And ... Will Know that I am Hashem

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Divine Therapy at the Red Sea
Rabbi Elchanan Samet
The Splitting of the Sea has a dual purpose: the explicit purpose involves the Egyptians, and the implicit purpose involves Am Yisrael. This conclusion stems from a literary analysis of the episode, which includes two parallel parts.
"And They Shall Know That I Am The Lord" - The Seven Plagues in Parashat Va'era
Haftarot: Va'era
Rabbi Mosheh Lichtenstein
The parasha and haftara both point to a dual purpose for the plagues. One purpose is Pharaoh's recognition of God, and the second is Pharaoh's recognition that God intervenes in the natural world.
A Test of Faith
Rabbi Alex Israel
Despite Eliyahu's response to the events in the aftermath of the showdown on Mt. Carmel, the evidence of the next few chapters would seem to show that the prophets of Ba’al do not return. Instead, prophets of God - many of them false prophets - have a fixed presence in the royal court which attests to the success of Eiyahu. When Aram lays seige on Shomron, Ahav is prepared to be a vassal state, but refuses a complete capitulation. Whether it is national pride that drives Achav, according to the Pshat, or a religious pride in protecting the Sefer Torah, according to the Midrash, God comes to Ahav's aid and sends him the tools for a miraculous victory.
Spoils of War
Rabbi Alex Israel
In Ahav's second battle with Aram, God yet again intervenes in a miraculous manner as per the prophet's prediction. Ahav has Ben Haddad cornered, but spares his life for which he is harshly criticized by the prophet and is told that he has forfeited his life. What motivated Ahav's behavior? Was it class solidarity as was Shaul's behavior towards Agag? Was Ahav leveraging his military advantage to accrue huge political, military or financial benefits for the nation at large? A comparison to the story of Yehoshu'a conquest of Jericho implies that Ahav's motives may not matter. The victory was not his but God's and he had no mandate to sell away any part of the victory for any price.
The End is Near
Dr. Tova Ganzel
The prophetic message of Yehezkel and Yirmiyahu is that the end of Jerusalem is imminent. The common belief in Jerusalem and in Babylonia is that somehow God will save the inhabitants of Jerusalem, allowing them to survive this crisis. The exiles themselves, though, might – in a best case scenario – return to the land; but will otherwise assimilate and disappear among the nations.

Yirmiyahu prophesies that in his own days Yehoyakhin is “a man who shall not prosper” and in those years that Yehuda is desolate, none of his progeny will prosper as king or ruler. But in the long term, the exile of Yehoyakhin will settle and prosper in Babylonia for a long period of time and they will serve as the salvation of the people. It would be these exiles who would return one day to rebuild the land which was about to be destroyed. Yehekzel prophesies that those who remained in Jerusalem will die by pestilence, by the sword or by famine.

But even after these prophecies, neither the inhabitants of Jerusalem nor the exiles in Babylonia were convinced. The Temple was still standing; the inhabitants of Jerusalem remained steadfast despite the crises they had faced since the time of Shlomo. These facts made a stronger impression than the prophecies of Yirmiyahu and Yehezkel.

To convey his messages, Yehezkel enlists all possible means: the use of symbolic acts and the borrowing of expressions familiar from the Tokhaha in Vayikra. Now, another means is adopted: a key word, aimed at emphasizing the subject of the prophecy as a whole. We see here the repeated use of the word “ketz” (end), alluding to the story of the Flood.
The Abominations of their Fathers
Part 1
Dr. Tova Ganzel
This chapter illustrates the cyclical process of history going back to the slavery in Egypt: Am Yisrael violates God’s laws and as a result is deemed unworthy of redemption – even survival. But nonetheless the nation is restored to its land to prevent God’s Name from being desecrated in the eyes of the nations. The desecration of God’s Name lies not only in the actual transgression of His laws, but also by how this betrayal is perceived by the nations. Thus the repair of this desecration – the sanctification of God’s Name – must likewise also be “before the nations”: through the ingathering of Am Yisrael from the places to which they have been scattered.

The commandment of Shabbat enjoys a place of honor in Sefer Yehezkel. What makes Yehezkel’s attitude towards Shabbat special is not that he mentions more often than the other prophets, but that he views Shabbat as a sign and symbol – not of the Creation of the world - but of the special sanctity of Israel.

The testimony offered by the Shabbat that “I am the Lord your God” – is a concept unique to Yehezkel; there is no parallel to it elsewhere in the Torah. This accentuates the importance of Shabbat: through its observance, the nation not only expresses its sanctity, but also testifies to and calls to consciousness the fact that the Lord is their God. Conversely, the breach of Shabbat is testimony to the distance between the nation and their God. This ultimately led to the defiling of the Temple and its Destruction.
Prophecies Concerning the Nations
Dr. Tova Ganzel
The prevailing perception in the Ancient East was that kings were emissaries of the gods or even gods themselves, and that every nation had its own god that ensured its victor in war. The prophet counters this perception by gathering all the prophecies about the nations into a single collection. This emphasizes that God, Lord of the entire world, decides the fate of each and every nation.

These chapters in Yehezkel, unlike the prophecies addressed to other nations by other prophets, make scant mention of Israel’s redemption.

In Chapter 25, Yehezkel conveys brief prophecies concerning Ammon, Moav, Edom and the Pelishtim, each of which has a lengthy historical relationship with Israel. These prophecies share a uniform structure.

