן אֲשֶׁר נָתַן הַמֶּלֶךְ אַרְתַּחְשַׁסְתְּא לְעֶזְרָא הַכֹּהֵן הַסֹּפֵר סֹפֵר דִּבְרֵי מִצְוֺת ה' וְחֻקָּיו עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - And this is the copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the Kohen, the scribe, a scribe of the words of the commandments of Hashem and His statutes upon Israel.
This was the decree, the document that the king gave him. The king wrote it in Persian, and it was copied into Aramaic, which was the spoken language in the region of Syria. And this is the meaning of "nishteivan," as explained previously: a document that is compared and verified against the original letter. And why was Ezra called a "sofer" (scribe)? Not simply because he was a copyist, but as the verse explains: "a scribe of the words of the commandments of Hashem and His statutes upon Israel" - one who counted the words of Hashem's commandments.
Along these lines, Chazal ask: Why do we call the Sages "Soferim," as in the phrase "this matter is forbidden midivrei Soferim (by rabbinic enactment)"? Chazal answer that the Soferim literally counted (soferim) - they counted the letters of the Torah and calculated their exact numbers: up to the letter vav of the word "gachon" is the midpoint of the Torah in letters, and up to a certain point is the midpoint of the Torah in words. Alternatively, it is because they enumerated the mitzvot and obligations in the Torah. For example: "There are four primary categories of damages: the ox, the pit, the consuming beast, and the fire." The Sages came and counted them. When a person counts things, he organizes them into a structured framework that is easy to remember. "Fifteen women exempt their co-wives" - here is another number; they searched the entire Torah to see how many such women exist, counted them, and thus made them much easier to remember. "There are four New Years" - when it says four, you actively recall what the fourth one is. Whenever a number is stated, it aids in remembering how many there are, and consequently knowing that this is the complete list - neither more nor less. Therefore they were called Soferim, for they counted and enumerated everything.
אַרְתַּחְשַׁסְתְּא מֶלֶךְ מַלְכַיָּא לְעֶזְרָא כָהֲנָא סָפַר דָּתָא דִּי אֱלָהּ שְׁמַיָּא גְּמִיר וּכְעֶנֶת׃ - Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the Kohen, scribe of the law of the God of heaven: etc., and now.
This is what was written in the letter. Kings were accustomed to writing their names at the very head of a missive; therefore, the letter opens with "Artaxerxes." The "king of kings" writes a letter to whom? To Ezra the Kohen, scribe of the law of the God of heaven. And what does "gemir" mean? Malbim already explained earlier that "gemir" is not the name of a person, but is like "vegomar" (and so forth) - when citing half a verse, one writes "vegomar" at the end, meaning "et cetera," as in the expression "ve'idach zil gmor" (and the rest, go and learn). Here, too, instead of listing all the names, the letter wrote "gemir" through "u'che'enet," where "u'che'enet" was the final one mentioned. That is, if one wishes to say Reuven, Shimon, Levi, Yehudah, up to Yosef, one says: Reuven, and so forth, Yosef - from Reuven et cetera until reaching Yosef. This is the meaning of "gemir... u'che'enet."
מִנִּי שִׂים טְעֵם דִּי כׇל מִתְנַדַּב בְּמַלְכוּתִי מִן עַמָּא יִשְׂרָאֵל וְכָהֲנוֹהִי וְלֵוָיֵא לִמְהָךְ לִירוּשְׁלֶם עִמָּךְ יְהָךְ׃ - A decree has been issued by me that anyone in my realm from the people of Israel and its kohanim and Levi'im who volunteers to go to Jerusalem may go with you.
From me issues the authorization and the decree that anyone in my realm from the people of Israel, from the kohanim and the Levi'im, who freely volunteers to go to Jerusalem - "may go with you"; he may go with you, and I grant him permission to depart and go.
כׇּל קֳבֵל דִּי מִן קֳדָם מַלְכָּא וְשִׁבְעַת יָעֲטֹהִי שְׁלִיחַ לְבַקָּרָה עַל יְהוּד וְלִירוּשְׁלֶם בְּדָת אֱלָהָךְ דִּי בִידָךְ׃ - Forasmuch as you are sent by the king and his seven counselors to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of your God which is in your hand.
