Midrasch zu Jechezkiel 46:78

R. Simeon ben Johay said:¹⁶See Gen. R. 1:13. Woe to blasphemers who take the name of the Holy One lightly, for one should not say: To the LORD an offering, to the LORD a burnt offering. Rather, < use the biblical wording > (as in Lev. 1:2): WHEN ONE OF YOU PRESENTS AN OFFERING TO THE LORD; (or as in Numb. 8:12): A SIN OFFERING < … > TO THE LORD; (or as in Lev. 23:18; Numb. 8:12; 28:11, 19; 29:8; Jud. 13:16; etc.): A BURNT OFFERING TO THE LORD; (or as in Gen. 4:3; Is. 66:20; Ezek. 46:14; Mal. 2:12; II Chron. 33:23): A MEAL OFFERING TO THE LORD. Learn (from the Hebrew word order in Gen. 1:1): IN THE BEGINNING CREATED, and after that, GOD. When he mentions his creation,¹⁷Gk.: ktisma. < it is only > afterwards < that > he mentions his name.

Is there any condescension greater than that shown by the Holy One, blessed be He? R. Abba ben Aha said: Ordinarily, a student in the presence of his master will wait for the master to depart before he leaves, but the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Ezekiel: “Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will speak there with thee”; then I arose, and went forth into the plain; and, behold, the Glory of the Lord stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell on my face (Ezek. 3:22–23). This tells us that the Holy One, blessed be He, permitted him to depart first. Is there an example of condescension greater than this? Similarly it is expressed in the verse Moses spoke, and God answered him loudly (Exod. 19:19). Should not the verse say: “The Holy One, blessed be He, spoke, and Moses answered him loudly”? And it is written elsewhere: And the Lord said unto me: “This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, neither shall any man enter it, for the Lord, the God of Israel hath entered in by it” (Ezek. 44:1). But on the Sabbath day it shall be opened, and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened (ibid. 46:1). The honor of a human king demands that he enter through the largest gate rather than through a small one, but the Holy One, blessed be He, entered through the smallest gate.

Rabbi Eliezer said: In the future the Temple will be raised up and renewed, as it is said, "Behold, I will do a new thing; now shall it spring forth; shall ye not know it?" (Isa. 43:19). || And its gates which are buried in the earth will be renewed in the future and arise every one in its place, and the gate of the inner court which turned to the east. On the six days of work its doors shall be closed, and on the Sabbath day they are opened by themselves, as it is said, "Thus saith the Lord God: The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the Sabbath day it shall be opened, and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened" (Ezek. 46:1).

Rabbi Jehudah said: On Sabbath and New Moons Israel stood there, (and they perceived) that the Sabbath day had come, and they sanctified the Sabbath day; and so also on the New Moons the Israelites were standing there and saw the doors opening by themselves, and they knew that in that hour it was New Moon, and they sanctified the New Moon, and afterwards (this was done) among the heavenly ones. Therefore Israel sanctifies the New Moons first in the lower regions (on earth) and afterwards (it is sanctified) in the heavenly regions, because they have defined the beginning of the Molad of the Moon in the presence of Israel, who saw the doors open by themselves, and they knew that the Shekhinah of the Holy One, blessed be He (was therein), as it is said, "For the Lord, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it" (Ezek. 44:2). Forthwith they fall down and prostrate themselves before their God. So it was in the past and so will it be in the future that is to come, as it is said, "And the people of the || land shall worship at the door of that gate before the Lord in the Sabbaths and in the New Moons" (Ezek. 46:3).

"shall there be unto you": Appoint a market commissioner to this end. R. Elazar b. Chananiah b. Chizkiah b. Gurion says: It is written (Ezekiel 46:11) ("the meal-offering,) an ephah (measure) for a bull and an ephah for a ram." Now is the measure for a bull and a ram and a sheep the same? We are hereby apprised that both the large ephah and the small ephah are called "ephah."