Ezekiel · Chapter 18

And it came to pass. To say: That he [the prophet] should say to them, to Israel:

"And the word of the Lord came to me, saying." What is your reason for deriving a parable? A shenfelants in the vernacular. The fathers eat unripe fruit. Fruit before it has ripened, called "unripe" in Old French. “And the two sons shall be made desolate.” In the vernacular, this is rendered as “Agaṣiron,” meaning they will be uprooted. Thus is the way of the Holy One, blessed be He: the fathers sin, and the children bear the punishment. For indeed, how many years did the kings of Israel sin before they were exiled? And even we, we need not worry about suffering punishment for our iniquity.

"What is to you?"—regarding the Land of Israel. Concerning the destruction of the Land of Israel, the generation should say that it was destroyed in their days. This is the parable: “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.” The explanation of this parable is as follows: Since our ancestors used to say, “Our fathers sinned, and they are no more, but we bear the iniquities of their sins,” and because the prophets had said to Israel, “Because of the sins of Jeroboam,” and to the tribe of Judah, “Because of the sins of Manasseh,” they reasoned: “If so, the children are punished for the sins of their fathers.” And indeed, one might say this: “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.” But they did not understand nor comprehend this matter, for it was on account of the sins of Jeroboam and Manasseh that the great wrath came, because they caused those who came after them to sin. Had Israel not clung to the sins of Jeroboam, and had the children of Judah not clung to the sins of Manasseh, they would not have been punished for their iniquities, and the Land of Israel would not have been destroyed. Regarding this matter, God, blessed be He, answered them, and this is the subject of the entire passage that follows.

"Mā lākhem" – This means: What did you see to engage in this foolishness, that you apply this parable to the destruction of the Land of Israel? The Patriarchs. And this is the parable that they said: “Behold, the fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the teeth of the children are set on edge.” Nevertheless, their teeth were not set on edge, but the teeth of the children shall be set on edge, even though they did not eat the sour grapes. The meaning is: Is it possible that our fathers sinned and yet spent all their days in tranquility, without receiving retribution, whereas we, their children, who do not multiply in sins as they did, should be punished for their iniquity?

Rulers. A verbal noun from the root *mashal*: Bosor: Thus is called fruit that has not completed its ripening; and similarly, “and the flower becomes a ripening grape” (Isaiah 18:5). “Let them be blunted.” The matter refers to the weakening of the teeth for cutting food, and similarly, “if the iron is blunted” (Ecclesiastes 10:10), that is to say, the iron has become weakened for hewing wood.

"What is to you? For our Sages of blessed memory already stated in Makkot (page 24) that Moses decreed four decrees upon Israel, and four prophets came and annulled them. Moses said, 'Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children'; Ezekiel came and annulled it, saying, 'The soul that sins, it shall die.' This means that they had already raised the difficulty: What is the meaning of 'visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children,' whereas it is written, 'The children shall not be put to death for the fathers; each person shall be put to death for his own sin'? And our Sages of blessed memory explained in Berakhot (page 7) that only when the children cling to the deeds of their fathers in their hands does He visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children. However, what is stated obscurely in one place is stated explicitly in another, for in the Ten Commandments it is explained that this applies only to the sin of idolatry, as it is written, 'You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children of those who hate Me.' And it has already been explained in the Moreh Nevukhim that you will not find wrath, anger, jealousy, and hatred except regarding the sin of idolatry. And in the sin of idolatry, jealousy consumes the root together with the branches, but not in other transgressions. And it is known that in the days of Ezekiel the yetzer hara (evil inclination) for idolatry was abolished, for the Men of the Great Assembly abolished it, as our Sages of blessed memory stated. And consequently, the statement 'visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children' was then annulled, for in other transgressions He does not visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children except upon those who cling to the deeds of their fathers in their hands. Now, until the days of Ezekiel, when the yetzer hara for idolatry was among them, this parable was in effect: 'The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge.' This is a parable for their service to the host of heaven, which is like fruit that is not fully ripe and dulls the teeth of the eater, and the children's teeth are dulled, as it is stated regarding Manasseh, son of Hezekiah. And this is what is meant by 'As I live, if it shall be for you anymore,' meaning that there shall no longer be idolatry, for that would be the cause for this parable to be in effect among Israel."

Like the word "to rule," as in "to rule":

"As I live," if you will have this parable any longer. For I will make known through them My judgments and My ways, and you shall no longer err in it, and you will take heed and see that it is so, for all the souls are Mine, and I placed them in flesh to guide the body to walk after Me, and I desire their life, not their death, for they are Mine and hewn from My glory, like the soul of the father and like the soul of the son. And how could it enter your mind that I would punish the soul if it had not sinned against Me? Far be it from Me!

"If it should be, etc." – This means: If there is still anyone among you who wishes to propose this parable, as if to say, "Behold, I will inform you of the manner of my judgment, and you will see that the law is on my side."

"All the souls are Mine. And why should the son be punished who did not sin against Me? Is he not Mine?"

"Behold, all the souls are Mine." It is clear:

"Behold, they are Mine." They are Mine, as if to say: "Behold," from the way that each one loves his own and desires its preservation. "As the soul of the father, etc." — Just as the soul of the father is mine, so too is the soul of the son; there is no distinction between them. (And the doubling of the letter kaf in "as the soul of the father" and "as the soul of the son" serves to indicate complete similarity; likewise, "like you, Pharaoh.") (Genesis 44:30) "She shall die." For then she has no love from now on, but in a case other than transgression, why should the love be removed?

