Ezra 10 - Now is the weather of our discontent

ByDanny Baigel

Learn through the perek:

- What is the main theme?

- What does it add?

Focus:

Recalibrating Ezra's expectations and definition of Geula?

The era of bayit sheini was not idyllic...

Weather in Tanakh

עזרא י׳:א׳

(א) וּכְהִתְפַּלֵּ֤ל עֶזְרָא֙ וּכְ֨הִתְוַדֹּת֔וֹ בֹּכֶה֙ וּמִתְנַפֵּ֔ל לִפְנֵ֖י בֵּ֣ית הָאֱלֹקִ֑ים נִקְבְּצוּ֩ אֵלָ֨יו מִיִּשְׂרָאֵ֜ל קָהָ֣ל רַב־מְאֹ֗ד אֲנָשִׁ֤ים וְנָשִׁים֙ וִֽילָדִ֔ים כִּֽי־בָכ֥וּ הָעָ֖ם הַרְבֵּה־בֶֽכֶה׃ (ס)

Ezra 10:1

(1) While Ezra was praying and making confession, weeping and prostrating himself before the House of God, a very great crowd of Israelites gathered about him, men, women, and children; the people were weeping bitterly.

עזרא י׳:י״ח

(יח) וַיִּמָּצֵא֙ מִבְּנֵ֣י הַכֹּהֲנִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר הֹשִׁ֖יבוּ נָשִׁ֣ים נָכְרִיּ֑וֹת מִבְּנֵ֨י יֵשׁ֤וּעַ בֶּן־יֽוֹצָדָק֙ וְאֶחָ֔יו מַֽעֲשֵׂיָה֙ וֶֽאֱלִיעֶ֔זֶר וְיָרִ֖יב וּגְדַלְיָֽה׃

Ezra 10:18

(18) Among the priestly families who were found to have brought foreign women were Jeshua son of Jozadak and his brothers Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah.

Weather forecast is 100% chance of rain...

עזרא י׳:ט׳-י״ג

(ט) וַיִּקָּבְצ֣וּ כָל־אַנְשֵֽׁי־יְהוּדָה֩ וּבִנְיָמִ֨ן ׀ יְרוּשָׁלִַ֜ם לִשְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת הַיָּמִ֗ים ה֛וּא חֹ֥דֶשׁ הַתְּשִׁיעִ֖י בְּעֶשְׂרִ֣ים בַּחֹ֑דֶשׁ וַיֵּשְׁב֣וּ כָל־הָעָ֗ם בִּרְחוֹב֙ בֵּ֣ית הָאֱלֹקִ֔ים מַרְעִידִ֥ים עַל־הַדָּבָ֖ר וּמֵהַגְּשָׁמִֽים׃ (פ)

Ezra 10:9-13

(9) All the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled in Jerusalem in three days; it was the ninth month, the twentieth of the month. All the people sat in the square of the House of God, trembling on account of the event and because of the rains.

Option 1 - literal understanding

רש"י על עזרא י׳:ט׳:ג׳

ומהגשמים. ומן הגשמים היורדים עליהם שם היו רעודים ועלובים:

Rashi on Ezra 10:9:3

and because of the rains And because of the rains that were falling upon them there, they were shivering and miserable.

Option 2 - Rain represents our understanding that Hashem controls the world and we are reliant on rain/G-d

סידור אשכנז, ימי חול, תפילת שחרית, עמידה, גבורות א׳

(א) אַתָּה גִבּוֹר לְעוֹלָם אדושם מְחַיֶּה מֵתִים אַתָּה רַב לְהוֹשִֽׁיעַ:

מַשִּׁיב הָרֽוּחַ וּמוֹרִיד הַגֶּֽשֶׁם:

Siddur Ashkenaz, Weekday, Shacharit, Amidah, Divine Might 1

(1) You are mighty forever,⁷God’s rule of the world is permanent and perpetual.—Causer of the wind to blow and of the rain to fall.

דברים י״א:י״ד-י״ז

(יד) וְנָתַתִּ֧י מְטַֽר־אַרְצְכֶ֛ם בְּעִתּ֖וֹ יוֹרֶ֣ה וּמַלְק֑וֹשׁ וְאָסַפְתָּ֣ דְגָנֶ֔ךָ וְתִֽירֹשְׁךָ֖ וְיִצְהָרֶֽךָ׃ (טו) וְנָתַתִּ֛י עֵ֥שֶׂב בְּשָׂדְךָ֖ לִבְהֶמְתֶּ֑ךָ וְאָכַלְתָּ֖ וְשָׂבָֽעְתָּ׃ (טז) הִשָּֽׁמְר֣וּ לָכֶ֔ם פֶּ֥ן יִפְתֶּ֖ה לְבַבְכֶ֑ם וְסַרְתֶּ֗ם וַעֲבַדְתֶּם֙ אֱלֹקִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֔ים וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוִיתֶ֖ם לָהֶֽם׃ (יז) וְחָרָ֨ה אַף־ה' בָּכֶ֗ם וְעָצַ֤ר אֶת־הַשָּׁמַ֙יִם֙ וְלֹֽא־יִהְיֶ֣ה מָטָ֔ר וְהָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה לֹ֥א תִתֵּ֖ן אֶת־יְבוּלָ֑הּ וַאֲבַדְתֶּ֣ם מְהֵרָ֗ה מֵעַל֙ הָאָ֣רֶץ הַטֹּבָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר ה' נֹתֵ֥ן לָכֶֽם׃

Deuteronomy 11:14-17

(14) I will grant the rain for your land in season, the early rain and the late. You shall gather in your new grain and wine and oil— (15) I will also provide grass in the fields for your cattle—and thus you shall eat your fill. (16) Take care not to be lured away to serve other gods and bow to them. (17) For the LORD’s anger will flare up against you, and He will shut up the skies so that there will be no rain and the ground will not yield its produce; and you will soon perish from the good land that the LORD is assigning to you.

