In Ezekiel 5 we're presented with individual and collective punishments for unspecified crimes. I invite you to think about these questions while we read:
- • What is the purpose of punishment?
- • Who should decide what type and how much punishment is "deserved?"
- •
- Who should exact punishment?
- • What is the impact of punishment on the punisher?
- • What do we hope punishment will offer the inflicted?
- • Can punishment be ethical?
- • Are justice and punishment connected? Can they come from the same source?
(א) וְאַתָּ֨ה בֶן־אָדָ֜ם קַח־לְךָ֣ ׀ חֶ֣רֶב חַדָּ֗ה תַּ֤עַר הַגַּלָּבִים֙ תִּקָּחֶ֣נָּה לָּ֔ךְ וְהַעֲבַרְתָּ֥ עַל־רֹאשְׁךָ֖ וְעַל־זְקָנֶ֑ךָ וְלָקַחְתָּ֥ לְךָ֛ מֹאזְנֵ֥י מִשְׁקָ֖ל וְחִלַּקְתָּֽם׃ (ב) שְׁלִשִׁ֗ית בָּא֤וּר תַּבְעִיר֙ בְּת֣וֹךְ הָעִ֔יר כִּמְלֹ֖את יְמֵ֣י הַמָּצ֑וֹר וְלָקַחְתָּ֣ אֶת־הַשְּׁלִשִׁ֗ית תַּכֶּ֤ה בַחֶ֙רֶב֙ סְבִ֣יבוֹתֶ֔יהָ וְהַשְּׁלִשִׁית֙ תִּזְרֶ֣ה לָר֔וּחַ וְחֶ֖רֶב אָרִ֥יק אַחֲרֵיהֶֽם׃ (ג) וְלָקַחְתָּ֥ מִשָּׁ֖ם מְעַ֣ט בְּמִסְפָּ֑ר וְצַרְתָּ֥ אוֹתָ֖ם בִּכְנָפֶֽיךָ׃ (ד) וּמֵהֶם֙ ע֣וֹד תִּקָּ֔ח וְהִשְׁלַכְתָּ֤ אוֹתָם֙ אֶל־תּ֣וֹךְ הָאֵ֔שׁ וְשָׂרַפְתָּ֥ אֹתָ֖ם בָּאֵ֑שׁ מִמֶּ֥נּוּ תֵֽצֵא־אֵ֖שׁ אֶל־כׇּל־בֵּ֥ית יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ {פ}
(1) “And you, O mortal, take a sharp knife; use it as a barber’s razor and pass it over your head and beard. Then take scales and divide the hair. (2) When the days of siege are completed, destroy a third part in fire in the city, take a third and strike it with the sword all around the city, and scatter a third to the wind and unsheathe a sword after them. (3) “Take also a few [hairs] from there and tie them up in your skirts. (4) And take some more of them and cast them into the fire, and burn them in the fire. From this a fire shall go out upon the whole House of Israel.”
Why is Ezekiel instructed to cut his hair three times in three different ways? Would one time not have been enough?
(ה) כֹּ֤ה אָמַר֙ אֲדֹנָ֣י יֱהֹוִ֔ה זֹ֚את יְר֣וּשָׁלַ֔͏ִם בְּת֥וֹךְ הַגּוֹיִ֖ם שַׂמְתִּ֑יהָ וּסְבִיבוֹתֶ֖יהָ אֲרָצֽוֹת׃ (ו) וַתֶּ֨מֶר אֶת־מִשְׁפָּטַ֤י לְרִשְׁעָה֙ מִן־הַגּוֹיִ֔ם וְאֶ֨ת־חֻקּוֹתַ֔י מִן־הָאֲרָצ֖וֹת אֲשֶׁ֣ר סְבִיבוֹתֶ֑יהָ כִּ֤י בְמִשְׁפָּטַי֙ מָאָ֔סוּ וְחֻקּוֹתַ֖י לֹא־הָלְכ֥וּ בָהֶֽם׃ {ס} (ז) לָכֵ֞ן כֹּה־אָמַ֣ר ׀ אֲדֹנָ֣י יֱהֹוִ֗ה יַ֤עַן הֲמׇנְכֶם֙ מִן־הַגּוֹיִם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר סְבִיבוֹתֵיכֶ֔ם בְּחֻקּוֹתַי֙ לֹ֣א הֲלַכְתֶּ֔ם וְאֶת־מִשְׁפָּטַ֖י לֹ֣א עֲשִׂיתֶ֑ם וּֽכְמִשְׁפְּטֵ֧י הַגּוֹיִ֛ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר סְבִיבוֹתֵיכֶ֖ם לֹ֥א עֲשִׂיתֶֽם׃ (ח) לָכֵ֗ן כֹּ֤ה אָמַר֙ אֲדֹנָ֣י יֱהֹוִ֔ה הִנְנִ֥י עָלַ֖יִךְ גַּם־אָ֑נִי וְעָשִׂ֧יתִי בְתוֹכֵ֛ךְ מִשְׁפָּטִ֖ים לְעֵינֵ֥י הַגּוֹיִֽם׃ (ט) וְעָשִׂ֣יתִי בָ֗ךְ אֵ֚ת אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹֽא־עָשִׂ֔יתִי וְאֵ֛ת אֲשֶֽׁר־לֹא־אֶעֱשֶׂ֥ה כָמֹ֖הוּ ע֑וֹד יַ֖עַן כׇּל־תּוֹעֲבֹתָֽיִךְ׃ {פ}
(5) Thus said the Sovereign GOD: I set this Jerusalem in the midst of nations, with countries round about her. (6) But she rebelled against My rules and My laws, acting more wickedly than the nations and the countries round about her; shedshe Heb. “they.” rejected My rules and disobeyed My laws. (7) Assuredly, thus said the Sovereign GOD: Because you have outdone the nations that are round about you—you have not obeyed My laws or followed My rules, nor have you even observed the rules of the nations round about you— (8) assuredly, thus said the Sovereign GOD: I, in turn, am going to deal with you, and I will execute judgments in your midst in the sight of the nations. (9) On account of all your abominations, I will do among you what I have never done, and the like of which I will never do again.
