The Seventy Years of Exile

נמצאו 9 תוצאות חיפוש

1. Daniel's Prayer

   Part 1

   Rabbi Yaakov Medan

   In the first year of Daryavesh the Mede, Daniel seems to think that the seventy years of exile are complete. Only 52 years have transpired since the destruction of Jerusalem. According to an opinion stated in the Gemara, which is the opinion of most commentators, Daniel was mistaken. It is hard to imagine an eighteen year mistake over a seventy year period. Instead, Daniel’s calculation corresponds to seventy years from Nevukhadnetzar’s rise to power. Yirmiyahu predicted that only a heartfelt prayer with a true, profound seeking of God, coupled with the passing of seventy years, would bring the redemption. This was the significance of Daniel’s prayer.

2. Historical and Prophetic Setting

   Rabbi Menachem Leibtag

   After the seventy years of the Babylonian exile come to an end with the Cyrus declaration, a small number of Jews decide to return to Eretz Yisrael while the majority of Jews choose to stay in Babylon and Persia. The story of the Megillat Esther in Shushan takes place after Cyrus's declaration with those Jews who did not return. 

3. Textual and Thematic Support

   Rabbi Menachem Leibtag

   Several hints in Megillat Esther imply that the sin of Am Yisrael is the abandonment of the mission of returning to Eretz Yisrael and rebuilding the Beit HaMikdash:

   • Parallels between Ahashverosh's Palace and the Beit HaMikdash
   • The use of the term "Birah" - a term used only for the Beit HaMikdash and Shushan
   • 70 days between Haman's letters of destruction and Mordekhai's letters of salvation are reminiscent of the 70 years of exile

4. The Exiles In Babylon

   Rabbi David Sabato

   In the interim period between the exile of Yekhonya and the exile of Yehuda in the days of Tzidkiyahu, a complex situation was created in which there were two Jewish centers: one in Bavel, which included the elite of Jerusalem, and one in Jerusalem, where the poorest of the people of the land remained. There is a king in both centers: Yehoyakhin in Bavel and Tzidkiyahu in Jerusalem. This complex situation raised the question of the status of each center and the relationship between them.

   One perception arises in Bavel among the elders of Israel who come to Yehezkel thinking that the covenant between God and Israel has been annulled and that they should now integrate themselves among the nations.

   In contrast stands the opposite position, expressed primarily in the words of the false prophets, which views the exile as a temporary and fleeting event that will come to a close in the near future.

   Yirmiyahu proposes a third possibility, one that is different and more complex. Yirmiyahu argues that the exile is not a passing event, but rather a significant one. It is a long and extended process for which preparation is necessary. The people must settle into it and build upon it, while knowing that its goal is the return to Eretz Yisrael. Exile is a necessary condition for redemption. However, for the first time, Yirmiyahu also expresses the idea that will accompany exiled Jews for thousands of years – identification with the country in which they are found.

   Historically, the complex picture that Yirmiyahu tried to fix in the nation's consciousness in the exile was not always successfully absorbed. Sometimes, Jews became overly settled in their lands and over-emphasized seeking the peace of exile; occasionally, they strongly opposed their country and preached rebellion. 

5. The Enemy from the North: Nevukhadnetzar's Ascent

   Rabbi David Sabato

6. Babylonian Exile: Fleeting or Enduring?

   Rabbi David Sabato

7. Background of Shivat Tzion

   Rabbi Tzvi Sinensky

   Yirmiyahu predicted that within just seventy years the Babylonian Empire would be humbled and the Jews restored to their homeland.  However, Yirmiyahu alluded to multiple counts of seventy, underscoring the utter opacity of the prophet’s prediction.

   Cyrus was the king who finally fulfilled Yirmiyahu’s prophecy – at least the first count of seventy. Still, the mystery shrouding the end of the seventy years heightens the dramatic irony in the opening of Ezra. The people who had been expelled to Babylonia had not fully anticipated the destruction, preferring to believe the conveniently optimistic message of the false prophets. Those who did arrive were traumatized and had little meaningful hope of redemption. While Yirmiyahu had predicted that the Temple would be rebuilt in relatively short order, it wasn’t entirely clear when exactly it would be rebuilt, by whom and how. There was no meaningful plan in place for a return to Zion. The Jews were just becoming comfortable in their new surroundings as they received news of Cyrus’ proclamation. And so when Cyrus did issue his proclamation, relatively few heeded the call. Those who did return were reproached by Chagai and Zekharia for their apathy, and required constant goading and emphatic leadership to finally complete the Temple.

   It is against this backdrop of unanticipated trauma, unmitigated disaster, renewed comfort and prophetic uncertainty that the period of Shivat Tzion was ushered in. These challenges, and the overall sense of ambivalence, continued to plague the returnees.

8. Introduction to Ezra-Nehemya

   Rabbi Tzvi Sinensky

   As opposed to the conclusion of Sefer Melakhim, Divrei Ha-Yamim sees hope for the future of the Judean Commonwealth. The city can and will be rebuilt and the Davidic line will be restored. In this sense, Ezra-Nehemya represents the fulfillment of Divrei Ha-Yamim’s optimistic vision for the future, and is properly viewed as not only a continuation but even a culmination of that work.

   There can be no question that the dominant personality the first chapter of Ezra is Cyrus himself. Jewish leadership is all but absent. As opposed to the prophets, who were spurned time and again by their Jewish audience, Cyrus’ message is well received. Whereas Yirmiyahu failed miserably in his attempts to goad the people to follow his commands, Cyrus succeeded spectacularly.

   In the prophetic period’s twilight, it is no longer a Jewish prophet who leads the Jews. Now, it is a gentile monarch (Cyrus), a Jewish scholar (Ezra), and a Jewish statesman (Nehemya). Cyrus’ dominance in Ezra-Nehemya’s opening chapter points to a wider motif of Shivat Tzion: the abatement of prophecy is marked by new forms of leadership and new modes for the Jewish people to connect with God.

9. 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.