ויקרא כ״ו:ג׳-ד׳

(ג) אִם־בְּחֻקֹּתַ֖י תֵּלֵ֑כוּ וְאֶת־מִצְוֺתַ֣י תִּשְׁמְר֔וּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָֽם׃ (ד) וְנָתַתִּ֥י גִשְׁמֵיכֶ֖ם בְּעִתָּ֑ם וְנָתְנָ֤ה הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ יְבוּלָ֔הּ וְעֵ֥ץ הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה יִתֵּ֥ן פִּרְיֽוֹ׃

Leviticus 26:3-4

(3) If you follow My laws and faithfully observe My commandments, (4) I will grant your rains in their season, so that the earth shall yield its produce and the trees of the field their fruit.

Option 3 - Rain is a litmus test on our relationship with Hashem

זכריה י״ד:י״ז

וְ֠הָיָה אֲשֶׁ֨ר לֹֽא־יַעֲלֶ֜ה מֵאֵ֨ת מִשְׁפְּח֤וֹת הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ אֶל־יְר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם לְהִֽשְׁתַּחֲוֺ֔ת לְמֶ֖לֶךְ ה' צְבָא֑וֹת וְלֹ֥א עֲלֵיהֶ֖ם יִהְיֶ֥ה הַגָּֽשֶׁם׃

Zechariah 14:17

Any of the earth’s communities that does not make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem to bow low to the King LORD of Hosts shall receive no rain.

תענית כ״ג א:ג׳

וְכֵן מָצִינוּ בִּימֵי הוֹרְדוֹס שֶׁהָיוּ עוֹסְקִין בְּבִנְיַן בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ וְהָיוּ יוֹרְדִין גְּשָׁמִים בַּלַּיְלָה לְמָחָר נָשְׁבָה הָרוּחַ וְנִתְפַּזְּרוּ הֶעָבִים וְזָרְחָה הַחַמָּה וְיָצְאוּ הָעָם לִמְלַאכְתָּן וְיָדְעוּ שֶׁמְּלֶאכֶת שָׁמַיִם בִּידֵיהֶם:

Taanit 23a:3

And we likewise found that in the days of Herod that they were occupied in the building of the Temple, and rain would fall at night. And the next day the wind would blow, the clouds would disperse, the sun would shine, and the people would go out to their work. And as rain would fall only at a time when it would not interfere with their labor, the nation knew that the work of Heaven was being performed by their hands.

תענית ז׳ א:ג׳

אָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה גָּדוֹל יוֹם הַגְּשָׁמִים כְּיוֹם שֶׁנִּיתְּנָה בּוֹ תּוֹרָה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר יַעֲרֹף כַּמָּטָר לִקְחִי וְאֵין לֶקַח אֶלָּא תּוֹרָה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר כִּי לֶקַח טוֹב נָתַתִּי לָכֶם תּוֹרָתִי אַל תַּעֲזֹבוּ רָבָא אָמַר יוֹתֵר מִיּוֹם שֶׁנִּיתְּנָה בּוֹ תּוֹרָה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר יַעֲרֹף כַּמָּטָר לִקְחִי מִי נִתְלֶה בְּמִי הֱוֵי אוֹמֵר קָטָן נִתְלֶה בַּגָּדוֹל

Taanit 7a:3

Similarly, Rav Yehuda said: The day of the rains is as great as the day on which the Torah was given, as it is stated: “My doctrine [likḥi] shall drop as the rain” (Deuteronomy 32:2), and lekaḥ means nothing other than Torah, as it is stated: “For I give you good doctrine [lekaḥ]; do not forsake My Torah” (Proverbs 4:2). Rava said: Rainfall is even greater than the day on which the Torah was given, as it is stated: “My doctrine shall drop as the rain,” and when one makes a comparison, which object is made dependent upon which? You must say that the lesser object is dependent upon the greater one. If Torah is compared to rain, it follows that rain is greater than Torah.

So... a summary of the chapters in Sefer Ezra:

1 - Cyrus’ call to ascend and rebuild the Temple

2 - An accounting of those who made aliya (including Mordechai...)

3 - The construction of the foundations - the laughing and crying

4 - The anti-Semitic attempts to block the Temple reconstruction - Haman's 11th son?

5- Chagai and Malachi tell the Jews to keep building and Darius finds Cyrus' decree

6 – The Beit Mikdash is finally built just in time for the Korban Pesach

7 - Ezra, the guardian of the Mesorah, is given permission to make Aliya

8 - Ezra’s aliya and the disappointing turnout, particularly of the Levi'im

9 - Ezra's disappointment and Tefilla

10 - Ezra confronts the intermarriage and starts the Teshuva revolution

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