Introduction: Ezra the Scribe's Hakhel Gathering
Chapter 8 of Nechemya describes a rare assembly in the history of the Jewish people: the entire nation gathers on Rosh Hashanah in the open plaza before the Water Gate, and Ezra the Scribe reads the Torah before them and explains it to them. Through this reading, they rediscover the mitzvot of the day, weep from the awe of judgment, are encouraged and rejoice, and arrive at a celebration of the festival of Sukkot the likes of which had not occurred since the days of Yehoshua bin Nun. We will follow the order of the pesukim according to the commentary of the Malbim.
The People Request the Sefer Torah
וַיֵּאָסְפוּ כׇל־הָעָם כְּאִישׁ אֶחָד אֶל־הָרְחוֹב אֲשֶׁר לִפְנֵי שַׁעַר־הַמָּיִם, וַיֹּאמְרוּ לְעֶזְרָא הַסֹּפֵר לְהָבִיא אֶת־סֵפֶר תּוֹרַת מֹשֶׁה אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּה ה' אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - And all the people gathered as one man into the open square that was before the Water Gate, and they told Ezra the Scribe to bring the Book of the Torah of Moshe, which Hashem had commanded to Israel.
"As one man" - meaning with alacrity. The entire people assemble as one person and ask Ezra the Scribe to bring the Sefer Torah of Moshe. And what does "the Scribe" mean? This is a term for a great talmid chacham in Torah, as Chazal said, "A scribe recites the blessing and an unlearned person fulfills his obligation" - a "bur" is an unlearned person, and the "sofer" is the talmid chacham reciting the blessing.
A Reading for Every Level
וַיָּבִיא עֶזְרָא הַכֹּהֵן אֶת־הַתּוֹרָה לִפְנֵי הַקָּהָל מֵאִישׁ וְעַד־אִשָּׁה וְכֹל מֵבִין לִשְׁמֹעַ, בְּיוֹם אֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי׃ - And Ezra the Kohen brought the Torah before the congregation, both men and women and all who could hear with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month.
On the first day of Rosh Hashanah, Ezra brings the Sefer Torah and reads before them. He did not suffice with the Written Torah alone, but also expounded the Oral Torah to them. Therefore, the verse distinguishes: "Before the congregation, both men and women" - before them he read the straightforward, accessible matters, that which they could comprehend; "and all who could hear with understanding" - these are the sages, with whom he went deeper, teaching them the Oral Torah, the Gemara, the Zohar, the deeper and more concealed secrets of the Torah.
וַיִּקְרָא־בוֹ לִפְנֵי הָרְחוֹב אֲשֶׁר לִפְנֵי שַׁעַר־הַמַּיִם מִן־הָאוֹר עַד־מַחֲצִית הַיּוֹם נֶגֶד הָאֲנָשִׁים וְהַנָּשִׁים וְהַמְּבִינִים, וְאׇזְנֵי כׇל־הָעָם אֶל־סֵפֶר הַתּוֹרָה׃ - And he read from it before the open square that was before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Torah.
"From early morning" [literally, from the light] - from the start of the day, apparently from sunrise, until "midday" - until the time of halachic noon (chatzot). "In the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand" - before those men, women, and discerning people, he read from the Sefer Torah.
The Wooden Tower and Those Standing to His Right and Left
וַיַּעֲמֹד עֶזְרָא הַסֹּפֵר עַל־מִגְדַּל־עֵץ אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ לַדָּבָר, וַיַּעֲמֹד אֶצְלוֹ מַתִּתְיָה וְשֶׁמַע וַעֲנָיָה וְאוּרִיָּה וְחִלְקִיָּה וּמַעֲשֵׂיָה עַל־יְמִינוֹ, וּמִשְּׂמֹאלוֹ פְּדָיָה וּמִישָׁאֵל וּמַלְכִּיָּה וְחָשֻׁם וְחַשְׁבַּדָּנָה זְכַרְיָה מְשֻׁלָּם׃ - And Ezra the Scribe stood upon a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Uriah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchijah, and Hashum, and Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
A "wooden tower" (migdal eitz) was a type of wooden platform constructed specifically for this purpose, so that Ezra would be elevated above the people and everyone could see and hear. Men stood to his right and to his left, six on each side in addition to Ezra, and "Zechariah Meshullam" was one individual. However, there are sources that consider Zechariah and Meshullam to be two separate people, and the matter remains an open question.
