Introduction: A Question That Arrived from Babylon
Chapter 7 of Sefer Zecharya opens a new section. After two years during which prophecy had ceased, prophecy returned to Zecharya - and this time, not as an enigmatic vision, but as a response to a practical halachic question that arrived from the Exile: Should they continue to fast over the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash now that the Second Temple is already being built? The entire prophecy before us revolves around this question, shifting from a discussion about fasts to an examination of what is truly essential: what actually arouses the Divine will toward man.
The Fourth Year of Darius - The Renewal of Prophecy
וַיְהִי בִּשְׁנַת אַרְבַּע לְדָרְיָוֶשׁ הַמֶּלֶךְ הָיָה דְבַר־יְהֹוָה אֶל־זְכַרְיָה בְּאַרְבָּעָה לַחֹדֶשׁ הַתְּשִׁעִי בְּכִסְלֵו׃ - And it was in the fourth year of King Darius that the word of Hashem came to Zecharya on the fourth day of the ninth month, in Kislev.
The Malbim is precise regarding the date mentioned. The vision given to Chaggai and Zecharya took place in the second year of Darius, when they began the rebuilding of the Beis HaMikdash; from that point on, it ceased, and they found no further vision from Hashem. For two full years they received no prophecy, because the designated time for prophecy and the Shechinah to return and dwell among Israel had not yet arrived. And now, in the fourth year of Darius, the word of Hashem suddenly returned to Zecharya. Therefore, the verse opens with emphasis: "And it was in the fourth year of King Darius... that the word of Hashem came to Zecharya."
And what caused prophecy to return after a two-year hiatus? The next verse answers this - the inquiry sent from the Exile was what brought about the revelation.
"Vayishlach Beis-El" - Three Interpretations in the Peshat
וַיִּשְׁלַח בֵּית־אֵל שַׂרְאֶצֶר וְרֶגֶם מֶלֶךְ וַאֲנָשָׁיו לְחַלּוֹת אֶת־פְּנֵי יְהֹוָה׃ - And Beis-El sent Saretzer and Regem-Melech and his men to entreat the favor of Hashem.
Saretzer and Regem-Melech were prominent and righteous men from Babylon. Before delving into the linguistic details, the core of their inquiry should be stated: Since we have arrived in the Land and begun rebuilding the Beis HaMikdash, and until now we wept and mourned over the destruction, should we continue to weep? After all, the Second Temple is being rebuilt, and perhaps there is no longer a place to weep over a destruction that is already being rectified.
Three views are presented in explaining "Vayishlach Beis-El." Ibn Ezra explains that "Beis-El" is the name of a person: Beis-El sent, Saretzer was a second individual, and Regem-Melech a third. Rashi explains that they sent word to their relatives in the city of Beis-El, asking them to go and inquire of the Kohanim in the House of Hashem regarding the question troubling them. The Malbim explains that "Beis-El" here refers to the Beis HaMikdash - neither a city nor a person's name - meaning that Saretzer, Regem-Melech, and his men sent to the House of Hashem to clarify the halachah.
Three Expressions of "Leimor" and Their Meaning
לֵאמֹר אֶל־הַכֹּהֲנִים אֲשֶׁר לְבֵית־יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת וְאֶל־הַנְּבִיאִים לֵאמֹר הַאֶבְכֶּה בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַחֲמִשִׁי הִנָּזֵר כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתִי זֶה כַּמֶּה שָׁנִים׃ - To speak to the Kohanim of the House of Hashem of Hosts and to the prophets, saying: 'Shall I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done for so many years?'
Seemingly, there is a puzzling duplication and triplication here: "to entreat the face of Hashem" - were they asking to entreat Hashem's face, or to ask the Kohanim? Furthermore, after "speaking to the Kohanim", the word "saying" (leimor) appears again. The Malbim explains: they asked to entreat the face of Hashem, meaning to ask the Holy One, blessed be He, to manifest His holy spirit upon the Kohanim and the prophets - "saying" (leimor), so that they would be able to tell us the answer. Everything is thus resolved: please, entreat the face of Hashem and pray that the Holy One, blessed be He, give an answer to the Kohanim and prophets who are in the House of Hashem, so that they may tell us what they have received from Hashem.
