Ezekiel

Biblical Figures

Ezekiel was a prophet in the time of the kings Josiah and Jehoiachin who had mystical visions about God's chariot, majesty, and hosts. According to Jewish tradition, accounts of his visions were later written down to make up the book of Ezekiel.

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Eating the Scroll

TANAKH

Ezekiel's unique experience of being commanded by God to eat a scroll symbolizes the profound internalization of God's words before delivering them to the House of Israel. The Book of Ezekiel, written during the Babylonian exile, contains symbolic prophecies and focuses on religious life without a Temple and personal responsibility.

As I looked, there was a hand stretched out to me, holding a written scroll. [God] unrolled it before me, and it was inscribed on both the front and the back; on it were written lamentations, dirges, and woes. [God] said to me, “Mortal, eat what is offered you; eat this scroll, and go speak to the House of Israel.” So I opened my mouth, and I was given this scroll to eat, as I was told, “Mortal, feed your stomach and fill your belly with this scroll that I give you.” I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey to me…

Ezekiel 2:9-3:4

Ezekiel's Exiled Prophecy

TANAKH

Ezekiel stands out as a prophet who delivered his messages from outside the Land of Israel, offering a unique perspective on the Jewish experience in exile. Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz provides an accessible and comprehensive introduction to the book of Ezekiel, covering its historical context, structure, and themes.

The prophecies in the book of Ezekiel date to the period of the destruction of the First Temple, from a few years beforehand to several years afterward. The first section of the book consists mainly of rebuke of Israel for their sins, past and present, and descriptions of the retribution they will face for their transgressions. This is followed by a collection of prophecies to the nations of the world. The final section contains prophecies of Israel’s redemption and the rebuilding of Zion. Ezekiel is unique among the prophets in that he prophesied outside the Land of Israel…

Steinsaltz Introductions to Tanakh, Ezekiel, Book Introduction 1

Ezekiel's Humble Calling

COMMENTARY

Ezekiel is uniquely called 'son of man' by God to remind him of his human status and prevent pride despite his great visions. Rabbi David Altschuler’s 18th-century commentary, Metzudat David, explains the significance of this epithet in the context of Ezekiel’s prophetic experiences.

Son of man: He called him son of man so that he would not become proud and think of himself as one of the angels, given that he saw this great vision.

Metzudat David on Ezekiel 2:1:1

Ezekiel's Prophetic Reliability

KABBALAH

Ezekiel's prophetic revelations were questioned for their reliability and the divine presence in exile. The Zohar addresses these concerns and validates Ezekiel's visions.

Said R. Abba: ‘I will give you a third. It says, “The word of the Lord came expressly unto Ezekiel… in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar” (Ezek. 1, 3). Ezekiel, it is said, could not have been as faithful as Moses, of whom it is written, “He is faithful in all my house”, for he revealed all the treasures of the King. But we have been instructed to beware of such thoughts about this prophet; on the contrary, he was a worthy prophet, and what he revealed he revealed with the permission of the Holy One, and he might have disclosed twice as much…

Zohar, Shemot 8:58-59

Hope in the Valley of Dry Bones

CHASIDUT

The vision of the Valley of the Dry Bones illustrates the profound connection between the Jewish people and God, even in seemingly hopeless situations. The Hasidic teaching from Tiferet Yosef explores how faith in the divine connection can lead to hope and renewal, themes central to Passover.

Rav Huna said that Rav said, "On Shabbat that is on the intermediate days of a Festival, whether on Passover or on Sukkot, they read: See, You say to me (Exodus 33:12). They read as the haftara, on Passover, from the portion of the dry bones (Megillah 31a:16)."
And the content of the dry bones is that God, may He be blessed, asked the prophet Ezekiel: Will these bones live (Ezekiel 37:3). [So] it must be understood, [how] could God, may He be blessed, ask the prophet Ezekiel if he has faith that God, may He be blessed, is able to give them life? For with God…

Tiferet Yosef, Shabbat Chol HaMoed Pesach 4

Prophetic Symbolism in Ezekiel

TANAKH

Ezekiel's strange, allegorical behaviors were divinely instructed to convey powerful prophetic messages. The Book of Ezekiel includes symbolic actions like lying on his sides for extended periods and setting up a model siege to represent the punishment of Israel and Judah.

