Haftorah Beha’Alotcha
Zechariah 2:14-4:7
First, let’s check out the text with
some commentary by Rashi & Me
Zechariah Chapter 2
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14Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for, behold! I will come and dwell in your midst, says the Lord. |
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15And many nations shall join the Lord on that day, and they shall be My people; and I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the Lord of Hosts sent me to you. |
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And many nations shall join: shall join. |
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16And the Lord shall inherit Judah as His share on the Holy Land, and He shall again choose Jerusalem. |
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And the Lord shall inherit Judah: as His inheritance and His share. |
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17Silence all flesh from before the Lord, for He is aroused out of His holy habitation. |
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Silence all flesh: All the rest of the nations. |
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for He is aroused: An expression [denoting] arousal and awakening. |
Zechariah Chapter 3
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1And He showed me Joshua, the High Priest, standing before the angel of the Lord. And Satan was standing on his right, to accuse him. |
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to accuse him: To accuse him because his sons were married to gentile women, as it is written in the Book of Ezra (10:18): “And it was found of the sons of the priests who had taken foreign wives, of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak, etc.” |
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2And the Lord said to Satan: The Lord shall rebuke you, O Satan; and the Lord shall rebuke you, He who chose Jerusalem. Is this one not a brand plucked from fire? |
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The Lord shall rebuke you, O Satan: The Holy One, blessed be He, shall rebuke you, O you Satan (and then he repeated and said: The Lord shall rebuke you, He who chose Jerusalem Moharaz Margolioth); and He Who rebukes you is the One Who chose Jerusalem, that you shall not enter before Him to accuse this righteous man. Is he not fit, and has he not merited this? For he was saved from the consuming fire. |
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Is this one not a brand plucked from fire?: It is related in the Aggadah of [chapter] Helek Helek (Sanh. 93a) that he [Joshua] was cast into the fire with Ahab son of Kolaiah and his colleague. |
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3Now Joshua was wearing filthy garments and standing before the angel. |
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was wearing filthy garments: This is to be explained according to the Targum: He had sons who had married women who were unfit [to marry into] the priesthood, and he was punished because he did not interfere with the [sons’ marriages]. |
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4And he [the angel] raised his voice and said to those standing before him, saying, "Take the filthy garments off him." And he said to him, "See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I have clad you with clean garments." |
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“Take the filthy garments off him.”: Let his sons separate from their wives, and he will be forgiven. |
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clean garments: A change of beautiful garments; i.e., merits. Since he compared the iniquity to filthy garments, he compares the merit to clean garments; beautiful, white garments. |
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5And I said, "Let them put a pure miter on his head," and they put the pure miter on his head. And they had clothed him with garments while the angel of the Lord was standing. |
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And I said: I, Zechariah. |
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“Let them put a pure miter, etc.”: I begged mercy for him. |
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6And the angel of the Lord warned Joshua, saying, |
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warned: an expression of warning, as in (Deut. 31:28): “And I will warn them before the heaven and the earth.” |
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7So said the Lord of Hosts: If you walk in My ways, and if you keep My charge, you, too, shall judge My house, and you, too, shall guard My courtyards, and I will give you free access among these who stand by. |
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If you walk in My ways, etc.: Then I, too, will do this for you. |
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you, too, shall judge My house: You shall judge and be the officer over My Temple. |
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and I will give you free access: According to the Targum: and when the dead will be resurrected, I will resurrect you; and I will give you walkers who walk among these seraphim. According to its simple meaning, he brings him tidings that his sons will be meritorious in the future. |
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who stand by: Seraphim and ministering angels, who never sit. |
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8Hearken, now, O Joshua the High Priest-you and your companions who sit before you, for they are men worthy of a miracle-for, behold! I bring My servant, the Shoot. |
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you and your companions: They were Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. |
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for they are men worthy of a miracle: [Jonathan renders:] Men worthy to have miracles performed for them, for a miracle was performed for them, too. |
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for, behold! I bring My servant, the Shoot: For now Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, is insignificant in the king’s court, but I will make his greatness burgeon. I will also give him favor in the eyes of the king, so that he will grant [Zerubbabel’s] request for the building of the Temple and the city, as explained in Nehemiah (1:1): “The words of Nehemiah, the son of Hachaliah.” Nehemiah was identical with Zerubbabel, as we say in Sanhedrin (38a). |
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9For, behold the stone that I have placed before Joshua. Seven eyes are directed to one stone. Behold! I untie its knots, says the Lord of Hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. And we remember the single day when HaShem did, indeed bring the nation of Israel into being, |