“Behold, all the souls”—this means that although from the perspective of the body one may speak of kinship, to his father, and his father is the one who begets him, and bodily illnesses and bad physical traits are inherited by the sons from the fathers, yet regarding spiritual illnesses that depend on free choice, and that the soul of the son should be punished on account of the soul of his father, this does not apply. For “the souls are Mine”; they do not belong to the begetting fathers, but are a portion of God from above. And the strict law of justice does not allow that the soul of the son should bear the sin of the soul of the father, for “as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is Mine.” The soul of the father has no ownership over the soul of the son, and the soul of the father is like the soul of the son; it is not considered as a root to the soul of the son, such that the soul of the son would be like a branch to it and derived from it. Therefore, only the soul that sins shall die.

“And a man, if he be righteous.” Now He will expound the judgment as it stands before Him, so that they will not err, for they also have no grounds to err regarding what is written in the Torah: “Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children,” since it is written there in reference to “those who hate Me.” "When there shall be a righteous man" – this refers to one who refrains from transgressing a negative commandment. "and do justice and righteousness." That he fulfilled a positive commandment. After this, he specified some of the sins and merits, and said:

"And a man": This means that since souls are dear to Me, therefore, "a man, when he is righteous," so that he does not do any of the evils, and furthermore he does good by practicing justice and righteousness.

And if a man is righteous by nature, such that righteousness is an acquired trait within his soul, and he also performs justice and righteousness in deed—justice in the commandments between man and his fellow, and righteousness in the commandments between man and God.

He did not eat from the mountains; on the mountains he did not worship idols, to eat the sacrifices of the dead. “Not to their idols.” The rest of the idolatrous practices, such as the Baal of Samaria and the calves of Bethel and Dan.

