Sefer Yechezkel, chapter 2. "And He said to me, son of man, stand upon your feet and I will speak with you." "And He said to me, son of man, stand upon your feet." First of all, what does this expression "son of man" mean? Why does He address Yechezkel specifically with the title "son of man"? Rashi brings that He calls Yechezkel "son of man" because he saw the Merkavah moving among the heavenly beings. There is a version that reads "moving among the upper realm," and I did not understand this until I studied it and searched through additional sefarim and saw that the version is "moving among the sons of the upper realm," and that begins to make sense. Yechezkel saw himself moving among the heavenly beings and making use of several angels, as if to say there is no one born of woman here except for this one. Since Yechezkel saw the workings of the Merkavah and was, as it were, up there among the angels, God tells him: Know that you are the only son of man here. "And He said to me, son of man" - why does He call him this? To emphasize and say that only he is in the category of a son of man, because all the rest here are in the category of angels. And this is brought in parentheses: "and all of this one man attributed to Rabbi, and they." The meaning of this is that one person said this interpretation to Rashi, and Rashi liked it and mentioned it.
Another explanation: "And it seems to me that He called him son of man only so that his mind should not become arrogant over him, since his heart had become haughty from the vision of the Merkavah and from the work of the heavenly beings." Rashi brings an additional interpretation: that Yechezkel should not become haughty, since he already feels like an angel wandering among the celestial beings, so God tells him "son of man" - you are still a son of man, so that his heart should not become haughty from the vision of the Merkavah. Now you should know that Rashi on Nach has had hands laid upon it. That is to say, there are many additions and many things that over the years and through the printers were added, so that we are not always certain that when something is brought in the name of Rashi on Nach it is really Rashi. Rashi on the Torah spread very quickly, and then it was hard to corrupt it, since there are many widespread copies from which one could compare versions. But Rashi on Nach was less widespread, and consequently in many places we see later additions, and there are additions which are clearly not from Rashi in terms of their time of writing and the interpretation that appears there. And in any case, here too we have no clarity as to whether all of this "one man attributed to Rabbi, and they" refers to Rashi or to someone else. And also the second interpretation I brought appears with "another version." "Another version" means it is found in other copies. That is, it does not appear in all the versions, so that whenever one reads interpretations in Rashi, one must take those interpretations with limited certainty when we have some difficulty with them or a contradiction from other places and the like.
The Radak first brings the interpretation that Rashi brings, that He called him "son of man" so that he should not become arrogant, and he brings an additional interpretation: that since he saw a human face in the Merkavah, He is informing him, as it were, from Heaven that he is upright and good in His eyes and is in the category of a son of man. As if He is showing him and saying: You are not the son of the lion, nor the son of the ox, nor the son of the eagle, but the son of man. Therefore he says that Targum Yonatan here translated "son of Adam," he did not translate "son of man (enasha)," but "Adam," because in the Merkavah there was a human face.
"And a spirit entered into me as He spoke to me, and it stood me upon my feet, and I heard the one speaking to me." "And a spirit entered into me as He spoke to me" - that is, at the moment He spoke to me a spirit came to me that stood me upon my feet, that gave me strength, that gave me the power to stand upon my feet. This is why it is written "stand upon your feet and I will speak with you" - what brought me to stand upon my feet? "And a spirit entered into me as He spoke to me." Just as God told me "stand upon your feet," the spirit came and stood me upon my feet. It is the spirit that caused me to stand upon my feet. What in fact was the reason that a spirit was needed for him to stand upon his feet? The Malbim explains that after Yechezkel's senses and faculties had been nullified when he fell upon his face, he then began to hear a voice speaking, and the spirit strengthens him and stands him upon his feet so that he can hear. For many times when a person receives prophecy, when a person receives a message, his bodily faculties become disordered, his bodily faculties become nullified. He falls like one with epilepsy, lehavdil, as we have discussed several times, that the prophet loses his composure since a mighty divine force comes and enters into him and nullifies his faculties. And consequently now, in order to receive the word of God once again, a spirit comes to stand him upon his feet, "and I heard the one speaking to me."
