Introduction: The Day the King of Babylon Drew Close to Jerusalem
Chapter 24 of Yechezkel opens at a precise historical moment: the day the siege of Jerusalem began. The Holy One, blessed be He, commands the prophet to record the exact date, and then to present a harsh parable - the parable of the pot - in which he takes the people's own words and turns them back against them. We will study the pesukim in order, alongside the commentaries of the Malbim, the Radak, and Rashi, as well as the words of Chazal interwoven within them.
וַיְהִי דְבַר־יְהֹוָה אֵלַי בַּשָּׁנָה הַתְּשִׁיעִית בַּחֹדֶשׁ הָעֲשִׂירִי בֶּעָשׂוֹר לַחֹדֶשׁ לֵאמֹר׃ - And the word of Hashem came to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth of the month, saying:
"In the ninth year" - this refers to the ninth year of the reign of Tzidkiyahu, as explicitly stated both in the Book of Melachim and in Yirmiyahu: "in the ninth year of his reign." The tenth month is the month of Tevet (the count begins from Nisan: Nisan is the first, while Tevet is the tenth, Shevat the eleventh, Adar the twelfth), and "on the tenth of the month" is the Tenth of Tevet (Asarah B'Tevet).
בֶּן־אָדָם כְּתׇב־לְךָ אֶת־שֵׁם הַיּוֹם אֶת־עֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה סָמַךְ מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל אֶל־יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם בְּעֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה׃ - Son of man, write down for yourself the name of the day, this very day; the king of Babylon drew close to Jerusalem on this very day.
"The Name of the Day" and "This Very Day"
Why was it necessary to state both "the name of the day" and "this very day"? The Malbim cites the Abarbanel: "the name of the day" refers to the day of the week - Sunday, Monday, Tuesday; and "this very day" refers to the calendar date of the month. The reason for the command to write it down was so that the prophecy would be verified. When they saw that the prophet had specified both the day of the week and the day of the month in advance, they would know that his words were true.
From here emerges an interesting halachic insight. Many note - notably the Abudraham - that if Asarah B'Tevet were to fall on Shabbat, one would fast even on Shabbat. In practice, the calendar is arranged so that it never falls on Shabbat to avoid this question, but it can fall on a Friday, meaning that we enter Shabbat in a state of fasting - making it a unique fast day that, unlike other fasts except Yom Kippur, is not overridden by Shabbat. From where is this derived? From the phrasing of the verse, "this very day" (etzem hayom hazeh) - the essence of the day itself is decisive, and once that day arrives, one must fast. Not all authorities agree with the Abudraham on this, but there is clearly an inference here from the verse that the day itself dictates the fast.
The Calculation of the Days Corresponding to the Years of Tranquility
The Abarbanel presents a remarkable calculation: from Asarah B'Tevet until the ninth day of the fourth month - the ninth of Tammuz, when the walls of the city were breached - there are 914 days. This number corresponds to the number of years Israel lived freely from the Exodus from Egypt until that day. The Exodus took place in the year 2448 - a mnemonic to remember: "Shabbat HaGadol", where ShaBaT in gematria equals 2400 (Shin = 300, Beit = 2, Tav = 400 - or 2,400), and HaGadol equals 48. The destruction of the Temple occurred in the year 3358 according to Seder Olam. Subtracting 2448 from 3358 leaves 910 years of tranquility. We are short four years to match the remaining four days, and the Abarbanel explains that these account for partial years, where half a year is sometimes reckoned as a full year.
An Additional Allusion: Asor, Yerushalem, and Nevuchadnezzar
The Malbim adds an allusion, and here - uncharacteristically - he employs gematria. "The name of the day" is the word asor (עשור), and "this very day" refers to the number ten. Asor has a numerical value of 576, and when adding the number ten, it equals 586, the exact gematria of "Yerushalem" (ירושלם). This is why Yerushalayim is written here without a yud, so that the calculation aligns precisely. Indeed, throughout Tanach, Jerusalem is almost always written defectively - "Yerushalem" - even though it is read as "Yerushalayim."
