Introduction: A Chapter of a Renewed Covenant
Chapter 10 of Nechemya is a chapter of commitment. Following the great confession and long prayer of the previous chapter, which concluded with the painful words, "We are slaves, and the land that You gave to our fathers - we are slaves upon it," the people do not settle for merely acknowledging their sin; they forge a new covenant with their Creator. The chapter includes the list of signatories to the covenant and details the commitments they took upon themselves: the prohibition of intermarriage, the observance of Shabbat and Shemittah, the half-shekel, the wood offering, bikkurim, bechorot, terumot, and ma'asrot.
"And Despite All This, We Make a Firm Covenant"
וּבְכָל־זֹאת אֲנַחְנוּ כֹּרְתִים אֲמָנָה וְכֹתְבִים וְעַל הֶחָתוּם שָׂרֵינוּ לְוִיֵּנוּ כֹּהֲנֵינוּ׃ (י, א) - "And despite all this, we make a firm covenant and write it down, and upon the sealed document are our leaders, our Levites, and our priests."
"And despite all this" - after all this hardship that has befallen us, we make a firm covenant. The word amana (covenant) denotes a renewed pact, one that will remain faithful and enduring. This stands in complete contrast to our ancestors: our ancestors did not serve Hashem out of an abundance of all things, whereas we, in our utter destitution, in a state of subjugation and paying tribute to the empire, come forward to establish a covenant. This serves as a measure-for-measure repentance.
Two Scrolls: An Open Scroll and a Sealed Scroll
The Malbim explains that it may have been their custom with every ratification and undertaking to write two scrolls - two documents, or two deeds: one an open scroll and one a sealed scroll, as we find with Yirmiyahu, who took both the sealed deed and the open deed. The open scroll was a standard deed on which the witnesses signed inside, visible to all. The sealed scroll was crafted in the style of a get mekushar (a knotted, tied document).
And what is a get mekushar? For Kohanim, they would write a tied bill of divorce: they would write the text, fold it accordion-style, and the witnesses would sign each fold from the outside. Why did they do this? To make the divorce process burdensome for Kohanim who sought to divorce their wives, since Kohanim are known to be temperamental and quick to anger, raising the concern that a man might divorce his wife in an impulsive fit of rage. Through this cumbersome process, a delay was introduced; the laborious effort required to complete the get would give him time to calm down and reconsider.
Beyond the folds, the difference between the open scroll and the sealed scroll was the placement of the signatures: in the open scroll, the witnesses signed on the inside, whereas in the sealed scroll, the signatures were on the outside - folding and signing, folding and signing. The chronological order of signing followed their stature: first the Kohanim, being of the highest standing, followed by the Levites, and finally the leaders of the people. However, in the sealed scroll, because the signatures were folded outward, the order appeared reversed to anyone opening it: the first signature visible to the eye was that of the one who signed last. You first see the leaders; unfolding another layer reveals the Levites; and unfolding yet another reveals the Kohanim.
Therefore, it says here, "and upon the sealed document are our leaders, our Levites, and our priests" - an order that appears contrary to what it should be, for it ought to have read "our priests, our Levites, and our leaders." Rather, Scripture refers here to the sealed scroll, wherein the leaders were revealed first, followed by the Levites, and only then the Kohanim. "Upon the sealed document" specifically means on the exterior of the sealed scroll, which is how it appeared to anyone opening it.
The Signatories: Eighty-Three
וְעַל הַחֲתוּמִים נְחֶמְיָה הַתִּרְשָׁתָא בֶּן־חֲכַלְיָה וְצִדְקִיָּה׃ (י, ב) - "And upon the sealed documents were Nechemya the Tirshatha, son of Chachalyah, and Tzidkiyah."
Here the text is already speaking of the open scroll, and therefore the order follows rank: first the Kohanim, after them the Levi'im, and after them the leaders of the people. The Malbim explains: if you count the signatories, you will find eighty-three. And who are they? Corresponding to the seventy members of the Sanhedrin and thirteen appointed officials - excluding the Kohen Gadol, who is not mentioned among the signatories. And the thirteen officials are: the Segan (deputy Kohen Gadol), two katikolin (overseers), seven amarkalin (trustees), and three gizbarin (treasurers), who are appointed over the public affairs of the people.