“And you, O mortal, take a brick and put it in front of you, and incise on it a city, Jerusalem. Set up a siege against it, and build towers against it, and cast a mound against it; pitch camps against it, and bring up battering rams round about it. Then take an iron plate and place it as an iron wall between yourself and the city, and set your face against it. Thus it shall be under siege, you shall besiege it. This shall be an omen for the House of Israel. “Then lie on your left side, and let it bear the punishment of the House of Israel…

Ezekiel 4:1-12

Ezekiel's Prophecies in Exile

MIDRASH

Ezekiel's prophecies helped his generation understand their relationship with God during exile, using powerful analogies and guidelines to avoid invoking divine anger. This midrash from Yalkut Shimoni explores Ezekiel's interactions with the elders of Israel and the rabbinic tradition of emphasizing God's kingship over divine anger during Rosh Hashanah.

As I live, declares the Lord God, I will reign over you with a strong hand, etc., and with overflowing fury: It is taught — we do not have less than ten [verses about God's] kingship. But we do not mention verses of punishment, such as: As I live, declares the Lord, etc. And although Rav Naḥman said, "[Concerning] any anger like this, let the Master of the world get angry, and let Him redeem us," it is not the way of the world to mention anger on Rosh Hashanah. You find that when they sought to remove [God's] yoke in the days of Ezekiel…

Yalkut Shimoni on Nach 359:2

Blueprint for the Third Temple

JEWISH THOUGHT

Ezekiel's vision provides a detailed blueprint for the future Third Temple, ensuring that the Jewish people are prepared to build it when the Mashiach comes. The prophet Ezekiel offers precise instructions and measurements for the design, ordinances, and laws of the future Beit HaMikdash.

God told the prophet Yechezkel: You, son of man, describe the House to the House of Israel so that they be ashamed of their sins; let them measure its outline. If they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the House, and its form, its exits, its entrances, its entire design, and all its ordinances, and all its shapes, and all its laws; and write it before their eyes so that they will preserve its entire design and all its ordinances, and carry them out. God commanded the prophet to tell the Jewish people to measure out the entire plan and reckoning for the…

The Third Beit HaMikdash, Introduction 1-4

The Intensity of Ezekiel's Parable

JEWISH THOUGHT

Ezekiel's parable is so explicit and violent that it risks overshadowing its intended message. In Dirshuni II, contemporary female scholars offer a modern interpretation of Ezekiel 16, reflecting on its intense depiction of God's relationship with the Jewish people.

In Chapter 16, the prophet Ezekiel seeks to illustrate the Jewish people's harsh offense towards the God of Israel, to them. As they have abandoned Him for other gods — an offense that justifies the afflictions that are coming to them and that will come to them in the near future. At the end of this furious prophecy, Ezekiel adds words of comfort for the days that will come at the end of this difficult time period. These beloved words are mentioned during the high holidays in the zikhronot prayer: But I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth…

Dirshuni II, Afterword 9-11

The Perils of Mystical Study

MISHNAH

The study of mystical and esoteric topics, such as the Design of the Divine Chariot in Ezekiel, requires caution and wisdom due to their profound and potentially dangerous nature. Tractate Chagigah warns against publicly teaching these complex subjects to prevent misunderstandings and misinterpretations.

One may not expound the topic of forbidden sexual relations before three or more individuals; nor may one expound the act of Creation and the secrets of the beginning of the world before two or more individuals; nor may one expound by oneself the Design of the Divine Chariot, a mystical teaching with regard to the ways God conducts the world, unless he is wise and understands most matters on his own. The mishna continues in the same vein: Whoever looks at four matters…

Mishnah Chagigah 2:1

Saving Ezekiel

TALMUD

The book of Ezekiel was nearly suppressed due to perceived contradictions with the Torah and its mystical content. The Talmud recounts how Ḥananya ben Ḥizkiya reconciled Ezekiel’s teachings with the Torah, ensuring its preservation.

Rav Yehuda said: Indeed, that man is remembered for good, and Ḥananya ben Ḥizkiya was his name, because were it not for him, the book of Ezekiel would have been suppressed. Why did they wish to suppress it? Because they found that its words contradicted the words of Torah, as its later chapters contain many halakhot that appear not to accord with those of the Torah. What did he do? They brought up to him three hundred barrels of oil, for light and sustenance, and he sat in an upper chamber and expounded it…

Chagigah 13a:12-13

Ezekiel’s Vision and Shavuot

COMMENTARY

Ezekiel’s vision of the divine chariot is thematically linked to the divine revelation experienced by the Jewish people on Shavuot. This early 20th-century legal commentary by Yaakov Chaim Sofer explains the connection between Ezekiel’s vision and the holiday of Shavuot.