Furthermore, according to the reckoning of the Chaldeans, the night always belongs to the preceding day, whereas in Jewish reckoning, the night begins the following day (Friday night begins the Sabbath day). According to their calendar, therefore, this was already considered the eleventh day. And the names of the months, notes the Malbim, came up with us from Babylon. "11th of Tevet" (י"א טבת) has the gematria of 422 - equal to the numerical value of Nebuchadnezzar (נבוכדנצר). Thus, "the name of the day and the very day itself," according to the Babylonian reckoning, is Nebuchadnezzar himself. Therefore, the prophet was commanded to record these specific details, for they themselves hint at what was about to happen: "The king of Babylon drew near to Jerusalem on this very day."
The Parable of the Pot - An Answer in Their Own Words
וּמְשֹׁל אֶל־בֵּית־הַמֶּרִי מָשָׁל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם כֹּה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יֱהֹוִה שְׁפֹת הַסִּיר שְׁפֹת וְגַם־יְצֹק בּוֹ מָיִם׃ - And utter a parable to the rebellious house, and say to them: Thus said the Lord God: Set the pot on the fire, set it on, and also pour water into it.
"The rebellious house" - those who rebel against the word of Hashem. "Set the pot" (shefot, spelled with a tav and not a tet) means to place the pot in its designated resting place, upon the stove, so that it may cook upon it.
The Malbim teaches us an important principle: the prophet did not invent this parable. This was a parable that the people themselves had devised, and the prophet responds to them according to their own line of reasoning. They used to say: "Building houses is not near; it is the pot, and we are the meat" (Yechezkel 11:3). That is to say, Jerusalem is the cooking pot and we are the meat inside it, and there is nothing to fear from the enemy or from the dire prophecies with which the prophets frighten us. The fortified wall will protect us just as a pot protects the meat from the fire around it. And what about the fear of scorching - after all, even in a pot, meat can be scorched like pot roast? To this they answered: "And also pour water into it" - there is water in the pot, and the water prevents the meat from scorching. Therefore, they said that houses should not be built close to the wall, so that the meat would not adhere to the wall of the pot and scorch before it finishes cooking. In their parable, the water represents weapons of war, which serve as a buffer and barrier so that the meat is not scorched by the fire outside. Thus they said: We will stay here until the cooking is complete, even if it brings our death.
Therefore the prophet says: I will follow along with your own parable. "Set the pot, set it on" - place the pot firmly, so that it is tightly affixed to the stove. When the pot is tightly fitted and there is no air underneath it, the coals do not burn from below, and the fire rises only from the sides; then the pot is liable to scorch from the sides and not from beneath. The corresponding lesson: let them fortify the wall. "And also pour water into it" - add the weapons that will shield the meat from the enemy.
אֱסֹף נְתָחֶיהָ אֵלֶיהָ כׇּל־נֵתַח טוֹב יָרֵךְ וְכָתֵף מִבְחַר עֲצָמִים מַלֵּא׃ - Gather its pieces into it, every good piece, the thigh and the shoulder; fill it with the choice of bones.
Rashi explains: Out of dread of the siege, they gathered all the nobles into it; "every good piece" - every mighty, formidable man, and every seasoned warrior. Everyone entered Jerusalem out of fear of the surrounding nations. And the Malbim continues along the lines of the parable: Gather the pieces so that they are all completely inside the pot and submerged in the water, for any pieces that protrude and stick out of the pot will be burned by the fire outside. "Every good piece" refers to the leaders and the sages; "the choice of bones" (atzamim) refers to the mighty and strong (atzumim), the men of valor - bring them inside as well.
מִבְחַר הַצֹּאן לָקוֹחַ וְגַם דּוּר הָעֲצָמִים תַּחְתֶּיהָ רַתַּח רְתָחֶיהָ גַּם־בָּשְׁלוּ עֲצָמֶיהָ בְּתוֹכָהּ׃ - Take the choice of the flock, and also pile the bones beneath it; make it boil vigorously, indeed, let its bones be cooked within it.