The first among them is Nechemya the Tirshatha. And as recalled, Nechemya was called "the Tirshatha" from the expression heter shetiyah (permission to drink), for they permitted him to drink royal wine so that he could serve drinks to the king.
שְׂרָיָה עֲזַרְיָה יִרְמְיָה׃ פַּשְׁחוּר אֲמַרְיָה מַלְכִּיָּה׃ חַטּוּשׁ שְׁבַנְיָה מַלּוּךְ׃ חָרִם מְרֵמוֹת עֹבַדְיָה׃ דָּנִיֵּאל גִּנְּתוֹן בָּרוּךְ׃ מְשֻׁלָּם אֲבִיָּה מִיָּמִן׃ מַעַזְיָה בִלְגַּי שְׁמַעְיָה אֵלֶּה הַכֹּהֲנִים׃ (י, ג-ט) - "Serayah, Azaryah, Yirmeyah; Pashchur, Amaryah, Malkiyah; Chatush, Shevanyah, Maluch; Charim, Meremoth, Ovadyah; Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch; Meshulam, Aviyah, Miyamin; Ma'azyah, Bilgai, Shema'yah; these were the Kohanim." (10:3-9)
All of these were the Kohanim who were signed upon the document, upon the commitment, upon the covenant.
וְהַלְוִיִּם וְיֵשׁוּעַ בֶּן־אֲזַנְיָה בִּנּוּי מִבְּנֵי חֵנָדָד קַדְמִיאֵל׃ וַאֲחֵיהֶם שְׁבַנְיָה הוֹדִיָּה קְלִיטָא פְּלָאיָה חָנָן׃ מִיכָא רְחוֹב חֲשַׁבְיָה׃ זַכּוּר שֵׁרֵבְיָה שְׁבַנְיָה׃ הוֹדִיָּה בָנִי בְּנִינוּ׃ (י, י-יד) - "And the Levi'im: Yeshua son of Azanyah, Binnui of the sons of Chenadad, Kadmiel; and their brethren: Shevanyah, Hodiyah, Kelita, Pelayah, Chanan; Micha, Rechov, Chashavyah; Zaccur, Sherevyah, Shevanyah; Hodiyah, Bani, Beninu." (10:10-14)
The Minchat Shai notes: "'And their brethren Shevanyah' - with a beit, and likewise in the text below." Already in his day there was a variant text reading "Shechanyah" with a chaf, and he comes to clarify that the accurate text is "Shevanyah" with a beit, and likewise later in the list.
רָאשֵׁי הָעָם פַּרְעֹשׁ פַּחַת מוֹאָב עֵילָם זַתּוּא בָּנִי׃ בֻּנִּי עַזְגָּד בֵּבָי׃ אֲדֹנִיָּה בִגְוַי עָדִין׃ אָטֵר חִזְקִיָּה עַזּוּר׃ הוֹדִיָּה חָשֻׁם בֵּצָי׃ חָרִיף עֲנָתוֹת נֵיבָי׃ מַגְפִּיעָשׁ מְשֻׁלָּם חֵזִיר׃ מְשֵׁיזַבְאֵל צָדוֹק יַדּוּעַ׃ פְּלַטְיָה חָנָן עֲנָיָה׃ הוֹשֵׁעַ חֲנַנְיָה חַשּׁוּב׃ הַלּוֹחֵשׁ פִּלְחָא שׁוֹבֵק׃ רְחוּם חֲשַׁבְנָה מַעֲשֵׂיָה׃ וַאֲחִיָּה חָנָן עָנָן׃ מַלּוּךְ חָרִם בַּעֲנָה׃ (י, טו-כח) - "The leaders of the people: Par'osh, Pachath-Moav, Eilam, Zatu, Bani; Buni, Azgad, Bevai; Adoniyah, Bigvai, Adin; Ater, Chizkiyah, Azur; Hodiyah, Chashum, Betzai; Charif, Anatoth, Neivai; Magpi'ash, Meshulam, Chezir; Mesheizave'el, Tzadok, Yadua; Pelatyah, Chanan, Anayah; Hoshea, Chananyah, Chashuv; HaLochesh, Pilcha, Shovek; Rechum, Chashavnah, Ma'aseyah; and Achiyah, Chanan, Anan; Maluch, Charim, Ba'anah." (10:15-28)
All of these were the leaders of the people who signed upon the covenant that they established between themselves and the Creator of the World.