"Unto the mountains I have not eaten." It has a qamats under the zaqef trope. Because the nations served their idols on the high mountains, as it is written [in other verses], therefore He said, "Unto the mountains I have not eaten." And the word "unto" (el) is like "upon" (al), and there are many instances like this. And He said "eaten" because they used to eat their sacrifices there after offering them to their idols. And so too the Targum renders it: "On the heights I have not served idols." “And his eyes did not lift up to the idols of the House of Israel.” It is needless to say that he did not serve foreign deities; rather, even his eyes did not lift up to them, as it is stated: “Do not turn to idols.” And after mentioning foreign deities—which is a transgression between man and the Divine, and which is equal in weight to all other transgressions—he mentioned transgressions between man and his fellow that are customary in buying and selling and in loans, in which people are accustomed to engage. And he mentioned matters of forbidden sexual relations to which a person is prone, for regarding all forbidden sexual relations that involve close kin, there is no need to mention them, because most people, even the wicked, abstain from them. And he mentioned from the positive commandments the commandment of charity, which is the great commandment in matters between man and his fellow. And likewise, he mentioned true justice, which is the preservation of settlement in the world. And he mentioned the decrees in general, saying, “Walk in My decrees.” And after saying, “The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, nor the father bear the iniquity of the son,” he said that even a person’s own sins he shall not bear if he returns from them. And in all this matter, he mentioned reward in general through life, and punishment in general through death. And the Gaon Rabbi Saadia Gaon wrote that what is mentioned regarding life and death refers to the World to Come. And I say that this is indeed true, for the essence of punishment and reward is for the World to Come. But the matter mentioned here was not stated regarding the World to Come, for this matter is a response to those who say that the son bears the iniquity of the father, seeing the many afflictions that befall the sons in that generation, while their fathers sinned and are no longer alive. These people were not complaining regarding the World to Come, for they did not know what it is, but rather regarding what they saw with their own eyes. And the response must be relevant to the subject of the question and the astonishment. And if you say, “If so, why did he mention only life and death, whereas reward and punishment in this world are not only in life and death, but also in all the details of the blessings and curses written in the Torah?” The answer is that he said this to summarize the matter and to mention the inclusive concept, which is life and death, as it is said, “You shall keep all My decrees and all My statutes, which a person shall do and live by them.” Here, life is mentioned in place of all the details of the blessings. And although Onkelos translated “and live by them” as “they shall live with the life of the World to Come,” the meaning of “and live” is only in this world, just as all the blessings and curses promised in the Torah are for this world. However, the life of the World to Come is alluded to in the phrase “and live by them,” and likewise it is alluded to in other places in the Torah. But the plain meaning of the matter is in this world. And likewise, what He said to the first man, “For on the day you eat of it, you shall surely die”—this death includes all the curses decreed upon man for the sin of eating the fruit, as He said to him, “Cursed is the ground for your sake; in pain you shall eat of it,” and “thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you,” and “by the sweat of your brow,” etc. And thus, He summarized all these curses in the language of death. And likewise, He said, “I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse, and choose life, that you and your seed may live.” Here, blessing and curse are mentioned in general in place of the blessings and curses. Thus, He called the blessings “life” and the curses “death.” The reason is that life with success and good is life, and with evil it is death, as it is said regarding one who succeeds in his deeds, “Say to him, ‘Live.’” And one afflicted in his body is called dead, as it is said, “Do not be like a dead person.” And likewise, a poor person is considered like dead. And in His saying, “The soul that sins, it shall die,” He refers to the soul that is the owner of desire, and it sins together with the body. And likewise, He said, “When a soul sins.” And likewise, it receives the punishment together with the body: hunger, illness, captivity, and all things similar to these are called death, for one whose life is bad is considered like dead. And many prophets in their lifetime asked for death, as we find in Job. And when He said, “The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father,” He refers to a son who is grown up, who is worthy of punishment and reward on his own merit. But young children die because of the sin of their fathers, and likewise, He does good to them because of the merit of their fathers. But grown-up children who are wicked, the merit of their fathers does not benefit them, just as the sin of their fathers does not harm the righteous, as it is stated in the Torah, “Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children,” and He said regarding His enemies, but regarding the reward of good, “Keeping covenant and mercy to those who love Him and keep His commandments, to a thousand generations.” But the measure of good is greater than the measure of retribution, for the merit of the fathers is preserved for the children and adds good to them because of the merit of their fathers, even for a thousand generations or for thousands of generations, as He preserved for us the covenant of our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob until this day, that we are His lovers and keepers of His commandments. And even though there are wicked among us, all Israel is today clean from the sin of idolatry, and most of Israel is clean from the other sins mentioned. And all the more so that He promised our fathers in this matter, as it is said, “Because I have known him, that he may command his children and his household after him,” and He made a covenant with him between the parts to keep the covenant for his children forever. And He said, “And I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and also My covenant with Isaac I will remember, and also My covenant with Abraham I will remember,” and He said, “And I will remember for them the covenant of the first ones, and the covenant cut out for the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that I will not cause them to cease from being a nation before Me.” And those who have come out from the scope of our faith were not truly of their seed, but from the mixed multitude of converts who converted. The sin of the fathers is preserved for the wicked children to add to their evil because of the sin of the fathers, up to four generations, no more. For thus the rebellious elder can see from his children’s children up to four generations, for there is a wicked person who prolongs his evil. And He mentioned Eli, to whom God said that He would preserve the sin for him and his children forever. That sin was great, and it included the desecration of the Divine Name. The Caller of the generations from the beginning knew that there would not be among the children anyone worthy to atone for that sin of the fathers. And even if there were, that punishment would not fall upon him, as our Sages of blessed memory said: “Through sacrifice and offering he is not atoned, but through words of Torah and acts of kindness he is atoned.” And in this passage, He mentioned three generations: a righteous one, a wicked one, and a righteous one, corresponding to the generations that complained about them. For Hezekiah was righteous and did not bear the sin of his father Ahaz. And his son Manasseh was wicked, a shedder of blood, as it is said, “And he begot a son, a lawless one, a shedder of blood.” And thus, the righteousness of his father Hezekiah did not benefit him, and he was punished for his wickedness, and the officers of the army of the king of Assyria captured him with hooks and bound him with bronze fetters and led him to Babylon. And thus, the son of Manasseh was wicked and was punished for his wickedness, and the sin of his father was also visited upon him. And he reigned only two years, and his servants conspired against him and killed him in his house. And thus, Amon begot a son, and he saw the sins of his father which he had done, and he did not do so. And thus, he did not die because of the sin of his father, since he was righteous. And if you say, “Behold, it is said, ‘When a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has done, he shall surely live, and all his transgressions which he has done shall not be remembered against him.’ And behold, Manasseh returned from his wickedness, yet his evil deeds were remembered until the destruction of the land, as it is said regarding the sin of Manasseh, ‘Because he sinned and caused others to sin.’ And if he returned, the many who sinned could not return, and his evil deeds remained until the land was destroyed because of them. Therefore, his deeds were remembered, but not against him, for he was not punished because of them, since he did repent and humbled himself before the God of his fathers, and He heard his prayer and pleaded for him and brought him back to Jerusalem to his kingdom. But for those who held on to his deeds, they were remembered.” And thus, the matter of the passage and the inheritance in it are all explained.

"To the mountains, etc." Now he explains what were the evils from which he guarded himself, and he said: "I did not eat in the mountains from the altars of the sacrifices of the nations of the world that are on the mountains, nor did I lift my eyes to gaze at the idols of the House of Israel, which are the graven images." He did not contract ritual impurity. For the purpose of engaging in sexual immorality with her: "He shall not approach." To come upon her.

“Unto the mountains” (and it expounds [this as referring to] charity between man and the Divine): that he did not consume the offering of idolatry, etc.

(Jonah. The term denotes deception, meaning that he did not wrong any person): "His pledge, a debt, he shall restore." If one took a pledge from his fellow for a debt, he shall return it to him by the coming of the sun.

“And a man.” “His pledge he shall restore.” In the pledge that he had in his debt, he shall restore it to the poor person, just as the Torah commanded to return the garment taken as a pledge. And “pledge” refers to the security, while “debt” refers to a known debt — that is, the loan. "And naked." It is written with a yod as a continuation:

“Do not oppress.” To oppress and take what is his. His pledge is a debt. When he took the garment of his fellow as a pledge for a debt owed to him, he returned it with the coming of the sun, and did not transgress the commandment of the Torah. “He gave of his bread to the hungry.” And he did not transgress what the Torah states: “Do not withhold your hand from your poor brother” (Deuteronomy 15:7). "And naked." One who went naked, without being clothed, he covered him with a garment from his own.

