עזרא, פרק ו׳, פסוק ג׳

During his first year in power, King Cyrus of Persia issued a historic official decree granting permission to rebuild the Temple and outlining the specific conditions for its construction. The formal document opens with a clear directive that the House of God in Jerusalem must be rebuilt. In fact, this identifying phrase functioned as the actual heading of the king's decree [שטיינזלץ]. The primary purpose of this new structure is explicitly defined as a designated location for offering sacrifices [רש״י, רס״ג, מצודות].

The decree also dictates the structural integrity required for the building. There are different perspectives on how this strength was to be achieved. One approach suggests that the walls of the building needed to be exceptionally well founded, strongly connected, and secure [רש״י, רלב״ג]. However, the primary approach among commentators is that this directive refers specifically to the building's foundations. These base structures had to be constructed from massive, heavy stones capable of supporting the immense weight of the entire complex [מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון, אבן עזרא, מלבי״ם].

Finally, the decree establishes precise measurements for the new building, setting both the height and the width at sixty cubits. These dimensions reveal several important details. First, this mandated height actually exceeds that of the First Temple built by Solomon, which stood at only thirty cubits tall [אבן עזרא]. Additionally, the requirement that the height and width be equal was a practical architectural measure designed to ensure the building's stability and prevent it from collapsing [רס״ג]. While the decree specifies the height and width, it notably omits the length of the building. This omission indicates that the length was meant to remain identical to that of the First Temple [אבן עזרא]. Ultimately, the fact that a foreign king set these specific limitations was an act of Divine providence. God guided this process to ensure that the Temple would be constructed exactly according to His intended and proper dimensions [מלבי״ם].