meta: {"file": "/data/tomer/Sefaria-Export/txt/Tanakh/Commentary/Rashi/Prophets/Rashi on Ezekiel/English/Sefaria Community Translation.txt"}
text: Rashi on Ezekiel
  רש"י על יחזקאל
  Sefaria Community Translation
  
  
  Rashi on Ezekiel
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  "And it was in the 30th year." The prophet's words are obscure and he did not state his name [i.e.] who he is, and he did not explain from when he is counting [30 years]. For this reason, the holy spirit stopped his words in the two verses following this one, to teach who the prophet is and from when he is counting. For when it says, "on the fifth day of the month in the fifth year etc." these are not the words of the prophet, for he already said that on the fifth day of the month he was standing etc. Moreover, from the first he spoke his prophecy in the first person, "I was in the exile and I saw visions of God" and also at the end [he says] "and I saw and, behold, a storm wind etc." And these two verses that stop his words, are as if another person is speaking about him, "the word of the Lord was to Ezekiel and there the hand of God was upon him."
  "And I was in the Exile." That is to say, outside of the Land of Israel.
  "By the river Kebar." The name of the river.
  "Visions of God." Because he did not see in an illuminating vision he calls it "visions of God," a kind of dream and not [an] actual [vision]. And all the prophets too saw in a non-illuminating vision except for Moses our teacher, as it is written, "and by the hand of the prophets I [made] a likeness" (Hosea Chapter 12, v. 11)
  
  Verse 2
  
  "That was [in] the fifth year from the exile of Jehoiachin." We learn [from this] that the thirty years were counted from the start of the Jubilee. For the last Jubiliee started in the beginning of the 18th year of [King] Hosiah, the year that [the high priest] Hilkiah found the book [in the Temple] (2 Kings 22.8), and thus we learned in [the book] Seder Olam [Rabbah] that [that year] was the beginning of the Jubilee.  Hoseah reigned for 31 years, subtract 17 years that already passed, 14 years are left. Jehoiakim reigned 11 years, equals 25 [years], and Jeconiah his son only ruled 3 months and was exiled. And the year Ezekiel prophesied was the fifth year from his [i.e. Jeconiah's] exile, so that was the 30th year from the Jubilee.  Thus we found at the end of his prophecy that he gave a sign for the counting of the Jubilee, as it is written, "and it was in the 25th year of our exile in the beginning of the year [Rosh Hashana] on the tenth day of the month (Ch. 40 v. 1 [typo in Hebrew, should be Mem(=40), not Bet]). And our Rabbis said, "what year is it that Rosh Hashana is on the 10th of the month, the answer is the year of the Jubilee."
  
  Verse 3
  
  Our Rabbis said it was [by the river] Chebar because the Shekhina does not rest on a prophet outside of the Land [of Israel] unless on account of it rested on him first [while he was] in the Land. And we learned in the bareita of Mechilta [that the verse] "Son of Man stand up on your legs" [Ch 2 v. 1 (error in Hebrew, should be Bet, not Yod Bet)] was the beginning of the book for [according to the principle] there is no earlier or later [in the Torah]. And some say "Son of Man, make a riddle" (Ch. 17 v. 2) was the beginning of the book. But I say that that prophecy [i.e. Ch 2 v. 1] was given him before they were exiled because it is an appropriate prophecy to be spoken to him in the Land [of Israel]. For the exile is not stated in it, and it stands out as the beginning of his being sent to them [i.e. the people]. And Yonatan translated [our present verse] this way too, "The word of prophecy came from God to Ezekiel son of Buzi the priest in the Land of Israel, and a second time returned and spoke with him in the country of the land of the Chaldeans, and Ezekiel was exiled with the skilled workers and artisans with Jehoiachin" [see 2 Kings 24.14].
  Every time the term "hand" is used in this book or in prophetic language it means none other than force, that the prophecy forces itself [upon him] against his will, like a man who has gone crazy, Distritse in German/French.
  
  Verse 4
  
  AND A STORM WIND CAME FROM THE NORTH. This is the chariot seat, the glory of the divine presence [shekhina], as it is written on the matter [i.e. below]. And because it [the wind] comes in wrath to destory Israel it is compared to a storm wind and cloud.
  CAME FROM THE NORTH. It was returning from the land of the Chaldeans, which is in the north, as it is written, "from the north evil will open up" (Jeremiah 1.14). And why did it go there? In order to conquer the whole world under Nebuchadnezzar, lest the Babylonians say He handed over his sons [i.e. Israel] into the hand of a lowly people. For the Chaldeans were a lowly people, as it is written, "This people that were not" (Isaiah 23.13). Thus interpreted our Rabbis in Masechet Hagigah.
  AND IT SHINED FORTH. [This is] regarding the cloud, round about it, on the outside. This is a clue that Israel are destined to be redeemed from this quarter.
  LIKE HASHMAL. Hashmal is an angel who is so called. And he [Ezekiel] saw a kind of color like [the color] of him inside the fire. And thus our Rabbis said, [about] a story of a baby who used to seek after the doings of the [divine] chariot, and understood regarding Hashmal, and a fire came from Hashmal and destroyed him. And they further said the word is assembled, for they said "why Hashmal? Rabbi Yehuda said, "animals of fire speaking" [=Hebrew letters het, shin, mem, lamed, =Hashmal]. In the Mishna he learns, sometimes they are quiet, and sometimes they speak. At the time the spoken word comes forth from the Holy One Blessed Be He they are quiet, at the time when there is no spoken word from the Holy One Blessed Be He they speak, that is they praise and glorify God. And it is likely that Hashmal is the name of the eye, that is similar to the eye of a flame, for it says, "Hashmal from inside the fire" [1.4] and it says, "like [like=ke'ein, which can also mean "like the eye" ("ein"="like" or "eye")] Hashmal, like [ke'ein] the appearance of fire framing it round about, from the appearance of his loins and upwards" [1.27] and it says in the second vision, "from his loins upwards like [ke'ein] the appearance of radiance like [ke'ein] Hashmal" [8.2].  
  
