Hashbadana

Hashbadana (meaning consideration in judging) was one of the men who stood at Ezra's left hand when Ezra read the book of the law to the assembled congregation of Israel at the Water Gate in Jerusalem (Nehemiah 8:4). The public reading of the Torah to the whole assembly — men, women, and children old enough to understand — was a landmark moment in the spiritual restoration of post-exilic Judah, and those who stood beside Ezra on the wooden platform served as ceremonial witnesses and assistants to the event. Six men stood on Ezra's right and seven on his left, representing the community's leadership gathered for this covenant renewal occasion.