Opening the Book Before the Eyes of the Entire Nation
וַיִּפְתַּח עֶזְרָא הַסֵּפֶר לְעֵינֵי כׇל־הָעָם כִּי־מֵעַל כׇּל־הָעָם הָיָה, וּכְפִתְחוֹ עָמְדוּ כׇל־הָעָם׃ - And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up.
Ezra opened the book before the eyes of the entire nation to show them the script, just as we do during hagbahah (the lifting of the Torah scroll). There is profound significance in showing the letters to the congregation: the holy Ari explains that when the Torah scroll is lifted, one should look at it, contemplate it, and draw holiness from its letters, and simply gazing upon the letters brings about a great spiritual rectification (tikkun). However, all of this applies according to the Sephardic custom, where hagbahah is performed before the reading. According to the Ashkenazic custom, where the scroll is lifted after the reading, this particular rectification does not apply in the same way, because that spiritual illumination is present primarily before the reading; once the reading is concluded, that illumination has already departed, so there is not the same reason to gaze upon it afterward. Among Ashkenazim, the reading is completed, the scroll is lifted, and the bearer sits while the scroll is rolled closed. From this, one might say in jest that Ezra was Sephardic: first, who has ever heard of an Ashkenazi named Ezra? And second, we see that he lifts the scroll and only afterward reads from it, following the Sephardic custom. "And when he opened it, all the people stood up" - when he opened it to read, the entire nation fell silent.
Ezra's Blessing and the People's Response
וַיְבָרֶךְ עֶזְרָא אֶת־ה' הָאֱלֹהִים הַגָּדוֹל, וַיַּעֲנוּ כׇל־הָעָם אָמֵן אָמֵן בְּמֹעַל יְדֵיהֶם, וַיִּקְּדוּ וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ לַה' אַפַּיִם אָרְצָה׃ - And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God; and all the people answered, "Amen, Amen," with the lifting of their hands; and they bowed down and prostrated themselves before the Lord, faces to the ground.
Ezra blesses Hashem, the great God, and the people respond "Amen, Amen" "with the lifting of their hands" - raising their hands and lifting their palms heavenward to give thanks to the Holy One, Blessed be He. Mo'al comes from the root of elevation, the raising of the hands, just as it is written, "And he spread his palms toward heaven," which is an expression of prayer and thanksgiving to Hashem, may He be blessed.
וְיֵשׁוּעַ וּבָנִי וְשֵׁרֵבְיָה יָמִין עַקּוּב שַׁבְּתַי הוֹדִיָּה מַעֲשֵׂיָה קְלִיטָא עֲזַרְיָה יוֹזָבָד חָנָן פְּלָאיָה וְהַלְוִיִּם מְבִינִים אֶת־הָעָם לַתּוֹרָה, וְהָעָם עַל־עׇמְדָם׃ - And Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites helped the people understand the Torah, while the people remained in their place.
"Helped the people understand" - they translated what was written in the scroll for the people. "While the people remained in their place" - they remained standing on their feet.
"Distinctly, and Giving the Sense" - The Written Torah and the Oral Torah
וַיִּקְרְאוּ בַסֵּפֶר בְּתוֹרַת הָאֱלֹהִים מְפֹרָשׁ, וְשׂוֹם שֶׂכֶל, וַיָּבִינוּ בַּמִּקְרָא׃ - And they read from the book, from the Torah of God, distinctly, and gave the sense, so that they understood the reading.