Take from the choicest of the flock, specifically fat meat. Lean meat scorches quickly, whereas fat meat bubbles for a long time due to its abundance of fat. But then comes the warning: all these precautions - that the pot is tightly sealed so that no fire gets under it, the water, the fat meat, and ensuring no meat protrudes outside - will be of no avail. And why? "And also pile the bones beneath it" - they also took bones and placed them beneath the pot, and the bones serve as fuel like burning coals, boiling the pot far more than necessary, "make it boil vigorously," until "its bones be cooked within it" - even the bones inside the pot were cooked through. And when the bones inside reach the point of being fully cooked, the meat itself has already completely dissolved, burned, and ruined from excessive boiling.
"Dur Ha'atzamim" - A Fire or an Orderly Arrangement
Rashi cites two interpretations of "dur ha'atzamim tachteha" (pile the bones beneath it). The first interpretation is that of Menachem ben Saruk, which the Malbim also follows: ignite a fire (medurah) of bones beneath it. The word dur shares the root meaning of encircling, as in "I will encamp against you like a circle (kador)" (Yeshayahu 29:3) - an expression of surrounding (and similarly in Arabic, dawwar means to rotate and encircle). From this, the Malbim notes, a fire is called a medurah, because it is often laid out in a circle, which distinguishes it from a moked (hearth) and other terms for fire. The second interpretation: dur is an expression of arranging and setting in order, as in "He will wind you tightly like a ball (kador)" (Yeshayahu 22:18), where dur signifies a row - the Targum for a cordon of troops or a row is dara. According to this: arrange and set the bones in rows beneath it.
The City of Blood and the Scum That Does Not Leave
לָכֵן כֹּה־אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יֱהֹוִה אוֹי עִיר הַדָּמִים סִיר אֲשֶׁר חֶלְאָתָהֿ בָהּ וְחֶלְאָתָהּ לֹא יָצְאָה מִמֶּנָּה לִנְתָחֶיהָ לִנְתָחֶיהָ הוֹצִיאָהּ לֹא־נָפַל עָלֶיהָ גּוֹרָל׃ - Therefore, thus said the Lord God: Woe to the city of blood, a pot whose scum is in it, and whose scum has not departed from it! Bring it out piece by piece; no lot has fallen upon it.
The pot is full of rust - filth - and this scum is what remains in it; the choice pieces are removed, while the filthy residue stays behind. "Bring it out piece by piece" - piece after piece. And who are these pieces? The Malbim offers one of two explanations: either the best among them will be killed, or they will defect and fall to the Chaldeans.
"No lot has fallen upon it" - this is not like a cooking pot from which the pieces of meat are drawn and distributed by casting lots. Interestingly, this was indeed the custom when times were financially tight, as reflected in Halachah: in the laws of Shabbat, the Poskim discuss a father who wishes to divide portions of meat or poultry among his children by casting lots - clarifying which type of lottery is permitted on Shabbat. The reason for this practice was to prevent quarreling: one received a wing, another a breast, and another a leg, so they would cast lots. Here, however, the prophet says this was not the case: they were brought out one by one, seemingly at random, without lots - see how all the good ones were killed, and many went out and defected to the Chaldeans.
The Malbim offers an additional explanation: "Has no lot fallen upon it?" read rhetorically as a question - did a lot not indeed fall upon it? After all, we saw in earlier chapters that Nebuchadnezzar cast lots to decide which way to turn, toward Jerusalem or toward the Ammonites, and the lot fell upon Jerusalem. Did he arrive here by mere chance? "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord" - the verdict of the lot came by Divine decree, and Heaven guided him to march here.
Innocent Blood Left Uncovered
כִּי דָמָהּ בְּתוֹכָהּ הָיָה עַל־צְחִיחַ סֶלַע שָׂמָתְהוּ לֹא שְׁפָכַתְהוּ עַל־הָאָרֶץ לְכַסּוֹת עָלָיו עָפָר׃ - For her blood was in her midst; she set it upon the bare rock; she did not pour it onto the ground to cover it with dust.