What does "the one speaking to me" mean? Rashi says "and I heard the One speaking with me." I heard that which is being spoken to me. And "speaking" (medaber) means like "being spoken to me," yes? With a chirik. And the meaning of this is that, as it were, the Shechinah speaks to itself, and those who are its messengers hear the words. That is, as it were, it is not honorable for the Holy One to turn to you directly, but rather what? The Holy One, as it were, speaks to Himself and you hear. This is why the expression "speaking to me" appears here. Rashi brings that some read "medaber" with a sheva, yes? It sounds like a person speaking to his fellow, turning to him face to face. Therefore it is more honorable to write "medaber" as I explained, meaning like He speaks to Himself and the person hears.
"And He said to me, son of man, I am sending you to Bnei Yisrael, to rebellious nations who have rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me until this very day." God tells him: I am sending you to Bnei Yisrael. Those who were in Bavel, who went into exile in the exile of Yehoyachin, for we should remember that Yechezkel prophesies there in Bavel by the river Kevar. Therefore the Holy One tells him: Go to those who went into exile, those who went into exile in the exile of Yehoyachin who are with you there in Bavel. The Radak says it is quite possible that there is also here an address to those who were in Yerushalayim. And the address to them is by letter, for after all he is not currently in Yerushalayim, so how does God want him to speak with them? By sending them a letter.
What does "to nations, the rebellious nations who have rebelled against Me" mean? Who are these nations? Rashi says two tribes are called two nations. There is here Yehudah and there is here Binyamin, these are the two tribes that went into exile. For certainly we are not speaking of the ten tribes, since the ten tribes had already gone into exile in the earlier exile. So he is speaking here to those who went into exile to Bavel, not those who went into exile to Chalach and Chavor and the river Gozan, who are the ten tribes of Shomron. Rather to those who went into exile to Bavel. So consequently he is speaking about Yehudah and Binyamin. They are called "nations," meaning two tribes. As it is written "a nation and a congregation of nations." And this means that from one tribe two are meant to come, and He gave this gift to Yosef, from whom came two tribes, and this is the matter of the birthright. Either way, we see that the aspect of "nations" refers to tribes. This is Rashi's interpretation. The Radak, on the other hand, says that what is written here "nations" is because they were divided among themselves. And divided in what? Each one worshiped a different idol. These worshiped the idol of the sons of Ammon, and those Moav or any other nation, and therefore he says they are called "like nations," meaning like separate ones. It may also be that this is why he calls them "nations," that "nations" is an expression for the peoples of the world, meaning that they behave in the manner of the nations. But the plain meaning, as we said, is that since they are divided from one another he calls them "nations." An additional explanation is that this refers to the division of tribes and families, and this leans more toward Rashi's explanation, that Rashi explains that this refers to Yehudah and Binyamin.
The Malbim explains that God tells him: I am sending you to all of Bnei Yisrael. The Malbim says the way of Bnei Yisrael is not to rebel against God. That is, in the normal state they do God's will. But when they do rebel, that is a problem. When they do rebel, they are not quick to repent, says the Malbim. It is difficult to bring them back. This was in fact the reason that Yonah did not want to go and rebuke Ninveh. For Yonah said the nations are quick to repent, unlike Yisrael. But they are also quick afterward to spoil, they are also quick afterward to sin. And then Yonah says: What is the point of me going? It will create a prosecution against Am Yisrael. God sends prophets to Yisrael early and late, and they do not return in repentance. Yet to Ninveh a messenger was sent once and they immediately returned in repentance. So he did not want there to be a prosecution, and therefore he did not go. In any case, what have we learned? That Am Yisrael, when they rebel, are not quick to repent. They do not rebel constantly, but when they do rebel it is hard to bring them back in repentance. On the other hand, the nations, it is their way to rebel against God, but on the other hand they are quick to repent. They return in repentance quickly. The Malbim says: and the case of Ninveh will prove it. So He tells him: Come and see, Am Yisrael now in this generation have two flaws. Not like the normal state. They have two flaws. The one flaw is that they rebel. And not only from now, but their fathers transgressed and they rebelled. Rebellion is greater than transgression. Transgression can also stand on its own. I say, this man is a sinner. Or a transgression, he committed some sin. But the one who rebels has cast off completely the yoke of God's kingship. So He says: Therefore see that they have severe sins, "who have rebelled against Me, they and their fathers have transgressed against Me." Their fathers transgressed, and they upgraded the transgression and made it into rebellion, they rebelled against Me. And behold, see that this has been from of old and they continue what has been, so come and see that now there is a double problem with this people, since this people, firstly, have already become accustomed to rebel, and this we have already seen is not common in Yisrael, but among them it was indeed common. Another thing: "and the sons are brazen-faced and hard-hearted. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them: Thus says the Lord God." The additional problem, the additional flaw, is that they are brazen-faced, they are hard-hearted, they deny the words of the prophet. What the prophet rebukes them with through rational proofs, they are brazen-faced, they harden their faces against him. And they are hard-hearted: what he warns them about, behold see there are punishments, there are calamities, there are things that should stir a chord in the heart, so He says they are hard-hearted. Their heart is not moved by calamities, by troubles, by disasters. God tells him: Nonetheless I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them "Thus says the Lord." The essential purpose of the mission, says the Malbim, is that you tell them that you are a prophet of God, so that they should know that the Holy One warned them in advance, so that they should not say that they are without divine providence, that they are like all the nations. Behold, see that the Holy One has a warning toward you and He sent a prophet in order to inform you.
