Desecration of God's Name

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“All the King's Men” - Ahazya's Messengers
Rabbi Alex Israel
By sending messengers to Ba'al Zevuv, the god Ekron, Ahazya has outdown his father. Turning to the surrounding nations is a desecration of God's name. Eliyahu turns Ahazya first messengers to Ekron into his messengers with God's message of Ahazya's death. Ahazya sends a captain with a company of fifty men with the intention of killing Eliyahu and nullifying his message. The first and second companies of soldiers are consumed by a fire from heaven. The actions of the third captain signify an absolute surrender of royal power to God's power.
The Law of the Blasphemer
Rabbi Amnon Bazak
The story of the blasphemer raises numerous questions: why does the Torah place this story within the chapters dealing with laws and commandments? Why does this story include seemingly irrelevant laws of damages? The snwer to these questions can be learned through the Torah's emphasis on the blasphemer being 'the son of an Egyptian man', and the unique sanctity of Israel.
The Law of the Blasphemer (Audio)
Rabbi Amnon Bazak | 13 minutes
The story of the blasphemer raises numerous questions: why does the Torah place this story within the chapters dealing with laws and commandments? Why does this story include seemingly irrelevant laws of damages? The answer to these questions can be learned through the Torah's emphasis on the blasphemer being 'the son of an Egyptian man', and the unique sanctity of Israel.
The Chariot and the Journeys of God's Glory
Dr. Tova Ganzel
At the beginning of his book, Yehezkel describes how "the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God." Chapter 1, described by Chazal as the "ma'aseh merkava" is one of the most difficult chapters to understand in all of Tanakh.

This Divine vision, which appears at the very outset of the book, holds the key to understanding one of the central prophetic messages of the book. The recollection of this vision accompanies Yehezkel's prophecy throughout the rest of the book. In these visions, God's glory is borne in a chariot, which indicates motion. The upshot of all these visions is that God's glory has departed from the Temple.

Even in Yehezkel's pre-Destruction prophecies the glory of God has already departed from the Temple and the Divine Presence is no longer within the city of Jerusalem. Therefore, during the six first years of Yehezkel's prophecy – from the time he began to prophesy until the destruction of the Temple – there is no call to the nation as a whole to mend its ways and to repent. The fate of Jerusalem has already been sealed; the Temple is defiled and desecrated, and the city will not be purified until God has poured out His wrath in its midst.

Where is God's glory is to be found during the years of the Destruction? Does God's glory wander with the people to Babylon, or does it remain in the Land of Israel, outside Jerusalem, waiting for the people to return?

Yehezkel emphasizes that even though this is the first time that God's glory has departed – indeed the Temple lies in ruins – nevertheless the same Divine vision will return and once again dwell in the future Temple. The nation need not fear that the departure of God's glory from the Temple means the departure of His glory from the nation.

God’s Presence in the Temple cannot be assumed to be unconditional; God will not allow His Presence to dwell there if the nation causes the Temple to be defiled. But even though the nation refuses to accept the message of the prophets and fails to repent, even after the destruction of the Temple, God will never abandon His people.
The Meaning of the Metaphor: God’s Actions
Dr. Tova Ganzel
This prophetic unit is one of the harshest that is delivered to the nation anywhere in Tanakh. The prophet begins by defining and illuminating the severity of the actions of the people. Not only have they not fulfilled God’s commandments; they have even been less loyal to God than the surrounding nations have been towards their own deities.

The nation had not internalized the idea that God might destroy His Temple. They knew that the Destruction of the Temple would be perceived by the nations as weakness on the part of God, reflecting God’s inability to defend His Temple and ward off its enemies. Thus, the Destruction of the Temple would entail a desecration of God’s Name among the nations. The nations would assume that God had lost His power and might, so much so that He could not even prevent the downfall of His Temple. The nations surrounding Jerusalem would have considered the deliberate divine Destruction of Jerusalem so strange that the people of Jerusalem were lulled into believing that this would be enough to prevent the Temple being destroyed despite their severe sins.

But Yehezkel describes that the people have defiled the Beit HaMikdash with “detestable things and abominations” – a combined term that is used over 80 times in the book that refers to the range of sins that the people have committed which are detailed by the prophet in the coming chapters. Thus the nations will come to understand how God inflicts such devastating damage on His people not as a sign of weakness but as a Divine punishment.
The Abominations of their Fathers
Part 1
Dr. Tova Ganzel
This chapter illustrates the cyclical process of history going back to the slavery in Egypt: Am Yisrael violates God’s laws and as a result is deemed unworthy of redemption – even survival. But nonetheless the nation is restored to its land to prevent God’s Name from being desecrated in the eyes of the nations. The desecration of God’s Name lies not only in the actual transgression of His laws, but also by how this betrayal is perceived by the nations. Thus the repair of this desecration – the sanctification of God’s Name – must likewise also be “before the nations”: through the ingathering of Am Yisrael from the places to which they have been scattered.