The Rest of the People Enter into an Imprecation and an Oath
וּשְׁאָר הָעָם הַכֹּהֲנִים הַלְוִיִּם הַשּׁוֹעֲרִים הַמְשֹׁרְרִים הַנְּתִינִים וְכָל־הַנִּבְדָּל מֵעַמֵּי הָאֲרָצוֹת אֶל־תּוֹרַת הָאֱלֹהִים נְשֵׁיהֶם בְּנֵיהֶם וּבְנֹתֵיהֶם כֹּל יוֹדֵעַ מֵבִין׃ (י, כט) - "And the rest of the people - the Kohanim, the Levi'im, the gatekeepers, the singers, the Nethinim, and all who separated themselves from the peoples of the lands unto the Torah of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, everyone who had knowledge and understanding." (10:29)
The rest of the people, who were not among the signatories - since only Kohanim, Levi'im, and leaders signed - also entered into the covenant. The gatekeepers and singers were from the Levi'im, for among them were gatekeepers and among them were singers. The "Nethinim" were the Gibeonites, called Nethinim because Yehoshua gave them (netanam) as hewers of wood and drawers of water. "And all who separated themselves from the peoples of the lands unto the Torah of God" - these are the converts, who separated from the peoples of the lands and came to attach themselves to Hashem's Torah; they too consented to the oath and swore along with everyone else. "Their wives, their sons, and their daughters, everyone who had knowledge and understanding" - both those who did not yet have full knowledge and understanding and those who did, all accepted upon themselves the imprecation of the oath and the obligation.
מַחֲזִיקִים עַל־אֲחֵיהֶם אַדִּירֵיהֶם וּבָאִים בְּאָלָה וּבִשְׁבוּעָה לָלֶכֶת בְּתוֹרַת הָאֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר נִתְּנָה בְּיַד מֹשֶׁה עֶבֶד־הָאֱלֹהִים וְלִשְׁמוֹר וְלַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת־כָּל־מִצְוֹת ה' אֲדֹנֵינוּ וּמִשְׁפָּטָיו וְחֻקָּיו׃ (י, ל) - "They joined with their brethren, their nobles, and entered into an imprecation and into an oath to walk in the Torah of God, which was given by the hand of Moshe the servant of God, and to observe and fulfill all the commandments of Hashem our Lord, His ordinances, and His statutes." (10:30)
"They joined with their brethren, their nobles" - they strengthened the hands of their brethren, and followed their lead so that they too would serve their Creator like them. "And entered into a curse and an oath" - for even though they did not sign here personally, nevertheless they were bound under oath. And all this with devotion, to serve their Creator, unlike their forefathers whose wicked deeds caused them to be exiled from their land.
The Prohibition of Intermarriage
וַאֲשֶׁר לֹא־נִתֵּן בְּנֹתֵינוּ לְעַמֵּי הָאָרֶץ וְאֶת־בְּנֹתֵיהֶם לֹא נִקַּח לְבָנֵינוּ׃ (י, לא) - "And that we would not give our daughters to the peoples of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons." (10:31)
They obligate themselves in that same curse and oath not to give their daughters to gentiles, nor to take their daughters for their sons. For this had been one of the greatest tribulations upon their return to the land, that many of them were married to foreign women.