(ב) מן הגוים. שכך כתוב במשנה ויתעה מנשה את יהודה ויושבי ירושלים לעשות רע מן הגוים אשר השמיד ה' מפני בני ישראל (ד"ה ב לג) ויש פותרי' שהגוים לא קבלו תורתו והם קבלוה עליה' ועברו עליה:
(2) more than the nations For so it is written concerning Manasseh (II Chron. 33:9): “And Manasseh misled Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do evil more than the nations that the Lord had destroyed from before the children of Israel.” Some interpret this to mean that the nations did not accept His Torah, but they [Israel] did accept it upon themselves, and transgressed it.
(א) יען המנכם. יען הזמינכם את עצמכם להפקר מן הגוים:
(1) Because you have prepared yourselves Because you have prepared yourselves to be more profligate than the nations.
(ג) וכמשפטי הגוים אשר סביבותיכם לא עשיתם. שהם לא המירו את אלהיהם והמה לא אלהים ואתם המרתם כבודי בלא יועיל ורבותינו פירשו כמתוקנים שבהם לא עשיתם כמקולקלים שבהם עשיתם:
(3) and like the customs of the nations that were around you, you did not do For they did not exchange their gods, although they are not gods, but you exchanged My glory for something that avails not. Our Sages (Sanh. 39b) explained: You did not do as the virtuous ones among them, you did as the corrupt ones among them.
According to Rashi, the people of Jerusalem's sin was behaving in a way that didn't honor their covenant with God, even when compared with surrounding nations who weren't chosen by God to honor God's word. What transgressions do we think the people of Jerusalem committed?
(י) לָכֵ֗ן אָב֞וֹת יֹאכְל֤וּ בָנִים֙ בְּתוֹכֵ֔ךְ וּבָנִ֖ים יֹאכְל֣וּ אֲבוֹתָ֑ם וְעָשִׂ֤יתִי בָךְ֙ שְׁפָטִ֔ים וְזֵרִיתִ֥י אֶת־כׇּל־שְׁאֵרִיתֵ֖ךְ לְכׇל־רֽוּחַ׃ {ס} (יא) לָכֵ֣ן חַי־אָ֗נִי נְאֻם֮ אֲדֹנָ֣י יֱהֹוִה֒ אִם־לֹ֗א יַ֚עַן אֶת־מִקְדָּשִׁ֣י טִמֵּ֔את בְּכׇל־שִׁקּוּצַ֖יִךְ וּבְכׇל־תּוֹעֲבֹתָ֑יִךְ וְגַם־אֲנִ֤י אֶגְרַע֙ וְלֹא־תָח֣וֹס עֵינִ֔י וְגַם־אֲנִ֖י לֹ֥א אֶחְמֽוֹל׃
(10) Assuredly, parents shall eat their children in your midst, and children shall eat their parents. I will execute judgments against you, and I will scatter all your survivors in every direction. (11) Assuredly, as I live—said the Sovereign GOD —because you defiled My Sanctuary with all your detestable things and all your abominations, I in turn will shear [you] awayeshear…away Cf. Isa. 15.2 and Jer. 48.37; here an allusion to the symbolism in v. 1. and show no pity. I in turn will show no compassion:
The punishments laid out here are gruesome and God themself said they have never punished Jerusalem like this before and never will again. What could the people of Jerusalem have done to have "earned" this level of punishment? Is anything bad enough to merit this level of punishment? Thinking about events of the last few hundred years — expulsions, pogroms, the Holocaust, the current war in Israel/Gaza — do we think the punishments listed above are the worst events that the Jews have ever collectively dealt with?