Because you are sent from before the king and his seven counselors - and we find the seven counselors who see the face of the king with Achashverosh as well. "To inquire" (levakara) means to investigate and inspect concerning the Jews who are in Jerusalem: whether they are engaged in Torah and mitzvos, and whether they are observing them according to the command of the Torah. Inspect them, evaluate them, and spread the fear of Hashem in their hearts. Therefore, anyone who desires to go and learn Torah and the word of Hashem in Jerusalem may go with you, whether an ordinary Yisrael, a Kohen, or a Levi.
וּלְהֵיבָלָה כְּסַף וּדְהַב דִּי מַלְכָּא וְיָעֲטוֹהִי הִתְנַדַּבוּ לֶאֱלָהּ יִשְׂרָאֵל דִּי בִירוּשְׁלֶם מִשְׁכְּנֵהּ׃ - And to carry the silver and gold which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, Whose dwelling is in Jerusalem.
And I also hereby authorize the transporting and carrying of the silver and gold of the king and his counselors - of anyone who donates to the God of Israel Whose dwelling is in Jerusalem. You shall be the messenger, and I will even assist you and provide you with an escort.
וְכֹל כְּסַף וּדְהַב דִּי תְהַשְׁכַּח בְּכֹל מְדִינַת בָּבֶל עִם הִתְנַדָּבוּת עַמָּא וְכָהֲנַיָּא מִתְנַדְּבִין לְבֵית אֱלָהֲהֹם דִּי בִירוּשְׁלֶם׃ - And all the silver and gold that you find in all the province of Babylon, along with the freewill offering of the people and the priests, freely offering for the House of their God which is in Jerusalem.
All the silver and gold that you find from what the nations have donated throughout the province of Babylon, as well as the voluntary donations of the people and the Kohanim for the House of their God in Jerusalem - all of this requires protection.
כׇּל קֳבֵל דְּנָה אׇסְפַּרְנָא תִקְנֵא בְּכַסְפָּא דְנָה תּוֹרִין דִּכְרִין אִמְּרִין וּמִנְחָתְהוֹן וְנִסְכֵּיהוֹן וּתְקָרֵב הִמּוֹ עַל מַדְבְּחָה דִּי בֵּית אֱלָהֲכֹם דִּי בִירוּשְׁלֶם׃ - Therefore you shall diligently buy with this money bulls, rams, lambs, along with their meal-offerings and their drink-offerings, and offer them upon the altar of the House of your God which is in Jerusalem.
For the sake of the sacred service, you shall buy with this money bulls, rams, and lambs - as we explained earlier - along with their meal-offerings and their libations, and offer them upon the altar.
וּמָה דִי עֲלָךְ וְעַל אֶחָךְ יֵיטַב בִּשְׁאָר כַּסְפָּא וְדַהֲבָה לְמֶעְבַּד כִּרְעוּת אֱלָהֲכֹם תַּעַבְדוּן׃ - And whatever seems good to you and to your brethren to do with the remainder of the silver and gold, you may do according to the will of your God.
Whatever seems proper to you and your brethren to do with the remainder of the silver and gold, according to the will of your God, you may do.
וּמָאנַיָּא דִּי מִתְיַהֲבִין לָךְ לְפׇלְחָן בֵּית אֱלָהָךְ הַשְׁלֵם קֳדָם אֱלָהּ יְרוּשְׁלֶם׃ - The vessels that are given to you for the service of the House of your God, deliver in full before the God of Jerusalem.
And the vessels given to you for the service of the Holy One, blessed be He - place them in the Temple in Jerusalem. Thus, there were three categories of funds here: first, what the king and his counselors contributed; second, what the gentiles from throughout the province contributed; and third, what the Jewish people as a whole contributed. Regarding this, the king tells him: with the remaining money, I permit you to do as you see fit, but with the vessels, I do not permit you - the vessels that were donated you must take and deliver in full. For whoever donated vessels wants those vessels to be used for the Temple service itself, and does not want them to be removed, sold, or repurposed for other matters.
וּשְׁאָר חַשְׁחוּת בֵּית אֱלָהָךְ דִּי יִפֶּל לָךְ לְמִנְתַּן תִּנְתֵּן מִן בֵּית גִּנְזֵי מַלְכָּא׃ - And the rest of the needs of the House of your God that fall upon you to provide, you shall provide from the royal treasury.
All remaining necessities - whatever you are concerned about and whatever you think needs to be purchased - provide everything from the king's treasury.