Shabbat, Shemitah, and the Remission of Debts
וְעַמֵּי הָאָרֶץ הַמְבִיאִים אֶת־הַמַּקָּחוֹת וְכָל־שֶׁבֶר בְּיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת לִמְכּוֹר לֹא־נִקַּח מֵהֶם בַּשַּׁבָּת וּבְיוֹם קֹדֶשׁ וְנִטֹּשׁ אֶת־הַשָּׁנָה הַשְּׁבִיעִית וּמַשָּׁא כָל־יָד׃ (י, לב) - "And as for the peoples of the land who bring merchandise and all manner of grain on the Sabbath day to sell, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on a holy day; and we will leave the land fallow in the seventh year, and forego every debt." (10:32)
"The peoples of the land" - the gentiles, who would bring "merchandise" (hamakachot, related to commerce), their goods, "and all manner of grain" - produce and food, and all of this on the Sabbath day to sell. And they accepted upon themselves: "We will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on a holy day" - neither on Shabbat nor on Yom Tov.
Seemingly, what is novel about this commitment? Did they not observe Shabbat until now? Rather, buying and selling on Shabbat is forbidden only Rabbinically (miderabbanan). If a person enters a store with money and says, "Give me two ice pops," pays ten shekels, and leaves, what Torah prohibition has he violated? There is no Biblical prohibition here at all. This is not one of the thirty-nine categories of melachah, and buying and selling is not written in the Torah. This also stands to reason, for all the melachot in the Torah involve an act of creation or alteration, whereas in a purchase nothing is created. Even carrying from domain to domain (hotza'ah) is termed by the Gemara a "lowly melachah" (melachah geru'ah) because it contains no physical creation - you have created nothing, merely transferred an item from here to there.
Why, in fact, did the Sages prohibit buying and selling? The primary reason is out of concern for writing: when you sell, I write a receipt; and if you do not have the money to pay, I record the debt in my ledger - "the shopkeeper on his ledger," as the Gemara puts it - which involves the Biblical prohibition of writing. There are other prohibitions inherent in commerce as well: the prohibition of cutting to measure (mechatech), such as when one buys fabric and the merchant cuts off a piece; and the prohibition of carrying from domain to domain, for I brought coins from home and will carry the item from the shop back to my house. Due to all these concerns, the Sages prohibited all commerce on Shabbat. Later on, we will see that Nechemya had to battle against those who were buying and selling on Shabbat.
"And we will leave the land fallow in the seventh year" - why did they need to make a commitment to this? The Malbim explains: this comes to exclude the opinion of those who hold that if there is no Yovel (Jubilee), there is no Shemitah, and the Jubilee applies only when "all its inhabitants are upon it." According to this, now that only fifty thousand people had returned to the Land of Israel and the rest of its inhabitants were in exile, one might have thought that Shemitah does not apply. Nevertheless, you see that they accepted upon themselves the observance of the Seventh Year, which means that Shemitah does apply. "And forego every debt (massa chol yad)" - this is shemitat kesafim (the remission of monetary debts), from the word nosheh (creditor), whatever one claims from his fellow; we have debts against one another, and we have accepted upon ourselves to cancel those debts.
One-Third of a Shekel
וְהֶעֱמַדְנוּ עָלֵינוּ מִצְוֹת לָתֵת עָלֵינוּ שְׁלִישִׁית הַשֶּׁקֶל בַּשָּׁנָה לַעֲבֹדַת בֵּית אֱלֹהֵינוּ׃ (י, לג) - "And we established obligations upon ourselves to contribute each year one-third of a shekel for the service of the House of our God." (10:33)
Until this point they accepted negative commandments upon themselves - what not to do; from here on, positive commandments - what we will do. And what is "the third of a shekel"? In the view of Ibn Ezra and other commentators, this was a special undertaking they accepted upon themselves beyond the half-shekel that the Torah obligates all of Israel to give. And the Malbim explains that in their day the currency had changed, and a third of a shekel was equivalent in value to the earlier half-shekel. Thus we have two explanations: either they accepted upon themselves more than what had been required, an additional portion, or this was simply a renewal of the old obligation of the half-shekel, which they undertook to fulfill.