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For, behold the stone: The foundation of the house that you laid in the days of Cyrus - they stopped you, and that foundation and the thickness of the wall appeared little in your sight, as explained in Ezra (3:12f.) and in the prophecy of Haggai (2:2f.). |
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Seven eyes are directed to one stone: It will eventually be widened seven times as much. And so did Jonathan render: On one stone, seven eyes see it. The expression of עֵינַיִם is an expression of appearances. It appears to me that the seven eyes are because of the eyes of the Holy One, blessed be He in Whose eyes and heart it is [planned] to add seven times as much because of the prophecy similar to this one (4:10): “And they shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel these seven times; the eyes of the Lord they are roving to and fro throughout the land.” This is but to say that He directed His eyes to increase the glory of the Temple in its building. |
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Behold! I untie its knots: I untie its knots I thwart the plot of the enemies who wrote an accusation to stop the work. |
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and I will remove: Heb. ומשתי. |
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in one day: I do not know what day. |
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10On that day, says the Lord of Hosts, you shall call-each man to his neighbor-to come under his vine and under his fig tree. |
Zechariah Chapter 4
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1And the angel who spoke with me returned, and he awakened me as a man who wakes up from his sleep. |
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2And he said to me, "What do you see?" And I said, "I saw, and behold [there was] a candelabrum all of gold, with its oil-bowl on top of it, and its seven lamps thereon; seven tubes each to the lamps that were on top of it. |
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with its oil - bowl on top of it: as in (Josh. 15:19): “The upper springs.” This is an expression for a spring, [hence] a sort of large round bowl. |
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and its seven lamps: A type of vessel into which oil and wicks are inserted. |
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seven tubes each: Seven small tubes come to every lamp, for the oil flows from the bowl through those tubes into each lamp. |
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3And [there were] two olive trees near it; one on the right of the bowl, and one on its left. |
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And [there were] two olive trees near it: Beside it were two trees upon which olives were growing. |
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one on the right of the bowl, one on its left, etc. : Here [the prophet] does not explain about the two golden vats mentioned below in the chapter, which are the sorts of bowls or vats of the oil press. [These vats] stand beside the olive trees. The olives beat themselves into the vats and are heated there as [if] in a vat or pit where olives are generally packed. There they are pressed in the oil press, and the oil falls into the vats, and from the vats into the bowl, and from the bowl into the tubes, and from the tubes into the lamps. The tubes and the lamps number forty-nine, an allusion to the light, for in the future the light of the sun will be sevenfold the light of the seven days forty-nine times the light of a day of Creation. |
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4So I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, "What are these, my lord?" |
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“What are these, my Lord?”: What is this, that the olive trees are picked by themselves, and the oil comes into the lamps by itself? |
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5And the angel who spoke with me answered, and he said to me, "Do you not know what these are?" And I said, "No, my lord." |
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6And he answered and spoke to me, saying, "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, saying: 'Not by military force and not by physical strength, but by My spirit,' says the Lord of Hosts. And it was certainly the L-rd of Hosts Who fought along side & stood before the unimaginably overwhelming forces against us. |
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“This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel”: This is a sign for you to promise Zerubbabel that just as the olives and this oil are finished by themselves in all respects, so will you not build My house with your [own] power or with your [own] strength. |
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but by My spirit: I will place My spirit upon Darius, and he will command you to build and to pay all the building expenses from his [treasury]; and [he will] help you with wheat, wine, oil, and wood, as is explained in Ezra (6, 7): They required no aid from any man. |
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7Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you sink to a plain! He will bring out the stone of the main architect, with shouts of grace, grace to it." |
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Who are you, O great mountain?: You, the princes of the other side of the river Tattenai, the governor of the other side of the river; Shethar Bozenai, and their companions (Ezra 6:6), who have stopped the work until now - from now on you shall be before Zerubbabel as a plain; you have no more ruling power or superiority over him. |
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He will bring out the stone of the main architect: The main architect will take the plummet in his hand to be the main architect at the head of the builders, and they will build everything according to his words [everything] that he will order concerning a beautiful and glorious building. |
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with shouts of grace, grace to it: To that stone, for everyone will say, “How beautiful is this building that was made with this plummet.” [The expression] “shouts of grace” is as (Job 39:7) “the shouts of a driver,” and (Isa. 66:6) “a sound of stirring” both of which are expressions of making a voice heard. |
Now, let’s see what MyJewishLearning.com
have to tell us:
The haftarah for Parashat Beha’alotcha and Shabbat Hanukkah
begins with Zekhariah encouraging the people of Judah to rebuild the Temple that had been destroyed in 586 BCE. Zekhariah prophesied towards the end of the 70 years that separated the destruction of the First Temple from the dedication of the Second Temple.
Many of the nations that surrounded Judah were opposed to the reconstruction of the Temple because they did not want to see Judah rise to power once again. Also, after decades of exile, many Judeans were less than enthusiastic about building another Temple. The haftarah addresses the people of Judah, and more directly Joshua ben Jehozadak, the High Priest, and Zerubbabel, the Judean Governor, appointed by the Persians.
In God’s Courtroom
The bulk of the haftarah is focused on a vision that Zekhariah has in which Joshua ben Jehozadak is in God’s courtroom, defended by an angel of God, and up against an accusing angel, known as Satan.
Joshua is dressed in filthy rags, and the angel of God gives him new, clean clothes and says, “See, I have removed your guilt from you and you shall be clothed in priestly robes” (3:4). The angel tells Joshua that as long as he follows in the ways of God and faithfully conducts God’s work in the Temple, then God will allow him access to angels.
God puts a stone with seven sides before Joshua and explains that it will be engraved, and when it is engraved the guilt of Judah will be removed. On the day that it is engraved God explicates that “you will invite each other to the shade of vines and fig trees” (3:10). This refers to a vision of the prophet Micah (Micah 4:4) of a world without war.
The Hanukkah Connection
In the final section of the haftarah Zekhariah receives a vision of “a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl above it. The lamps on it are seven in number and the lamps above it have seven pipes and by it are two olive trees, one on the right of the one, and one on its left” (4:2). This vision of a menorah , and the thematic rededication of the Temple link Hanukkah to Zekhariah. Parashat Bha’alotkha also contains discussion of a menorah, when God gives instructions for Aaron to light the menorah inside the tabernacle.
Zekhariah does not understand what the menorah represents, and asks for an explanation. God provides an answer, but it is directed at Zerubbabel: “Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit, says the God of heaven’s hosts” (4:6).
Though this, too, is cryptic, commentators have interpreted this as God telling Zerubbabel not to squash his opponents through political counteraction, even though they oppose the rebuilding of the Temple. Rather, the second Temple would be built and rededicated on a foundation of holiness and spirituality.
Now, let’s hear from Chabad.org:
Behaalotecha Haftarah Companion
By Mendel Dubov
Overview
The prophet Zechariah was one of the last biblical prophets (along with Chaggai and Malachi). Living at the time when a group of Jews had just recently returned to Jerusalem and built the Temple, the challenges of the time can be appreciated through the lens of his prophecies. A defining part of the haftarah is his vision of a golden menorah. This is the connection to the portion of Behaalotecha, which begins with the mitzvah of kindling the menorah in the Tabernacle.
The reading begins in a style that can be found in many prophets of that time and before: great days lay ahead for the Jewish people. G‑d would yet fully return His presence to Jerusalem, and on that day not only would the world not oppose G‑dliness, but it would wholeheartedly join forces with G‑d and His chosen people. After this short introduction, however, the text changes course. We begin by reading a description of a heavenly drama quite surreal in nature. Understanding the scene as described firsthand by Zechariah requires some initial background.
The scorched priest
A common ill in the days of prophecy was the phenomenon of false prophets. In the final years before the the Babylonian Exile, there were some very difficult exchanges between true prophets and their false counterparts. Two false prophets of those days were named Achav ben Kolayah and Tzidkiyahu ben Maaseiah. G‑d had told Jeremiah that in the end these individuals would fall into the hands of King Nebuchadnezzar, who would have them burned at the stake. This was to happen “because they committed a disgrace in Israel, and they committed adultery with the wives of their neighbors, and they spoke false things in My name, which I had not commanded them.”
