זכריה, פרק ה׳, פסוק ב׳

A massive, airborne scroll carrying a severe curse serves as a prophetic warning directed at a generation steeped in dishonesty. The vision targets the prophet's contemporaries, an era when, as recorded in the Book of Ezra, the community was plagued by widespread theft and the swearing of false oaths. The prophet witnesses an enormous, flying scroll [ביאור שטיינזלץ] that delivers a divine punishment specifically for these transgressions. These two crimes are deeply connected, as the initial act of stealing inevitably drives the thief to take a false oath to cover their tracks [רד״ק].

The specific dimensions of this flying scroll are highly deliberate. Commentators generally agree that its exact measurements directly connect the scroll to the Temple originally built by King Solomon. Some explain that the scroll appeared fully unrolled as it emerged from the Temple's outer hall, which shared these exact dimensions, even though the physical building lay in ruins at the time [אבן עזרא, רד״ק]. A similar perspective suggests that the scroll's size perfectly mirrors the entrance of the sanctuary from which it came forth [מלבי״ם]. Alternatively, other scholars identify these measurements as belonging to the Holy of Holies itself. This connection carries an ominous message, warning that when God brings disaster upon the sinners, the Temple itself will face destruction [מצודת דוד].