Building of the Second Temple

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In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, when the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah was fulfilled, the LORD roused the spirit of King Cyrus of Persia to issue a proclamation throughout his realm by word of mouth and in writing as follows:

But it was in the citadel of Ecbatana, in the province of Media, that a scroll was found in which the following was written: “Memorandum: In the first year of King Cyrus, King Cyrus issued an order concerning the House of God in Jerusalem: ‘Let the house be rebuilt, a place for offering sacrifices, with a base built up high. Let it be sixty cubits high and sixty cubits wide, with a course of unused timber for each three courses of hewn stone. The expenses shall be paid by the palace. And the gold and silver vessels of the House of God which Nebuchadnezzar had taken away from the temple in…

When the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the LORD God of Israel, they approached Zerubbabel and the chiefs of the clans and said to them, “Let us build with you, since we too worship your God, having offered sacrifices to Him since the time of King Esarhaddon of Assyria, who brought us here.” Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the chiefs of the clans of Israel answered them, “It is not for you and us to build a House to our God, but we alone will build it to the LORD God of Israel…

And the word of GOD through the prophet Haggai continued: Is it a time for you to dwell in your paneled houses, while this House is lying in ruins? Now thus said GOD of Hosts: Consider how you have been faring! You have sowed much and brought in little; you eat without being satisfied; you drink without getting your fill; you clothe yourselves, but no one gets warm; and he who earns anything earns it for a leaky purse. Thus said GOD of Hosts: Consider how you have fared: …

When the builders had laid the foundation of the Temple of the LORD, priests in their vestments with trumpets, and Levites sons of Asaph with cymbals were stationed to give praise to the LORD, as King David of Israel had ordained. They sang songs extolling and praising the LORD, “For He is good, His steadfast love for Israel is eternal.” All the people raised a great shout extolling the LORD because the foundation of the House of the LORD had been laid…

When the seventh month arrived—the Israelites being settled in their towns—the entire people assembled as one man in Jerusalem. Then Jeshua son of Jozadak and his brother priests, and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his brothers set to and built the altar of the God of Israel to offer burnt offerings upon it as is written in the Teaching of Moses, the man of God. They set up the altar on its site because they were in fear of the peoples of the land, and they offered burnt offerings on it to the LORD, burnt offerings each morning and evening…

In the second year of King Darius This was Darius king of Persia, who succeeded Ahasuerus. We find in Midrash Leviticus Rabbah (13:4) that he was Esther’s son. Now, in the days of Cyrus I, Zerubbabel and Joshua the Priest went up from Babylon to Jerusalem with the sanction of Cyrus, as it is said (Ezra 1:3): “Whoever is among you of all His people, etc.” The adversaries of Judah and Benjamin rose up and sent their letters to Cyrus to [have him] ordain that they [Judah and Benjamin] stop the construction of the Temple, which they had commenced; and he gave the order and stopped it…

Rashi on Haggai 1:1:1

And in the first year of Cyrus, the king of Persia This book is arranged as a continuation of the Book of Daniel, as is explained in Baba Bathra (15a), and the word [וּבְשְׁנַת] refers back from this [book] to that one, for it is stated in Daniel (9:2): “In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, contemplated the calculations of the number of the years that the word of the Lord had come to Jeremiah the prophet from the destruction of Jerusalem, seventy years.” And so the entire chapter proceeds to relate [the story] of the destruction of the Temple, the time of the Babylonian exile…

Rashi on Ezra 1:1:1

And they set the altar on its bases in order to offer up sacrifices upon it, because they were afraid of the peoples of the land, lest they taunt them and lest they slander them to the king. And they built the altar to offer up burnt offerings upon it, in order that the peoples hear and understand the matter, that they did it with the sanction of the king and therefore they would hesitate to taunt them about the building of the Temple.

Rashi on Ezra 3:3:1

Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem, inspired by the God of Israel. Thereupon Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak began rebuilding the House of God in Jerusalem, with the full support of the prophets of God. At once Tattenai, governor of the province of Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and their colleagues descended upon them and said this to them, “Who issued orders to you to rebuild this house and complete its furnishing?”…

Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, the governor of Judah, and to the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, and to the rest of the people: Who is there left among you who saw this House in its former splendor? How does it look to you now? It must seem like nothing to you. But be strong, O Zerubbabel—says GOD—be strong, O high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak; be strong, all you people of the land—says GOD—and act! For I am with you—says GOD of Hosts. So I promised you when you came out of Egypt, and My spirit is still in your midst. Fear not!…

Thus said GOD of Hosts: Take courage, you who now hear these words that the prophets spoke when the foundations were laid for the rebuilding of the temple, the House of GOD of Hosts.

that the Temple of the Lord was founded That now for the second time they began to add to the first foundation that they had built in the days of Cyrus. The seed is still in the granary You have not yet sown this year, and the trees have not yet ripened their fruits. From now on you shall sow at a time of blessing, for the building of the Temple will bring blessing into the work of your hands.

Rashi on Haggai 2:18:1-19:1

GEMARA: The Sages taught: One who did not see the Celebration of the Place of the Drawing of the Water, never saw celebration in his life. One who did not see Jerusalem in its glory, never saw a beautiful city. One who did not see the Temple in its constructed state, never saw a magnificent structure. The Gemara asks: What is the Temple building to which the Sages refer? Abaye said, and some say that it was Rav Ḥisda who said: This is referring to the magnificent building of Herod, who renovated the Second Temple.

Herod said to him: I am he. Had I known that the Sages were so cautious I would not have killed them. Now, what is that man’s remedy, i.e., what can I do to repent for my sinful actions? Bava ben Buta said to him: He who extinguished the light of the world by killing the Torah Sages, as it is written: “For the mitzva is a lamp, and the Torah is light” (Proverbs 6:23), should go and occupy himself with the light of the world, the Temple, as it is written with regard to the Temple: “And all the nations shall flow [venaharu] unto it” (Isaiah…

Bava Batra 4a:3

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