They read "from the book" - this refers to the Written Torah; and also "from the Torah of God" - this refers to the Oral Torah. Regarding the book, which is the Written Torah, the verse says "distinctly" (meforash): they explained and translated it into Aramaic for them, since the people did not understand the original Hebrew. The Yemenite community follows this practice to this day, reading the text and immediately translating it. And regarding the Torah of God, which is the Oral Torah, the verse says "and gave the sense" (vesom sechel) - they enlightened them and explained it with reasoning and wisdom, so that they would grasp the underlying logic and depth of each matter.
And how can one understand the Oral Torah? The Oral Torah is based on the Written Torah: everything that Chazal state in the Oral Torah has a biblical source, an exposition derived from the text. Therefore, after "giving the sense" (vesom sechel), which refers to the Oral Torah, it states "and caused them to understand the reading" (vayavinu bamikra) - they showed them and examined the Scripture with them to see where each matter is written and alluded to. For example, where are the thirty-nine melachot forbidden on Shabbat hinted at? The Torah juxtaposed the construction of the Mishkan with the observance of Shabbat, and so on. With everything they taught, they showed them where it was alluded to within the Torah.
The Tradition of Reading - Avoiding Errors
Chazal expound: "And they gave the sense" - these are the verses (pesukim); "and caused them to understand the reading" - this is the tradition (mesorah). The verse divisions, the cantillation marks (te'amim), and the proper vocalization are all from the Oral Torah, from the mesorah. Do we read "You shall not boil a kid in its mother's milk (bachalev imo)" or "in its mother's fat (bechelev imo)"? "She shall be ritually impure for two weeks (shevu'ayim) as in her menstruation" - and if one does not read it correctly, one might read "seventy (shiv'im)." "You shall blot out the remembrance (zecher) of Amalek," not "male (zachar) of Amalek" - and we have already seen those who erred in this and thought "zachar." We must read the text precisely as it was handed down to us through tradition, for if we do not read it this way, we will arrive at grave corruptions. Therefore it says "and caused them to understand the reading" - meaning the mesorah, reading according to the correct tradition.
Do Not Weep - Rosh Hashanah Is a Holy Day
וַיֹּאמֶר נְחֶמְיָה הוּא הַתִּרְשָׁתָא וְעֶזְרָא הַכֹּהֵן הַסֹּפֵר וְהַלְוִיִּם הַמְּבִינִים אֶת־הָעָם לְכׇל־הָעָם: הַיּוֹם קָדֹשׁ־הוּא לַה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, אַל־תִּתְאַבְּלוּ וְאַל־תִּבְכּוּ, כִּי בוֹכִים כׇּל־הָעָם כְּשׇׁמְעָם אֶת־דִּבְרֵי הַתּוֹרָה׃ - And Nehemiah, who was the Tirshatha, and Ezra the Kohen, the scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people, said to all the people: "This day is holy to Hashem your God; do not mourn and do not weep," for all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the Torah.
Nehemiah, who is the Tirshatha, as well as Ezra the Kohen and scribe, and the Levites who instructed the people - all warned the people and told them: This day is holy to Hashem your God. Which day? Rosh Hashanah, the Day of Judgment. Do not mourn and do not weep. And why was it necessary to warn them? "For all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the Torah." The Malbim explains that Ezra read before them the Torah portion relevant to that day - Rosh Hashanah, the Day of Judgment - and explained the significance of the Day of Judgment. When the people grasped the gravity of the judgment, they wept out of dread of the judgment, and even wanted to fast.
Eat Rich Foods - Israel Dresses in White
וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם: לְכוּ אִכְלוּ מַשְׁמַנִּים וּשְׁתוּ מַמְתַקִּים וְשִׁלְחוּ מָנוֹת לְאֵין נָכוֹן לוֹ, כִּי־קָדוֹשׁ הַיּוֹם לַאֲדֹנֵינוּ, וְאַל־תֵּעָצֵבוּ כִּי־חֶדְוַת ה' הִיא מָעֻזְּכֶם׃ - And he said to them: "Go, eat rich foods and drink sweet drinks, and send portions to whoever has nothing prepared, for the day is holy to our Lord; and do not grieve, for the joy of Hashem is your strength."
