Tafsiran yang Mengutip untuk Yehezkiel 16:49

And he sat. Rashi explains that it is written defectively [without a vav]. He [Abraham] wished to stand, but the Holy One, Blessed be He said to him “Sit, and this will be a sign for your children…” Any intelligent person would be astonished at this vision — what does this sitting have to do with the sitting of judges, and why did God show this to him specifically through this act of sitting? Therefore, I say that since no speech or command is mentioned in this vision, surely the purpose of this vision was to inform Abraham about the wickedness of the people of Sodom. The text interrupts with and behold three men were standing over him referring to the hospitality to guests, because through this Abraham would come to agree with the Holy One, Blessed be He about overturning Sodom. As it is said about them, Behold, this was the sin of your sister Sodom… and the hand of the poor and needy she did not strengthen (Ezekiel 16:49). It is known that a traveler would not come [to Sodom], as evidenced by the angels who were refused lodging. The Holy One, Blessed be He wanted to reveal to Abraham through these angels who happened upon him — as it was known before Him that they would not be given lodging — and thus Abraham would know that they deserved destruction by law. It is reasonable to understand that the Holy One, Blessed be He established both an upper [heavenly] court and a lower court concerning the people of Sodom, to carry out judgment agreed upon by both courts, as it is written And the Lord rained upon Sodom… from the Lord. Wherever it says “And the Lord” it refers to Him and His court, and therefore it says from the Lord, as His court took that rain from the Lord. And He seated Abraham in the lower court, for we find that the Holy One, Blessed be He seats the Patriarchs in judgment, as it is written, Hear, O mountains, the Lord’s grievance, and you mighty ones of the earth (Micah 6:2) [a term understood to be referring to the patriarchs]. And as our Sages said (Shabbat 89b), “In the future, the Holy One, Blessed be He will say to Abraham, ‘Your children have sinned…’” And as it is written, Shall I hide from Abraham… For I have known him… to do righteousness and justice. For by this reason he would agree to their destruction, since they did not do righteousness and justice, as was told about the false judges of Sodom (Sanhedrin 109b). Or it could be said that since Abraham was the father of many nations, perhaps he would advocate on their behalf to make a compromise, and this is the meaning of righteousness and justice — for what is justice that contains righteousness? This refers to arbitration. And after He seated Abraham in judgment over the people of Sodom, therefore the Holy One, Blessed be He said to him, “Sit, and this will be a sign for your children…”

A further comment in Mechilta (Shirah, 2): the words כי גאה גאה are a reminder that anyone who dares act arrogantly in the knowledge that there is a G’d who is superior to him will be punished. A number of examples are listed there. 1) The Egyptians expressed their arrogance by boasting of their unfailing water supply, the river Nile. Hence G’d punished them through water. The generation of the deluge boasted that they did not need rain (a symbol of blessing from heaven) as they depended on the mist rising from the earth (compare Genesis 2,6). As a result of this boast G’d punished them by water (40 days unceasing rain, plus the opening of subterranean sources of water gushing forth, Genesis 7,11). The people of Sodom, etc., boasted of their wealth and the gold and silver they had amassed. They were so arrogant that they legislated against anyone staying in their cities overnight so that they should not have to share their wealth with any traveler. As a result of this insufferable behavior G’d wiped out both them and their belongings. This is the meaning of Job 28,4: “they open up a shaft far from where men live, in places forgotten by wayfarers, destitute of men, far removed.” We also read in Job 12,5: ”in the thought of the complacent; there is contempt for calamity; it is ready for those whose foot slips.” Ezekiel 16,49 describes the sin of the people of Sodom in the following words: “only this was the sin of your sister Sodom: arrogance! She and her daughters had plenty of bread and untroubled tranquillity; yet she did not support the poor and the needy.” Pharaoh boasted of the might of his chariots as we read in 13,14: “he took 600 choice chariots.” As a result of his reliance and boast of the invincibility of these chariots, G’d punished him by means of these very chariots as we read in 15,4. Siserah also was proud of his iron chariots (horse-drawn tanks), as reported in Judges 4,13. G’d punished him by means of these chariots as we know from Judges 5,20. Samson who had boasted of getting what was “good in his eyes,” was punished by being deprived of his eyesight (Judges 14,3 and 16,1). He had committed a sin at Azzah by sleeping with a harlot (Judges 16,1). He was taken prisoner at Azzah and humbled (Judges 16,21). Avshalom used to boast of his hair only to be eventually caught by it which led to his violent death (Samuel II 18,9). Sancheriv, King of Assyria used to boast of his chariots (Isaiah 37,24). In the end G’d sent an angel to destroy his entire military encampment (Kings II 19,35). Nebuchadnezzar had also boasted saying that he would ascend to the clouds and match the Most High (Isaiah 14,14). G’d dealt with him by consigning him to the deepest part of gehinom (Isaiah 14,15). He said to him: “you elevated yourself above mankind, I will separate you from mankind by placing you far below” (Compare Daniel 4,22). The Torah wrote in our verse גאה גאה to teach us this lesson.

A Midrashic approach (Tanchuma Tzav 2) to the words היא העולה, “it is the burnt-offering.” The reference is to the Roman Empire which is the most arrogant Empire, constantly aggrandizing itself. The same Midrash also states that anyone who aggrandizes himself will eventually be judged by fire. They base this on what happened to the generation of the deluge who had boasted of their own importance saying: (Job 21,15) “who is Shaddai that we should serve Him?” They were judged by fire as it is written (Job 6,17) ”when they thaw they vanish; in the heat they disappear where they are.” The people of Sodom were judged by fire because they were too proud, as we know from Ezekiel 16,49: “Only this was the sin of your sister Sodom: ‘arrogance!’ She and her daughters had plenty of bread and untroubled tranquillity; “ they were judged by fire as we know from Genesis 19,24: “G’d caused it to rain on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire.” Pharaoh was also judged by fire seeing he was so arrogant and had said: “who is Hashem that I should listen to Him?” (Exodus 5,2). He had also claimed: “the river Nile belongs to me and I have created it!” (Ezekiel 29,3). We know that he was judged by fire from Psalms 18,14: “Then the Lord thundered from heaven, the Most High gave forth His voice, hail and fiery coals.” We have also been told in Exodus 9,24: ”there was hail which contained fire within it.” Another arrogant king who was punished by fire was Sancheriv who had boasted (Kings II 19,23) “it is I who have climbed the highest mountains, to the remotest parts of Lebanon, and have cut down its tallest cedars, its choicest cypresses.” He was judged by fire as we know from Isaiah 10,16 ”and under its body (כבודו) shall burn a burning like that of fire, destroying frame and flesh.” Something similar happened to boastful Nebuchadnezzar who had been arrogant enough to proclaim (Isaiah 14,14): I will mount the back of a cloud- I will match the Most High.” He had also said (verse 13): “I will climb to the sky higher than the stars of G’d.” Furthermore, he had said: (Ovadiah 4) that he would ascend beyond the stars. As a result of such boastful statements by their king, his soldiers were burned by fire.
When you check Daniel 3,3 where the preparations for the inauguration of Nebuchadnezzar’s giant golden image are described, mention is made of eight nations, i.e. you will find the names: Adragozariah and seven others. When mention is made of the celebration a second time, i.e. in verse 27, we find that 4 of these nations are no longer mentioned. The Talmud Sanhedrin 92 suggests that the other four nations (i.e. their honour guards representing them at Nebuchadnezzar’s court) had been burned to death. According to Rashi it was the same fire which consumed the men heating the kiln into which Chananyah, Mishael and Azaryah were to be thrown.” Thus far the Midrash [approximately. Ed.]