Why Did They Inquire Specifically About the Fast of the Fifth Month?
The question itself: "Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself" - should I continue to fast in the fifth month, which is the fast of Tisha B'Av, or perhaps we should no longer fast now that the Temple is being built? Many commentators have addressed this: why did they not ask about the other fasts? After all, there are four fasts connected to the destruction - the seventeenth of Tammuz, Tisha B'Av, Tzom Gedalyah, and the tenth of Tevet (Ta'anit Esther and Yom Kippur are not related to the destruction). They should have asked about all of them.
The Malbim explains: regarding the fast of the seventh month, which relates to the assassination of Gedalyah ben Achikam, they had no doubt whatsoever. For that fast was instituted because the Jewish settlement in the land was destroyed: Nevuzaradan had left behind some of the poorest of the land as vinedressers and plowmen under Gedalyah's leadership, and following his assassination, the final axe fell upon the settlement in the Land of Israel, leaving it desolate. Gedalyah's assassination was the final hammer blow that ended the settlement in the land. And now, the settlement had returned to its former state; roughly fifty thousand people had ascended, similar to the number in Gedalyah's time, and therefore there was no reason to fast over that. But regarding the three fasts that commemorated the destruction of the Temple - about them they asked: will the Temple now being built equal its predecessor in glory, in which case the fast should be abolished, or will it be an inferior and diminished Temple, so that the fast remains? And they asked specifically about the fifth month, which is the primary fast, for if they were told not to fast on it, all the more so regarding the fourth and tenth months, since the seventeenth of Tammuz and the tenth of Tevet are subordinate to the fast of the fifth month.
Notice the date: the fourth of Kislev. They asked then because they wanted to know how to conduct themselves on the upcoming fast, the tenth of Tevet. And they asked about two aspects: about the weeping, which pertains to the past - "Should I weep in the fifth month"; and about the fasting, which is meant for supplicating and praying for the future - "separating myself", whether I should continue to plead for the future or abstain and stop.
Seven Reasons for the Question - The Words of the Abarbanel
The Abarbanel raises a difficulty: what room was there for such a question at all? After all, you fast over the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash, and the Beit HaMikdash is being rebuilt! He answers that there were seven differences between the First Temple and the Second Temple, and these are what led them to ask. First, they saw that the Shechinah did not return to dwell in the Second Temple as in the First - Chazal stated that five things were absent from the Second Temple, including the Ark and the Shechinah - and if so, perhaps there was still reason to lament and fast over the destruction of the First. Second, the Second Temple was under the dominion of the Persian kings, as though everything were conditional - if they wished, they could expel us - unlike the First Temple, where we possessed absolute sovereignty and were masters of the land.
Third, in the First Temple, the entirety of Klal Yisrael was present, whereas in the Second Temple, the dispersed from the four corners of the earth had not returned, and the Ten Tribes had not returned - meaning we were effectively still in exile. Fourth, they saw that the land itself was still cursed and had not returned to its full strength regarding "and the land shall yield its produce." Fifth, they saw that they were an object of contempt and reproach among the nations - Toviyah and his associates, and those who harassed them, stood against them to halt the building of the Temple and vexed them. Sixth, they saw that the Cutheans held a sizable portion of the land, for following the exile of Samaria, Cutheans were brought from Calah, Chavor, and the river of Gozan and settled across the territories of the Ten Tribes, while those who returned from Babylonia were few in number, less than fifty thousand. And seventh, they saw that they had no king from the House of David ruling over them. All of these factors led them to think that we were still in a form of exile, and that perhaps they should continue to weep and fast over the destruction of the former Temple.