Jonah. From the term for deception, and its meaning is the taking of wealth, as in “the city of Jonah” (Zephaniah 3:1). His pledge. The matter of a pledge is similar to [the verse] "If you take your neighbor's garment as a pledge" (Exodus 22:25).

"And no man shall wrong" (it expounds: a judgment between a man and his fellow):

“On interest he shall not lend.” The bet is defective, lacking the heh of the definite article, and its meaning is “the well-known interest” that the Torah prohibited. "And he shall not take increase." Our Sages of blessed memory said: "He shall not increase" and "he shall not take" are both referring to interest; the Scripture did not distinguish between them except so that one transgresses two negative commandments. It says "he shall give" at the time of the loan, for then he is giving; and it says "he shall take" at the time of collecting the debt, for then he is taking. “He shall withhold his hand from injustice.” Just as the Torah prohibited, “You shall not do injustice in judgment, in measure, and in weight.” "Judgment of truth." If a judge is to adjudicate between two men, he shall render for them a judgment of truth, and shall not show partiality to either one of them.

"He shall not give." He did not lend to anyone at interest. "He shall not take." At the time of repayment, he did not take interest, even if the borrower gave it of his own accord (and even though this is considered "dust of interest" and prohibited only by rabbinic decree, it is hinted at in the biblical text): "He shall restore his hand from oppression." Now, this is stated in general terms, meaning that he did not commit oppression, and these are the matters that the Torah has forbidden. "A judgment of truth." Now he explains the good deed that he did, and says that he executed a judgment of truth between man and man, and did not pervert justice.

On the matter of interest. Both "interest" (neshekh) and "increase" (tarbit) refer to the concept of usury; however, the term "interest" is used with regard to money, while "increase" is used with regard to food, as it is stated: "You shall not lend him your money for interest, nor give him your food for increase" (Leviticus 25:37).

"In My statutes he shall walk." From the emphasis (dagesh) [in the word "statutes"], and it [the verse] stands [as is], it recalls the statutes and ordinances in general, in addition to what it mentioned in particular.

"In His statutes shall he walk." Even regarding the commandments that are like chukim, whose reason is not known, and the Satan raises objections against them, nevertheless, he walked in them and performed them. "And he kept His judgments to do truth." This means that he did not execute judgment upon anyone with the intention of taking vengeance against him; rather, he guarded the judgment to carry it out solely according to what is true and fitting, without any ulterior motive. He is righteous. A man who is like this is considered righteous, and therefore he shall live in this world and in the world of souls.

"In My statutes shall he walk" refers to the mitzvot between man and God, and "My judgments shall he keep" refers to those between man and his fellow. If so, he is a righteous person in actuality, in addition to the possession [of righteousness] in his soul, meaning he is prepared for righteousness. The phrase "he shall be righteous" means that he is prepared to be righteous; yet he is already righteous in actuality. Therefore, it is fitting according to the law that "he shall live."

“And he shall do to a brother one of these.” The Targum: “And he shall do to his brother one of these.”

“And he begot a lawless son.” — One who breaches the fence of truth. "And he shall commit one of these." "One" is equivalent to "a single one," and it says "one" for the feminine, because it too is without the definite article. And it is said in two languages, like "ani" and "anokhi." And the Targum [renders it] according to its literal meaning: "And he shall cause his brother to do one of these." And the explanation of "and he shall commit one" is: and he shall commit a single sin. And which sin? One of those mentioned. And the explanation of "one of these mentioned" is like: from all that he shall do, one of these.

"And he begat." If this righteous man were to beget a son who is a wicked man, a shedder of blood: "And he did to his brother." He did to his brother one of the aforementioned things, such as robbery and the like.

"A breaker." This means: a wicked person who breaches the fence of truth and righteousness.

“And he begat” – if the righteous man begat a wicked son, and he did evil, this means that even though he had a brother who did one of these good deeds of his father, nevertheless he did not learn either from his father or from his brother. For he did not perform all those good deeds which his father did in the manner of “rise and do” (such as “he shall do justice to the hungry, he shall give bread to the poor”). Moreover, he transgressed prohibitions in actual deed, for he also ate of the mountains.

And he, all these things. All these good deeds that his father had done:

And he did not do all these things. All these merits that were mentioned, he did not perform them; rather, he did the opposite. “For also to the mountains He ate.” “Ate” is vocalized with a patach in the zakef position, whereas “did not eat” is vocalized with a qamats in the zakef position, as we have written. The mnemonic is: “Did not eat” has a qamats in its mouth; “ate” has a patach in its mouth.

“And he did not do all these things.” All these good things mentioned were not done: "Ki gam" – this means that it was not sufficient for him that he did not perform good deeds, but rather that he also committed evil, for "ki gam" – "for also" – he ate upon the mountains, [offering] the altars of the sacrifices of idolatry.