לְלֶחֶם הַמַּעֲרֶכֶת וּמִנְחַת הַתָּמִיד וּלְעוֹלַת הַתָּמִיד הַשַּׁבָּתוֹת הֶחֳדָשִׁים לַמּוֹעֲדִים וְלַקֳּדָשִׁים וְלַחַטָּאוֹת לְכַפֵּר עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל וְכֹל מְלֶאכֶת בֵּית־אֱלֹהֵינוּ׃ (י, לד) - "For the showbread, and for the continual meal offering, and for the continual burnt offering, of the Sabbaths, of the New Moons, for the appointed seasons, and for the holy things, and for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the house of our God." (10:34)
"The showbread" (lechem hama'arechet) refers to the showbread (lechem hapanim), so called because they arranged it in stacks, six on one side and six on the other, setting it out upon the Table in the Temple. "The continual meal offering" - the libation meal offering of the Tamid, which was offered regularly along with the daily burnt offering. "Of the Sabbaths, of the New Moons, for the appointed seasons" - the special burnt offerings for Shabbat, the Musaf offerings of Rosh Chodesh, and the Musaf offerings of the festivals. "And for the holy things" - the lambs of Shavuot, which are communal peace offerings. "And for the sin offerings" - the communal sin offerings, the he-goats of the festivals and of the New Moons, "to make atonement for Israel." "And for all the work of the house of our God" - as well as for all the needs of the Temple, for this money served all of its maintenance needs.
The Wood Offering
וְהַגּוֹרָלוֹת הִפַּלְנוּ עַל־קֻרְבַּן הָעֵצִים הַכֹּהֲנִים הַלְוִיִּם וְהָעָם לְהָבִיא לְבֵית אֱלֹהֵינוּ לְבֵית־אֲבֹתֵינוּ לְעִתִּים מְזֻמָּנִים שָׁנָה בְשָׁנָה לְבַעֵר עַל־מִזְבַּח ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ כַּכָּתוּב בַּתּוֹרָה׃ (י, לה) - "And we cast lots for the wood offering, the Kohanim, the Levi'im, and the people, to bring it to the house of our God, by our fathers' houses, at appointed times year by year, to burn upon the altar of the LORD our God, as it is written in the Torah." (10:35)
The Gemara in Ta'anit recounts that they would cast lots to determine who would merit bringing the wood offering - that is, the wood needed for the altar pyre. Here, too, they cast lots among the Kohanim, the Levi'im, and the people, as to who would bring it to the house of our God, by their fathers' houses. The Gemara tells of one family that, when a hostile regime once issued a decree forbidding the bringing of wood to the Temple, took ladders. The guards asked them, "Where are you going?" They replied, "We are going to fetch pigeons from the dovecote, and we need long ladders." Once they reached the Temple, they dismantled the ladders and used them as wood for the altar pyre. They used all kinds of stratagems to successfully fulfill the mitzvah properly. "At appointed times year by year, to burn" - to burn a fire upon the altar of the LORD, as it is written in the Torah.
Bikkurim - and an Appropriate Gift
וּלְהָבִיא אֶת־בִּכּוּרֵי אַדְמָתֵנוּ וּבִכּוּרֵי כָל־פְּרִי כָל־עֵץ שָׁנָה בְשָׁנָה לְבֵית ה'׃ (י, לו) - "And to bring the firstfruits of our ground, and the firstfruits of all fruit of every tree, year by year, to the house of the LORD." (10:36)
From what are firstfruits brought? Only from the Seven Species. What then is meant by "the firstfruits of all fruit of every tree"? Rashi explains: Firstfruits of other tree fruits are rabbinic; firstfruits of the Seven Species - grapevine, fig, and pomegranate - are from the Torah. The Malbim cites Rashi and questions this: The Yerushalmi makes clear that if one brings firstfruits from anything other than the Seven Species, they are not sanctified; where, then, does Rashi derive that there are rabbinic firstfruits?