The Answer - And to Whom It Is Sent
וַיְהִי דְּבַר־יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת אֵלַי לֵאמֹר׃ - And the word of the Lord of Hosts came to me, saying:
אֱמֹר אֶל־כָּל־עַם הָאָרֶץ וְאֶל־הַכֹּהֲנִים לֵאמֹר כִּי־צַמְתֶּם וְסָפוֹד בַּחֲמִישִׁי וּבַשְּׁבִיעִי וְזֶה שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה הֲצוֹם צַמְתֻּנִי אָנִי׃ - Speak to all the people of the land and to the Kohanim, saying: When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and in the seventh month, and this for seventy years, was it really for Me that you fasted?
Notice that the Holy One, blessed be He, does not command that the answer be delivered to the messengers, but rather to the people and to the Kohanim. The Metzudat David explains: the senders were viewed with disapproval before Him, for they were sitting in Babylonia and sending an inquiry to the Land of Israel - the Beit HaMikdash is being built, so why do you continue to sit in Babylonia? Therefore, the response was not addressed to them, but to the inhabitants of the Land and to the Kohanim, who presumably harbored that very same doubt.
And why did he mention only the fifth and the seventh months, and not the fourth and the tenth? Radak explains: although there are four fasts, he mentioned the fifth because it is the primary one, in which the destruction took place - and as we saw, their original question also revolved around Tishah B'Av; and he mentioned the seventh, in which Gedalyah ben Achikam was assassinated, which represents a second destruction, for it was then that Jewish settlement in the Land ceased entirely. As long as some of the poorest of the land remained here, the Land was not completely ruined, but once even the poorest of the land were exiled and no vinedressers or farmers remained - the Land was ruined entirely. Radak adds that the fast of the seventh month ought to have been on Rosh Hashanah, but one does not fast on Rosh Hashanah ("Eat choice foods and drink sweet drinks"), and they did not wish to establish a fast on it, so they established the fast for the day following Rosh Hashanah.
"Did you fast at all for Me?" - For whom is the fast?
Radak explains: that which you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months throughout the seventy years of exile - did you fast for My sake? You fasted on account of your own sins, for which the Temple was destroyed and for which you were exiled. If you practice righteousness and justice you will have no need to fast, for the Temple is now being rebuilt, you have ascended from the exile, and you will dwell in the Land and not be exiled again. "Did you fast at all for Me?" - Did I command you to fast? Indeed, none of the four fasts are a command from Hashem, but rather an enactment of the Sages; the only fast commanded directly by Hashem is Yom Kippur. The Holy One, blessed be He, says: I did not command it; rather, the Sages commanded you. And on what account did they command? On account of your sins and your corruption. And if you mend your ways, you have no need to fast, for the fast was meant solely to rectify what you corrupted.
The Malbim's Explanation: What Awakens the Divine Will
The Malbim introduces a fundamental concept here. A person must emulate his Creator - just as He is merciful, so must you be merciful; just as He is gracious, so must you be gracious - and when one emulates his Creator, he causes those very attributes to be awakened toward him from Heaven. If you are gracious, you cause the Holy One, blessed be He, to show you grace. "Hashem is your shade upon your right hand" - the Holy One, blessed be He, conducts Himself toward you in the exact same manner in which you conduct yourself. Therefore, one who overlooks his grievances has all his transgressions overlooked, and one who shows mercy - Hashem bestows mercy upon him.
This accords with the words of the holy Or HaChaim on the verse "And He will grant you mercy and have compassion upon you": after executing the inhabitants of an apostate city (ir hanidachat), such an act naturally awakens cruelty within a person, and consequently he would be deserving of cruelty from Heaven, since a person arouses the attribute with which he behaves. However, because they fulfilled a mitzvah, what does the Holy One, blessed be He, do? "And He will grant you mercy" - He instills mercy into your heart, so that this seemingly cruel act will not adversely affect your nature, and consequently "and have compassion upon you", for Hashem has compassion upon those who are merciful.
Says the Malbim: all of this applies only to attributes by which the Holy One, blessed be He, is described. But a person who fasts and afflicts his soul - what does he awaken toward himself on high? Does eating and drinking apply to the Holy One, blessed be He, such that there could, so to speak, be a fast in Heaven? When you are merciful, you awaken mercy above, but when you fast - what do you awaken? And this is the meaning of "Did you fast at all for Me?" - does your fasting cause Me to act according to your deeds, that I should, so to speak, fast corresponding to you?
