Welcome back to another episode of NachDaily, as with great excitement we begin the 1st chapter of Ezra. The main topic in this chapter is how King Cyrus, AKA Koresh, gave the Jews permission to make Aliyah back to Eretz Yisrael.

In the 1st year of the rule of Cyrus of Persia, Hashem allowed the prophecy of Yirmiya Hanavi to be fulfilled. We’ve mentioned this famous prophecy many times through our learning of Nach. Yirmiya, 29:10, had a nevuah that the Jews would return to Eretz Yisrael after 70 years of exile.

This was also one of the last topics of sefer Doniel, where he calculated the 70 years. Rashi and other Meforshim explain that sefer Ezra picks up where Doniel left off.

Rav Schwab asks what aroused Cyrus’s heart to return the land back to the Jews. He explains, as we have learned, that Doniel was already 2nd in command to Cyrus, and was his most trusted advisor.

Rav Schwab continues to explain that Doniel had told Cyrus about Yeshaya Hanavi’s prophecy that had taken place about 160 years prior to their era. Yeshaya Hanavi had foreseen that there would be a king by the name of Cyrus who would return the Jews to Eretz Yisrael. Cyrus was so impressed that he had a change of heart, which led to the events in this sefer. For further information on this, listen to the NachDaily archives on Sefer Yeshaya, chapters 44 and 45.

On a different note, the Ramad Walli explains that Koresh was a Melech kosher, a kosher king, as the letters of his name, rearranged, spell Kosher. As we explained in Sefer Doniel, Nevuchadnetzer was considered the Rosh – Head, of all the klipos, spiritual impeding negative forces. Koresh was able to repair the damage done by Nevuchadnetzer by bringing a spiritual tikkun to the throne.

The harsh judgments on Am Yisrael had now reached their end. It had become time for Hashem to remember His nation and redeem them by bringing them back into Eretz Yisrael.

The Ramad Walli notes that “Lev melachim b’yad Hashem – the hearts of kings are in the hands of God.” God influenced the mind of the King to bring about these great events.

King Cyrus declared that Hashem had given him total rule over the earth and had let him know that He wanted him to build the Beis Hamikdash, a House for Him. Cyrus told the entire Jewish nation that whoever wanted to be part of the rebuilding of the House for Hashem in Yerushalayim was free to go. Anyone who couldn’t afford to make Aliyah would receive a stipend and their expenses for the journey to settle the land would be paid.

At that time, the heads of the families of Yehudah and Binyamin, the

Kohanim and Leviim, prepared to leave for Eretz Yisrael.

In addition, King Cyrus brought out all the vessels of the original Beis Hamikdash, which Nevuchadnetser had looted, to be returned to Am Yisrael. These vessels were handed over to Sheshbazzar, Prince of Yehudah, to inventory.

We learnt in Sefer Doniel that King Belshatzar had used many vessels of the Beis Hamikdash for avoda zarah, but it seems that the ones that were returned were not those used at that time.

The rest of the perek lists the inventory: 30 gold basins, 1,000 silver basins, 29 knives, 30 gold sacrificial basins, 410 supplementary silver sacrificial basins and 1,000 other vessels. In all 5,400 gold and silver vessels from the 1st Beis Hamikdash were returned to Sheshbazzar and brought up to Yerushalayim.

Stay tuned to the next episode of NachDaily, when we’ll be learning more about the families who made the 1st Aliyah.

Thank you for listening, and have a wonderful day.