The Talmud relates the story of how this indeed came true:
What did they do? They went to Nebuchadnezzar's daughter. Achav said to her, “So said G‑d, ‘Give yourself unto Tzidkiyahu’”; while Tzidkiyahu said to her, “So said G‑d, ‘Surrender to Achav.’” So she went and told her father, who said to her, “The G‑d of these people hates unchastity. When they again approach you, send them to me.” So, when they came to her, she referred them to her father. “Who told this to you?” he asked of them.
“The Holy One, blessed be He,” replied they. “But I have inquired of Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, who informed me that it is forbidden!”3 They answered, “We too are prophets, just as they are; to them He did not say it, but to us He did.” “Then I desire that you be tested, just as Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah were,” the king retorted. “But they were three, while we are only two,” they protested. “Then choose whom you wish to accompany you,” he said. “Joshua the high priest,” they answered, thinking, “Let Joshua be brought, for his merit is great, and G‑d may protect us.” So he was brought, and they were all thrown into the furnace. They were burned, but as to Joshua the high priest, only his garments were singed.
Back now in the haftarah, we find Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of G‑d, while the Satan is standing on his right side, accusing him. Our sages explain that it was not Joshua who was at fault, but his children. They were among the Jews at the time who had intermarried with the local non-Jewish women. We read extensively in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah that this was a temptation that many Jews could not resist. Satan wanted retribution. G‑d, however, chastises Satan on this very attempt of his: “G‑d shall denounce you, O Satan… is this one not a firebrand rescued from the flames?” Joshua was worthy of G‑d making a miracle for him in causing the fire not to burn him; was this not demonstrative enough of Joshua’s righteousness?!
The verse continues, however, that “Joshua was wearing filthy garments.” True, it was not he who had sinned, but he had not adequately made a stand to discourage his children from doing this. Upon seeing Joshua in this state, the angel calls out to those standing before him, “Take the filthy garments off him.” This statement is understood to be either a promise of Divine aid to his children to give them the strength to separate from these wives, or a confirmation they had indeed done so already.
Zechariah, watching all this unfold, speaks up. He prays for a “pure turban” to be placed on Joshua’s head. The meaning of this request was that Joshua’s high priesthood should continue on to his children and his descendants after them (similar to a crown that would continue on to the son of the ruler). Zechariah’s request was granted. Since his children would (or had already) done teshuvah, a “pure turban” was indeed donned on Joshua.
The angle then proceeded in describing the responsibility the high priesthood carried, and the reward it would come along with it if safeguarded properly. Joshua is also given word of the destined redeemer of the Jewish people, G‑d’s watchful eye over the Temple, and the material and spiritual bounty
that will prevail in time to come.
A golden menorah
“Wake up!” called the angel. As Zechariah awakens in his prophecy, he is shown a pure golden menorah with seven lamps. To each of the lamps there was a tube that was attached to two olive trees that stood above the candelabra. As described in the verses after the haftarah’s ending, the vision also contained a press and vats—the entire process of creating oil. But everything was working smoothly and mechanically without any effort or even intervention: The olives beat themselves off the trees and packed themselves into the vats. From there they made their way into the press to become oil. The oil then poured itself into other vats, then bowls, then into the tubes that poured it into the lamps.
“What is this?” Zechariah asks.
The angel is at first surprised that Zechariah does not understand, but then he explains: Zerubabel was one of the leaders of the Jewish people at the time, and in particular had led the effort to rebuild the Second Temple. (The Talmud identifies him with Nehemiah, the statesman who rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem and set an orderly Jewish life in motion.) What was very unique about the entire endeavor was that not only did they have the backing of Darius, the Persian emperor whose domain included the Land of Israel, but the king had the local tax money used to pay for all the daily needs of the Temple.9 Everything went with such incredible ease, just like the oil being produced for the menorah without any effort.
Indeed, it was “not through armies and not through might” that the Temple was built and maintained, but with the spirit of G‑d that enabled the building and maintenance of the Divine service. Although there were those who tried to put obstacles in the way of the building, these were quickly put at bay: “A great mountain would become to Zerubabel as a plain.”
According to the Targum, the interpretation of this vision was more about a descendant and prototype of Zerubabel: the king Moshiach. The rule of Moshiach will not be one of might and warfare; there will be no need for it. Even his initial adversaries will not succeed in blocking his way. He will rather rule with the spirit of G‑d that not only will infuse the entire world at that time
but will indeed define it.
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