נחמיה, פרק י״ג, פסוק ו׳

A troubling breach of sacred boundaries occurred when Eliashiv the priest provided a room within the courts of the House of God for Tobiah. This severe desecration of the Temple took place entirely without Nehemiah's intervention. He was far away from Jerusalem when these wrongful actions were committed, making it impossible for him to prevent them.

The reason for his absence was tied to his obligations to the crown. After a lengthy stay of twelve years in Jerusalem, Nehemiah had to return to Babylon to resume his duties at the royal court [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This departure happened during the thirty-second year of the reign of Artaxerxes. Although Artaxerxes was the king of Persia, he also held dominion over Babylon and is therefore referred to by that title [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

While the exact duration of his stay at the royal court is not explicitly detailed [מצודת דוד], some estimate that he remained there for about one year [רלב״ג, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Another approach suggests that the king had originally summoned Nehemiah for a strictly defined, pre-arranged period, and his duties concluded at the end of that specific timeframe [מלבי״ם].

Once this period came to a close, Nehemiah formally requested a personal leave of absence from the king to travel back to Jerusalem [מצודת ציון]. With the royal permission granted, he was able to return to the city. Upon his arrival, he witnessed firsthand the severity of the wrongdoing that had transpired while he was gone, allowing him to directly address and correct the desecration of the Temple [מלבי״ם].