This refers to the murders committed within Jerusalem. Targum Yonatan translates: "She shed it with malice and an outstretched arm" - they murdered with brazen arrogance and an upraised arm, neither in secret nor in hiding; "she did not shed it inadvertently so that repentance could be made for it" - not inadvertently in a way that allows for teshuvah, but willfully and maliciously. "Her blood was in her midst" - out in the open, before everyone's eyes.
The Radak explains why this punishment came: because innocent blood was shed in her midst, and this arouses Divine judgment. And why does the verse state that it was exposed? Because "she did not pour it onto the ground to cover it with dust." Had it been done secretly, some shred of decency might still have been preserved; but when murder is carried out brazenly in public and no one even bothers to cover the blood - because bloodshed has become an accepted norm - this inflames the Divine wrath to utter destruction.
Our Sages expound: What is the blood in her midst that "she set it upon the bare rock"? This refers to the blood of Zechariah the son of Yehoyada, who came and protested against the people over the idolatry he witnessed, and they rose up and killed him. His blood continued to seethe and bubble until Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, came and slaughtered thousands and myriads over it. This is the meaning of what is stated in the next verse, "To stir up fury to take vengeance" - over that very blood, for the stone floor of the Beit HaMikdash did not absorb it, and the blood kept rising and bubbling.
"A bare rock" (tzechiach sela) - a high and dry place on the rock; tzechiach is related to "parched with thirst" (tzechi tzamah), meaning dry. It denotes an elevated, prominent place where nothing can be covered or concealed. The deeper meaning, says the Radak, is that bloodshed was so rampant that it was impossible to forgive or overlook the iniquity, for the sin stands and cries out constantly. And so it is in every case: when innocent blood is shed there is no pardon, and the attribute of strict justice does not relent, for the blood of the slain demands retribution from the murderer - like the blood of Naboth the Jezreelite rising up to prosecute: How can Ahab still live, when he shed my blood?
לְהַעֲלוֹת חֵמָה לִנְקֹם נָקָם נָתַתִּי אֶת־דָּמָהּ עַל־צְחִיחַ סָלַע לְבִלְתִּי הִכָּסוֹת׃ - To stir up fury to take vengeance, I have set her blood upon the bare rock, so that it may not be covered.
Rashi explains: In order to bring up fury before Me, I commanded regarding the blood that it not be absorbed into the earth. As it were, the Holy One, Blessed be He, does not desire that they have forgiveness - "And I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed" - for if the blood were cleansed, perhaps the fierce anger would subside, and the Holy One, Blessed be He, wishes to exact retribution from them as they deserve.
Radak explains: They shed the blood openly, and the consequence of this was that His wrath would arise against them to take vengeance upon them. This does not mean they did it so that He would take vengeance - such a thing is certainly impossible - but rather that this was the result. Radak continues: Observe and see that regarding the sin of murder it is stated, "I have also set it to remain exposed before Me, uncovered," for I was unwilling to forgive her, as her sin was too great to bear. And so it is stated in the Book of Melachim: "And he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and Hashem was not willing to forgive" - regarding the sin of murder, Hashem was not willing to forgive.
And the Malbim returns us to the parable: "I have set her blood upon the bare rock" - these are the bones that were beneath the pot and enlarged the pyre. The exposed blood upon the bare rock is what aroused the accusation and intensified the fire.
"I Too Will Make the Pyre Great"
לָכֵן כֹּה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יֱהֹוִה אוֹי עִיר הַדָּמִים גַּם־אֲנִי אַגְדִּיל הַמְּדוּרָה׃ - Therefore thus said the Lord Hashem: Woe to the bloody city! I too will make the pyre great.
Aside from the fire on the outside - the enemy besieging the city - I will enlarge the pyre underneath the pot: the sword, the famine, and the pestilence that consumed within Jerusalem itself. This is as it says in Yirmiyahu: "Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands... and I will assemble them into the midst of this city," where it is explained that aside from the enemy outside, the sword would consume one man against another.