  Verse 5
  
  AND FROM INSIDE [THE FIRE]. Referring to the same fire, I saw as if Hashmal visible from inside the fire. It is not known what it [Hashmal] is. And the Midrash according to which the Rabbis interpreted it is "animals of fire speaking" [het, shin, mem, lamed=Hashmal] [but] this is not based on the matter [i.e. is not grounded in the text].
  THEY HAD THE APPEARANCE OF A HUMAN. One is surprised [by this statement], for they also have the likeness of an ox, a lion, and an eagle. And it seems to me [that it is] because [a human] is father to the rest, the prophet glorified the [divine] chariot this way [i.e. by saying the animals had the appearance of humans]. And it was the likeness of Jacob our father's face.
  
  Verse 6
  
  AND EACH [OF THEM] HAD FOUR FACES. "Each" refers to the human face ['parzuf'] specifically, [which] had four faces [or aspects, 'panim'], and so [too] the lion and the eagle and the ox [had four faces/aspects each]. So in total there were 16 [faces/aspects ('panim')] to the creature, and so it was for each one. And each face had 4 wings, so in total there were 64 wings for each creature. And thus Jonathan translated [to Aramaic], "256 wings." 
  
  Verse 7
  
  [AND THEIR LEGS WERE (THE SHAPE OF) A] STRAIGHT LEG. Legs directed one opposite the other. Also, "straight," they don't have spring-joints to bend their thighs, for they do not sit or lie down, and they do not need to possess springing joints like animals have an upper spring-joint and a lower spring-joint, which they use to bend their thighs and lie down.
  A CALF'S LEG. A round leg (or foot), and thus Jonathan translated, "round legs."
  AND GLEAMED. Due to their gleaming, it was as if sparks came out of them, as we said in Tractate Yoma, "and she made a chandelier of gold etc. [and] when the sun shines [on it] sparks [appear to] come out of it etc."
  LIKE [BRONZE]. Similar too, with the appearance of.
  BURNISHED BRONZE. Purified and illuminating, and comforting its counterpart if roasted in the fire (Leviticus Ch. 3 [which discusses sacrificing a calf as a peace offering, see v. 1-5]). [N.B. another edition of Rashi says, "see Leviticus 2.14" (which discusses roasting a grain offering in the fire)]. 
  
  Verse 8
  
  ...AND HUMAN ARMS WERE UNDER THEIR WINGS. As it is translated [i.e. by Yonatan]: "to lay down using their arms the coals of fire etc." And in like manner we find in this book (Ezekiel 10:7) "and the Cherub stretched forth his hand to the fire between the Cherubs, and he carried and gave [them] to the hands of the one dressed in linen" and in like manner it says further on, "And the form of an arm was visible under the wings of the Cherubim." The hands of a human take the fire and give it to the Cherub, and the Cherub to the messenger so that the coals will cool from hand to hand to lessen the troubles [inflicted as punishment] on Israel.
  ...ON THEIR FOUR SIDES. For each of the world's four winds, for they have faces and wings [in the direction of] each wind.
  ...AND THEIR FACES AND WINGS ON ALL FOUR SIDES. As it is translated [by Yonatan], "equal on all four sides." [N.B. but others state this is connected to the following verse]
  
  Verse 9
  
  ...THE WINGS TOUCHED EACH OTHER. The wing of this Cherub was outstretched towards the wing of another Cherub, on this side and on that, until they reached and touched each other, and that is how the wings covered their faces, for the wings were outstretched above the faces.
  ...THEY DID NOT TURN WHEN THEY WENT. If they wish to go in any direction they choose, they don't need to turn their face, for they have a face for each direction, and for this reason EACH WENT IN THE DIRECTION OF ITS FACE, they went in the direction of the face that was toward that particular wind which they wished to go to.
  