In contrast to their desire to fast, he says to them: "Go, eat rich foods." "Mashmanim" means meat and rich, fatty foods, signifying substantial and choice dishes. Do not look for diets or low-fat options; eat fine foods - and this was even before anyone knew about bad cholesterol. "And drink sweet drinks" - sweetened beverages, sweet drinks.
And in contrast to weeping, he says, "and do not grieve." Now on the surface, is this not the Day of Judgment - is it not fitting to be filled with dread? The Midrash says: A Gentile facing judgment wears black, wraps himself in black, and is fearful, terrified, anxious, and afraid. But Israel, when facing a day of judgment, eats rich foods, drinks sweet drinks, wears white, rejoices, and celebrates a festival, confident that Hashem will bring forth their judgment favorably. And this is the meaning of "the joy of Hashem is your strength" - through this you demonstrate your confidence in Hashem, may He be blessed, that He will bestow His lovingkindness upon you. And the definition of "joy" (chedvah), says the Malbim, is spiritual joy: spiritual joy is your stronghold and your source of trust, and consequently, when you possess spiritual joy, you need not dread the fear of judgment.
Sending Food Portions on Rosh Hashanah
He tells them another thing: "and send portions to whoever has nothing prepared." Did you know that there is mishloach manot on Rosh Hashanah? Here, that is precisely what he tells them. The meaning of this is that there is a mitzvah of Simchat Yom Tov (rejoicing on the festival), and the Rambam writes that the essence of the mitzvah is not that a person should eat, be sated, and indulge himself while forgetting the poor, the needy, and the destitute; rather, one must look after those unfortunate individuals, help them, and support them. That is what he tells them: send portions to whoever has nothing prepared.
וְהַלְוִיִּם מַחְשִׁים לְכׇל־הָעָם לֵאמֹר: הַסּוּ, כִּי הַיּוֹם קָדֹשׁ, וְאַל־תֵּעָצֵבוּ׃ - And the Levites quieted all the people, saying, "Be silent, for the day is holy; do not be grieved."
The Levites quieted all the people, telling them "Hassu" - from the word has, meaning silence: weep no more, similar to "And Kalev silenced (vayehas) the people" - since this day is a holy day.
"Half for You and Half for Hashem"
The Malbim cites the words of Chazal regarding Yom Tov: "Half for you and half for Hashem." The first half of the day had already been dedicated to Hashem: they read from the Torah, gathered together, and focused on elucidating the words of the Torah alongside the Oral Law. Now he commands them to go home, for the second half is allocated to you: they should eat rich foods and drink sweet beverages to fulfill the joy of the festival. This is why it states here simply, "for the day is holy," whereas in the previous verse it said, "for the day is holy to our Master" - because the previous verse referred to the first part of the day, which was the time of Torah study, while this verse refers to eating and drinking, and therefore it says "holy" plainly without "to our Master."
וַיֵּלְכוּ כׇל־הָעָם לֶאֱכֹל וְלִשְׁתּוֹת וּלְשַׁלַּח מָנוֹת וְלַעֲשׂוֹת שִׂמְחָה גְדוֹלָה, כִּי הֵבִינוּ בַּדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר הוֹדִיעוּ לָהֶם׃ - And all the people went to eat and drink, and to send portions, and to celebrate with great joy, because they understood the words that had been made known to them.
They understood that there is a mitzvah to rejoice, and they understood that there is a mitzvah to gladden the poor, the orphan, the convert, and the widow; therefore, they celebrated with great joy and brought joy to the poor and destitute as well.
The Second Day: Discovering the Mitzvah of Sukkah
וּבַיּוֹם הַשֵּׁנִי נֶאֶסְפוּ רָאשֵׁי הָאָבוֹת לְכׇל־הָעָם, הַכֹּהֲנִים וְהַלְוִיִּם, אֶל־עֶזְרָא הַסֹּפֵר וּלְהַשְׂכִּיל אֶל־דִּבְרֵי הַתּוֹרָה׃ - And on the second day, the heads of the ancestral clans of all the people, the Kohanim, and the Levites, were gathered to Ezra the scribe, to gain insight into the words of the Torah.