וְכִי תֹאכְלוּ וְכִי תִשְׁתּוּ הֲלוֹא אַתֶּם הָאֹכְלִים וְאַתֶּם הַשֹּׁתִים׃ - And when you eat and when you drink, is it not you who eat and you who drink?
The same applies to eating and drinking: when you eat and drink, do you awaken eating and drinking above? There is no eating and drinking on high! It turns out that Hashem is not awakened corresponding to your physical state, neither when you eat nor when you fast. Radak explains according to the plain meaning: what have I to do with your fasting and what have I to do with your eating? You fast for the sake of your sins, and you eat and drink for your own pleasure; it is all your own personal concern, not Mine. It is as if the Holy One, blessed be He, says to them: in the fast that you fast there is nothing done for My honor; rather, it exists for repentance, rectification, and turning away from your evil deeds.
"Are not these the words which Hashem proclaimed" - What destroyed can also prevent rebuilding
הֲלוֹא אֶת־הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר קָרָא יְהֹוָה בְּיַד הַנְּבִיאִים הָרִאשֹׁנִים בִּהְיוֹת יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם יֹשֶׁבֶת וּשְׁלֵוָה וְעָרֶיהָ סְבִיבֹתֶיהָ וְהַנֶּגֶב וְהַשְּׁפֵלָה יֹשֵׁב׃ - Are not these the words which Hashem proclaimed by the hand of the earlier prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and at ease, with her cities round about her, and the south and the lowland were inhabited?
Rashi explains that the prophet is saying to them: who caused you in the first place to require fasting and mourning? It was the words of rebuke that Hashem proclaimed through the prophets that brought about your destruction, and in their wake you fasted. Thus, you brought this upon yourselves by corrupting your ways and not listening to Hashem's commands, and that is what brought the fasting upon you.
The Malbim continues along the line he established: here they are told how you do awaken the Divine Will to act toward you. Through eating and drinking you awaken nothing, and through fasting you awaken nothing, for this does not pertain to Heaven. But through that which the Holy One, blessed be He, proclaimed through the earlier prophets - that they practice justice, kindness, and mercy, as stated below in verse 9 - through this you indeed awaken it. Had you conducted yourselves this way, the city would not have been destroyed and the land would not have been exiled; and how much more so now that it lies in ruins, that it cannot possibly be rebuilt unless you uphold these matters.
Here the Malbim lays down a simple yet piercing logical principle, writing as follows: "For the factor that was sufficient to initiate a state of affairs that did not previously exist is all the more sufficient to maintain that state once it already exists." To illustrate this: if one builds an engine powerful enough to set a stationary train into motion - and dislodging it from rest requires the greatest force, tremendous power - there is no question whether it has enough power to keep it moving while already in transit. Certainly it does. If there is power to create something, all the more so is there power to sustain it. Similarly, a fire capable of heating cold water is certainly capable of maintaining the heat of hot water.
And this is what he is telling them: if back then, when the Beis HaMikdash was standing and everything was intact, these sins had the power to destroy it - all the more so do they have the power to perpetuate the state of ruin and keep the Temple in its desolation. In simple terms: what brought destruction back then must be rectified today, for otherwise it will simply perpetuate the previous devastation.
The Details of the Commandments: Justice, Kindness, and Mercy
וַיְהִי דְּבַר־יְהֹוָה אֶל־זְכַרְיָה לֵאמֹר׃ - And the word of Hashem came to Zechariah, saying:
Now the word comes to the prophet to detail what Hashem proclaimed through the earlier prophets, and what they failed to rectify which caused the destruction, so that they take heed of it now and do not bring about once again a failure to rebuild the Beis HaMikdash, an absence of the Shechinah, and continued desolation.
כֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת לֵאמֹר מִשְׁפַּט אֱמֶת שְׁפֹטוּ וְחֶסֶד וְרַחֲמִים עֲשׂוּ אִישׁ אֶת־אָחִיו׃ - Thus said Hashem of Hosts: Render true justice, and show kindness and mercy each to his brother.
Thus said Hashem through the earlier prophets: "Render true justice" - and according to the Malbim's approach, if you judge with true justice, you will cause the Holy One, blessed be He, to likewise execute justice on your behalf against your enemies; "and show kindness and mercy" - through this you awaken the Divine Will so that Hashem acts toward you with kindness and mercy. This is the path: not through fasting is the Divine Will awakened, but through earthly deeds here below - true justice, kindness, and mercy - does one awaken the Divine Will to act toward you with those very same attributes.
And the Radak explains: "Render true justice" - when you judge between one man and another, let your judgment be true justice, letting the law pierce the mountain. And "show kindness and mercy each to his brother" - for sometimes true justice is not enough and one must go beyond it, for the person is in need, and even though he lost according to the strict letter of the law, one must assist and support him. As was said of David, that he performed "charity and justice": justice alone was not sufficient for him; rather, when he saw that the party who lost in court suffered loss and was truly destitute, he would perform charity with him.
"And Let None of You Devise Evil in Your Hearts Against His Brother"
וְאַלְמָנָה וְיָתוֹם גֵּר וְעָנִי אַל־תַּעֲשֹׁקוּ וְרָעַת אִישׁ אָחִיו אַל־תַּחְשְׁבוּ בִּלְבַבְכֶם׃ - And do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor; and let none of you devise evil in your hearts against his brother.
The Malbim explains that this verse corresponds to the two parts of the preceding verse: corresponding to "justice," it states, "do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor," and corresponding to "kindness and mercy," it states, "and let none of you devise evil in your hearts against his brother" - not even in the heart.
It is told that someone once asked the Chofetz Chaim whether the prohibition of lashon hara applies in thought, and he replied that it does not, for the Torah does not command a person to be a fool and see the opposite of what his eyes behold. However, Rav Pincus wondered about this: for there is an explicit verse before us - "and let none of you think evil of his brother in your heart" - which indicates that a person is warned not to dwell on the negative aspects of his brother, not to fixate on the evil within him. And this is reasonable, for a person whose entire thoughts and preoccupation revolve around what so-and-so did, what his intentions were, what scheme he tried to pull off, and whom he sought to harm - all of these lead him to malice, as looking negatively at others develops corrupt character traits within oneself. For this reason we were commanded, "in righteousness shall you judge your fellow": when you see someone do something, try to find justification for him, and do not seek fault in his deeds.
However, according to the Radak's explanation, Rav Pincus's difficulty is resolved. First, the Radak explains "and oppress not the widow and the orphan, the stranger and the poor" - these are the vulnerable members of society, which is why the verse mentions them as examples. Similarly, when the Torah repeatedly warns concerning the orphan and the widow, one should not mistakenly think that we were warned only regarding them while it is permissible to afflict anyone else, Heaven forbid; rather, the Torah warned specifically regarding them because they are more vulnerable and have no support or protector, and therefore it treated them with greater severity. So too here: these are the vulnerable, so be all the more careful not to oppress them, neither financially nor verbally.
And what is the meaning of "and let none of you think evil of his brother in your heart"? The Radak explains: let no man devise evil in his heart against his brother, for even the thought is forbidden, all the more so the deed. The intention is not simply to avoid having a negative opinion of him, but rather not to plot to do something harmful to him, because thought leads to action. A person says to himself: "I will harm him, I will show him" - and ostensibly he has done nothing yet, and one is not punished for an evil thought; yet know that this is destructive, for when you think of doing evil, there is grave danger that the thought will lead to action. This is what the Radak means when he writes: moreover, thought leads to action, and even if he does not commit the forbidden act - as it is said, "You shall not hate your brother in your heart," showing that we are warned even against the thought. Thus, the verse does not merely command us not to hold negative thoughts about another, but rather not to plot evil against another.
