נחמיה, פרק ה׳, פסוק י״ח

Nehemiah’s leadership is defined by profound personal sacrifice. He took on enormous financial costs to feed the people and the builders, completely waiving his rights as a ruler out of deep consideration for their struggles. The daily preparation of food was a massive undertaking. The sheep provided for these meals are generally understood by most commentators to be choice, healthy animals, though some explain that they were animals already fully prepared and made ready for eating [רש"י]. Dividing the provisions, the oxen and sheep were intended to feed the builders, while the poultry was prepared specifically for Nehemiah himself [רס"ג].

The frequency of these gatherings and the scale of the wine provided present a picture of great abundance. One perspective suggests that these lavish meals took place every single day, with the daily supply of wine being so massive that it could have easily lasted for ten days [רש"י]. Other commentators explain that this grand, festive meal, where the people were served a vast and diverse abundance of wine, was hosted just once every ten days [אבן עזרא, מצודת דוד, שטיינזלץ].

Despite these heavy personal expenses and his own significant needs [רש"י, מצודת דוד], Nehemiah refused to collect the standard governor's allowance, a regular food tax owed to him by virtue of his position [רש"י, שטיינזלץ]. Furthermore, a famine at the time had caused a severe shortage of bread, leaving plenty of meat and wine but very little grain. Although lacking bread was considered undignified for a leader, Nehemiah refused to demand that the people make up the shortage, a stark contrast to the rulers who preceded him [אבן עזרא]. He made this sacrifice because the people were already collapsing under a massive burden. The physical labor of rebuilding the city wall [רש"י], coupled with the heavy taxes demanded by the king [מצודת דוד], left the people with no time to engage in their regular work to earn a basic living. Under such crushing conditions, they simply could not bear the weight of an additional tax to support their governor.