Rashi explains the opening of Ezra by identifying Cyrus’s proclamation as the beginning of the return from exile and the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy. His comments clarify the historical and prophetic significance of the return.
וּבִשְׁנַת אַחַת לְכוֹרֶשׁ מֶלֶךְ פָּרַס. סֵדֶר סֵפֶר זֶה סָדוּר וּמָשׁוּךְ אַחַר סֵפֶר דָּנִיֵּאל כַּמְפֹרָשׁ בְּבָבָא בַּתְרָא (בבא בתרא טו.), וְהַמִּלָּה מוּסֶבֶת מִזֶּה לָזֶה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בְּדָנִיֵּאל בִּשְׁנַת אַחַת לְמָלְכוֹ ״אֲנִי דָנִיֵּאל בִּינֹתִי בַּסְּפָרִים מִסְפַּר הַשָּׁנִים אֲשֶׁר הָיָה דְבַר ה׳ אֶל יִרְמְיָה הַנָּבִיא לְמַלֹּאות לְחָרְבוֹת יְרוּשָׁלַיִם שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה״ (דניאל ט:ב), וְכֵן הוֹלֶכֶת וּמְסַפֶּרֶת כָּל הַפָּרָשָׁה בְּחֻרְבַּן הַבַּיִת וּזְמַן גָּלוּת בָּבֶל וְאֶת וִדּוּיוֹ אֲשֶׁר הִתְוַדָּה עַל חַטַּאת יִשְׂרָאֵל. וּתְחִלַּת סֵדֶר סֵפֶר זֶה כָּךְ הוּא, שֶׁלְּאַחַר שֶׁנֶּהֱרַג בֵּלְשַׁצַּר מָלַךְ דָּרְיָוֶשׁ הַמָּדִי שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״וְדָרְיָוֶשׁ מָדָאָה קַבֵּל מַלְכוּתָא וְגוֹמֵר״ (דניאל ו:א), וּלְאַחַר מִיתַת דָּרְיָוֶשׁ מָלַךְ כּוֹרֶשׁ זֶה מֶלֶךְ פָּרַס, וּבִשְׁנַת אַחַת לְמָלְכוֹ הֻשְׁלְמוּ שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה לִפְקִידַת גָּלוּת בָּבֶל מִיּוֹם שֶׁגָּלָה יְהוֹיָקִים שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״לְפִי מְלֹאת לְבָבֶל שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה אֶפְקֹד אֶתְכֶם וְגוֹ׳״ (ירמיהו כט:י), שֶׁחָזְרוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל מִגָּלוּת בָּבֶל לְאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל וּבְאוֹתָהּ שָׁנָה בִּשְׁנַת אַחַת לְכוֹרֶשׁ יָסְדוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל יְסוֹד בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ, וְצָרֵי יְהוּדָה וּבִנְיָמִין הִלְשִׁינוּ עֲלֵיהֶם לְכוֹרֶשׁ מֶלֶךְ פָּרַס וְצִוָּה לְבַטֵּל הַמְּלָאכָה, שֶׁלֹּא לִבְנוֹת עוֹד בִּנְיַן בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ וְהָיוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּטֵלִים שֶׁלֹּא בָנוּ הַבַּיִת כָּל מַלְכוּת כּוֹרֶשׁ וַאֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ שֶׁמָּלַךְ אַחֲרָיו עַד שְׁנַת שְׁתַּיִם לְמַלְכוּת דָּרְיָוֶשׁ בֶּן אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ מֶלֶךְ פָּרַס, שֶׁהוּא דָּרְיָוֶשׁ בֶּן אֶסְתֵּר, וּבִשְׁנַת שְׁתַּיִם לְמַלְכוּתוֹ הִתְחִילוּ לִבְנוֹת בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ עַד אֲשֶׁר הֻשְׁלַם הַבִּנְיָן, וּמִשְּׁנַת אַחַת לְכוֹרֶשׁ עַד שְׁנַת שְׁתַּיִם לְדָרְיָוֶשׁ בֶּן אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ מֶלֶךְ פָּרַס שֶׁנִּבְנָה הַבַּיִת בְּיָמָיו הָיוּ שְׁמוֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה, לְקַיֵּם מַה שֶּׁנֶּאֱמַר ״לְמַלֹּאות לְחָרְבוֹת יְרוּשָׁלַיִם שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה וְגוֹ׳״ (דניאל ט:ב), וְעַכְשָׁיו בִּשְׁנַת שְׁתַּיִם לְדָרְיָוֶשׁ הֻשְׁלְמוּ שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה לְמַלֹּאות לְחָרְבוֹת יְרוּשָׁלַיִם חֻרְבַּן הַבַּיִת שֶׁגָּלָה צִדְקִיָּהוּ. וּמִגָּלוּת יְהוֹיָקִים עַד גָּלוּת צִדְקִיָּהוּ שֶׁנֶּחֱרַב הַבַּיִת הָיוּ שְׁמֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה, וְעַכְשָׁיו בִּשְׁנַת אַחַת לְכוֹרֶשׁ מֶלֶךְ פָּרַס הֻשְׁלְמוּ שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה מִגָּלוּת יְהוֹיָקִים שֶׁגָּלוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל לְבָבֶל, וּבְכָךְ נִתְקַיֵּם הַמִּקְרָא שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״כִּי לְפִי מְלֹאת לְבָבֶל שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה אֶפְקֹד אֶתְכֶם וְגוֹמֵר״ (ירמיהו כט:י), וְזוֹ הִיא הַפְּקִידָה שֶׁחָזְרוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל אַדְמָתָם וּבָנוּ יְסוֹד בִּנְיַן הַבַּיִת אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁלֹּא נִגְמַר עַכְשָׁיו. נִמְצָא שֶׁהָיָה חֲמִשִּׁים וּשְׁתַיִם שָׁנָה מִגָּלוּת צִדְקִיָּהוּ שֶׁנֶּחֱרַב הַבַּיִת עַד שָׁנָה אַחַת לְכוֹרֶשׁ מֶלֶךְ פָּרַס, וּשְׁמֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה לְאַחַר שָׁנָה אַחַת לְכוֹרֶשׁ שֶׁהִיא שְׁנַת שְׁתַּיִם לְדָרְיָוֶשׁ מֶלֶךְ פָּרַס, הֻשְׁלְמוּ שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה לְחָרְבוֹת יְרוּשָׁלַיִם מִגָּלוּת צִדְקִיָּהוּ שֶׁנֶּחֱרַב הַבַּיִת עַד שְׁתַּיִם לְדָרְיָוֶשׁ שֶׁהִתְחִילוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל לִבְנוֹת הַבִּנְיָן וּגְמָרוּהוּ. וְכֵן מוֹכִיחַ בְּסֵדֶר עוֹלָם (פרק כט) וּבִמְסֶכֶת מְגִלָּה (מגילה יא:) וּבְסֵפֶר זֶה כַּאֲשֶׁר בֵּאַרְתִּי: לִכְלוֹת דְּבַר ה׳ מִפִּי יִרְמְיָה. לִזְמַן אֲשֶׁר הֻשְׁלַם דְּבָרוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֲשֶׁר דִּבֵּר יִרְמְיָהוּ הַנָּבִיא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ירמיהו כט:י): ״כִּי לְפִי מְלֹאת לְבָבֶל וְגוֹ׳״:
And in the first year of Cyrus, the king of Persia This book is arranged as a continuation of the Book of Daniel, as is explained in Baba Bathra (15a), and the word [וּבְשְׁנַת] refers back from this [book] to that one, for it is stated in Daniel (9:2): “In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, contemplated the calculations of the number of the years that the word of the Lord had come to Jeremiah the prophet from the destruction of Jerusalem, seventy years.” And so the entire chapter proceeds to relate [the story] of the destruction of the Temple, the time of the Babylonian exile, and his confession, in which he confessed Israel’s sin. The beginning of this book is as follows: After Belshazzar was assassinated, Darius the Mede reigned, as it says (Dan. 6:1): “And Darius the Mede received the kingdom etc.” and after Darius’ death, this Cyrus, the king of Persia, reigned, and in the first year of his reign, the seventy years for the remembrance of the Babylonian exile, [counting] from the day that Jehoiakim was exiled, were completed, as it says (Jer. 29:10): “At the completion of seventy years of Babylon, I will remember you etc.” When Israel returned from the Babylonian exile to the land of Israel, in that year, in the first year of Cyrus, Israel laid the foundation of the Temple, and the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin slandered them to Cyrus, the king of Persia, and he commanded [them] to curtail the work, no longer to build the edifice of the Temple; and the Israelites were idle, for they did not build the Temple during the entire reign of Cyrus and Ahasuerus, who succeeded him, until the second year of Darius, the son of Ahasuerus, the king of Persia, who was Darius, the son of Esther. And in the second year of his reign, they began building the Temple until the building was completed. And from the first year of Cyrus until the second year of Darius, the son of Ahasuerus the king of Persia, in whose days the Temple was built, were eighteen years, to fulfill what was said (Dan. 9:2): “from the destruction of Jerusalem, seventy years etc.” And now, in the second year of Darius, seventy years had elapsed since the destruction of Jerusalem; [i.e.,] the destruction of the Temple, when Zedekiah was exiled. From the exile of Jehoiakim until the exile of Zedekiah, when the Temple was destroyed, were eighteen years, and now in the first year of Cyrus, the king of Persia, seventy years since the exile of Jehoiakim, when Israel was exiled to Babylon, were completed, and thereby the verse that states (Jer. 29:10): “for at the completion of seventy years of Babylon I will remember you etc.” was fulfilled. And this is the remembrance, that Israel returned to their soil and built the foundation of the building of the Temple, although it was not yet completed. We find that there were fifty-two years from the exile of Zedekiah, when the Temple was destroyed, until the first year of Cyrus, the king of Persia; and eighteen years after the first year of Cyrus, which is the second year of Darius, when Israel commenced to build the edifice, and they completed it. This is proven in Seder Olam (ch. 29), in Tractate Megillah (11b) and in this book, as I explained. at the completion of the word of the Lord from the mouth of Jeremiah at the time that the word of the Holy One, blessed be He, which Jeremiah spoke, was completed, as it says (Jer. 29:10): “for at the completion of seventy years of Babylon etc.”