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

The testimony offered by the Shabbat that “I am the Lord your God” – is a concept unique to Yehezkel; there is no parallel to it elsewhere in the Torah. This accentuates the importance of Shabbat: through its observance, the nation not only expresses its sanctity, but also testifies to and calls to consciousness the fact that the Lord is their God. Conversely, the breach of Shabbat is testimony to the distance between the nation and their God. This ultimately led to the defiling of the Temple and its Destruction.
The Abominations of their Fathers
Part 2
Dr. Tova Ganzel
The act of offering children to Molekh and passing them through fire – was common among pagans and is echoed in the story of Akeidat Yitzhak. It led to a perception that such practices had Divine legitimacy. Yirmiyahu emphasizes, in each of the three verses where the burning of children by fire is mentioned, that the act violates God’s command; that such an idea never “came into God’s mind,” and that God would never mislead His people this way. If indeed – as it appears from Yehezkel – the view prevailed among the people that this act was legitimate in God’s eyes, then it is clear why Yirmiyahu repeats over and over the prophetic message that there is no basis for it.

According to Yehezkel’s prophecy, the future revival of the nation will not come because of the covenant of the forefathers – which is not mentioned here at all – nor as the result of the nation repenting. It is a “forced” redemption, motivated by the desecration of God’s Name inherent in the very fact of the nation’s exile. The nation should therefore be ashamed of its deeds because of the Divine motivation to restore them to their land. This redemption is “forced” upon the people, as it were, with no opportunity for them to exercise their free choice – perhaps even against their will. It is for this reason that the whole nation will not return.
Prophecies Concerning the Nations
Dr. Tova Ganzel
The prevailing perception in the Ancient East was that kings were emissaries of the gods or even gods themselves, and that every nation had its own god that ensured its victor in war. The prophet counters this perception by gathering all the prophecies about the nations into a single collection. This emphasizes that God, Lord of the entire world, decides the fate of each and every nation.

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

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

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

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

Yehezkel’s prophecy to Tyre and to Sidon ends with the ingathering of Israel in its land. This does not appear to be an after-thought to the prophecy, but rather an essential component, a conclusion that completes the prophecies of destruction to the nations. Sanctification of God’s Name in the eyes of the nation begins with their downfall, but it will not be open and clear until God gathers up His nation.
Yehezkel’s Prophecy regarding Gog and Magog
Part 1
Dr. Tova Ganzel
Ostensibly, the revival prophecies climax with the nation’s return to its land and its purification from sin. However, the process remains unfinished. The nation’s revival occurs hand-in-hand with the strengthening of God’s status in the world and God’s status is only fully anchored after His war against Gog: a war that ends with the Divine promise that God will not hide His face from His people.

The uniqueness of this prophecy in Yehezkel, compared to similar prophecies in Yishayahu and Zekharya, lies in its scope, the explicit naming of the aggressors, and the timing of the war as specified in the prophecy: after the nation’s return to its land.

The purpose of the prophecy as a whole is emphasized in the final verse of chapter 38: “Thus will I magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will make Myself known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the Lord.” (v. 23) This verse underlines the aim of God’s war against Gog, as well as its result – knowledge of God among the nations. Thus, this prophecy is a response to the desecration of God’s Name represented by the exile of the nation from its land and the destruction of the Temple.
The Vision of the Future Temple
Part 1 - The Temple with God’s Glory in Its Midst
Dr. Tova Ganzel
The final nine chapters of Sefer Yechezkel set forth a vision of the future Temple. These chapters are rich in detail about the dimensions of the building, the various sacrifices, land inheritances, and more.

It is not coincidental that Yechezkel’s prophecy about the future Temple comes now, a point when the nation has become accustomed to the reality of life in exile, without an active Jewish center in the land. In their new reality, the exiles are left uncertain about their future and their status.

The detailed but opaque description of the future Beit HaMikdash carries a dual – and indeed self-contradictory – message: on one hand, the Mikdash is presented as something concrete and real; on the other, it cannot actually be built, at least not at this stage.

The prophet describes the return of God’s glory to the Temple, creating an exalting sense of God’s complete presence, followed by a harsh description of the sins that led to the destruction of the Mikdash and the departure of God’s presence. The sudden fall from such lofty exaltation to such depths seems to reflect the fact that one of the conditions for the return of God’s glory to the Temple is that “the house of Israel will no more profane My holy Name”.
Vayishlach: Who was In the Right? Inconclusive Messages
Rabbi Jonathan Snowbell | 19 hours
In this shiur, we analyze the story of Dina, Shimon, Levi, and Yaakov. Were Shimon and Levi in the wrong, or was Yaakov? What should have been the response of Yaakov to his sons actions at Shechem? These are two major approaches, but we seek to demonstrate that the parasha itself is inconclusive. Both sides have points, and each argument has elements that can be supported in the text. We grapple with the competing issues of zealotry vs. Hillul Hashem.

What we can concluded is that when we are in difficult moral situations. We must carefully evaluate our actions and verify that we are not motivated by the wrong things and that the actions we are taking are moral, and hope that we have God’s help in making the right decision.