Since He mentioned earlier, Rashi says, "the fathers transgressed against Me," therefore He says the sons whom those fathers begot are brazen-faced. "Brazen-faced," Targum Yonatan says, brought by the Radak, means "insolent of face." So too a brazen-faced nation is one that has no shame. Its face is bold and hard. The opposite of a person who has shame, whose face is soft and turns red when someone rebukes him. He is embarrassed, he has a soft face. But a person who has boldness of face, nothing affects him and his face does not change. "And they, whether they listen or whether they refrain, for they are a rebellious house, shall know that a prophet was among them." "And they, whether they listen or whether they refrain." That is, even though you are in doubt as to whether they will listen or refrain, so what is the point of going and rebuking them? The Holy One tells him: Even so, go to them and tell them they are a rebellious house. Tell them they are a rebellious house, meaning people who defy the word of God, so that they should know that a prophet was among them and know that the prophet rebuked them, and through this afterward they will have no complaint except against themselves. And in any case, whether they will listen or refrain, in any case go and rebuke them, for there is a possibility and there is a chance that they will listen. Rashi says: "I know that they are a rebellious house, contentious people. But I desire that they should know at the time of their punishment that a prophet was among them and rebuked them and they did not listen." They are contentious people, that is, whatever you say to them they have an answer, they have a rejoinder against you, they have things designed to anger the prophet and to refute his words. Contentious people. But when he receives the blow, then he will say: Ah, the prophet was truly among me and rebuked me. And then consequently this will bring them closer to repentance. But if you bring a trouble upon a person and no one told him beforehand and the trouble comes upon him suddenly, he sees in it no statement that was said years earlier and no fulfillment of the word of God. What will bring him now to repentance? But when he sees that the Holy One warned and exactly as God said so it happened, this arouses him to repentance, "and they shall know that a prophet was among them."
"And you, son of man, do not fear them and do not fear their words, for thorns and thistles are with you and you dwell among scorpions; do not fear their words and do not be dismayed by their faces, for they are a rebellious house." "And you, son of man, do not fear them and do not fear their words." He tells him: You need not worry, do not fear either them or their words. The Malbim says that since the prophecies for which He sent him to the people were harsh matters, it is frightening to tell the people harsh things because they can harm you. They can silence your mouth by force. And who was greater for us than Yirmiyahu, who was the prophet of wrath and whose harsh prophecies are brought in his book as we have already learned, and as a result they placed him in the prison courtyard, and as a result they threw him into the pit of mud, and as a result he was persecuted and imprisoned and what not. Behold you see that when the prophet says harsh things he endangers himself from the people. Even in our times, when someone tried to say harsh things, the media crucified him. So today there is no guillotine, but they behead you in the media. So people said harsh things against, in his time Rav Peretz spoke about the matter of Shabbat and more, may God have mercy on what they did to him. Since then he learned that it is dangerous to speak here. Yes? In any case, everyone is permitted to speak, yes? There is freedom of expression, but it depends on who and what. It depends who the person is who wants to express himself and on what matter. Freedom of expression is a very important principle to uphold, especially when the left wants to express itself. In any case, for our matter, He tells him: Prepare yourself, since I am about to send you with harsh things, and these harsh things are naturally meant to create agitation. So do not fear them lest they do you harm, and also not their words. That is, sometimes he does not do you harm, but you hear the talk, what he is planning to do to you, and by this alone your heart falls within you. He says: Do not fear their words either. Also from the talk that they will say and speak and threaten, from this too do not worry. For even though "thorns and thistles are with you," the meaning is that they refuse to listen to you and they harass you and sting you like a painful thistle. What are "thorns and thistles" (sarvim usalonim)? A "salon" is a type of thorn. And Rashi brings "sarvanim" as an expression of rebelliousness, meaning they refuse. And