This was the second day of Rosh Hashanah. And why were there two days? Because in the days of Ezra they intercalated Elul, and that day was an intercalated Elul, so they observed two days of Yom Tov for Rosh Hashanah, celebrating Yom Tov on the second day as well.
וַיִּמְצְאוּ כָּתוּב בַּתּוֹרָה אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה' בְּיַד־מֹשֶׁה, אֲשֶׁר יֵשְׁבוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּסֻּכּוֹת בֶּחָג בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי׃ - And they found written in the Torah that Hashem had commanded through Moshe that the Children of Israel should dwell in booths during the festival in the seventh month.
They found written in the Torah that Hashem commanded through Moshe to dwell in sukkot in the seventh month.
"For They Had Not Done So Since the Days of Yeshua the Son of Nun" - Two Approaches
וַיַּעֲשׂוּ כׇל־הַקָּהָל הַשָּׁבִים מִן־הַשְּׁבִי סֻכּוֹת וַיֵּשְׁבוּ בַסֻּכּוֹת, כִּי לֹא־עָשׂוּ מִימֵי יֵשׁוּעַ בִּן־נוּן כֵּן בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עַד הַיּוֹם הַהוּא, וַתְּהִי שִׂמְחָה גְּדוֹלָה מְאֹד׃ - And the entire congregation of those who returned from captivity made sukkot and dwelled in sukkot, for since the days of Yeshua the son of Nun the Children of Israel had not done so until that day, and there was very great joy.
This verse is extremely difficult. Could it be that since the days of Yehoshua bin Nun the Children of Israel never celebrated the holiday of Sukkot? Is that conceivable? During the days of Yehoshua and up to his passing there were holy and pure tzaddikim, and even though later generations strayed, there were eras of great righteousness - the periods of David and Solomon, which had great tzaddikim. How can it be said that they never celebrated Sukkot?
A first, straightforward explanation is that "they had not done so" means they had never celebrated with such a massive gathering of the nation, and with such great spiritual awakening and enthusiasm as there was now. Such an experience had never happened before.
Yet the Malbim offers an additional, novel explanation. It is taught that Jerusalem was not divided among the tribes; it belongs, so to speak, to all of Klal Yisrael. Consequently, there is a halachic problem with building a sukkah in Jerusalem, for halachah dictates that one may only erect a sukkah in private property (reshut hayachid), not in a public domain (reshut harabbim). Does anyone own private property in Jerusalem? No. Jerusalem is not private property; it was not divided among the tribes, but belongs to all of us - and therefore houses were not rented out within the walls of Jerusalem either, since they did not belong to individuals. If so, sukkot could not be built there, because there was no private domain.
However, in the days of Ezra they reacquired the Land of Israel and formally sanctified Jerusalem anew, and at the time of its sanctification they established a condition that people would be permitted to build sukkot in Jerusalem even in public spaces. A Beit Din possesses the authority to make such a condition. This was the stipulation enacted by Ezra and his Beit Din. While Yehoshua could have made such a stipulation as well, he did not do so; hence, from his days until the days of Ezra, sukkot were not built in Jerusalem, but only now in the days of Ezra.
The Proclamation: Go Out to the Mountain and Bring
וַאֲשֶׁר יַשְׁמִיעוּ וְיַעֲבִירוּ קוֹל בְּכׇל־עָרֵיהֶם וּבִירוּשָׁלִַם לֵאמֹר: צְאוּ הָהָר וְהָבִיאוּ עֲלֵי־זַיִת וַעֲלֵי־עֵץ שֶׁמֶן וַעֲלֵי הֲדַס וַעֲלֵי תְמָרִים וַעֲלֵי עֵץ עָבֹת, לַעֲשֹׂת סֻכֹּת כַּכָּתוּב׃ - And that they should proclaim and announce in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying: Go out to the mountain and bring olive leaves, pine leaves, myrtle leaves, palm leaves, and leaves of braided trees, to make sukkot as it is written.