וּמִנִּי אֲנָה אַרְתַּחְשַׁסְתְּא מַלְכָּא שִׂים טְעֵם לְכֹל גִּזַּבְרַיָּא דִּי בַּעֲבַר נַהֲרָה דִּי כׇל דִּי יִשְׁאֲלֶנְכוֹן עֶזְרָא כָהֲנָא סָפַר דָּתָא דִּי אֱלָהּ שְׁמַיָּא אׇסְפַּרְנָא יִתְעֲבִד׃ - And from me, I, King Artaxerxes, a decree is issued to all the treasurers Beyond the River: whatever Ezra the kohen, scribe of the law of the God of heaven, requests of you, let it be carried out with dispatch.
I issue an order to all the treasurers Beyond the River who oversee the royal stores: whatever is requested by Ezra - fulfill it entirely and execute it swiftly.
עַד כְּסַף כַּכְּרִין מְאָה וְעַד חִנְטִין כּוֹרִין מְאָה וְעַד חֲמַר בַּתִּין מְאָה וְעַד בַּתִּין מְשַׁח מְאָה וּמְלַח דִּי לָא כְתָב׃ - Up to one hundred talents of silver, up to one hundred kor of wheat, up to one hundred bat of wine, up to one hundred bat of oil, and salt without limit.
Whatever is needed you shall provide from the royal treasury, and whatever he requests shall be done promptly: one hundred talents of silver, one hundred kor of wheat, and salt without limit - salt you must provide freely. For as we explained, the salt mines were always under royal ownership, and the king thus had abundant supplies.
כׇּל דִּי מִן טַעַם אֱלָהּ שְׁמַיָּא יִתְעֲבֵד אַדְרַזְדָּא לְבֵית אֱלָהּ שְׁמַיָּא דִּי לְמָה לֶהֱוֵא קְצַף עַל מַלְכוּת מַלְכָּא וּבְנוֹהִי׃ - Whatever is by decree of the God of heaven, let it be carried out diligently for the House of the God of heaven, so that there will not be wrath upon the realm of the king and his sons.
In Ibn Ezra's view, adrazda denotes haste, and the king is saying: I command that the decree of the Creator of the universe be executed swiftly. Rashi, however, explains that adrazda is related to the Arabic word for a seal, meaning that the matter be carried out promptly under the royal seal, in honor of the House of the Holy One, blessed be He. The Malbim explains similarly that it denotes a seal: the king instructs that there be a special seal, inscribed to indicate that it is the seal of the House of God. Anything issued from the House of Hashem will be sealed with this imprint and treated as though it came from the God of heaven - just as an edict sealed with the king's signet ring carries royal authority. This would bring glory to the House of God, which was granted the authority to have its own independent seal, representing great honor for the House of God, since this seal carried the approval and backing of the king. Why all this? The king explains: lest God become wrathful with my kingdom if His service is not performed properly; therefore, I urge you to act quickly and perform everything with utmost care and diligence, so that divine wrath does not fall upon us.
וּלְכֹם מְהוֹדְעִין דִּי כׇל כָּהֲנַיָּא וְלֵוָיֵא זַמָּרַיָּא תָרָעַיָּא נְתִינַיָּא וּפָלְחֵי בֵּית אֱלָהָא דְנָה מִנְדָּה בְלוֹ וַהֲלָךְ לָא שַׁלִּיט לְמִרְמֵא עֲלֵיהֹם׃ - And we inform you that concerning all the kohanim, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, the Netinim, and the servants of this House of God, no one has the authority to impose tribute, tax, or toll upon them.
We make known that concerning all the kohanim, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the Netinim - and the Netinim were the hewers of wood and drawers of water, descendants of the Gibeonites - no man shall have dominion over them, nor impose upon them any tax or poll tax. Rather, they shall be exempt from the king's taxes and his royal service, because they serve in the Beis HaMikdash.
Observe: there are things that even a gentile king understood, yet regrettably some Jewish rulers fail to grasp. He understood that there is no place to impose taxes on those who are engaged in the House of Hashem and in Hashem's service. And so the Gemara states that Torah scholars do not pay the city's security tax - because they do not require protection. And regarding the city guards, the Gemara says, "Are they the guardians of the city? They are the destroyers of the city!": those who go about armed, not only do they fail to protect, but they are categorized as destroyers because of their misconduct. And who is the true guardian? Those who are immersed in Torah study.