Dunash interpreted it as an expression of thorns. And he brings that they have twenty names. Thorns have twenty names. "Kotz" and "choach" and "silon" and "dardar" and "sir," "like the sound of thorns (sirim) under a pot," where the meaning is also thorns, and so on. In short, they have twenty names for the various kinds of thorns. So too it is written "a painful thistle (silon) and a hurtful thorn," so here too the expression is from the language of thorns. So do not fear them, that they will sting you like the thorns and like the sarvim, which is a type of thorn. And also "even though you dwell among scorpions." What is the meaning of "you dwell among scorpions"? Like the scorpions that sting you from all sides. You can imagine that it is not exactly pleasant to sit and discover that you have sat upon a nest of scorpions. That business does not end well. So He tells him: Even if you feel that you dwell among scorpions, that you have sat upon scorpions and their sting is the sting of a scorpion, with all of this He tells him: Do not fear what they will say and threaten to kill you, "and do not be dismayed" and do not lower yourself before them. The meaning is: Do not feel that you are lowly before them - this is "do not be dismayed" - do not feel that you are inferior to them, but on the contrary, come with strength and might to rebuke them, "for they are a rebellious house" and they will not overcome you. "A rebellious house" means they are defiant and refusing, and they will not overcome you, they will not be able to act against you. So in simple words, even though you will hear from them threats and harsh things, you say your piece without fear and without being dismayed, and through this there is a chance that your words will truly have an effect in the end. Some explain that "scorpions" is not necessarily actual scorpions but is also a type of thorn. That is, there are thorns called "silon" and "sarav" and there is "akrav" (scorpion). This is a type of thorn. "My father chastised you with whips, and I will chastise you with scorpions." There the meaning of "scorpions" according to this interpretation is a type of whip that tears the flesh, and therefore it is called "scorpions," it is a type of hard thorn, so the Radak explains.
"And you shall speak My words to them, whether they listen or whether they refrain, for they are rebellious." "You shall speak My words to them," that is, do not worry about saying all My words out of fear. Whether they listen or whether they refrain. "For they are rebellious," that is, do not think that it is better to say something that will not be heeded than... it is better not to say something that will not be heeded, than to say it, on the grounds that it is preferable they be inadvertent sinners rather than deliberate sinners. God tells him: In any case they are deliberate sinners. "For they are a rebellious house." They are deliberate sinners in any case; what are you afraid of, that if I speak they will become deliberate sinners? They are already deliberate sinners. God knows what is in their hearts. And therefore do not worry, and perhaps in such a situation it is better not to speak; rather "they are a rebellious house," it is better to speak, since as we said, afterward when they receive the blow they will at least know from whom it comes and through this they will be closer to doing repentance. "And you, son of man, hear what I speak to you. Do not be rebellious like the rebellious house. Open your mouth and eat what I give you." God tells him: You, son of man, hear what I speak to you. Listen and carry out the mission that I command you. That is, that he should not learn from the deeds of the people and should not defy the word of God, but when I send you, do not be rebellious. Do not defy My word, but do what I tell you. "Do not defy My word," Rashi says, from going on My mission. For it may well be that he will refuse and worry, so He tells him: Do not worry and do not refuse. Rather He commands him: "Open your mouth and eat what I give you." "Open your mouth" - we will soon see that what He offers him to eat is a scroll. And this is not exactly the ultimate food that we would all be looking for. And nonetheless the meaning is not literally to eat a scroll, but rather we will see further on that the expression here is a figurative expression, and the expression of eating means that the matters should enter into his innards. This is the intent of the words. So what is written here, "open your mouth and eat what I give you," as we will see further on, is an expression that is indeed a metaphor, saying: Receive these matters, and we will want soon to understand why this specifically comes in the parable of eating. Why is this the example that God employs in order to explain to him that this prophecy needs to enter, as it were, into his innards.