"He has committed an abomination. The lying with a male:"

He wronged the poor and needy. The term "poor" is mentioned because he is weak and easily deceived, and yet he also deceives others when he is able. However, the mention of "poor and destitute" refers to the present reality, for they do not fear deceiving others due to their own weakness. And deception is the taking of another’s money through business transactions, either without their knowledge or with their knowledge, as it is said: “And the leaders of My people shall no longer oppress My people, and I will feed those who deceive you.” "He committed an abomination." This refers to his approaching a menstruating woman.

He defrauded. He defrauded them of their wealth: Chavul. Since he did not return what he had taken as a pledge for his debt before the sun went down, he has transgressed a commandment of the Torah. "He lifted his eyes." To look at them, to direct his heart toward them. "He has done an abomination." He performed the things that are abominable in the sight of the Lord.

He wronged. The word is derived from the term for overreaching (ona'ah).

On usury, and he shall live. In a tone of astonishment: “His blood shall be upon him.” The word “his blood” is in the plural form, yet it says “shall be” in the singular form, as we explained above in the parashah of Hodea, that the term “blood” is mentioned both in the general and in the particular. Moreover, the present tense applies to the matter, just as in the case of “if a young woman” (ki yihyeh na'arah).

“On usury, etc.” – This means that he took either fixed interest or even a trace of interest. "And he shall live." But is such a man worthy to be kept alive on account of his father's merit? In truth, he will not live, since he committed these abominations mentioned, and he has no merit of his own to combine with his father's merit. “Death shall be his death.” This means that even though he dies as a result of his sin, the very act of his dying constitutes an additional transgression upon himself, and he will be punished in the world of souls for having sinned against his own soul by causing his own death. Thus, the sinner himself will receive his full recompense in its entirety.

"And he shall live"—in a questioning tone? Surely he will not live, and the merit of his father will not benefit him, since he committed all these abominations. The explanation is that he will not live the life of the soul in the World to Come. Moreover, in this world he will be punished by human courts: "by his blood he shall be put to death," since for idolatry he is liable to stoning and for relations with a married woman he is liable to strangulation, and the rule is that one who is liable to two forms of capital punishment is judged according to the more severe one.

"And he shall see, but he shall not do" — likewise. He perceived in his heart that it is not good to do so. "I apritzoi" in the language of the gentiles.

And behold, it is clear:

And behold, he fathered a son. And behold, if such a wicked man fathers a son and sees with his own eyes what his father did in his sins: And he saw. Although he saw them, he did not covet them, nor did he act like them.

And behold, he begot a son, and the son of this wicked man, although he saw all the sins of his father, did not learn from his deeds; on the contrary, he saw with the sight of his intellect that the way of his father was evil and bitter, and he took a lesson not to act like him.

"Upon the mountains." This is what is stated in the verse: "and the rest of them, el."

"And a man." One who takes a pledge, but did not take a pledge. He did not take a pledge from him at a time when he was liable to return it [i.e., when the pledge was due to be returned].

He has not taken a pledge. This means that the pledge does not remain in his hand after the sun sets.

He withdrew His hand from harming him. From doing him evil:

He withdrew his hand from the poor person, [meaning] from doing him any harm, and likewise from others; rather, it mentions specifically the one whom it is easy to harm, namely, one who is weak.

“From the poor He has withheld His hand.”—That is, from doing evil. And since it is easy to do evil to the poor, because he lacks the strength to save himself, therefore it says: “From the poor.” "He. That son shall not die for the iniquity of his father, but rather he shall live in this world and in the World of Souls. That is to say: not as you say, that the sons are punished for the iniquity of their fathers."

He shall not die for his father’s iniquity with the death of the body, and furthermore, he shall live a life of spiritual vitality.

His father, who robbed his brother. All Israelites are brothers, as it is stated: “until your brother seek it” (Deuteronomy 22:2), and “him and no other.” And the Targum of Jonathan renders it: “He who robbed a stolen item from one of his brothers.” “And that which He did not do well among His people” – it is as if it said, “he did evil among his people,” and it spoke in general terms regarding the evils. And such is the custom of the language to say “not good” in place of “evil,” such as “and he stood in the way of not good” (1 Kings 22:13), and “a false balance is not good” (Proverbs 11:1). And likewise along this line: “that which is not pure,” “that which shall not be pure.” Among his people. For he will not be ashamed to do evil in the assemblies of men:

"His father, because he oppressed" – this means that it was his father who oppressed and robbed his brother and did what was not good; that is to say, he committed evil among his people openly. And indeed, he died for his own sin. But why should the son be put to death? What did he do?

“His father” – this comes to explain that justice dictates that the son should not bear the iniquity of his father, for his father indeed oppressed, and so on; behold, he died in his guilt and received his punishment. And why should the son, who did not sin, be punished?

“Why?” – lacking a vav, and there is no other instance like it. And the meaning of “And you shall say” is that you shall say to Me when I say to you, “My ways,” [namely:] “Why should the son not bear the iniquity of the father, as we see that our fathers sinned and are no more, and we have borne their iniquities?” This is not possible, because the son has done justice and righteousness; why should he bear the iniquity of the father? But you are wicked, and you bear your own iniquities and the iniquities of your fathers, as is My way: “Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children of those who hate Me.” “Guarded and performed them.” He guarded the negative commandments and performed the positive commandments.

