Yehezkel's Prophetic Acts

Found 4 Search results

1. Yehezkel 3-4

   Matan Al Haperek

   Rabbi David Sabato

   With the completion of his dedicative prophecy, Yehezkel remains among the people of the captivity for seven days - "Then I came to those of the captivity who dwelled in Tel-Abib on the river Chebar...and I remained among them seven dreary days" (3:15). After seven days, Yehezkel receives a new prophecy that concerns the prophet's role as a watchman (16-21). The prophecy of the watchman in our perek parallels the prophecy in perek 33, and both belong to the series of prophecies dealing with the theory of reward and punishment. As the perek continues (22-27), Yehezkel is commanded to leave the captivity for the plain. There, for a second time, the vision of the Glory of God is revealed to him. He is commanded to shut himself in his house and remain silent.

   A series of prophetic acts symbolizing the predicted fate of the nation appear in perek 4 and the beginning of perek 5. The first act- tracing on a tile (1-3) - symbolizes the siege of Jerusalem. The second act - lying on his side for many days (4-8) - symbolizes the sin of the city and its punishment. The third act - eating food by weight and drinking water by measure (9-17) - symbolizes the severe famine that will prevail in Jerusalem during the siege and the suffering of the exiles. 

2. Yehezkel 5-6

   Matan Al Haperek

   Rabbi David Sabato

   In perek 5 we reach the climax of the series of symbolic acts to which we were introduced in the last perek. This perek includes a difficult, long and complex symbolic act (1-4) as well as the meaning of the act (5-10). The purpose of this act is to symbolize the conquest of the city, and the bitter fate of its citizens.

   While the previous prophecy dealt with Jerusalem and her citizens, in the prophecy of perek 6 the prophet turns to the mountains of Israel and prophesies a major calamity for them. Yehezkel specifies the sins for which the nation is being punished with destruction and exile, focusing on the sin of idolatry whose roots lay in the long years of rule of Menashe, King of Judah.  

3. Yehezkel 11-12

   Matan Al Haperek

   Rabbi David Sabato

   Perek 11 concludes Yehezkel's prophetc journey to Jerusalem. Two frequent expressions of the people of Jerusalem are quoted in this perek. The first (1-13) expresses the pride of the inhabitants of Jerusalem and their confidence in the fact that the Temple would not be destroyed. The second (14-21) expresses their feelings of superiority over the exiles in Babylonia. In His words, God refutes these two positions and the false theological thinking upon which they are based.

   In perek 12, with the conclusion of his prophetic journey, Yehezkel returns to Babylonia and is commanded to perform two symbolic acts before the exiles. The first act (1-16) symbolizes going into exile. The second act symbolizes the concern and waste that will prevail in the land.  

4. From Silence to Speech

   Rav Aviya HaCohen