So the Malbim, let us open with the words of the Malbim. The Malbim says that when a person hears something, it may be that what he hears enters here and exits there. And it may be that his knowledge of the matters is vague. The Holy One wants these matters to be internal matters, a personal acquisition attached to his soul. Therefore the Holy One uses this expression of eating, for when a person eats, the food spreads throughout his entire body. It enters, the food becomes part of his very essence. Let me give perhaps an example of this. It is written "no iniquity shall befall the righteous." It is brought in the Gemara that the Holy One guards the righteous person so that he should not stumble in an obstacle and a sin. Tosafot ask: How is this possible? For we see several examples: Rabbi Yishmael read and tilted the lamp. Behold you see that indeed a stumbling of sin came about by the hand of the righteous. Tosafot say this was stated only about forbidden foods. Only about forbidden foods, that regarding forbidden foods it was stated that here there is special protection for the righteous; God guards the righteous person so that he should not stumble in forbidden foods. And why? What is the difference between whether he desecrated Shabbat, like Rabbi Yishmael who read and tilted the lamp, or executed a conspiring witness as happened, and it turned out that it really was Ben Tzeta Ben Tavai, it turns out it was by mistake, and so on. What is the difference between that and forbidden foods? The explanation is simple: because with forbidden foods a person eats a detestable thing, he becomes a piece of a detestable thing. Since it is absorbed into his blood and blended into his body, it becomes part of him. And therefore specifically regarding forbidden foods there is a promise. On the other hand, any sin and iniquity can only be something external, it does not become part of him. With eating it becomes part of his body. There were great sages of Yisrael who did not agree to receive a blood donation until they knew that the one who donated it was a Shabbat observer. There were great sages of Yisrael for whom they wanted to give a blood transfusion and the body did not accept it. Until they brought Shabbat-observant people, and only their blood was the body willing to accept. It is an object of holiness, that if you put in something not holy it is expelled, it does not accept it. So having as part of my body something that is detestable, this is a very severe matter. And therefore here the Holy One tells him: I want the matters to be like part of your body, that it be absorbed and blended into your body just like the food that is absorbed and blended into a person's body. By the way, I once told you a hint for this: "no iniquity shall befall the righteous" (lo ye'uneh latzaddik kol aven). Whoever looks at what the acronym is: take "lo ye'uneh latzaddik kol aven" - take the word "lo" (no), and after that "ye'uneh latzaddik kol aven" is the acronym for "ye'achel" (he shall eat). That is, it wants to tell you where there is a promise that no iniquity shall befall the righteous? Only "lo ye'achel" - in matters of eating, it is promised to you that no iniquity shall befall him. But in other matters it may indeed be that a righteous person will stumble.
"And I saw, and behold, a hand was sent to me, and behold, in it was a scroll of a book." And then I see a hand sent to me. "Sent" (shluchah) is feminine. "And behold, in it (bo)" is masculine. So is "yad" (hand) masculine or feminine? Rashi says there are things that serve as both masculine and feminine. Like "the sun (hashemesh) went out (yatza) over the earth," here masculine; "the sun came (ba)" masculine; "and the sun (shemesh) shall shine (vezarcha) for you who fear My name," it does not say "vezarach." It says "vezarcha," this is feminine. "But the one camp (hamachaneh ha'achat), and he shall strike it (vehikahu)." It should have been "and he shall strike it (otah)." You say "achat" (one, feminine). How do you say "ha'achat" and "vehikahu"? "Vehikahu" is "oto" (him), this is masculine. The answer: "machaneh" (camp) is both masculine and feminine. "Be'er" (well), and "ruach" (spirit), and several other things that are both masculine and feminine. In truth, according to the words of the Ibn Ezra there is no question from the outset, since according to the words of the Ibn Ezra everything that has no living spirit in it may be treated as masculine or as feminine. The Ibn Ezra says anything that has no living spirit in it may be called masculine, may be called feminine. But the Ibn Ezra's approach is not accepted, and so we are accustomed and practice, and all the commentators do not adopt his approach; we are indeed accustomed to be particular about masculine and feminine expressions even regarding things that have no living spirit in them. But in any case, whenever someone corrects you about masculine and feminine, then you should keep the Ibn Ezra in your pocket, yes? So that you can pull it out: anything that has no living spirit in it may be treated as masculine or feminine. No problem, call it masculine, call it feminine, it has no living spirit in it. A living spirit is a dog, a bitch, an ox, a cow. That is something that has a living spirit in it; a man, a woman, has a living spirit in it, masculine or feminine applies to it. A table (shulchan) - bring the big table (hagedolah, feminine). What is "hagedolah"? "Hagadol" (masculine)! The Ibn Ezra says it has no living spirit in it, treat it as masculine or feminine. Well, but as I told you this is not accepted today in the rules of grammar. "And I saw, and behold, a hand was sent to me." I see that the prophecy which the Holy One conveys to me is depicted as the form of a hand with a scroll of a book. That is, as the form of a scroll of a book. A "scroll of a book" is a book made in a rolled form. Our books today are bound. Whereas a scroll of a book is like a Sefer Torah, like the Megillot. So today too, ordinary books used to be written in this rolled form.
