The concept of “standing at the right” seems entirely incongruous with the presence of the Satan seeking to “accuse” Yehoshua in Zekharya’s vision. Why does the prophet describe the Satan in these terms, if – whether it refers to the kohen’s sin or his enemies – the Satan clearly seeks his downfall?
The haftara for Shabbat Chanukah is taken from Sefer Zekharya (chapter 3), and tells of the prophet’s vision of Yehoshua ben Yehotzadak. Yehoshua served as the kohen gadol during the time of Ezra, when the Jews returned from Babylonia with the permission of the Persian government to rebuild the Mikdash and renew Jewish life in Eretz Yisrael.
In this vision, Zekharya sees Yehoshua with the Satan “standing at his right to accuse him” (3:1). The Targum identifies this “Satan” as Yehoshua’s sin. The commentaries (Rashi, Metzudat David) explain, based on a verse in Sefer Ezra (10:18), that Yehoshua’s sons married non-Jewish women, and Yehoshua apparently did not work to prevent these marriages. According to the Targum (verse 3), Yehoshua’s sons had married women who were unsuitable for marriage to a kohen, but not gentile women. In any event, this stain on Yehoshua’s record threatened him as he stood before the Almighty in Zekharya’s vision.
Radak and Ibn Ezra suggest a different interpretation, namely, that “Satan” refers here to Sanbalat, the leader of the enemy group that sought to disrupt the Jews’ reconstruction of the Beit Ha-mikdash, as told in Sefer Nechemya (chapter 2). According to these authorities, this vision related to the threat that hovered over the Jews’ heads at the time, and conveyed God’s assurance that the Jews, under the spiritual guidance of Yehoshua, would succeed in their attempts to rebuild the Temple and Jewish life.
Regardless of how one chooses to interpret this prophetic image of the “Satan,” it is worth noting the prophet’s description of the scene: “ve-ha’Satan omeid al yemino le-sitno” – “the Satan was standing by his right to accuse him.” Rav Shlomo Breuer (in Chokhma U-musar), notes that the image of someone standing “by his right” usually refers to assistance and support (as in the common English expression, “his right-hand man”). For example, a famous verse in Tehilim (121:5) reassures the person in distress by declaring, “The Lord is your protector; the Lord is your shadow on your right side.” The concept of “standing at the right” thus seems entirely incongruous with the presence of the Satan seeking to “accuse” Yehoshua in Zekharya’s vision. Why does the prophet describe the Satan in these terms, if – whether it refers to the kohen’s sin or his enemies – the Satan clearly seeks his downfall?
Rav Breuer suggested that, indeed, the constant presence of a “Satan,” an accuser, a hostile enemy ready to cast allegations, has always served as an invaluable source of support for the Jewish people. When we know that others are scrupulously monitoring and evaluating what we do and say, we act and speak differently; we hold ourselves to the strict standards imposed upon us by the “Satans” around us. As Rav Breuer remarked:
The Satan stands at his side in order to hinder him. This is the way it has to be. He who is called upon to represent the sacred Divine cause must face the reality of a Satan at his side. Actually, this Satan is “omeid al yemino”: unconsciously, and against his will, he supports us. The presence of a Satan at every step of the way is designed to strengthen our wakefulness and care, and to keep us on the summit of our task… By hindering us, the Satan actually stands at our right!
It is thus to our benefit that the Satan – in all its various manifestations – hovers over us at all times, ready to accuse, malign, prosecute and find fault. Its constant presence ensures our “wakefulness,” as Rav Breuer described, to our mission as God’s nation, and helps raise us to the high, demanding standard which is our chosen destiny.