Welcome back to NachDaily as we finish the entire Tanach with the last chapter, Nechemiah 13.

[May this segment be a merit for the aliyas neshamos of Raizel bas Moshe, Avraham Aharon ben Yisroel Yitzchok, and Refael ben Yehoshua Falek.]

We began NachDaily in 2015 with sefer Yehoshua and have been little by little, day by day, exploring the words of Chazal and connecting to the great leaders, Neviim and tzaddikim of yesteryear. I thank Hashem for allowing NachDaily to grow to thousands of listeners and readers word wide.

On a personal note, so much work went into these short shiurim on Nevii and Kesuvim. I am grateful for the opportunity to be able to teach them to so many in this user friendly way. So much Torah has been learned, as the approximately 1,000 classes have covered every sefer. I am looking forward to taking NachDaily to the next level by publishing seforim with the transcripts of the classes and building a website for everyone to be able to access the information, further opening up Nach for the world at large.

Today, unfortunately, most people don’t learn much Nach, but Baruch Hashem we have been able go through the books one by one.

Most of Nach has to do with Eretz Yisrael. The Jews are on the land, off the land, back on the land, etc. The end of Nechemiah finishes the period in history called Shivas Tzion, the returning of Am Yisrael to its homeland. Be’H, when Mashiach comes, there will be another book of Nach containing all of our stories as well, how we once more began to return to the land which was promised to Avraham at the Bris Bein Habesarim and which Nechemiah worked so hard to rebuild.

After 2,000 years of exile, we see the return which is an obvious sign of the process of redemption. We have yeshivas, homes, supermarkets, public transportation, roads, a complete infrastructure

which keeps growing in order to house our holy nation as we prepare to usher a new world order with the revelation of Mashiach ben Dovid.

Now for the perek, wherein we learn how Nechemiah tirelessly worked on behalf of Am Yisrael to make physical and spiritual repairs to the Beis Hamikdash and the Jewish people.

On the day that the walls of Yerushalayim were dedicated, they took out the Torah and read from sefer Devorim. The passage was read which says they should not marry anyone from Amon or Moav because these people did not greet Am Yisrael with bread and water and they hired Bilaam to curse us.

Immediately upon hearing this, anyone who had married someone from Amon and Moav separated from them. The Malbim is quick to point out that apparently there were still indigenous Moavites and Ammonites living in Eretz Yisrael at that time.

This was a final sifting out of the sparks of Kedusha from the klipos, negative forces, by banishing those which were then still attached to Am Yisrael.

At this point the chapter changes the subject to speak about the earlier event which first prompted Nechemiah to make the rally.

When Nechemiah had gone back to the Babylonian king to honor him, he had put Elyashiv, the Kohen Gadol, in charge of the Beis Hamikdash and its storehouses. Elyashiv acted inappropriately by granting Toviah the Amoni access to the food, wood, and oil of the Beis Hamikdash. Although not Jewish, Toviah was closely related to Elyashiv Kohen Gadol through intermarriage. Toviah had used this relationship to “get his foot in the door” of the Beis Hamikdash.

When Nechemiah arrived back in Yerushalayim, he was greatly angered by the favoritism shown to Toviah. He discarded all of Toviah’s possessions. Nehemiah ordered the Beis Hamikdash and Tovia’s chambers to be purified.

Nechemiah learned that the Leviim had been neglected; their portions of food had not been distributed to them. Nechemiah criticized the leaders he had put in charge of management. “Why was the house of God neglected?”

Nechemiah worked hard to replenish the Beis Hamikdash of its depleted resources and restore order and proper leadership. He asked God to remember how hard he had worked on His behalf.

Next Nechemiah went on to restore the Kedusha of Shabbos. He saw that Sabbath observance was at a low, with merchants coming and going on that day in Yerushalayim. He again criticized the leaders, reminding them that we had already been ejected from the land because our ancestors didn’t keep Shabbos. Did they want God to punish them again?

As Shabbos was approaching, Nechemiah ordered the gates of Yerushalayim to be closed. No one was allowed in to sell merchandise or food. Anyone who wanted to come into Yerushalayim for commerce was forced to sleep outside the city walls. This sent a message for people to stop coming to sell on Shabbos.

The end of the chapter describes how Nechemiah worked to counter assimilation. Since so much intermarriage had taken place, people had begun to forget how to speak Hebrew and were speaking the language of the Amonites and Moavites. Nechemiah spoke against this, warning of assimilation and its perils.

Nechemiah ended with a tefilah in which he described how he tried to restore the Kohanim and Leviim, save the nation from intermarriage, make sure the korbanos were being offered properly, and established the bikkurim to be brought to be eaten in Yerushalayim.

Tanach ends with Nechemiah’s words, “Zachra li Elokei l’tova, Hashem remember me for the good.”

With this we finish NachDaily and Tanach!

Mazel tov to everyone. Please stay tuned for details of the virtual

siyum which I hope you’ll be able to join.

May we merit Hashem remembering us for the good, bringing our nation to the day when all will realize the truth of God, His Torah, Am Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael.

Thank you for listening and have a wonderful day!