Therefore, the Malbim explains: From the Torah, there is no set measure for firstfruits, and they accepted upon themselves to bring an "appropriate gift" to the House of Hashem, one-sixtieth, in accordance with the enactment of the Sages. This is the meaning of "the firstfruits of all fruit of every tree" - that they brought abundant fruit. For strictly speaking, what is one required to bring? A single fig that ripened first: one ties a reed around it and brings it. But if a person arrives with a basket, and they look inside and see a single fig sitting in the corner, that is not an honorable way to bring firstfruits. The Sages therefore established that one must bring an appropriate gift, one-sixtieth, filling the basket. Thus, this is not part of the core biblical mitzvah of firstfruits, but rather to ensure that the gift is dignified. According to this, one can also explain that they would bring from other fruits as well - even though they were not sanctified - so that the gift would be fitting.
Firstborn of Man, Unclean Animals, and Clean Animals
וְאֶת־בְּכֹרוֹת בָּנֵינוּ וּבְהֶמְתֵּנוּ כַּכָּתוּב בַּתּוֹרָה וְאֶת־בְּכוֹרֵי בְקָרֵינוּ וְצֹאנֵינוּ לְהָבִיא לְבֵית אֱלֹהֵינוּ לַכֹּהֲנִים הַמְשָׁרְתִים בְּבֵית אֱלֹהֵינוּ׃ (י, לז) - "And the firstborn of our sons, and of our beasts, as it is written in the Torah, and the firstlings of our herds and of our flocks, to bring to the house of our God, to the Kohanim that minister in the house of our God." (10:37)
Seemingly, why did Scripture divide them into two? "Our animals" and "our cattle and our flocks" - these are all animals, so let it write them all together! But the answer is simple: the firstborn of our sons are not brought to the House of our God at all; rather, they are redeemed. And "our animals" included alongside them refers to non-kosher animals, which are also subject to the law of the firstborn - "the first issue of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb." Thus, "the firstborn of our sons and of our animals, as written in the Torah" refers to redemption, not bringing them to the Beit HaMikdash. In contrast, "the firstborn of our cattle and of our flocks" are the kosher firstborn animals, which were sacrificed upon the Altar, and regarding them it is said: "to bring to the House of our God." Two categories of animals and two different purposes - one destined for redemption and one destined for bringing to the House of Hashem - and therefore Scripture divided them into two.
Challah, Terumot, and Ma'asrot
וְאֶת־רֵאשִׁית עֲרִיסֹתֵינוּ וּתְרוּמֹתֵינוּ וּפְרִי כָל־עֵץ תִּירוֹשׁ וְיִצְהָר נָבִיא לַכֹּהֲנִים אֶל־לִשְׁכוֹת בֵּית־אֱלֹהֵינוּ וּמַעְשַׂר אַדְמָתֵנוּ לַלְוִיִּם וְהֵם הַלְוִיִּם הַמְעַשְּׂרִים בְּכֹל עָרֵי עֲבֹדָתֵנוּ׃ (י, לח) - "And that we should bring the first of our doughs, our heave-offerings, the fruit of all manner of trees, the new wine, and the oil to the Kohanim, to the chambers of the House of our God; and the tithes of our ground to the Levites, for they, the Levites, collect tithes in all our agricultural towns." (10:38)
"The first of our doughs" - this refers to challah, for arisoteichem means dough. "And our heave-offerings" - Terumah Gedolah and Terumat Ma'aser.
To understand the order of these gifts: suppose a person has one hundred kilograms of grain. First, he separates Terumah Gedolah, the biblical measure of which is any minimal amount - even a single pomegranate seed can exempt an entire container of pomegranates. He gives it to the Kohen, taking care only that it does not fall or become spoiled, for it is terumah. Afterward, he separates Ma'aser Rishon (the First Tithe) - ten percent, ten kilograms out of the hundred - and gives it to the Levi. The general rule is: tithes go to the Levites, terumah offerings go to the Kohanim. Then the Levi separates Terumat Ma'aser from the tithe he received and gives it to the Kohen - ten percent of the ten kilograms, meaning one kilogram. This is called Terumat Ma'aser, from the word harama (elevating), for it is lifted out from the tithe.