  Verse 10
  
  
  
  Verse 11
  
  ...AND THEIR FACES AND WINGS WERE SEPARATED ABOVE. Had I not seen the cantillation mark Zakef Gadol on the word "and their faces" I would not have known how to interpret it. But the cantillation mark teaches me to separate the words (AND THEIR FACES AND THEIR WINGS) from each other, and to place the word "AND THEIR FACES" independently. And that is the interpretation: "And their faces [were turned] to them [i.e. as described in the previous verse]. [and the rest of the verse continues] And their wings were separated above their faces and covering them." How so? Each being had two wings that touched the next being, for each and every face two of their wings were touching them, to each and every one a wing of a being. That is the interpretation: next to the wing of one being the next wing, and next to that wing another being's wing, and the faces in between them are covered by them. And there are more examples of this type of biblical language [or expression] in this section, e.g. "AND THEIR RIMS AND THEIR HEIGHT, AND THE FEAR OF THEM" [literal translation] (Ezekiel 1:18): The word "AND THEIR RIMS" stands independently. 
  AND TWO COVER. And the two remaining wings cover their bodies.
  
  Verse 12
  
  TO WHERE THE SPIRIT MOVES. The desire to go.
  
  Verse 13
  
  THE FIRE MOVED AMONG THE CREATURES. This vision [or image, i.e. of fire] was moving in all the creatures.
  AND THE FIRE GLOWED. more than our fire [i.e. ordinary fire].
  LIGHTENING. Flendorsh in old French.
  
  Verse 14
  
  AND THE CREATURES DARTED BACK AND FORTH LIKE FLARES. The interpretation of our Rabbis regarding “sped back and forth” [רצוא ושוב] is that they were like the flame of a furnace that always issues from the furnace and quickly goes back inside, such that they issue forth under the dome stretched out over them as it is explained in this section [of Ezekiel below, where the dome above the creatures is described], and they are apprehensive of God’s presence [the shekina] that is over the dome and so they quickly go back inside (Chagigah. 13b).
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  This is the first footstep in Hashem's step towards the door from the Holy of Holies
  
  
  
  
  
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  Verse 19
  
  
  Second of the ten travels of Hashem leaving the Beit Hamikdash
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  "In your blood, live". That even in your degradation you will not die. And to say twice, this is because of the blood of the Paschal lamb and the blood of circumcision that we were redeemed. After wallowing "sale" (soiled/sullied?) in the language of this country (i.e. medieval France).
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  "The hand of the LORD came upon me. He took me out by the spirit of the LORD and set me down": every time the "hand of Hashem" is mentioned in prophecy, it means the language of the prophet is being forced because the spirit forces him in the way of a crazy person to whatever place which the spirit wishes.
  "It was full of bones": our Sages said that [these bones] were from the members of the tribe of Ephraim that left Egypt before the God-decreed end time, and were then killed by the men of Gath who had been born in he Land of Israel as is said in Chronicles (1 Chronicles 7). 
  
  Verse 2
  
  "He led me all around them": by a circuitous route and not directly into the middle because he was a kohen [and would be rendered impure by contact with corpses].
  
  Verse 3
  
  "Live again?": Does it seem in your opinion that they are able to live?
  
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  Verse 6
  
  "I will lay sinews upon you...": the Book of Job says: "You have clothed me with skin and flesh" and then "knit me together with bones and sinews" (Job 10:11). Should not the order of these terms [in Job] be similar to a man who took off his clothes and then changes his mind and puts back on his clothes and the first thing he puts on is the last thing he took off [as we find here in Ezekiel]? But at the formation of a child, "skin and flesh" develop at the first stage and then later "bones and sinews" develop [and that is why Job orders those terms in that way]. 
  "and form": this verb <i>veqaramti</i> is related to the noun <i>qerum</i> (skin, membrane) which in French is translated <i>ecroter</i> (encrust), so it should be translated "I will encrust".
  
  Verse 7
  
  "suddenly there was a sound": indeed the noise of the bones which were clattering against each other.
  "bone to its bone": the bones of each person, no matter in what place they had been scattered, were leaping up and joining together each one near to the place where it is joined to its matching bone.
  
  Verse 8
  
  
  
  Verse 9
  
  "from the four winds": that refers to every place that their souls had wandered, to the four corners of the world, from these distances they came and gathered together.
  "and breathe into": for the meaning of this verb <i>ufechi</i>, see Isaiah 54:16: "blows [<i>nofeach</i>] on a fire of coals".
  
  Verse 10
  
  
  
  Verse 11
  
  "O mortal, these bones are the whole House of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, our hope is gone; we are doomed.": this is an allegorical allusion to the House of Israel and their troubles, because they said in exile "our bones are dried up because of our troubles; our hope is destroyed, and what chance is there for further rescue?". There is another interpretation, that all of these symbolically are Israel, and because You resurrect them right at this point they say "our hope is destroyed and we will not live again a second time when the dead are resurrected". 
  
  Verse 12
  
  "prophesy, therefore": that I am going to bring them to life a second time.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  Anything... that died or was torn, etc... because it was permitted to them to perform the melikah ceremony for the purification offering of the bird that is a naturally-dying or torn animal, the text needed to warn them about all other naturally-dying or torn animals; and as such our sages taught.