"And you shall say, 'Why...'" – This means: If you were to ask, saying, "Why do you say that the son does not bear the punishment for the father's sin?" – as though they were saying, "Are we not being punished for the sins of our fathers?" “And the son does justice and righteousness.” As it is said: “But if they do what is just and righteous, and keep all My statutes and do them, then they shall surely live” and therefore he shall live in this world and in the World of Souls, and he shall not bear the iniquity of his father. And as it is said: “But you have transgressed against Me” and therefore I have combined for you also the iniquities of your fathers, as it is written: “Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children… of those who hate Me” (Deuteronomy 5:9). (And the reason that your fathers were not punished was because the measure was not yet full at that time, but now it has become full through this combination.)

"Nasa." From the language of "masa" and "sevel" (burden and load):

And you will say, and you will ask, why did the son not bear the iniquity of the father? And how is this possible, when the son has done justice and righteousness, and it is fitting that he should live? And if you attribute this to natural matters, that bodily diseases and their dispositions are inherited from fathers to sons, this applies to the body, not to the soul.

The soul. It is clear: Wicked. There is a written form and a read form: the written form is "wicked" and the read form is "the wicked"; the only difference between them is the definite article "the."

"She shall die." And not one who has not sinned. "He shall not bear." He shall not endure punishment for the iniquity of the father, etc. The righteousness of the righteous. The righteous deed performed by the righteous person shall be for him alone, so that he may receive the reward himself.

For the soul that sins shall die, and in this matter there is no kinship between the fathers and the sons, neither for merit nor for liability. And in this depiction that he depicted, that the father was righteous and his son was wicked, and his son’s son was righteous, this proves from two aspects: First, just as the father was not punished for the wickedness of his son, so too the son will not be punished for the wickedness of his father. And this is what it says: “The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father,” just as the father does not bear the iniquity of the son. The second proof: Just as the righteousness of the righteous father did not benefit his wicked son, so too the wickedness of the wicked father will not harm his righteous son. And this is what it says: Just as the righteousness of the righteous is only for himself and does not benefit his son, so too the wickedness of the wicked is only for himself.

"And the wicked." Up to this point, the matter has been discussed regarding a father and a son; now it speaks about a person himself when he returns from his deeds. It says: "If the wicked turns away from his wickedness and does justice and righteousness, he shall live; all his transgressions shall not be remembered against him." Likewise, when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, "all his righteous deeds which he did shall not be remembered." Our Sages of blessed memory raised the question: Should he not be considered half deserving and half liable? And they answered: It applies to one who regrets his earlier deeds, for since a person regrets his initial deeds, they are not counted for him at all. "He shall surely live and not die." It means: He shall live in this world and not die [i.e., be condemned] to the World to Come. And similarly, "Let Reuben live and not die." “From all his sin.” The plural yod is missing from the written text:

"And the wicked, when he turns..." [Ezekiel 18:21]—this comes to bring proof for the truth of this judgment. It says: "Behold, if the wicked turns from all his sins which he has committed and does so no more, and keeps all My statutes, etc., he shall surely live; he shall not die." That is, he shall not die by the punishment of the sins which he committed previously.

And the wicked one, he added further to say that not only in two separate bodies shall the son of the righteous not bear the iniquity of his father the wicked, but even in one single body, if the wicked one changes his deeds and returns in repentance, he shall not bear the former iniquity. And the wicked, when he returns from all his sins—meaning that he returns regarding the past—and he keeps all My statutes to rectify his deeds for the future, he shall live, he shall live with the life of the soul, and he shall not die the death of the body. For all his transgressions which he did shall not be remembered against him, after he has lived by his righteousness which he has done. And do not say, "Is there not here a change of will? And after I have decreed upon him death, how can I change the decree from death to life?" To this He answers: "Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked?" Rather, My fundamental desire from the beginning was that he should return from his ways and live. And thus, My fundamental will was that he should return and that he should live, and My will has not changed at all.

"All his iniquities." It is clear:

"Who made." From then until he shall return: They shall not remember it to his credit. This means to receive upon himself the recompense of punishment. “By his righteousness which he has done.” After they return through their merit, he shall live. And as it is said: If the sinner himself repents and performs righteousness, his transgressions will not be remembered against him; all the more so that they will not be remembered against the son who performs righteousness.

"Do I desire the death of the wicked?" I do not desire the death of the wicked; rather, I prolong his days in his wickedness so that he may return in repentance, as I did for Manasseh.

“The desirer.” And is it My desire that the wicked die in his sin? Nay, it is My desire that he return from his ways and live. And if his former deeds are remembered, what benefit is there in repentance and in the straightening of his ways?

"All His righteous deeds. They shall not be remembered." Our Sages interpreted this as referring to those who repent of them.

“And when a righteous person returns, he shall live.” In a tone of astonishment. His righteousness. The plural is missing a yod in its spelling:

“And when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness.” And when the righteous person turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, doing according to the manner of the abominations which the wicked person did from the beginning, he too will do the same. “And he shall live.” In a tone of questioning: Is it fitting that he should live on account of the righteousness he performed at first? Behold, in truth it is not so, for all his righteous deeds which he performed at first will not be remembered so that he might live on their account; rather, on account of his transgression in which he transgressed, and on account of his sin in which he sinned, on their account he shall die. And our Sages of blessed memory stated that this refers to one who ponders over his former deeds and repents concerning them.