Beyond this, in the first, second, fourth, and fifth years of the Shemittah cycle, one separates Ma'aser Sheni (the Second Tithe) - another ten percent of the remaining ninety, meaning nine kilograms. This remains his own; he keeps it in order to bring it up to Jerusalem and eat it in sanctity and purity. If it might spoil before then, he redeems it, and when he arrives in Jerusalem he purchases food with the money, as it says: "and bind up the money in your hand, and go to the place," and there he buys produce and eats it with the sanctity of Ma'aser Sheni. In the third and sixth years, one separates Ma'aser Ani (the Poor Man's Tithe), giving ten percent of the produce to the poor, and this is in addition to the other gifts of Leket, Shichechah, and Pe'ah that the pauper receives directly in the field.
Now, according to the Rambam's view, in the days of Ezra they were obligated in challah, terumot, and ma'asrot only mid'rabbanan (by rabbinic law); thus, what they accepted upon themselves here was an acceptance of rabbinic enactments. According to the Ra'avad's view, however, terumah was biblically binding and only challah was rabbinic; thus, they accepted the terumah of grain, wine, and oil as a biblical commandment, and what they added here was other fruits - for according to the Ra'avad, the terumot and ma'asrot on oranges, apples, and all other fruits aside from the Seven Species are only rabbinic, even when the Beit HaMikdash is standing. This, then, is what they accepted upon themselves: either according to the Rambam, that everything was rabbinic in Ezra's time, or according to the Ra'avad, that other fruits are rabbinic.
"That we should bring to the Kohanim, to the chambers of the House of our God" - why did they need to bring it to them? After all, the rule is that Kohanim go around to the threshing floors to collect their gifts. However, the Kohanim were preoccupied with their service, and their small numbers meant there was no one available to go around, as they had no spare time. The people did not want to trouble them to come and collect, so they brought the gifts directly to them, to the chambers. "And the tithes of our ground to the Levites, for they, the Levites, collect tithes in all our agricultural towns" - wherever we worked in the field, there the Levites would come and take the tithe.
The Kohen with the Levites - The Penalty of Ezra
וְהָיָה הַכֹּהֵן בֶּן־אַהֲרֹן עִם־הַלְוִיִּם בַּעְשֵׂר הַלְוִיִּם וְהַלְוִיִּם יַעֲלוּ אֶת־מַעֲשַׂר הַמַּעֲשֵׂר לְבֵית אֱלֹהֵינוּ אֶל־הַלְּשָׁכוֹת לְבֵית הָאוֹצָר׃ (י, לט) - "And the Kohen, the son of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites tithe; and the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes to the House of our God, to the chambers, into the treasure-house." (10:39)
This verse is linguistically difficult, so let us explain it. On the literal level, as explained by Rashi and Metzudat David: when the Levites collected the tithes, a Kohen would accompany them, for a portion belongs to the Kohen from the Levi. The Levi would receive his share and immediately give ten percent of it to the Kohen - this is Terumat Ma'aser - and the Levites bring up the tithe of the tithe to the House of our God, to the chambers of the storehouse.
However, there is a Gemara in Yevamot and Chullin explaining that the Sages penalized the Levites, and this penalty was imposed because the Levites did not ascend to the Land of Israel. Ezra himself testified to this in chapter 8, verse 15: "And I viewed the people and the Kohanim, but of the sons of Levi I found none there" - when we ascended, there was a very great shortage of Levites. Incidentally, an interesting point: among Yemenite Jews there are very few Kohanim but a great many Levites, and indeed at that time the Jews of Yemen did not ascend. True, many did not ascend - only fifty thousand ascended out of the millions who were exiled, a tiny fraction - but the community of Yemen as an entire group did not ascend at all, and many Levites were concentrated there; consequently, there was a severe lack of Levites.
