Zekharya's Prophecies

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Zechariah 1-2
Matan Al Haperek
Rabbi David Sabato
The prophet Zechariah lived and prophesied in the early days of the Second Temple. His prophecies mention the prominent figures of his generation – Chaggai, Zerubavel, and Yehoshua the high priest. Zechariah’s first prophecy, in perek 1, was given two weeks after Chaggai called for the building of the Temple, and his last prophecy was given about two years later. Like Chaggai, Zechariah encouraged the building of the Temple- in his own unique prophetic style. The book of Zechariah is divided into two distinct sections- 1-8 and 9-14. The unique character of Zechariah’s prophecy is prominent in the first section in which we are presented with a series of exceptional prophetic visions seen by Zechariah, with prophecies interposed between them. The second section of the book has visions which are mostly about the fate of the nations of the world.
The Haftara for Shabbat Hanukka - God's Promise to Restore the Shekhina
Rabbi David Silverberg
Zerubavel and the Menorah
Rabbi David Silverberg
Zechariah 7-8
Matan Al Haperek
Rabbi David Sabato
With the building of the Second Temple and the end of the seventy years of exile, the people began to wonder how to relate to the fast days which were decreed after the destruction of the First Temple. Perek 7 begins with a description of the arrival of a delegation, apparently from the Babylonian exile, to the priests and prophets in Jerusalem in order to ask about one of the fast days (7:1-3). Zechariah’s answer includes several short prophecies which are based on quotes from earlier prophecies of the “former prophets”, mostly from Yirmiyahu. At the beginning and again at the end Zechariah addresses the question of the status of the fast days directly, and in the middle he reviews the past and remembers the early prophecies of doom and then the prophecies of consolation. These prophecies are presented in a chiastic structure and together are designed to deal with this question.
Zechariah 9-10
Matan Al Haperek
Rabbi David Sabato
The first unit in perek 9 includes a prophecy about the cities of the enemy to the North (1-8). At the center of the perek we find a wonderful and unique vision of the future arrival of the king to Jerusalem, bringing peace to the entire world (9-10). The perek ends with the redemption of the nation and the ingathering of the exiles, and tells of the blessing and prosperity which will come to Israel (11-17).

Perek 10 begins with the nation crying out to ask for rain from God, and not from the pagan gods (1-2). The bulk of the chapter is devoted to a prophecy of the victory of the house of Yehuda and the house of Yosef, which are compared to a war horse which defeats its enemies (3-7). In the last section (8-12) the ingathering of the exiles and the defeat of the superpowers, Assyria and Egypt, are described.
Zekharya: Spiritual Visionary
Rabbi Tzvi Sinensky
Haggai and Zekharya, while radically different – Haggai is straightforward and political, Zekharya quasi-mystical and spiritual – can in fact be seen as two sides of the same coin. Similar to Haggai, Zekharya’s message says that while things may appear grim at present, in the long run they will turn around dramatically. However, while Haggai calls for the Jews to roll up their sleeves and begin the work. Zekharya cries for repentance, suggesting that the rebuilding of Jerusalem will materialize regardless. Throughout Zekharya, the Jews’ role is to strive in matters of spirituality, and God will take care of the rest.

Jerusalem will be so expansive that it will not be able to contain its population with walls. The expansive nature of the city is, of course, in sharp contrast to the meager numbers that plagued the community of returnees.

God commands the Jews of Babylonia that the exile has ended, and they must now return to the holy city of Jerusalem. Eventually, the other nations will join the Jews in worshipping God in Jerusalem.
Sefer Zekharya: Optimistic Visions
Rabbi Tzvi Sinensky
Yehoshua, the Kohen Gadol is a survivor who has returned to lead his people in the service of the Temple that had been destroyed. Despite his imperfections, Yehoshua is appointed to a prominent position due to this status as a survivor.

Like Yehoshua, the people are perhaps not fully innocent and worthy. Still, just as in the high priest’s poignant story, they are all deserving of consolation after the trauma they have endured. Therefore, God will ensure the success of their endeavors.

As in the imagery of the rock, the seven-pronged menora indicates that God’s providence will ensure the success of the rebuilding. Once again, as opposed to Haggai, Zekharya’s message is not an instruction to build, but that the project will succeed. Despite its humble start, no one should “scorn a day of small beginnings.” The method for achieving those steps is not by military might, but through spirituality.

The olive trees would appear to signal the durability of Zerubavel and Yehoshua’s leadership. God’s eyes will watch over the community and its leaders, ensuring the survival of the imperiled community.
Obscure Reveries
Rabbi Tzvi Sinensky
Anyone who steals the Temple’s materials or otherwise defiles the holy house will be cursed. All this refers to the Jews’ enemies, who seek to stifle the Jews’ attempts to build the Temple by way of theft and any other means possible. Their end, hints the prophecy, will be that of curse and failure.

The appointment of multiple leaders without a clear hierarchy is generally a recipe for disaster. The prophecy predicts that despite the potential for tension, Yehoshua and Zerubavel will cooperate peaceably. The Hasmoneans acted contrary to the spirit of this prophecy.

Zekharia transitions to an uplifting messianic vision depicting the old and young flourishing in the streets of Jerusalem. He concludes, all the fasts associated with the destruction of the Mikdash will be transformed into joyous occasions.

Whereas at the beginning of the sefer the prophet presents repentance as a necessary precondition for the Jews to receive Divine reward, by the end of the eighth chapter, the two appear to have been disentangled from one another. Certainly the Jews are required be righteous. Still, the simple reading of our chapter indicates that the salvation will be forthcoming whether or not the Jews follow God’s word.