Chaggai 2 | The Day the Temple Was Founded

The first prophecy in the chapter addresses those who had seen the First Temple before its destruction: “Who is there still among you who saw this House in its first glory?” — they are disappointed by the Temple currently being built, which doesn’t come close to the splendor of the First Temple: “As you see it now, it must seem like nothing to you” (2:3).

The reality this prophecy refers to is explicitly described in Sefer Ezra. There, in the account of the building of the Temple, the verses describe the emotional storm surrounding the founding of the Second Temple: “When many of the older priests, Levites, and family heads who had seen the first House upon its foundations laid their eyes on this House, they wept with loud voices, while the crowds raised their voices in a shout of joy” (Ezra 3:12). On the one hand, there was joy over the building of the Temple, but on the other — those who remembered the First Temple wept over the way the Second Temple was built, which disappointed them.

The prophecy in our chapter addresses the builders of the Second Temple and encourages them: “For Mine is the silver and Mine the gold; the Lord of Hosts has spoken. The glory of this latter House will be greater than the glory of the first, says the Lord of Hosts, and I will bestow peace upon this place. The Lord of Hosts has spoken” (2:8–9). This prophecy of encouragement can be understood in two ways. One explanation is that the prophet tells the people: there may not be splendor now, but it’s good that the people are starting to build using what they currently have. God is with you, and in time, there will be greater glory — of silver and gold. Alternatively, it can also be understood that God is saying “Mine is the silver and Mine the gold” — therefore, what matters in the Temple is not how much silver and gold it contains. The Temple’s glory is measured differently. Perhaps the simplicity of the current building serves as a correction to the excessive grandeur of the previous one. If they succeed in building this way, in the end, the glory of this House will be even greater than that of the First Temple.

The second prophecy in the chapter is given on an important date — the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month — which is the day the Lord’s Temple was founded (2:18). Interestingly, the date of the founding of the Second Temple is the 24th of Kislev. Rav Yoel Bin-Nun has suggested that this detail may serve as an early basis for the holiday of Hanukkah, which commemorates the purification of the Temple and its rededication in the time of the Chashmonaim.

Chaggai marks the day of the founding of the Temple as a moment that will serve as a turning point in agriculture. In the previous chapter, Chaggai told the people that because they had neglected to build the Temple, farmers were working hard but reaping little. Now Chaggai notes that from this day on, following the founding of the Temple, everyone will see how agricultural blessing will return: “Pay heed: From this day forward… Is the seed still in the storehouse? Even the vine, fig, pomegranate, and olive tree have not borne fruit. But from this day on, I will bless you” (2:18–19).