עזרא, פרק ג׳, פסוק ב׳

The leaders of the returning exiles, representing both the priesthood and the royal line, unite to renew the sacrificial worship of God long before the physical Temple is rebuilt. Leading this effort are Jeshua, who served as the High Priest, and Zerubbabel, the prince descending from the royal lineage of Jehoiachin [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Zerubbabel's name serves as a historical marker, reflecting that the people had been living in the Babylonian exile [אבן עזרא]. Although he is identified as the son of Shealtiel, Shealtiel was not his biological father. Some explain that Zerubbabel was actually his grandson [מצודת דוד]. Others suggest that Shealtiel was an uncle who raised and nurtured him, as it is common in biblical history for children to be associated with the person who raised them [אבן עזרא].

By constructing the altar, these leaders establish a fundamental principle of Jewish law: sacrifices can be brought to God on the altar even when the Temple building itself lies in ruins [רלב״ג]. Their immediate goal is to resume the daily, continuous burnt offerings [מצודת דוד].

The historical account is highly precise in noting that they brought only burnt offerings and no other types of sacrifices. Because the Temple was still destroyed at that time, the newly built altar held the legal status of a public high place. Under these specific rules, the people were permitted to bring only mandatory sacrifices that had a fixed time and shared characteristics with voluntary individual offerings, such as the daily and holiday burnt offerings. They were strictly forbidden from bringing sin offerings, guilt offerings, the special goats of the holidays, Yom Kippur sacrifices, or meal offerings. Thus, the actions of the leaders perfectly mirror the legal restrictions of that era, ensuring that only permitted burnt offerings were brought to God [מלבי״ם].