When they came to build the sukkot, they sent out an announcement informing everyone to bring materials. "Olive leaves" - olive branches for the sechach. "Leaves of oil trees" - a tree that is rich in oil, also for sechach. Now, seemingly there is a difficulty: if the verse already mentioned "myrtle leaves," why did it also say "leaves of braided trees" (alei eitz avot)? After all, an "anaff eitz avot" is the myrtle, whose three overlapping leaves braid together to cover the stem! Chazal explain that here the verse is referring to the Four Species: what it mentioned first, "myrtle leaves," was for the sukkah, for the sechach; now it is referring to the Arba Minim - "palm leaves" refers to the lulav, and "leaves of braided trees" refers to the hadas for the lulav bundle. "To make sukkot as it is written" - to observe the holiday of Sukkot as prescribed in the Torah.
וַיֵּצְאוּ הָעָם וַיָּבִיאוּ וַיַּעֲשׂוּ לָהֶם סֻכּוֹת אִישׁ עַל־גַּגּוֹ וּבְחַצְרֹתֵיהֶם וּבְחַצְרוֹת בֵּית הָאֱלֹהִים, וּבִרְחוֹב שַׁעַר הַמַּיִם וּבִרְחוֹב שַׁעַר אֶפְרָיִם׃ - So the people went out and brought them, and made for themselves sukkot, each man on his roof, in their courtyards, in the courtyards of the House of God, in the plaza of the Water Gate, and in the plaza of the Gate of Ephraim.
In their time, they would make the sukkot on the roof, each person building his sukkah on his own rooftop. "And in the courtyards of the House of God" - in the Temple courtyards, as well as in the plaza of the Water Gate and the plaza of the Gate of Ephraim. And as we explained, "they had not done so since the days of Yeshua the son of Nun" - either meaning that they had never done so with such splendor and zeal, or that sukkot had never been built throughout Jerusalem until now, when a condition was enacted by the Beit Din permitting sukkot to be constructed in the public areas of Jerusalem.
Reading Every Single Day
וַיִּקְרָא בְּסֵפֶר תּוֹרַת הָאֱלֹהִים יוֹם בְּיוֹם מִן־הַיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן עַד הַיּוֹם הָאַחֲרוֹן, וַיַּעֲשׂוּ־חָג שִׁבְעַת יָמִים וּבַיּוֹם הַשְּׁמִינִי עֲצֶרֶת כַּמִּשְׁפָּט׃ - And he read from the Book of the Torah of God day by day, from the first day until the last day; and they celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day was an Atzeret according to the law.
Each and every day he would read to them from the Torah portion relevant to that day. They celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day they held Shemini Atzeret of the festival of Sukkot "according to the rule" (kamishpat) - as written in the laws of the Torah.
In summary:
Chapter 8 opens with a grand gathering of all Israel around the scroll of the Torah of Moshe: Ezra the Scribe reads, translates, and elucidates - the Written Torah "clearly" (meforash), and the Oral Torah "giving the sense" (vesom sechel), showing them where each detail is hinted at in Scripture and grounding them in the precise tradition of the reading. When the people weep in dread of the Day of Judgment, Nechemya, Ezra, and the Levites teach them that Israel's way is not like that of the nations: Israel wears white, eats rich foods, drinks sweet drinks, sends portions to those who have nothing prepared, and trusts that Hashem will issue a favorable verdict, for "the joy of Hashem is your strength" - spiritual joy is their stronghold. From there, they continue on the second day and discover the mitzvah of the sukkah, fulfilling it with tremendous joy, beauty, and on a scale not seen since the days of Yehoshua bin Nun - and according to the Malbim, even throughout Jerusalem itself, by virtue of the rabbinic stipulation that permitted building a sukkah even in the public domain.