The situation was dire and horrific: people made short swords for themselves and walked through the markets of Jerusalem. A person who had a score to settle with his fellow would approach him, plunge the short blade into his stomach, immediately return it to his pocket, and go on his way. Suddenly, passersby would see a man collapse and cry out, "Help! Help!" - but by the time anyone arrived, the murderer had vanished and no one knew who he was. This was a regular occurrence: settling scores, targeted assassinations, and Jerusalem was filled with blood from edge to edge. Idolatry, illicit relations, and bloodshed.
הַרְבֵּה הָעֵצִים הַדְלֵק הָאֵשׁ הָתֵם הַבָּשָׂר וְהַרְקַח הַמֶּרְקָחָה וְהָעֲצָמוֹת יֵחָרוּ׃ - Heap on the wood, kindle the fire, consume the flesh, stir the concoction, and let the bones be scorched.
The Holy One, Blessed be He, says: I will see to increasing the wood and kindling the fire from within, until "the flesh is consumed" - it will be completely finished and lose the very form of meat, until it becomes like a puree. "A spiced mixture" (merkacha) refers to a fine blend concocted through the heat of fire, similar to what is called a preserve or jam today, where the fruit is completely dissolved and softened. That is, it will cook and reduce so thoroughly that it melts from the intense heat of the fire. "And let the bones be scorched" - even the bones will dry out, for once the water is gone and everything is burned, the bones too will be scorched by the fire dominating inside the pot. "Yecharu" is from the root of being charred by intense heat, like a charred loaf (chararah) in which holes form, and this term always denotes burning, as in charon af (burning wrath).
The Empty Pot - The Breach of the Wall
וְהַעֲמִידֶהָ עַל־גֶּחָלֶיהָ רֵקָה לְמַעַן תֵּחַם וְחָרָה נְחֻשְׁתָּהּ וְנִתְּכָה בְתוֹכָהּ טֻמְאָתָהּ תִּתֻּם חֶלְאָתָהּ׃ - Then set it empty upon its coals, so that it may become hot and its copper burn, and its impurity may melt within it, its rust be consumed.
After the pot is emptied of meat and water - that is, after all the men of war have perished - the pot will stand alone upon the coals of the "pile of bones" beneath it, and then, "so that it may become hot and its copper burn": the pot itself will heat up. When metal overheats, it can crack and even melt. Today this is unfamiliar because modern metallurgy uses advanced technology, but their metal was of a much cruder quality, and intense heating caused it to crack. As long as there is meat and water inside, the contents cool the metal; once the pot is empty, there is nothing left to cool it.
And the meaning of the parable: the wall will be breached. After all the men of war inside it perish, the copper - that is, the pot upon which they relied, claiming it would protect us - which is the wall itself, will crack open. "That its filth may be melted in it, its rust consumed" - then they will receive their punishment for their iniquities and be cleansed of their sins. "Consumed" (tittom) is like yitamu (shall come to an end): the wicked within it will perish, and through this they will be purified.
תְּאֻנִים הֶלְאָת וְלֹא־תֵצֵא מִמֶּנָּה רַבַּת חֶלְאָתָהּ בְּאֵשׁ חֶלְאָתָהּ׃ - She has wearied [Me] with toil, yet her abundant rust does not leave her; into the fire with her rust!
Malbim explains: te'unim is related to mourning and sorrow (to'aniyah ve'aniyah). Through affliction and mourning, you have worn out and wearied the pot in order to melt the rust and impurity away from it - yet despite this, the rust did not come out of it. And why? "Her abundant rust" - the sheer magnitude of the rust prevents it from departing, to the point that "in fire is her rust" - even within the fire itself, rust remains. That is to say, the wicked are so numerous that they were not completely consumed.
And in another explanation: "She has wearied with grief" - she became exhausted from intense mourning, the grief wore her out, and nevertheless her abundant rust did not depart from her: despite mourning all those dead, the wicked still remained within her. And regarding the explanation of "in fire is her rust," Malbim adds a second possibility, although it is difficult to reconcile with grammar: that the letter beit is part of the root, as in be'ush (foul-smelling), referring to her foul, putrid rust. However, according to the vocalization with a sheva, the beit is a prepositional prefix and the root is eish (fire).
