נחמיה, פרק ג׳, פסוק א׳

The monumental task of rebuilding Jerusalem's walls begins not just as a construction project, but as a deeply spiritual mission. Led by the High Priest and his fellow priests, the first phase of the restoration merges physical labor with sacred purpose. The priests take responsibility for a well-known entrance of the era called the Sheep Gate [רש"י, מצודת ציון]. Positioned in the middle of the eastern wall, it stood directly facing the House of God [מלבי"ם]. Its name derived from its specific function as the designated passageway for bringing sheep intended for sacrifices into the city [רלב"ג, ביאור שטיינזלץ], particularly firstborn animals and other sacred flocks [ר' סעדיה גאון].

The priests did more than simply reconstruct this entrance; they actively sanctified it. The primary approach among commentators is that this was a verbal declaration, formally extending the holiness of Jerusalem to include the gate and elevating its spiritual status [רש"י, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ, אבן עזרא]. This special sanctity was fitting because the gate directly faced the House of God [מלבי"ם] and served as the daily route for holy offerings. This spiritual elevation stands in contrast to the other gates of the city, which were merely completed with physical wooden beams [ר' סעדיה גאון]. Alternatively, some understand this sanctification in a practical sense, referring to the physical preparation and repair of the structure. In this view, the priests readied the entrance for use by building the adjacent walls on either side and setting up its doors [רלב"ג].

Moving forward, the priests continued building the wall northward toward the Tower of the Hundred, extending their act of sanctification all the way to the Tower of Hananel [מצודת דוד, מלבי"ם]. The Tower of the Hundred was the established name of this location [רש"י]. Historically, it may have been an ancient structure built during the era of the Judean kings, originally designed to house a specific unit of one hundred men [רלב"ג]. Another unique perspective suggests that the name actually alludes to the Great Synagogue in Jerusalem, earning its title because the congregation gathered there would answer "Amen" one hundred times each day [ר' סעדיה גאון].