(יב) שְׁלִשִׁתֵ֞יךְ בַּדֶּ֣בֶר יָמ֗וּתוּ וּבָֽרָעָב֙ יִכְל֣וּ בְתוֹכֵ֔ךְ וְהַ֨שְּׁלִשִׁ֔ית בַּחֶ֖רֶב יִפְּל֣וּ סְבִיבוֹתָ֑יִךְ וְהַשְּׁלִישִׁית֙ לְכׇל־ר֣וּחַ אֱזָרֶ֔ה וְחֶ֖רֶב אָרִ֥יק אַחֲרֵיהֶֽם׃ (יג) וְכָלָ֣ה אַפִּ֗י וַהֲנִחוֹתִ֧י חֲמָתִ֛י בָּ֖ם וְהִנֶּחָ֑מְתִּי וְֽיָדְע֞וּ כִּֽי־אֲנִ֣י יְהֹוָ֗ה דִּבַּ֙רְתִּי֙ בְּקִנְאָתִ֔י בְּכַלּוֹתִ֥י חֲמָתִ֖י בָּֽם׃ (יד) וְאֶתְּנֵךְ֙ לְחׇרְבָּ֣ה וּלְחֶרְפָּ֔ה בַּגּוֹיִ֖ם אֲשֶׁ֣ר סְבִיבוֹתָ֑יִךְ לְעֵינֵ֖י כׇּל־עוֹבֵֽר׃ (טו) וְֽהָ֨יְתָ֜ה חֶרְפָּ֤ה וּגְדוּפָה֙ מוּסָ֣ר וּמְשַׁמָּ֔ה לַגּוֹיִ֖ם אֲשֶׁ֣ר סְבִיבוֹתָ֑יִךְ בַּעֲשׂ֩וֹתִי֩ בָ֨ךְ שְׁפָטִ֜ים בְּאַ֤ף וּבְחֵמָה֙ וּבְתֹכְח֣וֹת חֵמָ֔ה אֲנִ֥י יְהֹוָ֖ה דִּבַּֽרְתִּי׃
(12) One-third of you shall die of pestilence or perish in your midst by famine, one-third shall fall by the sword around you, and I will scatter one-third in every direction and will unsheathe the sword after them. (13) I will vent all My anger and satisfy My fury upon them; and when I vent all My fury upon them, they shall know that I, GOD, have spoken in My passion. (14) I will make you a ruin and a mockery among the nations round about you, in the sight of every passerby. (15) And when I execute judgment upon you in anger and rage and furious chastisement, you shall be a mockery and a derision, a warning and a horror, to the nations round about you: I, GOD, have spoken.
Can a God who punishes from passion and fury also be a just God?
(טז) בְּֽשַׁלְּחִ֡י אֶת־חִצֵּי֩ הָרָעָ֨ב הָרָעִ֤ים בָּהֶם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר הָי֣וּ לְמַשְׁחִ֔ית אֲשֶׁר־אֲשַׁלַּ֥ח אוֹתָ֖ם לְשַׁחֶתְכֶ֑ם וְרָעָב֙ אֹסֵ֣ף עֲלֵיכֶ֔ם וְשָׁבַרְתִּ֥י לָכֶ֖ם מַטֵּה־לָֽחֶם׃ (יז) וְשִׁלַּחְתִּ֣י עֲ֠לֵיכֶ֠ם רָעָ֞ב וְחַיָּ֤ה רָעָה֙ וְשִׁכְּלֻ֔ךְ וְדֶ֥בֶר וָדָ֖ם יַעֲבׇר־בָּ֑ךְ וְחֶ֙רֶב֙ אָבִ֣יא עָלַ֔יִךְ אֲנִ֥י יְהֹוָ֖ה דִּבַּֽרְתִּי׃ {פ}
(16) When I loose the deadly arrows of famine against those doomed to destruction, when I loose them against you to destroy you, I will heap more famine upon you and break your staff of bread. (17) I will let loose against you famine and wild beasts and they shall bereave you; pestilence and bloodshed shall sweep through you, and I will bring the sword upon you. I, GOD, have spoken.