"And He spread it before me, and it was written on the front and on the back, and written upon it were lamentations, murmuring, and woe." "And He spread it before me." The Holy One, in the very act of telling him the prophecy, spreads the scroll before me. "And it was written on the front and on the back." What is "front and back"? First of all let us explain the plain meaning. "Front," the Radak says, is the side from which a person reads, this is called the front. And "back" is the rear part of the scroll. That is, this scroll was written on both sides. This is the plain meaning. But on the other hand Rashi brings Targum Yonatan, that Targum Yonatan explains that "front and back" is not literal. And I will read to you his wording. "And He spread it before me," meaning He spread the scroll before me. "And it was written on its front and on its back," it is written on its front and on its back. "What was from the beginning and what is destined to be at its end." "Front and back" speak of time. What was from the outset and what is destined to be in the end. "And written in it that if Bnei Yisrael transgress the Torah the nations will rule over them." That if Am Yisrael transgress the Torah the nations will rule over them. "And if they perform the Torah, lamentation and grief and sighing will cease from them." And if they do what is written in the Torah, lamentation and grief and sighing will cease from them, meaning "lamentations, murmuring, and woe," types of weeping and sorrow and mourning. What is "lamentations" (kinim)? Rashi says the punishment of the righteous in this world. And "murmuring" (hegeh) is the granting of their reward which they will sing about in the World to Come, for "hegeh" is from the language of speech, to utter (lahagot). And "woe" (hi) is from the language of "nehi" (wailing). "Nehi" is wailing, it is lamentation, it is sorrow, to mourn. The wailing of the wicked in the World to Come. So these three things I see written in the scroll. The Malbim explains that since the scroll was rolled up, He spread it out. What does the spreading express? For everything here is essentially a parable. So what does the spreading come to express? The Malbim says it means that the matters were clear to him and spread out. As it is written "and they shall spread the garment," matters clear as a garment, spread out like a garment. So here too the prophecy came to him in a clear and understandable form, and not as it is written "and the whole vision has become to you like the words of a sealed book." That sometimes you receive something and it is a sealed book. You do not understand what is written there. As it is written by Daniel, "like a sealed book," that I did not know what was meant by "a time and times and half a time," and I asked the angel to explain it to me. Here it is not like a sealed book, but on the contrary, it was like an open book, the scroll was rolled and spread out. By the way, we find a similarity to this: it is written that when the students of Rabbi Eliezer the Great came to take leave of him when he was already in the state of lying on his deathbed, Rabbi Akiva and his colleagues came to take leave of him. And until then they could not come, for Rabbi Eliezer was under a ban, having been placed under a ban over the matter of the oven of Achnai. And then he said: My two arms are like two rolled Sifrei Torah. And there they explain what is meant by "like two rolled Sifrei Torah." Since I learned much from my teachers and with all of this I was only like a dog lapping from the sea. And my students did not receive from me even like a brush in a tube. And all of this, why? Because they did not come to learn Torah from me. Had they come to receive Torah from me they would have merited much more than this. To what is the matter comparable? The matter is comparable to a Sefer Torah that one cannot read from because it is rolled up. Therefore he said: My two arms are like two rolled Sifrei Torah. Why "rolled"? They are Sifrei Torah but they are rolled up, no one opened them in order to learn from them. And therefore he told them that their death would be harsh since they did not come and did not seek to learn Torah from him. In any case, what do we see? A rolled book is a sealed book, one cannot know what is inside it. On the other hand here, "and He spread it before me," so my understanding of the matters was a complete understanding and not like the sealed book.