27And one reads the haftara of the Chariot of Ezekiel, etc.: And the reason is that it is written in the Zohar Chadash that Ezekiel saw the chariot on the day of Shavuot — Mahari Lingo in a manuscript. But the words of the Zohar are not understandable, since it is written: in the fourth [month], etc. (Ezekiel 1:1) — Birkei Yosef 3. However, in [the same author, Chaim Yosef David Azulay's] book, Machzik Berakhah, he wrote to resolve this according to what he found in Hagahot HaRamaz on the words of the Zohar mentioned [above], see there…

Kaf HaChayim on Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 494:27:1

Mourning Practices from Ezekiel

HALAKHAH

The mourning practices derived from Ezekiel's instructions offer a unique perspective on Jewish customs of grief and loss. In the Mishneh Torah, Rambam outlines specific mourning practices, including prohibitions on wearing tefillin and eating one's own food on the first day of mourning, as well as the requirement to sit on an overturned bed.

On the first day alone, it is forbidden for a mourner to put on tefillin or to eat food of his own. He must sit on a overturned bed. During the remainder of the days of mourning, he may eat his own food, sit on a mat or on the ground, and put on tefillin.
What is the source which teaches that a mourner may not put on tefillin on the first day? Instructions were given Ezekiel (Ezekiel 24:17 : "Your glory should be bound upon you." Implied is other people are forbidden. He was instructed: "Do not eat the bread of men…

Mishneh Torah, Mourning 4:9

A Greater Revelation than Ezekiel's Vision

MIDRASH

The revelation at the Red Sea was so profound that even a maid-servant experienced a greater vision of God than the prophets. The Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael, an early rabbinic commentary, emphasizes the unparalleled divine encounter during the Exodus.

"This is my G–d and I will extol Him": R. Eliezer says: Whence is it derived that a maid-servant beheld at the Red Sea what was not beheld by Ezekiel and the other prophets, of whom it is written (Hoshea 12:11) "And to the prophets I appeared (in various) guises," and (Ezekiel 1:1) "The heavens opened and I saw visions of G–d"? An analogy: A king of flesh and blood comes to a province, a circle of guards around him, warriors at his right and at his left, armies before him and behind him — and all asking "Who is the king?" For he is flesh and blood as they are…

Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael, Tractate Shirah 3:10

Ezekiel's Astonishment

COMMENTARY

Ezekiel's awe at his visions is compared to a villager's amazement at seeing a king's procession for the first time, highlighting the unique perspective of his prophecies. Rabbeinu Chananel, an early medieval North African scholar, offers a fascinating comparison between the prophecies of Ezekiel and Isaiah in his commentary on the Talmud.

Rabbah said, "All that Ezekiel saw, Isaiah saw like him. Why did Ezekiel wonder as a result of the vision [he had]? Since Ezekiel was similar to a villager who saw the processions of the king and his chariots and armies. So he began to wonder. But Isaiah [can be compared] to a city dweller who sees these processions every day. Therefore he did not wonder about them." I will sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted (Exodus 15:1). Sing to the One who is exalted over the exalted meaning the King over the kings. As there are four kings in the world…

Rabbeinu Chananel on Chagigah 13b:5

The Pilgrimage to Ezekiel's Tomb

REFERENCE

Ezekiel's tomb is not just a burial site but a significant Jewish pilgrimage destination with a rich history and unique traditions. The 18th-century chronicle Seder HaDorot by Rabbi Yechiel Heilprin details the tomb's features, including a dome, a synagogue, and a Torah scroll handwritten by Ezekiel himself.

Ezekiel died during the lifetime of Nebuchadnezzar and was buried in Babylonia between the Euphrates and Kevar Rivers. And when Evil-Merodach reigned and released Jeconiah from prison, 35,000 Jews came out with him and built a dome over Ezekiel's grave. And upon the grave, there is a will that is called a shildkrot (turtle). It is an amazing [piece] of work, and the engraved names of Ezekiel and Jeconiah and a troop of men are visible still today. And they made a large synagogue near it, and there are about 60 towers in the location of the synagogue…

Seder HaDorot, Almanac 3352:2