Consequently, Ezra penalized the Levi'im: when a Levi went to collect what was due to him at the threshing floors, a Kohen would accompany him, and the Kohen was permitted to take even the portion of the Levi'im. If the Kohen arrived at the threshing floor first, he would take the tithe that was due to the Levi. In simple terms, Ezra granted the Kohanim the right to take the portion of the Levi'im as well: if the Levi came and took it, he took it; if he did not come, or if the Kohen beat him to it, the Kohen took his share. Thus, the tithe was divided between the Levi'im and the Kohanim, depending on whoever arrived first. This is the meaning of: "And the Kohen, the son of Aharon, shall be with the Levi'im when the Levi'im take tithes" - regarding the tithe due to the Levi'im, he joined the Kohanim with them so that the Kohanim would have the right to take the Levi'im's tithes. This was their penalty, in addition to the terumas ma'aser that the Levi is required to give to the Kohen from his own portion.
Yet something here seems puzzling: the Levi'im who did not ascend from Babylon were the ones who sinned, yet the penalty was placed specifically on those who did ascend, and they were the ones who suffered! In simple terms, it appears that the penalty was meant to continue for a long time, for many years, so that the penalty would eventually affect those who had not ascended as well, since ultimately they too were destined to make aliyah. It was as though they were told: Since you did not want to come with us at the beginning, but preferred to wait until the Land was built, settled, and fit to receive its inhabitants before coming, when you do come, you will receive only partially, as the Kohanim will be partners with you. For it was impossible to punish directly those who were not present, since they would have lost nothing at that time.
"We Will Not Forsake the House of Our God"
כִּי אֶל־הַלְּשָׁכוֹת יָבִיאוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל וּבְנֵי הַלֵּוִי אֶת־תְּרוּמַת הַדָּגָן הַתִּירוֹשׁ וְהַיִּצְהָר וְשָׁם כְּלֵי הַמִּקְדָּשׁ וְהַכֹּהֲנִים הַמְשָׁרְתִים וְהַשּׁוֹעֲרִים וְהַמְשֹׁרְרִים וְלֹא נַעֲזֹב אֶת־בֵּית אֱלֹהֵינוּ׃ (י, מ) - For to the chambers the Children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the gift of grain, new wine, and oil, where the vessels of the Sanctuary are, and the Kohanim who minister, and the gatekeepers and the singers; and we will not forsake the House of our God.
"To the chambers" - that was where the Kohanim served; therefore, when they wished to bring them their portion, the Children of Israel and the children of Levi would bring the gift of grain, new wine, and oil directly there. All of this was done because they did not want the ministering Kohanim, the gatekeepers, and the singers to abandon the House of our God. The desire was for them to continue serving there, for if they had to leave and go around collecting their dues, the service of Hashem would not be performed properly, since the community was small and the Kohanim and Levi'im were few. Consequently, the people had to ensure that the provisions due to them were brought directly to the Temple, rather than requiring them to go around visiting the threshing floors.
In summary:
Chapter 10 is the chapter of the Amana (the Covenant): out of utter destitution, and not out of an abundance of everything as their ancestors had, the people come to forge a faithful covenant with their Creator. Eighty-three signatories - corresponding to the seventy members of the Sanhedrin and thirteen officials - sign on an open document and a sealed document, and all the rest of the people, the Levi'im, the gatekeepers, the singers, the Nethinim, and the converts, along with their wives, sons, and daughters, join them with an oath and a curse. This commitment encompasses all spheres of life: negative commandments - the prohibition against intermarriage, the prohibition against buying and selling on Shabbat and Yom Tov, the observance of Shemittah and the cancellation of debts; and positive commandments - the third of a shekel for the Temple service, the wood offering determined by lot, Bikkurim as a fitting gift, the firstborn of man and beast, challah, and terumot and ma'asrot. And everything concludes with one grand resolution: "And we will not forsake the House of our God" - ensuring that the Temple service is maintained properly, even at the cost of extra burden upon the public.