Defilement That Cannot Be Purified
בְּטֻמְאָתֵךְ זִמָּה יַעַן טִהַרְתִּיךְ וְלֹא טָהַרְתְּ מִטֻּמְאָתֵךְ לֹא תִטְהֲרִי־עוֹד עַד־הֲנִיחִי אֶת־חֲמָתִי בָּךְ׃ - In your defilement is depravity; because I cleansed you and you were not cleansed, you will not be cleansed of your defilement anymore until I have caused My fury to rest upon you.
"In your defilement is depravity" - within your defilement lies zimah (depravity). As we have explained several times, zimah derives from zamam, deep contrivance and scheming. When it refers to deep scheming regarding forbidden relationships, intricate plots, and thoughts fully immersed in promiscuity, it is termed zimah. Because of this, even fire could not remove it from you. Although the rectification of zimah is through fire, as it is said, "It is depravity; they shall burn him and them in fire" - here even fire did not avail. "Because I cleansed you and you were not cleansed" - therefore I know that you will not be cleansed anymore, "until I have caused My fury to rest upon you": let Me vent My wrath, punishing you further with captivity, exile, and dispersion, and perhaps through this your foulness will be removed from you.
אֲנִי יְהֹוָה דִּבַּרְתִּי בָּאָה וְעָשִׂיתִי לֹא־אֶפְרַע וְלֹא־אָחוּס וְלֹא אֶנָּחֵם כִּדְרָכַיִךְ וְכַעֲלִילוֹתַיִךְ שְׁפָטוּךְ נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יֱהֹוִה׃ - I, Hashem, have spoken; it is coming, and I will do it; I will not relent, nor will I spare, nor will I repent; according to your ways and according to your deeds they have judged you, says the Lord God.
Three expressions are stated here, paralleling one another. "I, Hashem, have spoken" - I have decreed the decree; "it is coming" - the decree has already arrived; "and I will do it" - the deed is as good as done.
And corresponding to "I have spoken," it is said, "I will not relent [lo efra]" - Malbim explains: the decree will not be annulled, as in the phrase "and you dismissed [vatifra'u] all my counsel" - you annulled the advice; here, the decree will not be annulled. Corresponding to "it is coming," it is said, "nor will I spare [ve'lo achus]" - sparing and pity (chisa), notes Malbim, applies when one has a need for something, as in "and let your eye not spare your vessels," whereas mercy (rachamim) can apply even when one has no personal need for it; the Holy One, blessed be He, says: I will not spare, as if to say, I have no need for you at all. And corresponding to "and I will do it," it is said, "nor will I repent" - I will have no regret over the action. And why? "According to your ways and according to your deeds they have judged you" - the punishment corresponds precisely to the deeds you committed, and since you deserved it by strict justice, there is no room for regret.
In Summary:
The chapter opens with a command to record the day the siege began, the Tenth of Tevet, and embedded in this date are deeper allusions: the count of days until the breach of the city corresponds to the years of tranquility from the Exodus from Egypt; the numerical value (gematria) of asor (tenth) equals that of "Jerusalem"; and "the eleventh of Tevet" by the Babylonian reckoning equals the numerical value of Nebuchadnezzar. From there, the prophet proceeds to the parable of the pot - a metaphor the people themselves had coined to reassure themselves, claiming that Jerusalem is the protective pot and they are the meat inside it - but the prophet overturns it upon them: the pot will be filled with the choice cuts, but the bones beneath it, which are the blood of the innocent spilled openly and left uncovered, will fuel the bonfire until the meat is melted away, the bones are scorched, and the empty pot is heated until its copper cracks open - which is the city wall. Bloodshed is the iniquity regarding which "Hashem was not willing to forgive," and the blood of the innocent stands crying out upon the bare rock. Therefore, the prophet concludes: "I, Hashem, have spoken; it is coming, and I will do it; I will not relent, nor will I spare, nor will I repent" - the decree has been issued, has arrived, and has been executed, measured out precisely according to their ways and deeds.