The transition between the first and second parts of the book is indirectly shown here through the content of the prophecy to Ammon, In response to their joy over the desecration of the Temple and the desolation of the land and the exile, Yehezkel prophesies their disappearance and annihilation.
Prophecies to Tzor
Dr. Tova Ganzel
Tyre was an economic and cultural power throughout the duration of the Israelite kingdom. This was the source of various problems: including the introduction of idolatry in the times of Shlomo and Ahav and the causing problems regarding Shabbat observance in Nehemya’s days. There were periods when positive ties prevailed between Israel and Tyre, including the building of David’s house by emissaries from Tyre and Hiram’s assistance in building the Temple.

While Jerusalem was conquered by the Babylonians, Tyre withstood the siege throughout the period of the Babylonian empire. The steadfastness of Tyre in contrast with the destruction of the Temple served to compound the psychological difficulty facing the inhabitants of Jerusalem: now, God’s status in the eyes of the nations had fallen even more. Not only had the god of the Babylonians seemingly prevailed over the God of Israel, but there seemed to be a different god that watched over Tyre that was even stronger than the Babylonian power. In effect, Nevukhadnetzar’s conquest of Jerusalem proved to the nations what they had wanted to demonstrate, namely, the weakness of the God of Israel. This religious challenge, and the desecration of God’s Name among the nations, are apparently the reason for the length and vehemence of the prophecy to Tyre. Tyre – which, from the earliest history of the Israelite monarchy maintained commercial ties with it – has grown arrogant to the point where it has presumed itself above the Lord God of Israel.

Yehezkel’s prophecy to Tyre and to Sidon ends with the ingathering of Israel in its land. This does not appear to be an after-thought to the prophecy, but rather an essential component, a conclusion that completes the prophecies of destruction to the nations. Sanctification of God’s Name in the eyes of the nation begins with their downfall, but it will not be open and clear until God gathers up His nation.
The People, the Prophet, and God in Response to the Destruction
Dr. Tova Ganzel
Yehezkel and the Jews in Babylon receive the news of the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash. Yehezkel must contend with the claim of the remnant left in the land that they are the ones who will eventually inherit it despite their small numbers. And indeed, size or number is not the decisive factor. The argument of the remnant is erroneous: not because of their small number, but rather their due to the multitude of their sins.

The claim of the remnant seems to belong to the period preceding the murder of Gedalya. The claim of the remnant in the land indicates that they assumed that exile was a matter pertaining only to those now in Babylonia, while they themselves were continuing the national survival of Am Yisrael, and were therefore deserving of possession of the land. The murder of Gedalya brought this claim to an end. They ceased to view themselves as a distinct group that was separate from their brethren in Babylonia.

An understanding of the prophecy from which its historical context raises two exegetical possibilities: If Gedalya was murdered in the Tishrei immediately after the destruction of the Mikdash, then Yehezkel’s prophecy – taking place in the month of Tevet – which seem polemical is no longer relevant. The other, seemingly more likely possibility is that this prophecy describes the situation in the land at a slightly later stage – not during the weeks immediately following the Destruction. At this time there were still a good number of Jewish inhabitants in the land, and they still viewed their group as an alternative to the Babylonian exiles. This perspective rests upon the assumption that Gedalya was assassinated not in the month of Tishrei immediately after the Destruction, but rather a year or more later.

The prophet does not focus on the Destruction itself; he looks to the past and to the future. The reason for this is that the exiles in Babylonian have not experienced the direct crisis, and they have already begun to internalize the new reality. These prophecies contain nothing in the way of consolation, sorrow, reconciliation or compassion over what has happened in Jerusalem. This is especially conspicuous if we compare these chapters with Yirmiyahu, who laments at length over the Destruction.
God’s Eternal Preference for Israel over Edom
Dr. Tova Ganzel
Although it seems that this prophecy is directed to Edom, it is actually addressed to Israel. The shared historical background of the Israel and Edom, on one hand, and the habitation of the Edomites to the south of Yehuda, on the other, presented a religious challenge.

The nation’s fear that God preferred Esav prevailed until the beginning of the return to the land. Even after the Second Temple was built by the returnees, the status of the Edomites – the descendants of Esav – caused Am Yisrael to doubt their own status in God’s eyes. This seems to be an echo of the fear that the Divine choice of Yaakov over Esav is not an eternal choice but that God might change His mind. The impression arising from Yehezkel’s response is that the nation feels that perhaps now, following the destruction of the Temple, after it has been made clear that Am Yisrael did not uphold the covenant with God, God will continue His covenant with Avraham via the sons of Esav, rather than through the descendants of Yaakov.

The hostility between Israel and Edom throughout the generations grew even stronger during the years of Yehezkel’s prophecies, owing to the active participation of some Edomites in shedding the blood of Am Yisrael during the Destruction.

To alleviate the fear of the nation, Yehezkel prophesied the destruction and desolation of Edom as a punishment for their abuse of the remnant of Yehuda. The mountains of Israel will be rebuilt on the ruins of Mount Se’ir.
Yehezkel’s Prophecy regarding Gog and Magog
Part 3 - The Nations will Know God
Dr. Tova Ganzel
God exiled His people because of their sins, and because God’s chose to hide His face. In the pagan world, by contrast, the harm inflicted on a particular nation was proof of the weakness of their god; the suffering was not interpreted as a punishment or as the hiding of a divine face. This sharply contrasts the Jewish view.

The purpose of redemption – the ingathering of the exiles and the war against Gog – is that not only will God’s name become known among the nations, but His name will also be magnified and sanctified, so much so that many nations will recognize Him. This will compensate for the desecration of God’s name that transpired when His people were exiled.