Then he brought me back the way of the outer gate of the sanctuary, which looks toward the east; and it was shut.
verse value 2722
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 40 letters. Notable word values: "and·it" (וְה֖וּא) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "me" (אֹתִ֗י, 3 letters) and the longest is "outer" (הַחִיצ֔וֹן, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "outer" (הַחִיצ֔וֹן). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "way" (root דרך, 105x in Ezekiel); "gate" (root שער, 86x in Ezekiel); "and·it" (root הוא, 86x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'east', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיָּ֣שֶׁב [and·he·brought·back] (318) + אֹתִ֗י [me] (411) + דֶּ֣רֶךְ [way] (224) + שַׁ֤עַר [gate] (570) + הַמִּקְדָּשׁ֙ [the·sanctuary] (449) + הַחִיצ֔וֹן [outer] (169) + הַפֹּנֶ֖ה [that·turns] (140) + קָדִ֑ים [east] (154) + וְה֖וּא [and·it] (18) + סָגֽוּר [pure] (269) = 2722.
Radak
"And He brought me back" – this refers to the outer sanctuary. This is the Temple:
“And it was shut.” Now that He has returned me, I found it shut, whereas it had already been open when the Glory of the Lord entered the house, as stated above:
Metzudat David
"And He led me back." The angel who spoke with me brought me back to the way of the gate of the outer Temple, which is the Heichal, which is outer to the Holy of Holies. And to add clarification, he said, "facing east," meaning toward the gate that faces east, toward the Ulam, and not toward the gate that faces west, toward the Holy of Holies.
And it is closed. Our Sages of blessed memory interpreted this verse as referring to the southern wicket (Middot 4:1), meaning that there were two small doors to the Temple gate, one on this side and one on that, as depicted in the diagram.
Malbim
"And he returned me" – the angel returned him from the inner courtyard, where he had been, to the way of the gate of the outer courtyard, which faces east. It is the eastern gate through which he had first entered, and they found it now closed, and he could not go out from it.
And Hashem said to me: ‘This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, neither shall any man enter in by it, for Hashem, the God of Israel, has entered in by it; therefore it shall be shut.
verse value 3062
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 71 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "God·of·Israel" (אֱלֹהֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 269: pure, pure. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "not·shall·enter" (לֹא־יָ֣בֹא). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "and·said" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "it·will·be" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'by·it', dividing the verse into phrases of 17 and 2 words.
Rashi
It shall be closed. Our Sages applied this verse to the southern "psafs" (small door) of the Temple gate. A "psafs" is a small opening. Thus we learned in the Mishnah of Middot: There were two "psafs" in the great gate, one in the south and one in the north. No person ever entered through the southern one. Of this one it is explicitly stated by Ezekiel: "This gate shall be closed."
“He came into it.” In the future to come:
Radak
And He said to me, “This gate shall remain closed.” According to the simple meaning, this refers to the gate of the Temple. However, our Sages of blessed memory explained that this refers to one of the two small doors that were part of the Great Gate, as we learned in the tractate Middot: “The Great Gate had two small doors, one to the north and one to the south. No person ever entered through the southern one.” It is explicitly stated through Ezekiel that it is said: “And He said to me, ‘This gate shall remain closed; it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter through it, for the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered through it; therefore it shall remain closed.’”
“The Lord, the God of Israel, came into it.” This means that the matter of the Divine Presence entered into it, as stated above. And what is explained regarding this verse is clear, for he is speaking about the Temple and its gates, and not about anything else. And all the verses preceding and following it are answers to them, and every discerning person will understand, and I do not need to elaborate on their answers. And the meaning of “peshefeshim” is small openings.
Metzudat David
“Enter through it.” Through that gate:
“And it shall be shut.” Therefore, it shall be shut, since there is no one who enters it, because the Omnipresent, blessed be He, enters it.
Malbim
And He said to me, “This gate shall remain closed and shall not be opened ever again; for the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered through it, therefore it shall remain closed. Moreover, the eastern gate of the inner courtyard shall be closed on weekdays, but it shall be opened on the Sabbath and on festivals. However, the eastern gate of the outer courtyard shall not be opened at any time, and no person shall enter through it, even up to the space of the gate’s threshold—neither by way of the chambers on the outside nor by way of the hall on the inside. The reason is that the Lord, the God of Israel, entered through it; therefore it shall remain closed. This serves to indicate that the Divine Presence shall no longer depart from there ever again. After He came and entered the Temple through this gate, the gate was closed so that He would not exit from there outside the Temple, for He shall dwell there forever.”
As for the prince, being a prince, he shall sit therein to eat bread before Hashem; he shall enter by the way of the porch of the gate, and shall go out by the way of the same.’
verse value 3214
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 64 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "he" (ה֛וּא, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·prince" (אֶֽת־הַנָּשִׂ֗יא, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "the·prince" (אֶֽת־הַנָּשִׂ֗יא), "he·shall·sit·in·it" (יֵשֶׁב־בּ֥וֹ), "to·eat·bread" (לֶאֱכׇל־לֶ֖חֶם). The root נשיא appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "will·go·in" (root בוא, 175x in Ezekiel); "to·face·of" (root פנים, 150x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 6 words. Full calculation: אֶֽת־הַנָּשִׂ֗יא [the·prince] (767) + נָ֥שִׂיא [chieftain] (361) + ה֛וּא [he] (12) + יֵשֶׁב־בּ֥וֹ [he·shall·sit·in·it] (320) + (לאכול) [to·eat] (87) + לֶאֱכׇל־לֶ֖חֶם [to·eat·bread] (159) + לִפְנֵ֣י [to·face·of] (170) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + מִדֶּ֨רֶךְ [from·way·of] (264) + אוּלָ֤ם [prominence] (77) + הַשַּׁ֙עַר֙ [gate] (575) + יָב֔וֹא [will·go·in] (19) + וּמִדַּרְכּ֖וֹ [and·from·his·way] (276) + יֵצֵֽא [will·go·out] (101) = 3214.
Rashi
“The prince, the prince is he, etc.” — “The prince”: I grant permission to the prince, for he is a prince and of high standing, and it is not his way to sit and eat with the other priests in the chambers.
"He sat in it. To eat bread within its hollow:"
It is the way of the Hall of the Gates that one enters. When he enters the inner courtyard in order to enter this small gate to eat there, the way of the Hall of the Gates, the Azarah that is in the east, he enters into the Azarah, and in that very way he returns; when he returns, he exits by the same path by which he entered. And since it states below (verse 16) regarding “and when the commoner comes before the Lord at the appointed times, he shall come through…” that He commanded to make the Azarah a thoroughfare [i.e., to enter by one gate and exit by another], because that entry is for the purpose of appearing before the Divine Presence and one needs to appear beautifully, it was necessary to state here regarding the entries of all the days of the year that they should not make it a thoroughfare, because this entry is not for the purpose of appearing before the Divine Presence like that of the pilgrimage festivals. And so it testifies again below regarding “many times.”
I found: “the prince” — this is the High Priest, for he is a prince, and due to his eminence, he is permitted to eat the meat of sacred offerings and the bread of sacred offerings in the very gate that is opened for him at the time of his eating.
By the way of the hall of the gate he shall enter. Through the hall of the eastern gate, one enters the Temple courtyard and proceeds until that small chamber, where he eats his bread.
And by its own way he shall go out. For this gate is not fit to be a thoroughfare like the other gates; and all day, except when the prince is eating, it shall be closed. (SAA):
Radak
“Concerning the prince”: The prince is he who sits there to eat bread before the Lord. “Concerning the prince” is like “to the prince,” and similarly, “Show to the priest” and “to whom you have spoken” and their like, where the word “to” is placed in the position of the preposition “to.” And the Targum of Jonathan renders it: “Let the great one be the great one.” He said: This gate that was closed, so that no person would enter through it shall belong to the prince, because the prince of Israel is sitting in this gate, outside, on its outer threshold.
"To eat bread before the Lord." When one eats the sacrifices of his peace-offerings before the Lord, he shall eat them in this place, and it is the manner of the hall of the gate that one enters there.
And he departed by the same path. From that path by which he entered, he departed, and this prince shall be the Messiah King, as it is stated: “And My servant David shall be prince among them forever” (Ezekiel 37:25).
Metzudat David
“the prince.” This means: But the prince is the King Messiah. Since he is the prince, it is not fitting for his honor to sit among the people to eat the sacred offerings with them. Therefore, he shall sit in the open area of that gate to eat the flesh of the sacred offerings before the Temple of the Lord.
He shall come by way of the hall of the gate. When he comes to eat in the opening of the wicket, he enters the inner courtyard through the hall of the gate; that is to say, he enters via the hall that extends from the gate outward, but he does not enter there through the doors of the lower chambers that open into the inner courtyard, for there is no hall in front of them. Rather, he enters publicly through the Great Gate, and from there he enters the chamber of the hall to sit in the opening of the wicket.
"And he shall go out by the way he came." By the way of the gate by which he entered, so shall he go out by that same way. And even though when he walks with the people on the festivals, he goes out with them by the way directly opposite the gate by which they entered, as it is stated, "And the prince shall be among them" (below, 46), behold, when he comes alone, he returns by the way by which he came.
Metzudat Zion
Bread. Similarly, the term is also used for meat, as it is stated: “My offering, My bread” (Numbers 28:2).
Malbim
"The Prince shall come in: The Prince, who is the Messiah King, in his capacity as Prince, shall enter from above, at the head. He shall sit there to eat bread before the Lord. When he eats the peace-offerings, he shall sit on the threshold of the gate and within, and in all this the gate shall be closed; only shall he enter through the north gate or the south gate, and he shall enter by way of the porch of the gate which is within. He shall come into the porch, and there he shall eat the peace-offerings, and from there he shall go out through the court to the outside through the open gates."
