נחמיה, פרק י״ג, פסוק ל׳

Nehemiah concludes his efforts by highlighting two major reforms he brought to the people: a spiritual cleansing and a complete reorganization of the Temple service. The spiritual purification was directed at the Jewish people themselves [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. He cleansed the nation from the influence of foreign idolatry by having them swear an oath to God that they would no longer marry foreign women [מצודת דוד].

Only after successfully removing all foreign influence did he move on to the next phase of his leadership, which was establishing the work schedules for the priests and the Levites [מלבי״ם]. This system divided the Temple duties among a large group of people, assigning each individual a specific time to serve. The arrangement functioned as a strict watch, requiring every person to carefully guard their schedule and ensure they arrived exactly at their appointed time without missing it [מצודת ציון]. By organizing these shifts, Nehemiah guaranteed that the priests and Levites would carry out their responsibilities in a permanent, reliable, and highly structured way [מצודת דוד].