In his transgression. The matter of sin and iniquity:

“And when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness” — this refers to one who regrets his former righteous deeds, as our Sages of blessed memory have expounded. That is to say, he repents and regrets his previous righteousness, and from now on commits injustice. The law dictates that even though he does all the abominations that the wicked person did, he shall still live? This is not according to justice. For since all his righteous deeds that he performed will not be remembered, because he regrets them, therefore he deserves death for two reasons: 1. For his transgression, that is, for what he has transgressed against the Lord, abandoning the path of righteousness on which he had walked until now and regretting it; 2. For his sin, that is, for the sin he commits from now on. In these [two matters], that is, on account of these two things, he shall die. And you say, “It is not fitting for the way of the Lord,” and you ponder this through inquiry, saying that the way of the Lord does not remain in one state and involves change. This is like what the inquirers have investigated and asked: How does the Lord change from being pleased to not being pleased, and from not being pleased to being pleased? And if He was pleased with the righteous and hated the wicked, how does His will change regarding them due to the change in their actions, whereas the Lord does not change? Furthermore, they ask regarding this: How does a servant who spoiled his work repair this through regret? And likewise, in the opposite case, a hired worker who worked faithfully for many years and then ceased working — is he not paid for the work he performed because of this? To this, the response is given: “Is My way not fitting?,” meaning that the way of the Lord stands firm in one content without any change. For His desire is always to bestow good upon whoever is prepared to receive the good. The wicked person who spoiled his deeds is himself preventing himself from receiving the good and the divine abundance, like one who did not sow his field, so that he does not receive the benefit of the rain. The change is not in the rain that bestows, but in the human recipient of its good, who did not prepare himself to receive it. And when he returns in repentance and sows for righteousness, behold, he is prepared to receive the good of the Lord, which flows constantly without change and without interruption. Likewise, the righteous person who begins to act wickedly is destroying the seed that he sowed for righteousness and preventing himself from receiving the good. It is he who has done evil, not the Lord, from whom evil does not proceed. As it is stated (in Isaiah 55:8-10): “For My thoughts are not your thoughts... For as the rain and the snow come down...” as expounded there. Therefore, only your ways are not fitting, for you change your ways from being prepared to receive the abundance to not being prepared, and from not being prepared to being prepared, and the change does not depend on Me.

And you shall say: It is not fitting for the way of the Lord that his former deeds should not be remembered in his favor. This is not correct, that you should say: "The way of the Lord is not right." How can you say this? Rather, it means: "Your ways are not right, and the ways of your thoughts and your understanding are not right," for one does not judge a person except according to his final deeds, since he has repented of his earlier ones. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated: "The ways of the Lord are not comprehensible," and he did not expound it, [saying only]: "A good path of the Lord."

"And you shall say." And if you were to say that it is not fitting for the way of the Lord, in that He judges a person according to his last deeds, because you might think that it is proper to consider the earlier deeds together with the later ones, pitting them against each other, and according to this balance the judgment will be rendered: "The ways of the Lord" – and is it not the case that the way of His judgment cannot be truly established? "Your ways" – they cannot be established.

It is possible. From the language of preparation and being made ready, and similarly, "a seal of perfection" (below, 28):

On the word “Shuv.” It is clear: “And he shall die because of them.” For his own turning back and regretting his righteousness, and for his committing the injustice, he shall be punished for both. And to inform us of this, the matter is answered, since they have already been mentioned; and thus it says further:

“[When] a righteous person returns.” For when a righteous person returns from his righteousness and commits injustice, and dies on account of them, should he not die at the time he commits the injustice? And it is counted to his credit that he does not add to his sin.

"When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness, this means that he regrets his previous righteousness and commits injustice from then onward, then he will be punished doubly: 1. In view of his previous path, the sin will be magnified according to the greatness of the person who commits it, and moreover, he deserves punishment for his trespass against God and for abandoning the good path in which he had already merited; 2. In view of his evil deeds to come, and this is what it says, 'and he shall die in them,' meaning that for these two reasons he shall die: for the previous righteousness that he abandoned, and for the injustice to come. And in all this, the change does not come from My side but from his side, for in the injustice that he committed, he shall die by himself, for the sin kills, not I who kills him."

“And when a wicked person turns...” And He also introduced this matter regarding him, as it states, “He shall look and return,” meaning that he saw his evil deeds and contemplated them, recognizing that they are evil, and he repented of them, and he returned from all his transgressions. And he shall do justice and righteousness; for both of these he shall receive reward. Yechiyah. He revives his soul upon his return, for life and death are in his hand according to his deeds.

“And when the wicked turns.” And as it is stated, “When the wicked turns from his wickedness,” etc., behold, through repentance with justice and righteousness, he sustains his intellectual soul, so that it may gain mastery over the material force.

“And when a wicked person turns away from his wickedness that he has committed, and does justice and righteousness, he shall live thereby” – even here, the change is not on My side, for he himself shall keep his soul alive, for righteousness shall keep its owner alive. And even in this matter, one may also look at it according to the previous approach. And there is a difference regarding the matter of repentance: if he repents only from now onward and does not regret the former sins, then he shall keep his soul alive only from now onward.

