Commentary for Zechariah 8:24

I am jealous for her For [not ‘to’] her. And you will not need to fast and to mourn. And so is the end of the chapter: “The fast of the fifth month, etc.”

I am jealous for Zion – This is a reply to the fact that the building of the Second Temple and that redemption were a small thing in their eyes. The prophet said that in truth Zion is very beloved to Me and because of what the Babylonians did to her I was enraged with a great jealousy. I was furiously jealous against the Babylonians for her sake:

So said – This section is a consolation for the future, for the days of the messiah during the war of Gog and Magog which will come upon Jerusalem. Then I will be jealous for her sake and I will pour out great fury upon all the nations that come against her:

I will return to Zion – Behold, I have already brought the exiles back to Zion and I will also dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. This will come to be when you listen to the voice of the Lord, because the essential purpose of that redemption was in order to establish in that sacred location a place prepared for the sake of serving Gd praying before Him that the total redemption occur in their day, as it is written “And it shall come to pass if you hearken to the voice of the Lord your God.” (Zechariah 6:15) This means to say that the total redemption will be in their day if they listen to the voice of the Lord: shall be called – Then you will call Jerusalem the city of truth because at that time her inhabitants will act in truth: and the mount of the Lord of Hosts – This refers to the place of the Temple. It will then be called the holy mountain because the Divine Presence will dwell there:

‘So said the Lord: I will return to Zion,’ My intention is to return to Zion in order that My Presence be established there as it was before. Also ‘and I will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem’ among the people, that My Presence be within them and that prophecy, holiness and all the desirable things which they had in days of old return to them. However, this is on condition – if Jerusalem will be called the city of truth because of the true justice they will administer there between people and the truth and faithfulness with which they speak, and if the mountain of the Lord of Hosts is called the holy mountain because its priests are sanctified to their Gd. I already mentioned above in Zechariah 7:3 in the name of R’ Yitzchak Abravanel that Israel was afraid then that they would be once again sent into exile because of seven things and this prophecy comes to remove them one by one, as the Rav explained. On the first source of concern, which was the fear they felt once they saw that the Divine Presence did not return to the Second Temple, the prophet said that it is possible He will return His Presence to Zion if they improve their actions, to do what is true and to walk in holiness.

So said the Lord – And Jerusalem will be called the city of truth as He promised “The remnant of Israel shall neither commit injustice nor speak lies…” (Tzefaniah 3:13) The same is true for all of the land of Israel, but the verse specified Jerusalem because she is the head of the kingdom. And furthermore because of the mountain of the Lord, the holy mountain which will no longer be profaned by strangers:

because of old age they will require the staff in their hand.

As it will be wonderful in their eyes, the great loving-kindness that I will do for them.

it will also be wonderful in My eyes how I returned from the great wrath. And our Sages expounded on [this phrase], concerning the slaughter of the evil inclination, in tractate Sukkah (52a): it will also be wonderful in My eyes how the righteous will be able to stand up against [the evil inclination] during their lifetime.

Let your hands be strong to build and to complete [the Temple]; and do not fear the people of the land, who are weakening your hands and frightening you from building it, as is related in the Book of Ezra (4:4).

you who hear in these days In the fourth year of Darius

these words of consolations from the mouths of the prophets who prophesied for [the people] - on the day the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid, in the second year of Darius - to begin the work. Those prophets were proven with their words to be true prophets in your eyes; therefore, it is also worthy to rely on them for the words of consolation concerning the present time. And in what way were they proven? For before those days, there was no hire for man, etc. They prophesied for you that when you would begin the work, a blessing would come into the work of your hands; and their words were fulfilled, for now it is not like the early days.

and I did not repent of what I had planned to bring upon you, [or] retract it; but I brought it. Neither will I repent of the good that I have planned for you.

and judgment of peace I.e., compromise.

And let no one think evil of his neighbors He warned them concerning hatred without cause, which brought about the destruction of the Second Temple.

And the word of the LORD — And if you do these things that I command you, says haShem of Hosts, then the fasts about which you asked if you should fast on those days, you will no longer fast, but rejoice on them, from all the good that will be yours.

the fast of the fourth [month] The fast of Tammuz, which is the fourth of the months.

The fast of the fourth — This is Tammuz, when they fasted in exile on the seventeenth of the month, the day that the city was broken into.

the fast of the fifth [month] of Av.

And the fast of the fifth — This is Av, when they fasted on the ninth.

the fast of the seventh [month] The third of Tishri, when Gedaliah was assassinated.

And the fast of the seventh — This is the fast of Gedaliah, as we explained above. And the fast of the tenth — This is the Tenth of Tevet, when the king of Babylon began to besiege Jerusalem.

and the fast of the tenth [month] Of Teveth.

Will be All of these fasts had been kept for the house of Judah during the Second Temple period, because the Ten Tribes had not returned.

And the truth and peace you will love This will happen provided that you love the truth and peace as I commanded you.

shall come – This will intensify so much to the point that many peoples and mighty nations will come, not just individual cities. The primary purpose of their coming will be to seek the Lord, that is to seek out in Jerusalem aspects of true faith and also to pray there before the Lord. All this will be before the time of redemption, when Israel will still be disgraced in their eyes, only Jerusalem will be very lofty to them. Just as this goal is fulfilled now in all its details, in that all the peoples travel to Jerusalem in massive numbers to seek the Lord and to pray there:

ten men from the seventy nations. This equals seven hundred for each corner. For the four corners of the tallith there will be two thousand and eight hundred.