Then he brought me the way of the north gate before the house; and I looked, and, behold, the glory of Hashem filled the house of Hashem; and I fell upon my face.
verse value 3232
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 64 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "filled" (מָלֵ֥א, 3 letters) and the longest is "glory·of·Hashem" (כְבוֹד־יְהֹוָ֖ה, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 171: to·face·of, to·my·face. The root פנים appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "and·he·brought·me" (root בוא, 175x in Ezekiel); "the·house" (root בית, 159x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיְבִיאֵ֜נִי [and·he·brought·me] (89) + דֶּרֶךְ־שַׁ֣עַר [way·gate] (794) + הַצָּפוֹן֮ [north] (231) + אֶל־פְּנֵ֣י [to·face·of] (171) + הַבַּ֒יִת֒ [the·house] (417) + וָאֵ֕רֶא [and·I·saw] (208) + וְהִנֵּ֛ה [and·behold] (66) + מָלֵ֥א [filled] (71) + כְבוֹד־יְהֹוָ֖ה [glory·of·Hashem] (58) + אֶת־בֵּ֣ית [the·house·of] (813) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + וָאֶפֹּ֖ל [and·I·fell] (117) + אֶל־פָּנָֽי [to·my·face] (171) = 3232.
Radak
And He brought me. It is clear:
Metzudat David
"And He brought me..." For initially, He placed me before the southern wicket, which was closed; and now He moved me from there and brought me along the way of the northern gate, which is on the east side of the Temple, and it is the northern wicket.
Malbim
"And He brought me then, He returned to the side of the north, and the Lord brought him by the way of the gate of the north again, to the front of the house, to the Court of Israel, and I saw, and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord." This was shown to him so that he would not think that the reason the eastern gate was closed was because the Divine Presence had departed from there and would not return again; therefore, it was shown to him that the Glory remained within.
And Hashem said to me: ‘Son of man, mark well, and behold with your eyes, and hear with your ears all that I say to you concerning all the ordinances of the house of Hashem, and all the laws thereof; and mark well the entering in of the house, with every going forth of the sanctuary.
verse value 7455
Insights
Verse structure: 25 words, 112 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·me" (אֵלַ֜י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·to·all·his·laws" (וּלְכׇל־תּוֹרֹתָ֑ו, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 52: your·heart, your·heart, in·them·of. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "to·all·statutes·of" (לְכׇל־חֻקּ֥וֹת), "and·to·all·his·laws" (וּלְכׇל־תּוֹרֹתָ֑ו), "to·entrance·of" (לִמְב֣וֹא). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 21 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "and·said" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "all·that" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·to·all·his·laws', dividing the verse into phrases of 18 and 7 words.
Radak
And it says, "His Torah." It is written without a yod and read with a yod.
“And you shall set your heart to the entrance of the house, at all the exits of the Sanctuary.” This means: You shall pay attention to all the gates, which are the entrances and exits of the House, so that no person shall enter through them except one who is fit for each particular place, according to the sanctity of the places, since the areas of the Sanctuary differ in their degrees of holiness, one being more holy than the other.
Metzudat David
Pay attention. To understand the matters:
And see in your eyes: the measure of each and every thing.
"To all the statutes." That which is fitting to use in every chamber among its chambers,
"And all his teachings." [This refers to] the place where the priests and the people stand.
"And you shall set your heart." You shall set your heart at the entrance of the house, to understand the manner of entering the house through all the gates by which one exits from the Temple. And it is that one does not enter through the southern postern, but through the northern postern one may enter; and this is the way of entry for the King Messiah, and so for all the people, as it is stated below, "And when the people of the land come..." (below 46).
Malbim
“And He said to me, ‘Set your heart.’” In chapter 40 it states, “See with your eyes and hear with your ears, and set your heart.” For there He showed him the form of the Temple. It is necessary first to see with one’s eyes. Now that He had informed him of the laws and teachings, He preceded by having him set his heart to understand. Afterwards, you will see with your eyes through physical perception that it is so. Afterwards, you will hear with your ears to receive the matters. And when it says, “And set your heart on the entrance of the house,” He informed him that what is closed in the gate contains yet another implication: that the gate will be closed so as not to allow the unfit to enter there, as it is stated in the Mishnah of Tamid that the head of the watch would station the impure persons at the eastern gate. And He showed him that in the future the gate will be closed before them forever. And this is what it says, “And set your heart from the entrance of the house.” From this you will understand regarding all those who exit the Temple—namely, one who needs to exit the Temple and not enter there ever again, as will be explained.
And you shall say to the rebellious, even to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord Hashem: O you house of Israel, let it suffice you of all your abominations,
verse value 4558
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 58 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 4558 is divisible by 86, the value of Elohim. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֥ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "from·all·your·abominations" (מִֽכׇּל־תּוֹעֲב֥וֹתֵיכֶ֖ם, 12 letters). Words sharing gematria 541: Israel, Israel. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "to·rebellion" (אֶל־מֶ֙רִי֙), "from·all·your·abominations" (מִֽכׇּל־תּוֹעֲב֥וֹתֵיכֶ֖ם). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "and·you·shall·say" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "to·rebellion" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְאָמַרְתָּ֤ [and·you·shall·say] (647) + אֶל־מֶ֙רִי֙ [to·rebellion] (281) + אֶל־בֵּ֣ית [to·house·of] (443) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל [Israel] (541) + כֹּ֥ה [thus] (25) + אָמַ֖ר [said] (241) + אֲדֹנָ֣י [my·lord] (65) + יֱהֹוִ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + רַב־לָכֶ֛ם [enough·for·you] (292) + מִֽכׇּל־תּוֹעֲב֥וֹתֵיכֶ֖ם [from·all·your·abominations] (1044) + בֵּ֥ית [house·of] (412) + יִשְׂרָאֵֽל [Israel] (541) = 4558.
Radak
"And you shall say to the rebellious one." This is a description, like "Do not be rebellious."
“Enough for you of all your abominations.” It was sufficient for you with all the abominations that you performed, to the extent that you were bringing uncircumcised hearts and uncircumcised flesh into My sanctuary, to profane My house. And this [verse] says to the children of the exile: [it refers] to what they did prior to their exile, and to what those remaining in the Land were doing.
Metzudat David
“Against the rebels.” Against the rebellious people, and it returns to explain: “To the house of Israel.”
"Enough for you." There was a long time for you, all the abominations that you have done, O house of Israel:
Metzudat Zion
Meri. The matter of rebellion and refusal:
Malbim
And you shall say to the House of Israel, who are a house of rebellion: Thus says the Lord GOD: “It is enough for you” — meaning that He rebuked them for allowing non-Jewish sons to perform service, and yet it is already a great sin that they permit them to enter the Temple even without performing service; how much more so is it an added sin that they assign them service. And this is what is stated: “Is it not enough for you?” — and this [sin] is greater than all your abominations.
in that you have brought in aliens, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary, to profane it, even My house, when you offer My bread, the fat and the blood, and they have broken My covenant, to add to all your abominations.
verse value 6724
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 94 letters. Verse gematria: 6724 = 82². The shortest word is "to" (אֶ֖ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·your·abominations" (כׇּל־תּוֹעֲבוֹתֵיכֶֽם, 11 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "in·your·bringing·in" (בַּהֲבִיאֲכֶ֣ם), "sons·of·foreigners" (בְּנֵי־נֵכָ֗ר), "uncircumcised·of·heart" (עַרְלֵי־לֵב֙). The root ערל appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·be" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "to" (root אל, 204x in Ezekiel); "in·your·bringing·in" (root בוא, 175x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'My·house', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 8 words.
Rashi
Bnei nechar. Those whose deeds have become alienated from their Father in Heaven, and they are uncircumcised in heart.
And uncircumcised in flesh. A priest whose brother died as a result of circumcision.
Radak
"When you bring in a foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh." "Uncircumcised in heart" refers to one who served idolatry; "uncircumcised in flesh" refers to one whose brother died as a result of circumcision, and even though he is coerced, his uncircumcision is detestable before God, blessed be He, and he is unable to serve before the Lord. Both are considered foreigners with regard to the service of the Temple: the uncircumcised in heart and the uncircumcised in flesh. And even though we did not find this explicitly stated in the Torah of Moses our Teacher, may he be of blessed memory, it was received in the Oral Torah. And so our Sages of blessed memory stated: "We did not learn this matter from the Torah of Moses our Teacher, may the peace be upon him; rather, we learned it from the Torah of Ezekiel son of Buzi, for the Gemara taught it to them, and Ezekiel came and anchored it in the scriptural verse: 'They have profaned My sanctuary.'"
"to profane My house." Just as it is written, "And she saw him, the child."
"When you bring your offerings" – as if you are bringing My bread, the fat, and the blood that you bring to my house, the priests who are unfit for service.
"And they broke My covenant." And they broke My covenant:
“Against all your abominations.” This refers to the fact that you had priests among the idolaters whom you served. And the Targum [renders it]: “foreigners, peoples of other nations.”
Metzudat David
"When you bring [your offerings]." By means of the fact that while you were still in your land, you brought priests who were sons of foreigners, meaning that their deeds had become alienated [from God], and he returns to explain that they were uncircumcised in heart, meaning closed off from knowing God. And from among them were those who were not circumcised, because their brothers died as a result of circumcision, and they are disqualified from serving. And they brought them to be in My sanctuary to perform service, thereby profaning it, and he returns to explain "My house."
“Behold, when you bring your offering to Me” – By means of priests such as these, you are bringing My bread, namely the fat and the blood. Behold, by this they have profaned My covenant, adding to all the abominations that are in your hands, namely the worship of the stars. And the meaning is: It is not enough that you have worshipped the stars, but you are further desecrating the service of My altar through priests such as these.
Metzudat Zion
"Uncircumcised of heart." The matter of sealing, and likewise "the uncircumcision of their ears" (Jeremiah 6:10):
Malbim
“‘When you bring [your offerings]’—what you are bringing, namely, non-Jews who are uncircumcised in heart, having alienated themselves from their Father in Heaven by being uncircumcised in heart in order to serve idolatry, and who are also physically uncircumcised, lacking circumcision (and according to the opinion of our Sages of blessed memory, that their brothers died as a result of circumcision), [are to serve] ‘in My sanctuary’—is this not a great sin, that they should be in My sanctuary and profane My house? Even though they do not perform the Temple service and do not profane the sacrifices, they nonetheless profane the sanctity of the House by being within it. If so, how can you add sin to iniquity by offering, through these non-Jewish individuals, ‘My food,’ the fat and blood, which they will bring as sacrifices, and thereby violate My covenant? They have not yet returned in repentance and continue to violate My covenant, and this you add to all your many abominations.”
And you have not kept the charge of My holy things; but you have set keepers of My charge in My sanctuary to please yourselves.
verse value 5339
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "and·not" (וְלֹ֥א, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·you·put" (וַתְּשִׂימ֗וּן, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 980: you·kept, charge·of. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "you·kept" (שְׁמַרְתֶּ֖ם), "and·you·put" (וַתְּשִׂימ֗וּן), "to·those·who·keep" (לְשֹׁמְרֵ֧י). The root שמר appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·not" (root לא, 213x in Ezekiel); "My·holy·things" (root קדש, 70x in Ezekiel); "and·you·put" (root שום, 38x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'My·holy·things', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + שְׁמַרְתֶּ֖ם [you·kept] (980) + מִשְׁמֶ֣רֶת [charge·of] (980) + קׇדָשָׁ֑י [My·holy·things] (414) + וַתְּשִׂימ֗וּן [and·you·put] (812) + לְשֹׁמְרֵ֧י [to·those·who·keep] (580) + מִשְׁמַרְתִּ֛י [My·charge] (990) + בְּמִקְדָּשִׁ֖י [in·my·sanctuary] (456) + לָכֶֽם [for·yourselves] (90) = 5339.
Rashi
“And you shall appoint for the guarding of My charge, in My Sanctuary, for you.” “You shall appoint for yourselves, according to your own judgment, in My Sanctuary, men who are murderers, who are not fit to be the guardians of My charge.”
Radak
"And you did not keep, for yourselves." Those who were keeping watch for you in your idolatrous guard—those whom you appointed as guardians of My watch in My Temple. And according to the reading "to the guards" (with a lamed), it means: they killed Abner and his like.
Metzudat David
"And you did not keep [the laws]." [This refers to the requirement] for fit priests to be appointed to perform the sacred services.
"And you shall appoint for the guards." You appointed them to be the guards of My watch in My sanctuary, namely, people who were yours, meaning, they were guarding for you before the nations.
Metzudat Zion
"And you shall set them up." The matter of "setting up" (i.e., the act of making or establishing):
Malbim
“And you have not kept it.” Yet the commandment is incumbent upon you to guard the Temple and its sacred vessels, such that an uncircumcised person or one who is ritually impure must not touch them. Moreover, not only have you failed to perform the guard-duty over the holy things, but you have compounded your transgression by appointing the sons of the nations as the guards of the watch in My Temple, so that they would be the ones guarding for you—meaning, on your behalf and as your agents.
Thus says the Lord Hashem: No alien, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into My sanctuary, even any alien that is among the children of Israel.
verse value 4338
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 68 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִה֒) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 4338 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "heart" (לֵב֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "of·any·alien" (לְכׇ֨ל־בֶּן־נֵכָ֔ר, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "any·alien" (כׇּל־בֶּן־נֵכָ֗ר), "uncircumcised" (עֶ֤רֶל), "and·uncircumcised" (וְעֶ֣רֶל). The root בין appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "thus·said" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "that" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·sacred·place', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 5 words.
Radak
“Thus said [the Lord]: He shall not come into My sanctuary.” In the future:
"To every foreigner among the children of Israel." This is what I mean by "foreigner": I am not referring to the nations [of the world], for it would be superfluous to state this; rather, it is said only with regard to a foreigner who is among the children of Israel.
Metzudat David
“Son of a foreigner, etc.” This means: whether one whose heart is hardened against knowing the Lord, or one who was not circumcised because his brothers died as a result of circumcision.
“Lekhol ben nokher” (to every foreigner). Here, the verse is expounded to clarify that when I forbade a “ben nokher,” this does not refer to a man from the nations of the land; rather, it refers to anyone whose deeds have become alienated from his Father in Heaven, even though he is among the children of Israel, and who has performed their worship for idolatry.
Malbim
Thus says the Lord: Every foreigner—this means that in the future there will be a distinction between the sons of foreigners whose deeds have become alienated, yet who are of Israel, and between those who are of the Levites, and between those who are of the priests; their laws will be different. For the son of a foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, shall not enter My sanctuary at all, nor shall he even be able to enter the Temple. This applies only to the son of a foreigner among the children of Israel, excluding the sons of foreigners from among the Levites and the priests, who will have a different law. For the Levites who have distanced themselves from Me—they shall enter the Temple, and they shall have a different punishment, for through this punishment they shall bear their iniquity. Namely, they shall be in My sanctuary serving the duties assigned to the gates of the house. Although they shall be in the Temple, they shall not approach any service, and all the more so not the sacrificial service; rather, they shall serve the officials appointed over the gatekeepers of the house. This means that they themselves shall not be gatekeepers, but shall serve the gatekeepers who are assigned to guard the house. Likewise, they shall slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, for slaughter is valid when performed by non-priests. Through this, they shall stand before them—that is, before the people—to serve them in matters that are the need of those bringing the offerings, such as slaughter, skinning, cutting up, and the like, which are performed by non-priests.
But the Levites, that went far from Me, when Israel went astray, that went astray from Me after their idols, they shall bear their iniquity;
verse value 4545
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 60 letters. The shortest word is "but" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·Levites" (אִם־הַלְוִיִּ֗ם, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, that. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "the·Levites" (אִם־הַלְוִיִּ֗ם). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "from·Me" (root על, 272x in Ezekiel); "Israel" (root ישראל, 154x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·idols', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 2 words. Full calculation: כִּ֣י [but] (30) + אִם־הַלְוִיִּ֗ם [the·Levites] (132) + אֲשֶׁ֤ר [that] (501) + רָחֲקוּ֙ [they·went·far] (314) + מֵעָלַ֔י [from·Me] (150) + בִּתְע֤וֹת [when·strayed] (878) + יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ [Israel] (541) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [that] (501) + תָּע֣וּ [went·astray] (476) + מֵעָלַ֔י [from·Me] (150) + אַחֲרֵ֖י [after] (219) + גִּלּוּלֵיהֶ֑ם [their·idols] (124) + וְנָשְׂא֖וּ [and·they·shall·bear] (363) + עֲוֺנָֽם [their·iniquity] (166) = 4545.
Rashi
"But only the Levites who distanced themselves, etc." — "But only if you do thus to the Levites who distanced themselves from Me (and became priests of other gods), and now they have repented."
“And they shall bear their iniquity” — [being barred] from approaching My altar again, [and assigned] to the charges of the gates of the House; “charges” — “comandises” in the vernacular [Old French] — they shall be watchmen and officers.
Radak
"But the Levites." "But if the Levites who have distanced themselves from Me come to My sanctuary, they shall not come to perform any service; rather, 'and they shall bear their iniquity,' meaning they shall not serve in the service of the sacrifice. The vav of 'and they shall bear' is like the vav of 'and Abraham lifted his eyes,' [indicating a contrast or exception]. Rather, what shall those Levites do who went astray in the error of the children of Israel?
Metzudat David
“But the Levites, etc.” – This means: “But when the Levites, who distanced themselves from Me in the matter of the error of Israel, who erred from Me to go after their idols, come to the Sanctuary, then at the time of their coming to the Sanctuary they shall bear the recompense of their iniquity, so as not to perform there the service of the altar.”
Metzudat Zion
The Levites. This means the priests, the sons of Levi.
"בתעות" – from the word "תועה" (one who strays), borrowed from the concept of one who strays from the straight path to walk another way.
and they shall be ministers in My sanctuary, having charge at the gates of the house, and ministering in the house: they shall slay the burnt-offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister to them.
verse value 7745
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 89 letters. The shortest word is "abundance" (הֵ֠מָּה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·ministering" (וּֽמְשָׁרְתִ֖ים, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "ministering" (מְשָׁ֣רְתִ֔ים), "and·ministering" (וּֽמְשָׁרְתִ֖ים), "and·the·sacrifice" (וְאֶת־הַזֶּ֙בַח֙). The root שרת appears 3 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·shall·be" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "to·gates·of" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "abundance" (root הם, 166x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·house', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 9 words.
Rashi
"They shall slaughter the burnt-offering." This teaches that the service [of slaughtering] is valid when performed by non-priests, slaves, and women.
Radak
"And they shall be in My sanctuary as ministers." The explanation is that they shall be gatekeepers, and servants of the House, and those who slaughter therein; for the slaughter is valid when performed by a non-priest, but they shall not offer sacrifices. And one ought to explain that "if the Levites" is an oath, like "if I should fail David" and like "if they shall come into My rest." The appointment of the gatekeepers and the duties of the House shall be theirs. And the Levites mentioned [here]—he is speaking about the priests, for every priest is from the tribe of Levi.
Metzudat David
"And they shall be in My sanctuary." And only shall they be in My sanctuary, serving in the matter of their appointment at the gates of the house, and they shall also serve the house in what is required therein.
"They shall slaughter it, etc." Since the slaughter is valid when performed by a non-priest, they too are capable of performing it.
Before them. They shall stand before those who bring the sacrifices to serve them in the matter of the sacrifices.
Metzudat Zion
"Decrees." The matter concerns the appointment of officers and treasurers, as it is written: "to be officers of the house of the Lord" (ibid. 29).
Because they ministered to them before their idols, and became a stumblingblock of iniquity to the house of Israel; therefore have I lifted up My hand against them, says the Lord Hashem, and they shall bear their iniquity.
verse value 5671
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 85 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "because" (יַ֗עַן, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·house·of·Israel" (לְבֵֽית־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 170: to·face·of, therefore. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "they·minister" (יְשָׁרְת֤וּ). The root עון appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "that" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "and·they·shall·be" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'perversity', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 9 words.
Rashi
“a stumbling block of sin.” The priests of the nations of the world, to draw them to this [idolatry].
Radak
“Because they served them.” Instead of serving Israel before their idols, therefore they shall serve Me in the future in the service of the Temple, with matters that are permitted to non-priests, for I shall regard them as non-priests. And the entire matter is explained until the end of the passage: for the priests who erred in their lives concerning the resurrection of the dead in the future, in the future they shall bear their iniquity in this matter, and they shall bear their disgrace.
Metzudat David
"Because" – because they engaged in the worship of the people before the idols and caused Israel to stumble through the sin of idolatry.
"I have lifted My hand." This refers to the matter of an oath by raising the hands upward, as it is also written, "As I have lifted My hand" (Exodus 6).
"And they shall bear their iniquity." This refers to the fact that they will suffer for their iniquities.
Malbim
"Because they served them" – that is to say, this is a punishment of measure for measure: just as they served the people before their idols, and through this the House of Israel stumbled into idolatry, therefore they shall bear their iniquity, according to their sins.
And they shall not come near to Me, to minister to Me in the priest’s office, nor to come near to any of My holy things, to the things that are most holy; but they shall bear their shame, and their abominations which they have committed.
verse value 5449
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 65 letters. The shortest word is "to·Me" (לִ֔י, 2 letters) and the longest is "upon·all·My·holy·things" (עַל־כׇּל־קׇ֣דָשַׁ֔י, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·they·shall·not·draw·near" (וְלֹֽא־יִגְּשׁ֤וּ), "and·to·draw·near" (וְלָגֶ֙שֶׁת֙), "upon·all·My·holy·things" (עַל־כׇּל־קׇ֣דָשַׁ֔י). The root נגש appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "to·holy·things·of" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "they·did" (root עשה, 214x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'apartness', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְלֹֽא־יִגְּשׁ֤וּ [and·they·shall·not·draw·near] (356) + אֵלַי֙ [to·me] (41) + לְכַהֵ֣ן [to·serve·as·priest] (105) + לִ֔י [to·Me] (40) + וְלָגֶ֙שֶׁת֙ [and·to·draw·near] (739) + עַל־כׇּל־קׇ֣דָשַׁ֔י [upon·all·My·holy·things] (564) + אֶל־קׇדְשֵׁ֖י [to·holy·things·of] (445) + הַקֳּדָשִׁ֑ים [apartness] (459) + וְנָֽשְׂאוּ֙ [and·they·shall·bear] (363) + כְּלִמָּתָ֔ם [their·disgrace] (530) + וְתוֹעֲבוֹתָ֖ם [and·their·abominations] (930) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [which] (501) + עָשֽׂוּ [they·did] (376) = 5449.
Metzudat David
"To serve as a priest to Me": To serve Me in the matter of the altar service.
"And they shall approach" etc. This means that they shall not approach all the holy things in addition to the Most Holy things; that is to say, they are not only forbidden from performing the service of the Most Holy things, but they are also forbidden from performing the service of the lesser holy things.
And they bore. They endured the disgrace fitting to them, and the recompense for the abominations they committed.
Metzudat Zion
To the priest. The matter of the service and the labor:
Malbim
"And they shall not approach" — and even the priests who served idolatry shall not approach to serve as priests before Me, to perform the priestly service. And through this, "they shall bear their shame and their abominations which they have done," by means of this disgrace, that they will be in the Temple but will not be fit for service; through this they shall bear their abominations which they have done and receive their punishment.
And I will make them keepers of the charge of the house, for all the service thereof, and for all that shall be done therein.
verse value 4802
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 43 letters. Notable word values: "and·to·them" (וּלְכֹ֛ל) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "in·it" (בּֽוֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·give" (וְנָתַתִּ֣י, 5 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "his·service" (עֲבֹ֣דָת֔וֹ). The root כל appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "will·be·done" (root עשה, 214x in Ezekiel); "and·I·will·give" (root נתן, 207x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·house', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְנָתַתִּ֣י [and·I·will·give] (866) + אוֹתָ֔ם [them] (447) + שֹׁמְרֵ֖י [keepers·of] (550) + מִשְׁמֶ֣רֶת [charge·of] (980) + הַבָּ֑יִת [the·house] (417) + לְכֹל֙ [to·them·of] (80) + עֲבֹ֣דָת֔וֹ [his·service] (482) + וּלְכֹ֛ל [and·to·them] (86) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + יֵעָשֶׂ֖ה [will·be·done] (385) + בּֽוֹ [in·it] (8) = 4802.
Metzudat David
"And I will give them." I will only give them to be the guardians of the watch of the House, for all the labor required for the House and for every matter done within it, other than the service of the altar.
Malbim
“And I will make them keepers of the guard of the House”: they will be found in the Court of the Priests, and they will be disqualified for the Temple service; they will not guard the guard of the altar, but only the guard of the House—to sweep the floors, prepare the vessels, and the like. And it has already been explained above (Hilchot Bi’at HaMikdash 4:5) that they had a chamber in which they would stand by the Ark to play music together with the Levites standing on the platform. And this is what the verse says: “and for all that he shall do therein.”
But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of My sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from Me, they shall come near to Me to minister to Me; and they shall stand before Me to offer to Me the fat and the blood, says the Lord Hashem;
verse value 7356
Insights
Verse structure: 24 words, 106 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 7356 is divisible by 613, the number of the commandments (mitzvot). The shortest word is "to·Me" (לִי֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Israel" (בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 91: the·Levites, utterance. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·the·priests" (וְהַכֹּהֲנִ֨ים), "the·charge" (אֶת־מִשְׁמֶ֤רֶת), "and·they·shall·stand" (וְעָמְד֣וּ). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 22 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "that" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "from·Me" (root על, 272x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·minister·to·Me', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 9 words.
Rashi
"And the priests, the Levites." From the tribe of Levi.
The sons of Zadok. Since he was the High Priest who served first in the Temple in the days of Solomon, they were named after him.
“When [they] went astray.” “Quant esrer” (when going astray) in the vernacular [Old French]:
Radak
"And the priests, the Levites, the sons of Zadok" — because it was stated that those priests who strayed will not return to the order of the service in the future, it is stated that those who did not stray will return to the order of their service. And we have already explained the meaning of "sons of Zadok."
Metzudat David
"And the priests, the Levites." But the priests from the sons of Levi, from the seed of Zadok, who served in the days of Solomon.
“Who kept [the commandments]. And they did not depart from the service of the place during the time that the Children of Israel wandered.”
Malbim
"And the priests, the Levites" — namely, the priests who are the sons of Levi, specifically the sons of Zadok, who guarded the charge of My sanctuary and did not serve idolatry, they shall approach Me to serve Me in all matters of the priesthood, and to offer the fats of the sacrifices and to sprinkle the bloods.
they shall enter into My sanctuary, and they shall come near to My table, to minister to Me, and they shall keep My charge.
verse value 4290
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 49 letters. Verse gematria: 4290 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "abundance" (הֵ֜מָּה, 3 letters) and the longest is "My·charge" (אֶת־מִשְׁמַרְתִּֽי, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "to·My·table" (אֶל־שֻׁלְחָנִ֖י), "and·they·will·keep" (וְשָׁמְר֖וּ), "My·charge" (אֶת־מִשְׁמַרְתִּֽי). The root הם appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·My·table" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "they·will·go·in" (root בוא, 175x in Ezekiel); "abundance" (root הם, 166x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·minister·to·Me', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 2 words. Full calculation: הֵ֜מָּה [abundance] (50) + יָבֹ֣אוּ [they·will·go·in] (19) + אֶל־מִקְדָּשִׁ֗י [to·My·sanctuary] (485) + וְהֵ֛מָּה [and·they] (56) + יִקְרְב֥וּ [approach] (318) + אֶל־שֻׁלְחָנִ֖י [to·My·table] (429) + לְשָׁרְתֵ֑נִי [to·minister·to·Me] (990) + וְשָׁמְר֖וּ [and·they·will·keep] (552) + אֶת־מִשְׁמַרְתִּֽי [My·charge] (1391) = 4290.
Radak
"They shall come" – "to My table, to serve Me." Just as the Targum translates it: "to the table of baked bread."
Metzudat David
“To My table, to serve Me.” This refers to the arrangement of the showbread on the table:
"And they shall keep, etc." – In every matter of the service.
Malbim
"They, and also they shall come to My sanctuary and draw near to the table of the Lord to eat of the holy things, for one who does not serve does not eat of the holy things, except for one who has a blemish; and they shall keep My charge, not the charge of the house as in the former times."
And it shall be that when they enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments; and no wool shall come upon them, while they minister in the gates of the inner court, and within.
verse value 6265
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 81 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "wool" (צֶ֔מֶר, 3 letters) and the longest is "inner" (הַפְּנִימִ֔ית, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 595: inner, inner. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "garments·of" (בִּגְדֵ֥י), "shall·not·grow" (וְלֹֽא־יַעֲלֶ֤ה), "wool" (צֶ֔מֶר). The root חצר appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "upon·them" (root על, 272x in Ezekiel); "to·gates·of" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root פשתה ("flax") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·will·dress', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 8 words.
Rashi
To the gates of the inner courtyard. Before and within the Temple:
"And wool shall not come upon them." The tekhelet (blue-dyed wool) that was in the me'il (robe) and the avnet (sash) — he shall not wear it on Yom Kippur during the inner service.
Into the house. And inwardly:
Radak
“And it shall be when they come to the gates of the inner court.” If we were to understand “the inner court” in its literal sense, its interpretation would be the gate of the Court of the Priests and the Altar, and from there to the gate of the Ulam, since all of these are considered a court. This would thus be a novel matter for the future, because in the priestly garments in which they served, there was wool, as is written in the Torah of Moses, for the tekhelet is wool dyed with tekhelet. And if we were to say that this matter refers to the service of the High Priest on Yom Kippur, before and within, in which he served in linen garments, how does he call the Holy of Holies a “court,” when it is a house? And how does he say “when they come, they shall put on,” using the plural form, whereas that service was performed only by the High Priest, and he alone entered there, and only on Yom Kippur?
Metzudat David
"And it shall be, etc." This means: On Yom Kippur, when the High Priests come to the gates of the inner courtyard—which is the Temple—and opposite the Holy of Holies it is called the courtyard (because in the Temple there was a large gate and two small openings, one on this side and one on that side, as stated above; therefore it says "gates"):
“Garments of linen.” These are the white garments that the High Priest uses on Yom Kippur for the service in the Holy of Holies.
"And wool shall not come upon them." For inside [the Sanctuary], they do not perform the service wearing eight garments that contain wool.
"and its house." And within, in the hollow of the house, whether in the Holy Place or in the Holy of Holies.
Malbim
(17–18) “And it shall be when they come” — they shall wear linen garments, so that all their garments shall be of linen. This applies whether to the tunic, as it says “they shall wear linen garments,” or to the turbans, which shall be of fine linen, or to the undergarments, and also the sash shall not contain wool, which warms and causes the body to sweat; hence it says, “nor shall they bind on them that which causes sweat.” Now, according to what we have established as halakhah that the sash of the ordinary priest was of mixed fabrics and differed from the sash of the High Priest on Yom Kippur, which was of white linen, the verse informs us that in the future the priests, the sons of Zadok, will be elevated in certain matters to possess the importance of the High Priest, for they will be like intermediaries between the level of the High Priest and the level of the ordinary priest, to the extent that their garments will be of white linen, like the garments of the High Priest when he enters the Holy of Holies. And according to the opinion that the sash of the ordinary priest was of white linen, this teaches us the opposite: that even though in certain matters they will rise to the level of the High Priest (as stated in verses 20–22), this is specifically to be stringent upon themselves in matters such as the haircut of Ben Elasah and taking a virgin, but not to change the commandment of the garments from white linen to mixed fabrics.
They shall have linen tires upon their heads, and shall have linen breeches upon their loins; they shall not gird themselves with any thing that causes sweat.
verse value 3832
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 53 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "upon·their·loins" (עַל־מׇתְנֵיהֶ֑ם, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 830: flax, flax. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "head-dress" (פַּאֲרֵ֤י), "and·breeches" (וּמִכְנְסֵ֣י), "upon·their·loins" (עַל־מׇתְנֵיהֶ֑ם). The root פשתה appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "they·will·be" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "not" (root לא, 213x in Ezekiel); "upon·their·heads" (root ראש, 39x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·their·loins', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words. Full calculation: פַּאֲרֵ֤י [head-dress] (291) + פִשְׁתִּים֙ [flax] (830) + יִהְי֣וּ [they·will·be] (31) + עַל־רֹאשָׁ֔ם [upon·their·heads] (641) + וּמִכְנְסֵ֣י [and·breeches] (186) + פִשְׁתִּ֔ים [flax] (830) + יִֽהְי֖וּ [they·will·be] (31) + עַל־מׇתְנֵיהֶ֑ם [upon·their·loins] (645) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + יַחְגְּר֖וּ [they·will·gird] (227) + בַּיָּֽזַע [in·the·sweat] (89) = 3832.
Rashi
Pari. In the vernacular, it is called “Kaffilsh.”
"One shall not gird himself with sweat." We learned in a baraita: "One does not gird himself in a place where one sweats, neither above the armpits nor below the waist, as that is a place of sweat." Some say: "The Torah forbade priests from wearing woolen garments, because wool causes the body to sweat and makes the flesh sweat." (Siddur Avodas Yisrael)
Radak
“Fine linen turbans.” The turbans were called so because they were on the head for beauty, and similarly it says, “You shall make for them turbans for glory and for beauty.”
"On their waists." As it is written in the Torah: "From the waist to the thighs they shall be."
"One shall not gird himself with sweat." The Sages of blessed memory explained: "One shall not gird himself in a place where one sweats," as it is taught in a Baraita: "When they gird themselves, they do not gird below their loins, nor above their armpits, but opposite their armpits." And Jonathan rendered it in the Targum: "And they shall not gird upon their loins, but upon their hearts they shall gird." The word "sweat" is a noun in the pattern of nega, for the yod is part of the root, and due to the verse, the yod was given a qamats vowel.
Metzudat David
“Linen turbans.” “They shall have on their heads turbans of fine linen.”
"One shall not gird [the belt] in sweat." This means that they shall not gird their belts in the place where the flesh folds over and one part rests upon another, for there is much sweat there, and the priestly garments would become soiled.
Metzudat Zion
Parei. Thus, the headdresses are called "parei," as it is stated, "the tufts of the headdresses" (Exodus 39:28). And they are called so on account of the beauty and splendor that is in them.
“bi-ze’a.” From the language of “ze’a” (sweat):
And when they go forth into the outer court, even into the outer court to the people, they shall put off their garments wherein they minister, and lay them in the holy chambers, and they shall put on other garments, that they sanctify not the people with their garments.
verse value 7538
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 117 letters. The shortest word is "in·them" (בָּ֔ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "their·garments" (אֶת־בִּגְדֵיהֶ֗ם, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 334: to·the·court, to·the·court. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "their·garments" (אֶת־בִּגְדֵיהֶ֗ם), "ministering" (מְשָׁרְתִ֣ם), "and·they·shall·lay" (וְהִנִּ֥יחוּ). The root איל appears 3 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which·they" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "to·the·court" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "and·as·they·went·forth" (root יצא, 75x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'apartness', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 6 words.
Rashi
"To the outer courtyard." Since he was speaking about the Sanctuary and the Holy of Holies, and referred to them as "the inner courtyard," in relation to those areas he needed to call the Court of Israel "the outer courtyard." Therefore, he was required to repeat it twice, to indicate that he is referring to the Court of Women, the place where all of Israel may enter.
And they placed them in the chambers of the Holy. Just as Moses our Teacher said (Leviticus 16:23): "He shall take off the linen garments that he put on, and shall leave them there."
“And they shall not sanctify the people.” The Targum: “And they shall not mingle with the people in their garments.” That is to say, they shall not come into contact with the people in their sacred garments, for ordinary garments are not considered pure in the presence of sacred garments.
Radak
"And when you go out to the outer courtyard." And afterward, "to the outer courtyard, to the people." He said: Which is the "outer courtyard to the people"? It means the place where the people are, which is the Court of Israel.
"They shall take off their garments." This is what is stated above: "And there they shall lay down their garments."
And they shall not sanctify the people with their garments. For if they were to touch the people with their priestly garments, which are holy, it would appear that the people are holy like them. And in this manner the Targum translates: “And they shall not mix with the people in their garments.”
Metzudat David
"And when you go out." And when the priests went out from their Azarah (Court) to the outer courtyard, and he returns to explain "to the courtyard," etc., this means that what I said, "to the outer courtyard," refers to the people. That is to say, the intention is not the Court of Women, but rather the people, namely the Court of Men, where the people stand. However, opposite the Court of the Priests, it is called by the name "the outer courtyard."
"their garments" – the priestly vestments.
In the chambers of the Holy Place. They are those standing at the base of the mountain and above it:
Other garments. Garments of weekday wear:
"They shall not sanctify, etc." The meaning is: so that it should not appear that the people are holy like them. Rather, they should come there in the priestly garments, so that it should be apparent to all that there is no concern if the people touch them, as if they were holy like the priests.
Metzudat Zion
They shall strip. The matter refers to the removal of the garment:
Malbim
And when they go out: at the time that they went out from the inner courtyard to the outer courtyard, namely, to the twenty chambers that were in the outer courtyard and were sanctified with the sanctity of the Temple Court, and from there they went out to the outer courtyard designated for the people, namely, outside the twenty chambers to a place that had not been sanctified, and there the people stand. Then they would remove their garments and place them in the Chamber of Sanctity, namely, in the twenty chambers, and there they would don other garments, as stated above (42:14) “and there they would place their garments.” The matter is now repeated to explain that this is due to their importance, so that they would ascend to the level of the High Priest, who removed the linen garments that he wore upon entering the Holy Place and left them there. However, they differ in that they do not require burial, but only need to be dried again afterward. Furthermore, there is a dispute regarding the High Priest as well, whether these garments are fit for use on a subsequent Yom Kippur. It explains that the reason they cannot go out to the people wearing the sacred garments is so that they will not sanctify the people with their garments, for their sanctity would increase to such an extent that they would no longer be able to approach the people while wearing them.
Neither shall they shave their heads, nor suffer their locks to grow long; they shall only poll their heads.
verse value 2595
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 40 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "their·heads" (אֶת־רָאשֵׁיהֶֽם, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 31: not, not. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·their·head" (וְרֹאשָׁם֙), "shave" (יְגַלֵּ֔חוּ), "and·locks" (וּפֶ֖רַע). The root ראש appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 213x in Ezekiel); "and·their·head" (root ראש, 39x in Ezekiel); "shall·let·grow·long" (root שלח, 28x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'shall·let·grow·long', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְרֹאשָׁם֙ [and·their·head] (547) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + יְגַלֵּ֔חוּ [shave] (57) + וּפֶ֖רַע [and·locks] (356) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + יְשַׁלֵּ֑חוּ [shall·let·grow·long] (354) + כָּס֥וֹם [surely] (126) + יִכְסְמ֖וּ [they·will·cut] (136) + אֶת־רָאשֵׁיהֶֽם [their·heads] (957) = 2595.
Rashi
"And the top of their heads shall not be shaved." This refers to removing all the hair.
"And they shall not let their hair grow wild." The growth of hair shall not be increased:
“Trimmed shall they be trimmed.” Just as this millet is arranged in the ear, the head of one grain being beside the base of the next, so too did I hear in the name of Rabbi Menachem, of blessed memory. And it is possible to interpret it as referring to the measure of something equal: neither the head is shorn nor the hair is long, but rather it is of equal measure, as it is said in Old French: “Amolir.”
Radak
"And the head of them shall not be shaved." They shall not shave any hair of the head.
"And they shall not let the hair of their heads grow loose." They shall not let the hair grow beyond thirty days.
“Kasum yiksemu et roshayhem” – they shall make their heads equal. They shall not shave them completely, nor shall they let their hair grow long and unkempt, but rather in a manner that is equal, namely thirty days. And our Sages of blessed memory explained: “Kasum yiksemu” – like the haircut of Ben Elasha, where the head of one is beside the root of the other. And Jonathan translated: “Sifra yisferun it sa’ar rishiyhon” – they shall cut the hair of their heads.
Metzudat David
"And the top of their heads they shall not shave." [This means] the hair of their heads they shall not shave at any time.
"And they shall not let their locks grow long." They shall not allow the hair to grow excessively long, and our Sages of blessed memory stated that one should shave once every thirty days (Sanhedrin 22b).
"Shaving, they shall shave." This refers to the High Priests, who were to shave their heads in such a manner that the tip of one hair would reach the base of the adjacent hair, just as the grains of a single stalk of millet are arranged with the tip of one grain touching the base of the next. Thus our Sages of blessed memory stated (ibid.):
Metzudat Zion
They shall shave. The matter of cutting the hair:
And he shall let his hair grow loose. Thus is called the growth of the hair, as it is stated: "He shall not let the hair of his head grow loose" (Leviticus 21:10).
They will send. The matter is one of spreading, like "You will send forth her harvest" (Psalms 80:12):
"Covered they shall be covered." From the language of "wheat and spelt" (Exodus 9:31), and it is a type of seed.
Malbim
And their heads as well, in this matter too, they shall practice a certain arrangement in themselves, to resemble the High Priest, whose head was cut such that the side of one [lock] was adjacent to the root of the other; this is called by the name of *kesem*, as our Sages of blessed memory explained in Chapter Four of Sanhedrin. And this is what the verse states: "Even though they are disheveled, nevertheless they shall not let it grow wild; their heads they shall not shave in the usual manner of shaving, but rather they shall trim it [*kasom yechasmu*], like the haircut of Ben Elasah."
Neither shall any priest drink wine, when they enter into the inner court.
verse value 1928
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "and·wine" (וְיַ֥יִן, 4 letters) and the longest is "inner" (הַפְּנִימִֽית, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·wine" (וְיַ֥יִן), "not·shall·drink" (לֹא־יִשְׁתּ֖וּ), "all·priest" (כׇּל־כֹּהֵ֑ן). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·court" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "in·their·coming" (root בוא, 175x in Ezekiel); "all·priest" (root כהן, 23x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'all·priest', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְיַ֥יִן [and·wine] (76) + לֹא־יִשְׁתּ֖וּ [not·shall·drink] (747) + כׇּל־כֹּהֵ֑ן [all·priest] (125) + בְּבוֹאָ֖ם [in·their·coming] (51) + אֶל־הֶחָצֵ֥ר [to·the·court] (334) + הַפְּנִימִֽית [inner] (595) = 1928.
Rashi
When they entered the inner courtyard, into the Temple:
Radak
And no priest shall drink wine when he enters the inner courtyard. In the Court of the Priests, from the altar and inward, as it is written in the Torah. And what he said regarding the laws of the priests, even though it is written in the Torah, because he introduced matters that are not explicitly stated in the Written Torah; it is also possible that he introduced matters that are for the future, for an increase in holiness.
Metzudat David
"Every priest." Whether it is the High Priest or a common priest.
"to the inner court." This is the Temple, and opposite the Holy of Holies it is called a court:
Malbim
"And no priest shall drink wine" – yet every priest must be careful regarding the drinking of wine, even those priests who are not fit for service.
Neither shall they take for their wives a widow, nor her that is put away; but they shall take virgins of the seed of the house of Israel, or a widow that is the widow of a priest.
verse value 4914
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 74 letters. Verse gematria: 4914 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "but" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "if·virgins" (אִם־בְּתוּלֹ֗ת, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·divorced" (וּגְרוּשָׁ֔ה), "not·shall·take" (לֹא־יִקְח֥וּ), "if·virgins" (אִם־בְּתוּלֹ֗ת). The root אלמנה appears 3 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "it·will·be" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "to·them" (root הם, 166x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·women', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 11 words.
Rashi
"But virgins." The High Priests shall take them. However, there are some priests who may take a widow, namely, the common priests. This is the meaning of "from among the priests they shall take": there are some among the priests who are permitted to marry widows. I have found:
“Whoever shall be a widow”: This refers to a widow in the full sense, excluding a divorced woman or one from whom a levirate divorce (chalitzah) has been performed; even though she is unmarried, she is forbidden even to a commoner.
Radak
“And a widow.” If this statement applies to any priest, it would serve as an addition of holiness for the future, in that a widow of a High Priest, and even a widow of a common priest, may be taken by another priest. This is what is stated: “A widow who is a widow from a priest, they shall take.” However, if it is said that the verse refers specifically to the High Priest, its interpretation would be that “from a priest, they shall take” means that some of the priests shall take her, as our Sages of blessed memory explained, and as Jonathan translated: “The remaining priests shall take.” And thus, the categories of a zonah (a promiscuous woman) and a chalalah (a disqualified priestess) are left out, since the Torah did not mention everything explicitly.
Metzudat David
"And a widow, etc."—This refers to the High Priests, who are forbidden to marry even a widow and may only marry virgins.
“Whoever is a widow.” This means that she must be only a widow, but not one who has undergone chalitzah. In such a case, “a priest may take her”—that is, some priests are permitted to marry her, namely the ordinary priests (hedyotim). But when she is also a chalutzah, she is forbidden even to ordinary priests. Although this prohibition is of rabbinic origin, Ezekiel alludes to it.
Malbim
And regarding a widow and a divorcee, even in this matter they should elevate themselves from the level of ordinary priests to be stringent upon themselves, not to take a widow from the seed of the House of Israel. For if they take a woman who is a daughter of Israel, they should be careful that she be a virgin, not a widow, in accordance with the status of the High Priest. And only if the widow is a daughter of a priest, and also her first husband was a priest, then they may take her, so as not to resemble the High Priest entirely.
And they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the common, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.
verse value 1781
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 36 letters. Verse gematria: 1781 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "between" (בֵּ֥ין, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·between·unclean" (וּבֵין־טָמֵ֥א, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·My·people" (וְאֶת־עַמִּ֣י), "they·shall·teach" (יוֹר֔וּ), "and·between·unclean" (וּבֵין־טָמֵ֥א). The root בין appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "between" (root בין, 145x in Ezekiel); "cause·them·to·know" (root ידע, 99x in Ezekiel); "holiness" (root קדש, 70x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·profaneness', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְאֶת־עַמִּ֣י [and·My·people] (527) + יוֹר֔וּ [they·shall·teach] (222) + בֵּ֥ין [between] (62) + קֹ֖דֶשׁ [holiness] (404) + לְחֹ֑ל [and·profaneness] (68) + וּבֵין־טָמֵ֥א [and·between·unclean] (118) + לְטָה֖וֹר [and·pure] (250) + יוֹדִעֻֽם [cause·them·to·know] (130) = 1781.
Radak
“And My people.” This is clear:
Metzudat David
"And they shall teach My people." The priests shall teach the people to distinguish between the sacred and the profane, and they shall also inform them of the difference between the impure and the pure.
Metzudat Zion
"Yor'u." From the language of instruction and study:
Malbim
“And they shall teach My people,” meaning that they too shall serve as teachers, both in the laws of the sacred offerings and in the laws of ritual impurity and purity. Now, the laws of the sacred offerings are transmitted only to the priests who engage with them; this is what is meant by “they shall teach My people.” However, the laws of ritual impurity and purity are also known to the Israelites, as was the case in the days of Hezekiah, when all were well-versed in the laws of ritual impurity and purity. The priests’ role was merely to inform them if a specific impurity had occurred, as our Sages of blessed memory stated: “Knowledge — this is the Order of Tohorot”.
And in a controversy they shall stand to judge; according to Mine ordinances shall they judge it; and they shall keep My laws and My statutes in all My appointed seasons, and they shall hallow My sabbaths.
verse value 7670
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 84 letters. Verse gematria: 7670 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "abundance" (הֵ֚מָּה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·My·sabbaths" (וְאֶת־שַׁבְּתוֹתַ֖י, 9 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·over·a·dispute" (וְעַל־רִ֗יב), "to·judge" ((לשפט)), "to·judgment" (לְמִשְׁפָּ֔ט). The root שפט appears 3 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "abundance" (root הם, 166x in Ezekiel); "they·shall·hallow" (root קדש, 70x in Ezekiel); "to·judgment" (root משפט, 43x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·shall·judge·it', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְעַל־רִ֗יב [and·over·a·dispute] (318) + הֵ֚מָּה [abundance] (50) + יַעַמְד֣וּ [shall·stand] (130) + (לשפט) [to·judge] (419) + לְמִשְׁפָּ֔ט [to·judgment] (459) + בְּמִשְׁפָּטַ֖י [my·rules] (441) + (ושפטהו) [to·judge] (406) + יִשְׁפְּט֑וּהוּ [they·shall·judge·it] (416) + וְאֶת־תּוֹרֹתַ֤י [and·My·laws] (1423) + וְאֶת־חֻקֹּתַי֙ [and·My·statutes] (925) + בְּכׇל־מוֹעֲדַ֣י [in·all·my·appointed·times] (182) + יִשְׁמֹ֔רוּ [they·will·keep] (556) + וְאֶת־שַׁבְּתוֹתַ֖י [and·My·sabbaths] (1525) + יְקַדֵּֽשׁוּ [they·shall·hallow] (420) = 7670.
Radak
And regarding “a dispute,” it says “for judgment.” The text is written as “to judge” (lishpot), but read as “for judgment” (l’mishpat); the meaning is the same.
“Yeshpatenu” – “He shall judge him.” They shall judge the dispute, as the laws of the dispute are written in the Torah, and it is written, “And they shall judge him,” meaning that they shall stand in judgment and judge him according to his judgment.
"And My statutes in all My appointed times." In the matters of sacrifices, and likewise, "My Sabbaths they shall sanctify."
Metzudat David
And regarding a dispute. And concerning a monetary case, the people shall stand before them for judgment, and they shall judge it according to the laws of the Torah, not according to their own estimation of the matter.
"And My Torahs." The Torahs and decrees that are observed throughout all the days of the Lord’s festivals regarding the sacrifices—they shall guard them to perform them. And likewise, they shall sanctify the Sabbaths regarding the sacrifices that are obligatory for that day.
Malbim
And concerning "strife," meaning that they will be among the Sanhedrin to adjudicate cases of monetary law and capital punishment, and "by My judgments they shall judge him"—this means in accordance with the words of the Torah. Now, the phrase "salvation, wisdom, and knowledge" has already been enumerated, referring to the tractates of Nezikin, Kodashim, and Tohorot. And it adds that they shall also keep "My Torah and My statutes," which are the laws of the orders of Zeraim and Nashim, which include decrees (chukim) such as those concerning forbidden sexual relations, kilayim (forbidden mixtures), and the like, as well as laws (torot). Likewise, regarding all "My appointed seasons," which is the order of Moed, they shall observe them; and "My Sabbaths they shall keep holy," to warn regarding the Sabbath, even though it was permitted for them in connection with Temple service.
And they shall come near no dead person to defile themselves; but for father, or for mother, or for son, or for daughter, for brother, or for sister that has had no husband, they may defile themselves.
verse value 3213
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 65 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "who·has·not·been" (אֲשֶֽׁר־לֹא־הָיְתָ֥ה, 9 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·to·a·dead·one" (וְאֶל־מֵ֣ת), "if·for·father" (אִם־לְאָ֡ב), "and·to·mother" (וּ֠לְאֵ֠ם). The root טמא appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "who·has·not·been" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "not" (root לא, 213x in Ezekiel); "will·go·in" (root בוא, 175x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·be·impure', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 10 words.
Radak
"And he shall not become unclean for a dead person." This refers to a common priest.
Metzudat David
to defile. To defile himself:
“Which has not been with any man.” To the bed:
Malbim
"And a man shall not become impure..."—namely, "except for his father and his mother." Although they are to accept upon themselves additional stringencies, like the High Priest, nevertheless they become impure for close relatives, for impurity for close relatives is a mitzvah, and all the aforementioned stringencies do not constitute a nullification of the mitzvah.
And after he is cleansed, they shall reckon to him seven days.
verse value 2109
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "seven" (שִׁבְעַ֥ת, 4 letters) and the longest is "shall·reckon·to·him" (יִסְפְּרוּ־לֽוֹ, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "his·purification" (טׇהֳרָת֑וֹ), "shall·reckon·to·him" (יִסְפְּרוּ־לֽוֹ). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "days" (root יום, 112x in Ezekiel); "seven" (root שבע, 32x in Ezekiel); "and·after" (root אחר, 30x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·purification', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְאַחֲרֵ֖י [and·after] (225) + טׇהֳרָת֑וֹ [his·purification] (620) + שִׁבְעַ֥ת [seven] (772) + יָמִ֖ים [days] (100) + יִסְפְּרוּ־לֽוֹ [shall·reckon·to·him] (392) = 2109.
Rashi
“And after his purification.” After his separation from the corpse. This is taught in Masekhet Mo'ed Katan:
Radak
“And after his purification.” It might be thought that this refers to a future addition of holiness, such that after he has purified himself at the end of the seven days, they would count for him another seven days. However, our Sages of blessed memory explained it without introducing any novel concept, interpreting “after his purification” as “after his separation from the corpse.”
Metzudat David
"And after his purification." This means after his separation from the corpse, as our Sages of blessed memory stated:
“Seven days, etc.” And after this he is pure.
“Yisparu.” This means that his priestly brothers will count for him, so that if he forgot, they will not allow him to enter the Temple until after seven days, and then he will become pure.
Malbim
And after his purification, indeed, they should establish for them another safeguard, namely that after purification from the impurity of a corpse, one does not enter the Temple immediately, but rather waits seven days. And on the day of their coming to the Sanctuary, behold, they explained this in reference to the Minchat Chinuch (the offering of initiation) that the priest brings on the day he begins his training for the service. And it is surprising: what is he teaching us here? It is elementary — *go read it in the schoolhouse* (i.e., it is self-evident and already known). And it appears that this matter was also necessary in the Second Temple, when many priests who had served in the First Temple returned. Then they brought the Minchat Chinuch (as stated in Ezra 3:12), and many of the priests who had seen the First Temple taught them that upon their return to service in the Second Temple, they were required to bring the Minchat Chinuch anew. And likewise, Ezekiel, who was promised to arise in the resurrection in the Third Temple, along with the priests who will then stand in the resurrection—even though they had offered the Minchat Chinuch while they were serving in their lifetime in the Temple—they will need to bring the Minchat Chinuch anew.
And in the day that he goes into the sanctuary, into the inner court, to minister in the sanctuary, he shall offer his sin-offering, says the Lord Hashem.
verse value 3706
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 56 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "his·entering" (בֹּא֨וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "inner" (הַפְּנִימִית֙, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "in·the·holiness" (בַּקֹּ֔דֶשׁ), "he·shall·bring" (יַקְרִ֖יב). The root איל appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "to·the·apartness" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "my·lord" (root אדון, 222x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·sin', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 3 words. Full calculation: וּבְיוֹם֩ [and·in·day·of] (64) + בֹּא֨וֹ [his·entering] (9) + אֶל־הַקֹּ֜דֶשׁ [to·the·apartness] (440) + אֶל־הֶחָצֵ֤ר [to·the·court] (334) + הַפְּנִימִית֙ [inner] (595) + לְשָׁרֵ֣ת [to·minister] (930) + בַּקֹּ֔דֶשׁ [in·the·holiness] (406) + יַקְרִ֖יב [he·shall·bring] (322) + חַטָּאת֑וֹ [his·sin] (424) + נְאֻ֖ם [utterance] (91) + אֲדֹנָ֥י [my·lord] (65) + יֱהֹוִֽה [Hashem] (26) = 3706.
Rashi
"And on the day of his coming." At first, to the Holy Place, to be trained in the service, he shall bring his sin-offering, which is his tenth of an ephah. Thus it is stated in Masekhet Mo'ed Katan: "A lay priest is required to bring a tenth of an ephah on the day of his induction," as it is stated (Leviticus 6:13): "This is the offering of Aaron and his sons," etc., as explained in the tractate Menachot.
Radak
“And on the day of his coming into the Sanctuary.” This implies that after he becomes pure and enters the Sanctuary—since he did not enter it while impure—now, after he has become pure, he shall offer a sin-offering for his impurity. This would be a novel interpretation for the future. However, our Sages of blessed memory interpreted it without introducing any novelty. Some of them explained that “he shall offer his sin-offering” refers to the tenth of an ephah, which the High Priest used to offer every day but did not offer during the days of his impurity; they said that he shall offer it after his purification. Others said that “he shall offer his sin-offering” comes to teach that he cannot send his offerings during the days of his impurity, as it is stated: “And on the day of his coming…”—when he is fit to enter, he is fit to offer; and when he is not fit to enter, he is not fit to offer.
I am puzzled by the one who said that “he shall offer his sin-offering” refers to the tenth of an ephah, since the passage is discussing a common priest who becomes impure for his relatives, whereas the tenth of an ephah was offered by the High Priest from his own funds every day—half in the morning and half in the evening. A common priest did not offer it except at the time of his inauguration for service, that is, on the day he begins to serve. Moreover, the High Priest did not become impure for his relatives. If so, what is the meaning of “And on the day of his coming into the Sanctuary…”? And regarding what it says, “they shall count for him,” rather than “he shall count for himself,” this implies that his priestly brethren shall count for him, so that if he forgets, they will not allow him to enter the Sanctuary until seven days have passed for him and he becomes pure.
Metzudat David
"And on the day of his coming, etc." – This means: at the beginning of the priest’s entry to be trained in the service.
“to the inner court.” This is the Court of the Priests, where the altar was located.
"He shall bring his sin-offering." This refers to the tenth of an ephah that the priests would offer on the day of the inauguration, as it is stated: "This is the offering of Aaron and his sons, as commanded, on the day when he is anointed: a tenth of an ephah of fine flour..." (Leviticus 5:11).
And it shall be to them for an inheritance: I am their inheritance; and you shall give them no possession in Israel: I am their possession.
verse value 3262
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "to·them" (לָהֶם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "you·shall·not·give" (לֹֽא־תִתְּנ֤וּ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 75: to·them, to·them. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "their·inheritance" (נַחֲלָתָ֑ם), "and·holding" (וַאֲחֻזָּ֗ה), "you·shall·not·give" (לֹֽא־תִתְּנ֤וּ). The root הם appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "you·shall·not·give" (root נתן, 207x in Ezekiel); "to·them" (root הם, 166x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root אחזה ("their·holding") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·inheritance', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְהָיְתָ֤ה [and·it·shall·be] (426) + לָהֶם֙ [to·them] (75) + לְֽנַחֲלָ֔ה [to·inheritance] (123) + אֲנִ֖י [I] (61) + נַחֲלָתָ֑ם [their·inheritance] (528) + וַאֲחֻזָּ֗ה [and·holding] (27) + לֹֽא־תִתְּנ֤וּ [you·shall·not·give] (887) + לָהֶם֙ [to·them] (75) + בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל [in·Israel] (543) + אֲנִ֖י [I] (61) + אֲחֻזָּתָֽם [their·holding] (456) = 3262.
Rashi
"And it shall be theirs." The priesthood as an inheritance:
Radak
"And it shall be to them for an inheritance." The priesthood shall be their inheritance, so that they shall not have a territorial holding in Israel, as it is stated in the Torah:
Metzudat David
"And it shall be to them for an inheritance." The priesthood shall be to them for an inheritance, for they shall not inherit a portion in the land.
"I am their inheritance." This means that the remainder of My offerings shall be their inheritance.
"And a possession." A possession of an inheritance of land, fields, and vineyards—you shall not give them to them. And this is so that they may be free to engage in the service of the Sanctuary. (And as for their taking the heave-offering of the land, as it is stated, "The holy heave-offering to the priests, etc." (below 48), this was for the needs of their houses and courtyards.)
"I am their possession." This means that the residue of My sacrifices shall be their possession, and the matter is repeated in what is stated:
Metzudat Zion
“V’achuzah.” The meaning is a portion and an inheritance:
Malbim
(28-29) "And it shall be theirs for an inheritance" – the phrase is dependent on what follows, meaning: "And it shall be theirs for an inheritance" – namely, the meal-offering, the sin-offering, and the guilt-offering. As it is stated (Numbers 18:9): "This shall be yours of the most holy things, every offering of theirs: every meal-offering of theirs, and every sin-offering of theirs, and every guilt-offering of theirs." And concerning this it says, "I am their inheritance," and "You shall give them no possession," indicating that although the Levites will take a portion in the Land in the World to Come, the priests shall have no possession, as it is stated (verse 20): "In their land you shall not inherit," and "Every devoted thing in Israel shall be yours," as it is stated (verse 14): "Every devoted thing in Israel shall be yours."
The meal-offering, and the sin-offering, and the guilt-offering, they, even they, shall eat; and every devoted thing in Israel shall be theirs.
verse value 1998
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 44 letters. Verse gematria: 1998 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "abundance" (הֵ֖מָּה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·the·sin-offering" (וְהַחַטָּ֣את, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "they·will·eat·them" (יֹאכְל֑וּם), "and·every·devoted-thing" (וְכׇל־חֵ֥רֶם). The root הם appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "it·will·be" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "abundance" (root הם, 166x in Ezekiel); "in·Israel" (root ישראל, 154x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·will·eat·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: הַמִּנְחָה֙ [gift] (108) + וְהַחַטָּ֣את [and·the·sin-offering] (429) + וְהָאָשָׁ֔ם [and·the·reparation·offering] (352) + הֵ֖מָּה [abundance] (50) + יֹאכְל֑וּם [they·will·eat·them] (107) + וְכׇל־חֵ֥רֶם [and·every·devoted-thing] (304) + בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [in·Israel] (543) + לָהֶ֥ם [to·them] (75) + יִהְיֶֽה [it·will·be] (30) = 1998.
Rashi
Herem. It is a term denoting sanctity; and so is every term of herem that pertains to sanctity.
Radak
The minchah. It is clear:
Metzudat David
The meal-offering. This means the remnants of the meal-offering.
And any devoted thing. All consecrated things:
Metzudat Zion
Herem. This means consecration, as it is stated: "Every herem in Israel shall be yours" (Numbers 18:14).
And the first of all the first-fruits of every thing, and every heave-offering of every thing, of all your offerings, shall be for the priests; you shall also give to the priest the first of your dough, to cause a blessing to rest on your house.
verse value 7281
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 84 letters. The shortest word is "all" (כֹ֜ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "your·gifts" (תְּרוּמ֣וֹתֵיכֶ֔ם, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 917: and·beginning·of, and·beginning·of. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "all·first-fruits" (כׇּל־בִּכּ֨וּרֵי), "and·all·contribution·of" (וְכׇל־תְּר֣וּמַת), "your·gifts" (תְּרוּמ֣וֹתֵיכֶ֔ם). The root כל appears 4 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "it·will·be" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "to·your·house" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "you·will·give" (root נתן, 207x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root ראשית ("and·beginning·of") in Ezekiel. First appearance of the root תרומה ("your·gifts") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'it·will·be', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 7 words.
Rashi
To place. "Apo-shir" in the foreign language, like (Exodus 8:12) "and he placed it throughout all the border of Egypt."
Radak
And the beginning of all, the firstborn of all. "The firstborn of all" refers to the fruit, as it is stated in the Torah: "The firstborn of all that is in their land, which they shall bring to the Lord, shall be yours; and all that is in their land" (Numbers 18:13). And "all that is in their land" means all the special produce of their land, namely the seven species. And so too does it mean by what it says, "all the firstborn of all," and "all the heave-offering of all," as it is stated in the Torah: "All the heave-offerings of the holy things" (Numbers 18:19), etc.
“From all your heave-offerings.” The first portion of all your heave-offerings, which is the Great Heave-Offering that belonged to the priest.
"To place a blessing upon your house." Its meaning is: [This applies] to everything mentioned in this verse.
Metzudat David
And the beginning. The beginning of all things that ripened as firstfruits, and they are the firstfruits.
"And every heave-offering of all": All heave-offerings, whether of grain, wine, or oil.
"From all your heave-offerings." From all the things from which you are obligated to separate heave-offering:
"And the first of your doughs." [This refers to] the first portion of the dough, before you eat from it, and concerning the challah it is said:
"To place a blessing." As if to say: "Let not your heart be grieved when you give all these [gifts] to the priests, for this will be the cause for bringing blessing into your house, and wealth will not be lacking, but will rather increase."
Metzudat Zion
Bikkurim. When the grain is ripe, it is called in the language of "firstborn," and likewise, "the first of the firstfruits of your land" (Exodus 23:19):
"Your doughs." The matter of dough and kneaded dough is like [that of] "the beginning of your doughs" (Numbers 15:20).
To place. From the language of “setting down” (hanachah):
Malbim
And the firstfruits of all, the first shearings of the flock, and the gifts [to the Kohen], and the heave-offering, and the heave-offering of the tithe, and the first of all, the firstfruits, and the first of your doughs, the challah—and by means of these, a blessing will rest upon your house, as it is stated: “A man who gives to the Kohen, to him it shall be.”
The priests shall not eat of any thing that dies of itself, or is torn, whether it be fowl or beast.
verse value 1069
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 38 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·from·the·beast" (וּמִן־הַבְּהֵמָ֑ה, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "all·senselessness" (כׇּל־נְבֵלָה֙), "from·the·birds" (מִן־הָע֖וֹף), "and·from·the·beast" (וּמִן־הַבְּהֵמָ֑ה). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 213x in Ezekiel); "they·will·eat" (root אכל, 57x in Ezekiel); "the·priests" (root כהן, 23x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·from·the·beast', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: כׇּל־נְבֵלָה֙ [all·senselessness] (137) + וּטְרֵפָ֔ה [and·torn·animal] (300) + מִן־הָע֖וֹף [from·the·birds] (251) + וּמִן־הַבְּהֵמָ֑ה [and·from·the·beast] (153) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + יֹאכְל֖וּ [they·will·eat] (67) + הַכֹּהֲנִֽים [the·priests] (130) = 1069.
Rashi
“Every carcass and torn animal…” Since the melikah (pinching) of the bird sin-offering, which is deemed a carcass and a torn animal, was permitted to them, it was necessary to warn them against all other carcasses and torn animals. This is the explanation of our Sages.
Radak
"All nevelah and treifah." Just as it is stated in the Torah, "A nevelah or a treifah shall not be eaten," to defile himself by it. Even though the Israelites are also warned against it, the priests are warned more strictly because of ritual impurity, since they are constantly in the Temple. Therefore, they are warned more strictly regarding ritual impurity than the Israelites. Hence, it states, "The priests shall not eat," and it says "shall not eat" and does not say "nor shall they touch," for there is a nevelah that does not convey impurity except through the house of the esophagus, and that is the nevelah of a clean bird. And our Sages of blessed memory said: Since they were permitted the melikah (nape-pinching) of the bird sin-offering, which is [otherwise] a nevelah and a treifah, one might have thought that they would also be permitted with regard to other nevelahs and treifahs. Therefore, they were warned against them.
Metzudat David
"The priests shall not eat [them]." Our Sages of blessed memory expounded: Since they were permitted to perform the melikah (pinching of the neck) of the bird sin-offering, which is considered a carcass and a terefah, it was necessary to warn them concerning other carcasses and terefoth, so that we should not assume that they were permitted to eat from the category of profane food.
Malbim
“Every carcass”: Our Sages of blessed memory already explained that since the offering of a bird by pinching its neck (melikah) was permitted for them, it must be said that they were forbidden to eat unconsecrated birds that had been slaughtered by pinching. And this is not a novel idea in the words of Ezekiel, for the Torah also stated regarding the priest: “A carcass or a torn animal he shall not eat,” as Rambam writes in his Sefer HaMitzvot. And it can be explained that his meaning is that they should not even eat something that appears to be a carcass or a torn animal, which is dangerous; rather, they should be careful of this in the future, as Ezekiel stated: “A carcass or a torn animal I did not eat” (above 4:14), which our Sages of blessed memory explained refers to something dangerous.
Radak
Metzudat David
Malbim