וְאַנְתְּ עֶזְרָא כְּחׇכְמַת אֱלָהָךְ דִּי בִידָךְ מֶנִּי שָׁפְטִין וְדַיָּנִין דִּי לֶהֱוֺן דָּאיְנִין לְכׇל עַמָּא דִּי בַּעֲבַר נַהֲרָה לְכׇל יָדְעֵי דָּתֵי אֱלָהָךְ וְדִי לָא יָדַע תְּהוֹדְעוּן׃ - And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God that is in your hand, appoint magistrates and judges who may judge all the people across the river, all who know the laws of your God; and whoever does not know, you shall teach them.
And as for you, Ezra, I command: according to the wisdom of God that is in your possession, appoint magistrates and judges who will adjudicate for all the people across the river, for all who know the laws of your God. And if you do not have such judges capable of adjudicating - "and whoever does not know, you shall teach them": whoever does not know, instruct them; that is, establish a training course for judges, instructing them so they become capable of presiding and judging.
וְכׇל דִּי לָא לֶהֱוֵא עָבֵד דָּתָא דִי אֱלָהָךְ וְדָתָא דִּי מַלְכָּא אׇסְפַּרְנָא דִּינָה לֶהֱוֵא מִתְעֲבֵד מִנֵּהּ הֵן לְמוֹת הֵן לִשְׁרֹשִׁי הֵן לַעֲנָשׁ נִכְסִין וְלֶאֱסוּרִין׃ - And whoever will not obey the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be executed upon him swiftly, whether to death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.
And whoever will not keep the law of God and the law of the king, let judgment be swiftly passed upon him according to the gravity of the offense: whether to death; whether "to banishment" - to uproot him from the community; whether "to confiscation of property" - to penalize him financially; or "to imprisonment" - to incarcerate and afflict him. All of this was written in the letter that the king gave to Ezra HaSofer, so that he could take it and display it in Jerusalem, ensuring that everyone would be strengthened in the service of the House of God, in the observance and preservation of the mitzvos, and in accepting Ezra's authority.
בָּרוּךְ ה' אֱלֹהֵי אֲבֹתֵינוּ אֲשֶׁר נָתַן כָּזֹאת בְּלֵב הַמֶּלֶךְ לְפָאֵר אֶת בֵּית ה' אֲשֶׁר בִּירוּשָׁלִָם׃ - Blessed be Hashem, God of our fathers, Who has put such a thing into the heart of the king, to beautify the House of Hashem that is in Jerusalem.
Thus Ezra writes in his book: Give thanks to Hashem for He is good, for the Holy One, blessed be He, placed such a resolve in the heart of the king. It was not that "by good fortune" it just happened that the king was in a benevolent mood at that moment - there is no such thing as "good fortune"; Hashem placed this directly into his heart.
וְעָלַי הִטָּה חֶסֶד לִפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ וְיוֹעֲצָיו וּלְכׇל שָׂרֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ הַגִּבֹּרִים וַאֲנִי הִתְחַזַּקְתִּי כְּיַד ה' אֱלֹהַי עָלַי וָאֶקְבְּצָה מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל רָאשִׁים לַעֲלוֹת עִמִּי׃ - And upon me He has extended chesed before the king and his counselors, and before all the king's mighty princes; and I was strengthened as the hand of Hashem my God was upon me, and I gathered leaders out of Israel to go up with me.
Furthermore, he expresses gratitude for the personal kindness: that the king extended favor to him, appreciated him, and bestowed gifts upon him, and that he also found favor in the eyes of all the king's mighty ministers - the seven counselors. Consequently, seeing that the hand of Hashem was upon him, he took courage and gathered leaders from Israel to ascend with him from Babylon, so that they could fulfill all the king's commands, teach His people Israel Torah, and erect the spiritual edifice of the Jewish people beyond the physical structure.
Chapter 7 opens the phase of the pillar of Torah in the Return to Zion. Ezra, a kohen from the lineage of Aharon and a skilled scribe in the Torah of Moshe, ascends from Babylon not to build with stones, but to build people: "He had prepared his heart to seek the Torah of Hashem, to perform it, and to teach statute and ordinance in Israel" - he studied, practiced, and taught. King Artaxerxes places an extraordinary document into his hands: permission for any volunteer to ascend, donation funds from the king, from the gentiles, and from Israel, provisions from the royal treasuries, salt without measure, tax exemptions for the servants of the Beit HaMikdash, and the authority to appoint judges and enforce punishment. Ezra does not attribute this to mere luck or human charm; rather, he opens with, "Blessed is Hashem, God of our fathers, Who put such a thing into the heart of the king" - the good hand of Hashem was upon him, a personal Divine Providence that accompanied him in the merit of the Torah, so that Torah would not be forgotten from Israel.