נחמיה, פרק ב׳, פסוק י״ב

Nehemiah begins his critical mission in Jerusalem under a heavy cloak of secrecy. Acting under the cover of darkness, his movements are carefully planned to conceal his true intentions. He is driven by a deep sense of purpose, acting on the specific plans that God inspired in his heart for the benefit and restoration of the city [מצודת דוד].

Venturing out at night ensures absolute privacy for the operation [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Commentators offer different perspectives on the exact reason for this intense concealment. The primary approach among commentators is that Nehemiah wants to keep his plan to rebuild the city walls completely hidden. By doing so, he prevents local enemies from discovering the project and rushing to interfere, an obstacle they indeed attempt to create later on [מלבי״ם]. However, a unique perspective suggests a more tactical and psychological motive directed at the city's own residents. In this view, Nehemiah and his men use the darkness to actively tear down additional sections of the existing walls, creating fresh breaches. The strategy is to alarm the residents the following morning, making them eager and desperate enough to unanimously support his massive rebuilding project [רש״י].

To guarantee the success of this covert mission, Nehemiah takes only a small group of men with him. The men accompanying him do not ride animals; instead, they travel entirely on foot [רש״י, מצודת דוד]. Walking prevents the clatter of hooves, eliminating noise [מלבי״ם] and ensuring their departure from the city remains completely unnoticed [רש״י]. Out of the entire group, Nehemiah is the only one who rides an animal, likely a horse or a mule, moving quietly while his men walk beside him [אבן עזרא, מצודת ציון, רש״י, ביאור שטיינזלץ].