And he shall see. It is clear: And he returned. It is written with a vav and read without a vav, and the shin has a qamats. "Chiyo yichiyeh." With a vav, and all those mentioned above: "chayah yichyeh" with a heh. They are one and the same, for the root, which is one of the weak lamed-heh (final-heh) roots, in the light [Qal] form, comes either with a vav or with a heh.

And he shall see. And certainly, he shall see with his intellect that he did not do well at first, and he shall return from all the sins that he committed. And if so, it is fitting that he should live and not die, for then he would add to his repentance and good deeds.

"And he shall see" — but if he sees with the eye of his intellect, and turns away from all his transgressions which he has done, and performs repentance for the past, then "from all his transgressions which he has done, he shall live," for then the sins will be transformed into merits. And this too is for the reason that he should scrutinize the composite value, for according to how much he sinned previously, his merits will grow afterward.

It is not possible. It is similar to lo yitaken (is not corrected) "apioth" in the language of the nations.

And they said, “My ways.” It is in the plural; whereas “My way” is in the singular. "Your ways are not right." Each one of your ways:

“And they said.” How can they say, etc.: "Is My way not fitting?" Can it be that my way is not possible, etc., as if to say: Does not reason necessitate the way of My judgments?

And the House of Israel said, “And regarding this too they will argue that it is impossible for the way of God to be such: How can He make iniquities into merits, and how can the wicked turn to become righteous? And how can the sin of the righteous be greater than the sin of the wicked, and the merit of the wicked greater than the merit of the righteous?” The response to this as well is that this is not a change in the way of God, but rather in your ways, which cannot be consistent on a single standard, because you yourselves keep changing it at every moment.

“Return and answer.” You yourselves return, and you cause others to return. (Retourner, in the vernacular: “Return and answer.”)

Therefore, return and restore. Each man to his brother. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated [it as]: “Return to My worship, and remove from yourselves the worship of error.” "And it shall not be for you." This means: the withholding of repentance is a stumbling block to sin.

Therefore. Since reason demands it, therefore I will judge you also, each man according to the path in which he is now. For this reason, return yourselves and restore your wives and your sons. "And it shall not be..." means: The sin that is in your hands shall not be a stumbling block for you, for it shall no longer be remembered, and you shall be judged in merit, according to your later deeds.

Therefore, and by means of the fact that you change your ways, each according to his ways, I will judge you, House of Israel. For this reason, I will judge you according to the two ways, and I will set his path now against the path he previously walked, so that according to this, the merit of the Baal Teshuvah (penitent) will be greater, in proportion to the magnitude of the strength and overcoming of his yetzer hara (evil inclination) to which he had already become accustomed in sin. Until, by means of the previous sins which dominated his soul, his strength will now be greater if he inclines his heart toward the Holy One. As it is said, “According to the pain is the reward.” And similarly, the sin of the righteous person who abandons the good path to which he had already become accustomed and which had become an acquired trait in his soul, will be greater in this regard. Therefore, “Return and bring back from all your transgressions”—meaning, strive to perform teshuvah out of love. Until not only will you yourselves return for the future, but you will also transform your previous evil deeds and transgressions into good, so that sins become merits. And “there shall be no stumbling block of sin for you”—meaning, do not perform a light teshuvah, which is teshuvah out of fear, for the previous sins have not yet been atoned for and transformed into mistakes, as if you stumbled in sin due to the stumble, which is considered a mistake. Rather, return out of love, until even the stumbling block, which is the mistake, is removed.

"Cast them off from you." Repent of your sins, and thereby you will cast off your punishments from upon you.

"They cast them away, etc." This means that they regretted them, and thus they were cast away. "A new heart." To draw near to His service. "And why should you die?" For if you do not return, behold, you will die; and if so, why should you bring about your own death and destruction?

"וְרוּחַ" – the matter of "desire," as it is said: "to wherever the spirit would go to go" (above 1:12).

“Cast them off,” but if you have not attained this level of doing repentance out of love, at least cast off from yourselves all your transgressions, as one casts off from himself a heavy burden (and thereby you will gain at least that they will no longer be in the category of transgressions, which are willful sins, for through repentance out of fear, willful sins become unintentional sins). And make for yourselves a new heart, meaning a new choice, for the heart is the ruling faculty, and the spirit is what elevates its images onto the heart. Until now, the spirit has elevated evil images for every iniquity and every sin, and likewise the heart too has ruled, by its choice, to do evil. Now, strive so that the spirit will elevate only good images for Torah, service, and the fear of God, and the heart will rule with the fear of God all day long. “Why should you die, O house of Israel?” Do repentance so that you may not die, for now He speaks of repentance out of fear of punishment. And even such repentance I will accept, although it is small in its value, for two reasons: first, for I do not desire the death of the dead; second, because through this repentance you will subsequently come to repentance out of love. And return even your previous sins to merit, and live the life of eternity.

"For I have no pleasure in the death of the dead"—this is named after its end; and likewise, "the dead shall be put to death" is named after its end. And the Targum translates it as "who is obligated to be put to death," just as Onkelos translated it as "who is obligated to be killed."

"For I have no pleasure." This means that what I ask regarding repentance is because I have no desire for the death of the sinner who dies due to his sin. And return. Therefore, return yourselves from the sin, and you shall live.

The high places of the dead. They are called "dead" according to their end: