Rashi on Ezekiel Chapter 22
Can copy this into an AI, or connect the whole library to your assistant. For deeper learning, you can directly use the original seforim, sites, and apps.
וַיְהִי דְבַר ה׳ אֵלַי לֵאמֹר. הֲתִשְׁפֹּט אֶת עִיר הַדָּמִים. יְרוּשָׁלַיִם:
will you judge the city of bloodshed Jerusalem.
וְהוֹדַעְתָּהּ. מֵפִיק הֵ״א וְהוֹדַעְתָּהּ, אוֹתָהּ:
and let her know The “heh” in והודעתה is pointed, so that the meaning is, “and let her know.”
עִיר שׁוֹפֶכֶת דָּם בְּתוֹכָהּ לָבוֹא עִתָּהּ. הֲרֵי זֶה מִקְרָא מְסֹרָס, וְזֶהוּ פֵּירוּשׁוֹ: עִיר שׁוֹפֶכֶת דָּם בְּתוֹכָהּ, אָמַר ה׳ אֱלֹהִים, לָבוֹא עִתָּהּ:
O city that sheds blood in her midst, her time is approaching This is a transposed verse, and this is its meaning: A city that sheds blood in her midst the Lord God said that its time is coming.
וְעָשְׂתָה גִלּוּלִים. כְּמוֹ וַאֲשֶׁר עָשְׂתָה גִלּוּלִים וְגוֹ׳:
and makes idols Like “and which makes idols, etc.”
עַד שְׁנוֹתָיִךְ. גְּזֵרַת ״וְנוֹשַׁנְתֶּם״ (דברים ד:כה) בְּגִימַטְרִיָּא שֶׁאָמַר מֹשֶׁה:
up to your years The decree of (Deut. 4:25): “and you will have grown old,” with its numerical value, which Moses said.
וְקַלָּסָה. דִּבָּה; שֶׁהַכֹּל נִדְבָּרִים בָּךְ; פַּרְלְרִי״ץ בְּלַעַ״ז:
and [a subject of] gossip Heb. וְקַלָסָה, gossip, that everyone will speak about you, parlediz in Old French, [subject of] gossip.
יִתְקַלְּסוּ בָךְ. וּמָה הִיא הַקַּלָּסוּת? טְמֵאַת הַשֵּׁם. זוֹ הִיא שֶׁטִּמֵּאת אֶת שְׁמָהּ; שֶׁהָיוּ נִקְרָאִים ״עַם קָדוֹשׁ״, ״בָּנִים״ לְיוֹצְרָם (דברים יד:א-ב), וְגָרְמוּ עַצְמָם לְהִקָּרְאוֹת ״עַם טְמֵא שְׂפָתַיִם״ (ישעיהו ו:ה):
will gossip about you And what is the gossip?...whose name is so befouled This is she who befouled her name, for they were called a holy people, sons of their Creator, and they caused themselves to be called (Isa. 6:5) “a people of unclean lips.”
אִישׁ לִזְרוֹעוֹ. כָּל דְּאַלִּים גָּבַר (בבא בתרא לד:):
each one by his own arm Whoever was stronger overpowered [the other].
אָב וָאֵם הֵקַלּוּ בָךְ. כָּל הַתּוֹעֵבוֹת שֶׁבְּפָרָשַׁת קְדֹשִׁים תִּהְיוּ (ויקרא יט-כ), שֶׁהוּזְהֲרוּ עֲלֵיהֶם, נִמְנוּ כָאן:
Father and mother are held light in you All the abominations in the section of (Lev. 19, 20) “You shall be holy,” about which they were warned, are enumerated here.
קָדָשַׁי בָּזִית. וְלֹא כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַרְתִּי ״לִרְצֹנְכֶם תִּזְבָּחוּ״ (ויקרא יט:ה):
My holy things have you despised And not as I said (Lev. 22:29): “you shall slaughter it as an expression of your good will.”
וְאֶל הֶהָרִים אָכְלוּ בָךְ. ״וּבְטוּרַיָּא פְּלָחוּ בֵּיךְ לְטָעֲוָותָא״ (תרגום יונתן):
and in you they have eaten upon the mountains and on the mountains they have worshipped in you to pagan deities.
זִמָּה עָשׂוּ. עֵצוֹת שֶׁל רְשָׁעָה:
they have held wicked plans Heb. זִמָה, plans of wickedness.
וַתְּבַצְּעִי רֵעַיִךְ בַּעֹשֶׁק. הֶעֱשַׁרְתְּ אֶת אוֹהֲבַיִךְ בָּעֹשֶׁק שֶׁעָשַׁקְתְּ מִן הָעֲנִיִּים. לָשׁוֹן אַחֵר: וַתְּבַצְּעִי – לְשׁוֹן גֶּזֶל, כְּמוֹ ״וּבֹצֵעַ בֵּרֵךְ נִאֵץ ה׳״ (תהלים י:ג); וְכֹה פִּתְרוֹנוֹ: וַתִּגְזְלִי לְרֵעַיִךְ בְּעֹשֶׁק:
and enriched your neighbors with dishonest gain You made your friends rich with the dishonest gain that you gained dishonestly from the poor. Another explanation: וַתְּבַצְעִי is a form of a word for robbery, like (Ps. 10:3): “and the robber (וּבֹצֵעַ) blesses himself for having blasphemed the Lord.” Accordingly, its interpretation is: and you robbed your friends with affliction.
הִכֵּיתִי כַפִּי. צָעַקְתִּי וַוי וְקִינָה:
I clapped My hands together I cried out, “Woe!” and lamentation.
אֶל בִּצְעֵיךְ. כָּאן לָמַדְנוּ שֶׁהַגָּזֵל קָשֶׁה מִן הַכֹּל, שֶׁעָלָיו נִתְחַתֵּם גְּזַר דִּין (קהלת רבה ג:יב):
over your dishonest gain Here we learn that robbery is more severe than all of them, for their verdict was sealed because of it.
אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי עוֹשֶׂה אוֹתָךְ. פּוֹעֵל לָךְ כְּפָעֳלֵךְ:
that I will deal with you That I will deal with you according to your deeds.
וְהַתִּמּוֹתִי. וְכִלִּיתִי:
and I will make...completely disappear And I will end.
וְנִחַלְתְּ בָּךְ. תִּתְחַלְחֲלִי בְּעַצְמֵךְ עַל מַה שֶּׁעָשִׂית:
And you shall be profaned within yourself Heb. וְנִחַלְתָּ בָּךְ, you shall be profaned within yourself for what you have done.
לְסִיג. תַּעֲרֹבֶת פְּסֹלֶת הַמְּעֹרָב בְּכֶסֶף וְזָהָב, וְצָרִיךְ לְהַתִּיכוֹ בָּאֵשׁ לְצָרְפוֹ:
dross A mixture of dross mixed in silver and gold, and it is necessary to smelt it in fire to refine it.
כּוּר. שֶׁצּוֹרְפִין בּוֹ זָהָב:
a furnace in which gold is refined.
קְבֻצַת כֶּסֶף. כַּאֲשֶׁר יְקַבֵּץ הַצּוֹרֵף אֶת כָּל הַסִּיגִים אֶל תּוֹךְ כּוּר:
As they gather silver As the silversmith gathers all the dross into the furnace.
לָפַחַת. לְנַפֵּחַ:
to blow Heb. לָפַחַת, to blow (לְנַפֵּחַ).
לְהַנְתִּיךְ. ״וְיָצַקְתָּ״ (שמות כה:יב) מְתַרְגֵּם: ״וְתַתִּיךְ״:
to melt Heb. לְהַנְתִּיךְ. (Exod. 25:12) “and cast (וְיָצַקְתָּ)” is translated into Aramaic as וְתַתִּיךְ.
לֹא גֻשְׁמָהּ בְּיוֹם זָעַם. לֹא נִתַּן גֶּשֶׁם הָרָאוּי לָהּ לְטַהֵר בְּיוֹם זָעַם; וּפֵירוּשׁ הַדָּבָר כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ: ״לָא אִיתְעֲבִידוּ בָהּ עוֹבְדִין טָבִין דְּיִגְנוּן עֲלָהּ בְּיוֹם לְוָוט״:
it was not rained upon on the day of fury The rain fit to cleanse it on the day of fury was not given it, and the explanation of the matter is as the Targum paraphrases: Good deeds were not performed in her which would protect her on the day of curse.
קֶשֶׁר נְבִיאֶיהָ. נִקְשָׁרִים יַחַד בְּעֵצָה רָעָה:
There is a conspiracy of her prophets Heb. קֶשֶׁר [lit. a knot]. They are joined together in an evil counsel.
נֶפֶשׁ אָכָלוּ. שֶׁהָיוּ נוֹטְלִין שֹׁחַד וּמַחֲזִיקִין יְדֵי מְרֵעִים, לַהֲרֹג וְלִשְׁלֹל וְלָבֹז, וְנִבָּאִין לָהֶם שָׁלוֹם:
they devoured souls For they would take bribes and strengthen the hands of evildoers to kill and plunder and rob, and then they would prophesy peace for them.
חֹסֶן. מָמוֹן:
riches Heb. חֹסֶן, money.
חָמְסוּ תוֹרָתִי. עֲלֵיהֶם הָיָה לְהוֹכִיחַ וּלְהוֹרוֹת וּלְהוֹדִיעַ חֹק וּמִשְׁפָּט, וְלֹא עָשׂוּ, הֲרֵי זֶה חָמָס, שֶׁחֲמָסוּהָ מִן הַצְּרִיכִין לִלְמֹד:
robbed My Torah It was incumbent upon them to reprove, to instruct, and to make known statutes and ordinances, but they did not do so. This is robbery, for they robbed it from those who needed to learn.
וָאֵחַל. וְנִתְחַלַּלְתִּי:
and I was profaned in their midst Heb. וָאֵחַל, and I was profaned.
לְמַעַן בְּצֹעַ בָּצַע. לַחֲטֹף מָמוֹן:
for the sake of dishonest gain To seize money.
טָחוּ לָהֶם תָּפֵל. דּוֹמִין לְטָחֵי בִּנְיָן בְּטִיט שֶׁאֵינוֹ מְעֻבָּד כָּל צָרְכּוֹ, שֶׁאֵין בּוֹ תֶּבֶן, וְהוּא נִפְשָׁר מֵאֵלָיו בְּבֹא עָלָיו גְּשָׁמִים; וְלָשׁוֹן תָּפֵל – כָּל דָּבָר הַמְחֻסָּר תִּקּוּן:
plastered for them with daub They are like those who plaster a building with plaster that is not completely processed, which has no straw; it dissolves by itself when rain falls on it. The expression תָּפֵל means anything that is lacking preparation.