A Stubborn Shoulder and a Heart of Shamir
וַיְמָאֲנוּ לְהַקְשִׁיב וַיִּתְּנוּ כָתֵף סֹרָרֶת וְאָזְנֵיהֶם הִכְבִּידוּ מִשְּׁמוֹעַ׃ - But they refused to listen, and turned a stubborn shoulder, and stopped their ears from hearing.
"But they refused to listen" - initially, they had no desire to listen at all. "And turned a stubborn shoulder" - they turned their shoulder away so as not to see what the prophets were showing them. This concept is similar to the expression "stiff-necked": why is the neck specifically a symbol of stubbornness, rather than the arm? Because when a person is barreling ahead recklessly and someone behind him shouts, "Stop! You are about to fall, watch out!" - he ought to turn his head and see what they want from him. But he is stiff-necked: his neck is locked in place; he keeps going on his way and refuses to listen to anyone calling out to him from the side or from behind.
So too with "and turned a stubborn shoulder": when a person turns around, he pivots his shoulder to see what they want from him, but this one marches forward with his shoulder rigid, refusing to shoulder what they are trying to tell him, continuing straight ahead unwilling to accept reproof. Even though the prophets are showing it to him, he refuses to look and will not turn his head. And afterwards, when the prophets cry out in a loud voice that he can hear even from where he stands - "and stopped their ears from hearing": he plugged his ears, entirely unwilling to hear.
וְלִבָּם שָׂמוּ שָׁמִיר מִשְּׁמוֹעַ אֶת־הַתּוֹרָה וְאֶת־הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר שָׁלַח יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת בְּרוּחוֹ בְּיַד הַנְּבִיאִים הָרִאשֹׁנִים וַיְהִי קֶצֶף גָּדוֹל מֵאֵת יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת׃ - And they made their heart like shamir, lest they hear the Torah and the words that Hashem of Hosts sent by His spirit through the early prophets; therefore there was great wrath from Hashem of Hosts.
Even after the prophets frightened them with severe punishments, and even after they witnessed the punishments with their own eyes - the exile of Shomron, and the exile of Yerushalayim which occurred in several stages, of which they saw both the first and the second - nevertheless, they made their hearts like shamir. And what is shamir? Ibn Ezra explains that it is a type of precious stone that is so hard that no iron can scratch or engrave it, meaning that they made their hearts as hard as stone, like the tough and unyielding shamir. Rashi explains that the shamir is a worm that is harder than stone, which splits stone - and they made their hearts like the shamir worm that splits rock. And they did all of this in order not to fear the punishment with which the prophets threatened them.
וַיְהִי כַאֲשֶׁר־קָרָא וְלֹא שָׁמֵעוּ כֵּן יִקְרְאוּ וְלֹא אֶשְׁמָע אָמַר יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת׃ - And it came to pass that, just as He called and they would not hear, so they shall call and I will not hear, said Hashem of Hosts.
Just as they did not listen, so when the troubles come upon them - they will call out, cry, and weep, "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat and wept" - and I will not listen to the sound of their cry. So it was in those days.
"Ve'esa'arem" - A Compound Word
וְאֵסָעֲרֵם עַל כָּל־הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יְדָעוּם וְהָאָרֶץ נָשַׁמָּה אַחֲרֵיהֶם מֵעֹבֵר וּמִשָּׁב וַיָּשִׂימוּ אֶרֶץ־חֶמְדָּה לְשַׁמָּה׃ - "And I scattered them as with a tempest over all the nations whom they did not know; and the land was desolate after them, with no one passing through or returning, and they made the desirable land a desolation."
The Radak notes that the word va'esa'arem ("and I scattered them with a tempest") is grammatically difficult: if it refers to the Holy One, blessed be He, it should have said ve'esa'er, and if it refers to them, it should have said veyisa'aru. Here, va'esa'er speaks of the Speaker Himself, while the suffix mem refers to them. This is a kind of "androgynous" word in the language of the grammarians - that is, a composite word, not combining masculine and feminine, but combining an expression that speaks of the Holy One, blessed be He, while also emphasizing them.
Therefore, there are several interpretations. Radak cites in the name of his father that this is precisely the intent: both Me and them - va'esa'er is Me, and the mem is them; as it were, I too was storm-tossed along with them. This reflects the concept of "In all their affliction He was afflicted" (Yeshayahu 63:9), that when Israel suffers, even the Shechinah says, "My head is heavy, My arm is heavy" (Sanhedrin 46a), and there is, as it were, suffering for the Holy One, blessed be He. Hashem says: When the tempest swept over them, the tempest swept over Me as well. Ibn Ezra explains va'esa'arem as meaning that My spirit stormed against them, an expression of the wrath He directed at them, which is why He scattered them among the nations. And the Malbim explains it as an expression of dispersal: that He scattered and dispersed them as with a stormy wind across all the nations whom they did not know. "And the land was desolate after them" - the land was left desolate, with no one passing through or returning.
Conclusion of the Prophecy: An A Fortiori Argument for the Destruction
The Malbim summarizes: The Holy One, blessed be He, said all this when Jerusalem was still inhabited, tranquil, and at peace. I warned them, sent the prophets, and admonished them to practice kindness and moral discipline, yet they did not listen, and there was no choice but for Me to scatter them. And if this was so then, when the Beit HaMikdash was still standing and they destroyed it through their evil deeds - all the more so now, when the land is in ruins and they still do not listen, that their actions will make a desirable land a desolation. If their actions brought a settled land to desolation, their actions will certainly perpetuate the desolation of an already ruined land. In simple terms: as long as they do not heed the word of Hashem, their situation will continue just as before.
So What Is the Answer - To Fast or Not to Fast?
In the verses before us, no explicit answer is written. An entire discourse is presented here, and from it we must understand what the Holy One, blessed be He, wishes to tell them: does the obligation to fast still apply to them, or not? Indeed, the commentators differ on this.
The Alshich says that the answer is clear: just as back then you saw that they acted corruptly, so too you must not rely on your tranquility; fast and arouse yourselves to repent from your improper deeds, lest the same happen to you as happened to them. In other words, they must indeed fast and afflict themselves, for their deeds are not much different from those of their ancestors. This is also precise in the wording of the Malbim: if such actions had the power to desolate an inhabited land and destroy a standing Temple, all the more so do they have the power to perpetuate the desolation and destruction - and since they still do not listen to the word of Hashem, the message to them is naturally that they must continue to fast.
On the other hand, Rashi implies the opposite. Rashi comments on "and they made the desirable land a desolation" - they caused the desirable land to become desolate, and that is what brought upon them the fasting and the mourning; "but I have become zealous for Zion" (as stated in the next chapter) - for the sake of Zion I will take vengeance upon the Chaldeans. That is to say: their actions back then brought about the fasting and mourning, but now you do not need to fast and mourn, for now you are returning to the land and I am acting with divine zeal for Zion, and the situation is destined to be restored for good as of old - consequently, you are exempt from the fasts commemorating the destruction.
In Summary:
People from Babylon sent emissaries to the House of Hashem to ask whether they should continue fasting over the destruction now that the construction of the Second Temple had begun. It was this question that brought prophecy back to Zecharya after two years of silence. Hashem's answer does not focus primarily on the physical act of fasting, but on its essence: neither fasting nor eating arouses anything on High, for there is no eating and drinking before Heaven; what arouses divine favor is true justice, lovingkindness and mercy, avoiding oppression of the vulnerable, and harboring no evil thoughts against one's brother. These were the things Hashem proclaimed through the earlier prophets when Jerusalem was settled and at peace, yet they went unheeded - until they turned a stubborn shoulder and made their hearts like flint, bringing upon them the tempest and desolation. The underlying principle is: if these sins had the power to destroy a standing Temple and desolate a settled land, all the more so do they have the power to perpetuate the destruction and desolation. As for the practical answer - according to the Alshich and as implied by the Malbim, they must continue to fast and repent; whereas according to Rashi, since Hashem is fiercely zealous for Zion and the situation is returning to its former state for the good, they are exempt from the fasts of the destruction.