Commentaire de citation sur Ézéchiel 8:16

and behold at the entrance of the gate [twenty-five men] They are the very same ones that he mentioned above (ad loc.): “their backs to the Temple of the Lord” except that he did not explain there who they were, and here he delineates the names of two of them.

Rather he should face north etc. - The same applies if one's back is facing the holy (the temple mount), then it is permitted to urinate. The GR"A agrees that, even when from Tzofim (Mount Scopus) and beyond (ie. the temple mount is not visible), it is forbidden to urinate while facing that direction. It is forbidden to openly relieve oneself facing a synagogue or study hall, so as to not be included in the category of those for whom it says “[and, behold, … there were … men] with their buttocks towards the Temple of the Lord” (Ezekiel 8:16). Similarly, one should not build a bathroom facing a synagogue or study hall so that the anus [of people] is not revealed opposite them. And if one builds a wall in the middle to divide between the walls of the bathroom and the synagogue, there is presumably no reason to be stringent. See further in Artzos Hachaim.

When they reached the gate which leads out to the east, they turned their faces from east to west and said, “Our fathers who were in this place ‘their backs were toward the Temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east, and they worshipped the sun toward the east’, but as for us, our eyes are turned to the Lord.” Rabbi Judah said: they used to repeat [the last words] and say “We are the Lord’s and our eyes are turned to the Lord.” When they get to the eastern gate they are facing the sun. They turn around so that their backs are to the sun and use this opportunity to profess their faith in God and their denial of the worship of the sun. They quote from Ezekiel 8:16 in order to highlight that the sin of sun-worship is not just something that “others” or Greeks were engaged in, but something that Israelites themselves were accused of by Ezekiel. It seems to me likely that there is also a polemic here against other contemporary Jewish groups who had a solar calendar. A calendar based on the sun and actual worship of the sun could probably have been associated. Certainly it would make sense that the Pharisees/rabbis would claim that their rivals, the Essenes and perhaps the Sadducees, were not just basing their calendar on the sun but were worshipping the sun as well. We have already seen on a number of occasions that Sukkot was a holiday full of strife between the various sects of ancient Judaism. The mishnah ends its procession at this point, but it is quite clear that it was not actually over at this moment but that from the eastern gate they would make their way down to the Shiloah spring in order to draw water for the water-libation.

וינבל צור ישעתו AND HE LIGHTLY ESTEEMED THE ROCK OF HIS SALVATION — This means, He showed contempt for Him and scorned Him, as it is said, (Ezekiel 8:16) “[and, behold, … there were … men] with their buttocks towards the Temple of the Lord” — surely, there can be no greater contempt than this (see Rashi on this verse) (Sifrei Devarim 318:9).