What is the meaning of "veha'Todah ha'Shenis ha'Holeches l'Mol"?
Rashi: The second Todah went opposite the first. Ibn Ezra: - l'Mol is like l'Mul. The Aleph is added to extend the Vov, like the Aleph in "Im Lo Yagid..."
Malbim #1: According to the opinion that they went next to each other, it is called Mul because it was opposite the other. This is like "v'Hu Yoshev mi'Muli." Nechemyah went only in back of this one.
Malbim #2: According to the opinion that they went one in back of the other, Mol means in back, like "mi'Mul Arpo." Nechemyah went only in back of the latter Todah. The Sarim were in back of him, Ezra in back of them, and the Kohanim after him. Now the verses discuss the [breads from the] two Todos that went to the left.
Why does it say "leha'Chomah"?
Ibn Ezra: This is proper - the Hei is for Yedi'ah 1 (the known wall).
Even though normally, Hei ha'Yedi'ah is 'swallowed' in the prefix Beis, Kaf or Lamed. (PF)
Where did the nation go?
Malbim (31): The verses seem unlike Chazal's tradition! The verses say that half the nation went from left to right, and half from right to left. I explained (3:1-26) that Nechemyah's house was in Sha'ar ha'Gai, in the middle of the west. Half the nation went clockwise from there, and half went counter-clockwise. They met in Sha'ar ha'Matarah, in the middle of the east.
