5 Joys, 2 Processions, 1 New Wall

Nehemiah 12:27

Amichai Lau-Lavie (he/him)

May 27, 2025

Nehemiah’s memoir is coming to its end with one more public ritual that celebrates the completion of Jerusalem's surrounding wall. Two processions are set up around the ramparts - likely low enough to be walked on - one led by Ezra, and the other with Nehemiah in the rear. They start together, circle half the city and meet up again, with trumpets and singing, to come full circle as a community.

The processions are accompanied not just be trumpets but also by live music by the levites, who are named, each and every household, along with their instruments:

וּבַחֲנֻכַּ֞ת חוֹמַ֣ת יְרוּשָׁלַ֗͏ִם בִּקְשׁ֤וּ אֶת־הַלְוִיִּם֙ מִכׇּל־מְק֣וֹמֹתָ֔ם לַהֲבִיאָ֖ם לִֽירוּשָׁלָ֑͏ִם לַעֲשֹׂ֨ת חֲנֻכָּ֤ה וְשִׂמְחָה֙ וּבְתוֹד֣וֹת וּבְשִׁ֔יר מְצִלְתַּ֖יִם נְבָלִ֥ים וּבְכִנֹּרֽוֹת׃

At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the Levites, wherever they lived, were sought out and brought to Jerusalem to celebrate a joyful dedication with thanksgiving and with song, accompanied by cymbals, harps, and lyres.

When Ezra began the journey back to Jerusalem he worked hard to find the Levites who will join him. These were the same Levites who sat on the rivers of Babylon and sang sad songs of exile. Now the soundtrack is jubilation.

The music was loud enough to be heard far and wide and the joy was so big - it shows up five times in this description of the communal celebration:

וַיִּזְבְּח֣וּ בַיּוֹם־הַ֠ה֠וּא זְבָחִ֨ים גְּדוֹלִ֜ים וַיִּשְׂמָ֗חוּ כִּ֤י הָאֱלֹהִים֙ שִׂמְּחָם֙ שִׂמְחָ֣ה גְדוֹלָ֔ה וְגַ֧ם הַנָּשִׁ֛ים וְהַיְלָדִ֖ים שָׂמֵ֑חוּ וַתִּשָּׁמַ֛ע שִׂמְחַ֥ת יְרוּשָׁלַ֖͏ִם מֵרָחֽוֹק׃

On that day, they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced, for God made them rejoice greatly; the women and children also rejoiced, and the rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard from afar.

It’s a moving description of a communal celebration - two processions, all ages, music and food - a long awaited for dedication of a new chapter in the nation’s renewal.

But some scholars and readers over the ages wondered why the word ‘joy’ is mentioned so many times. Is the memoir protesting too much? Was it all joy or was there also grumbling? There were plenty of tensions between the locals and the elites, a popular opposition to the leaderships’ demand to divorce foreign wives, and even the recent lottery to populate Jerusalem - since few chose to do so in the first place.

And there’s one more factor that may have caused some concern - even while the music was playing by the Levites and the altars were sizzling with sacrificial meat for all to enjoy. Who is paying for all that??

The people, that’s who. The chapter ends with a reminder of the system established with the first generation of those returning to Zion two generations earlier:

וְכׇל־יִשְׂרָאֵל֩ בִּימֵ֨י זְרֻבָּבֶ֜ל וּבִימֵ֣י נְחֶמְיָ֗ה נֹ֥תְנִ֛ים מְנָי֛וֹת הַמְשֹׁרְרִ֥ים וְהַשֹּׁעֲרִ֖ים דְּבַר־י֣וֹם בְּיוֹמ֑וֹ וּמַקְדִּשִׁים֙ לַלְוִיִּ֔ם וְהַ֨לְוִיִּ֔ם מַקְדִּשִׁ֖ים לִבְנֵ֥י אַהֲרֹֽן׃

And in the time of Zerubbabel, and in the time of Nehemiah, all Israel contributed the daily portions of the singers and the gatekeepers, and made sacred contributions for the Levites, and the Levites made sacred contributions for the Aaronites.

Even if the people were passionate about the temple and its upkeep - it must have been quite an expense and with all their taxes to the Persian empire - amounted to a lot. The joy that was recorded during the festive celebration of the new wall was likely real and a needed relief from the daily grind of building and safety, hard work and heavy taxes.

Yet what is also hidden here beneath the surface of a community coming together to feast and rejoice?

The answer waits in the next and final chapter, bringing together the final accomplishments of Nehemiah, the lingering issues and some tribal tensions that will only get more troublesome - some even lasting till today.

But at the end of the day - let the joy linger, women and children, young and old - we pray today that once again there will be joy in the land and all the lands everywhere - real joy, despite the differences and battles — the fruit of faithful trust and brave peace —- heard from afar, like love and like music — instead of the sounds of sirens and bombs.

Below the Bible Belt: 929 chapters, 42 months, daily reflections.

Become a free or paid subscriber and join Rabbi Amichai’s 3+ years interactive online quest to question, queer + re-read between the lines of the entire Hebrew Bible. Enjoy daily posts, weekly videos and monthly learning sessions. 2022-2025.

Become a Paid Subscriber? Thank you for your support!

#Nehemiah #BookofNehemiah

#hebrewbible #כתובים #Ketuvim #Bible #Tanach #929 #נחמיה #עזרא #ספרנחמיה#שיבתציון #labshul #belowthebiblebelt929

#Nehemiah12

#TheSecondTemple #persianempire #Yehud #rebuildingJerusalem #Ezra-Nehemiah #Jerusalewalls #resettlingJerusalem #urbanplanning #levites #musicbringsjoy #joy! #publicfunding #templetaxes #happineswins #danceon

#peace #prayforpeace #nomorewar #stopthewarnow

Below the Bible Belt

5 Joys, 2 Processions, 1 New Wall

Nehemiah 12:27

The processions are accompanied not just be trumpets but also by live music by the levites, who are named, each and every household, along with their instruments:

At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the Levites, wherever they lived, were sought out and brought to Jerusalem to celebrate a joyful dedication with thanksgiving and with song, accompanied by cymbals, harps, and lyres.

Nehemiah 12:27

When Ezra began the journey back to Jerusalem he worked hard to find the Levites who will join him. These were the same Levites who sat on the rivers of Babylon and sang sad songs of exile. Now the soundtrack is jubilation.

The music was loud enough to be heard far and wide and the joy was so big - it shows up five times in this description of the communal celebration:

On that day, they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced, for God made them rejoice greatly; the women and children also rejoiced, and the rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard from afar.

Nehemiah 12:43

It’s a moving description of a communal celebration - two processions, all ages, music and food - a long awaited for dedication of a new chapter in the nation’s renewal.

And there’s one more factor that may have caused some concern - even while the music was playing by the Levites and the altars were sizzling with sacrificial meat for all to enjoy. Who is paying for all that??

The people, that’s who. The chapter ends with a reminder of the system established with the first generation of those returning to Zion two generations earlier:

And in the time of Zerubbabel, and in the time of Nehemiah, all Israel contributed the daily portions of the singers and the gatekeepers, and made sacred contributions for the Levites, and the Levites made sacred contributions for the Aaronites.

Nehemiah 12:47

Yet what is also hidden here beneath the surface of a community coming together to feast and rejoice?

The answer waits in the next and final chapter, bringing together the final accomplishments of Nehemiah, the lingering issues and some tribal tensions that will only get more troublesome - some even lasting till today.

Discussion about this post