Midrash su Ezechiele 21:30

(Deut. 31:14:) “Behold (hn) the days are drawing near for you [to die].” Moses said to the Holy One, blessed be He, “Master of the world, with the word that I [used to] praise²⁸Cf. Gk.: kalos. You when I said (in Deut. 10:14), ‘Behold (hn) the heavens [and the heavens of the heavens, the earth and all that is in it] belong to the Lord your God’; by that [very word] (i.e., hn) you have condemned me to death?”²⁹Above, Deut. 2:6. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “I am bringing you peace of mind, (as in Deut. 31:16), ‘Behold (hn-) you (-k) are [soon] to sleep with your ancestors….’” R. Abbahu said, “The words, behold you (hnk), can only mean peace of mind, since it is stated (in Job 3:17), ‘there (in death) the weary are at rest (yanuhu, understood to have the root hnk).’”³⁰Cf. Gen. R. 9:5. (Deut. 31:14, literally:) “Behold your days are drawing near [to die].” R. Joshua ben Levi said, “A drawing near is uttered with reference to the forefathers, and a drawing near is uttered with reference to the kings (in I Kings 2:1), ‘Then when the days for David to die drew near.’ With reference to the prophets (there is Moses, whom the Holy One, blessed be He, addresses in the second person in Deut. 31:14), ‘Behold your days are drawing near [to die].’” R. Samuel bar Nahmani said, “Do days die? These words are simply a reference to the righteous. When they die, their days pass away from the world, but they themselves remain alive, as stated (in Job 12:10), ‘In whose hand is every living soul.’ If the living are delivered into His hand, are the dead not delivered into His hand? It is simply that these are the righteous, who even in their death are called living.³¹Ber. 18ab. Thus it is stated (in II Sam. 23:20), ‘And Benaiah ben Jehoiada, the son of a valiant warrior (literally, of a living person) from Kazbeel, [who had performed great deeds…].’ And is not everyone [eventually] dead? However, the wicked during their lifetime and in their death are called dead, as stated (in Ezek. 21:30), ‘And you, O slain wicked [prince of Israel, whose day has come…].’” And so it says (in Deut. 17:6), “On the evidence of two or three witnesses shall the dead be put to death.” Does someone dead deserve another death? It is simply that the wicked during life are regarded as dead. Because on seeing the rising sun, such a one does not say the blessing, "blessed be the One who forms light."³²The opening blessing before the morning Shema‘. When it sets, he does not say the blessing, "who brings on evenings."³³The opening blessing before the evening Shema‘. Nor does he say a blessing when eating or drinking. However, the righteous do say a blessing for each and every thing that they eat and drink, and see and hear. Moreover, [these blessings] are uttered not only while they are alive, but even when they are dead. Thus it is stated (in Ps. 149:5-6), “Let the saints rejoice in glory; let them sing for joy upon their beds. With paeans to God in their throats and two-edged swords in their hands.”

(Deut. 31:14, literally:) BEHOLD YOUR DAYS ARE DRAWING NEAR <TO DIE>. R. Joshua ben Levi said: A drawing near is uttered with reference to the ancestors, and a drawing near is uttered with reference to the kings (in I Kings 2:1): THEN WHEN THE DAYS FOR DAVID TO DIE DREW NEAR. With reference to the prophets (there is Moses, whom the Holy One addresses in the second person in Deut. 31:14): BEHOLD YOUR DAYS ARE DRAWING NEAR <TO DIE>. Rabbi Samuel bar Nahmani said: Do days die? These words are simply a reference to the righteous. When they die, their days pass away from the world, but they themselves remain alive, as stated (in Job 12:10): IN WHOSE HAND IS EVERY LIVING SOUL. If the living are delivered into his hand, are the dead not delivered into his hand? It is simply that these are the righteous, who even in their death are called living.³³Ber. 18ab. Thus it is stated (in II Sam. 23:20): AND BENAIAH BEN JEHOIADA, THE SON OF A VALIANT WARRIOR (literally: OF A LIVING PERSON) FROM KAZBEEL, WHO HAD PERFORMED GREAT DEEDS…. However, the wicked during their lifetime and in their death are called dead, as stated (in Ezek. 21:30 [25]): AND YOU, O SLAIN WICKED < PRINCE OF ISRAEL, WHOSE DAY HAS COME>…. And so it says (in Deut. 17:6): ON THE EVIDENCE OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES SHALL THE DEAD BE PUT TO DEATH. Does someone dead deserve another death? It is simply that the wicked during life are regarded as dead. For what reason? On seeing the rising sun, such a one does not say the blessing, "Blessed Be the One Who Forms the Luminaries."³⁴The words, “Blessed are you, O Lord, who forms the luminaries (Barukh yotser ha-me’orot),” come at the end of the first blessing before the morning Shema‘, Yotser Or (“Who Forms Light”). For its use as a separate blessing with the title given here, see Ber. 12a. Note that the parallel in Tanh., Deut. 11:7, has the ore traditional Yotser Or here. When it sets, he does not say the blessing, "Who Brings on Evenings."³⁵The opening blessing before the evening Shema‘.: Nor does he say a blessing when eating or drinking. However, the righteous do say a blessing for each and every <one of these> things. Moreover, they are uttered, not <only> while they are alive, but even when they are dead. Thus it is stated (in Ps. 149:5): LET THE SAINTS REJOICE IN GLORY; LET THEM SING FOR JOY UPON THEIR BEDS….

“So I saw the wicked buried and come; they would go from a holy place, but would be forgotten in the city where they acted like that; this, too, is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 8:10).
“So I saw the wicked buried and come.”³⁴The midrash interprets this as referring to someone wicked who died and came back to life. Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon said: If it is regarding the dead of Ezekiel³⁵See Ezekiel chap. 37. that the verse is speaking, but is it not already stated “the wicked,” and they were nothing other than righteous? If it is regarding the son of the woman from Tzorfat,³⁶See I Kings chap. 17. but is it not already stated “buried,” and he was not buried? If it is regarding Tzidkiya ben Kenaana that the verse is speaking,³⁷The midrash is identifying Tzidkiya ben Kenaana, a false prophet, as the wicked man whose remains were thrown into the prophet Elisha’s burial cave, and touched Elisha’s remains (see II Kings 13:21). The wicked man got up on his feet and moved away so that he would not be buried with Elisha. but is it not already stated “and come”? But he did not come [fully back to life]; rather, “It was as they were burying a man…and he came to life” (II Kings 13:21) – could it be that it was forever? The verse states: “He stood on his feet” (II Kings 13:21) – this teaches that his standing was only temporary, merely to separate him from that righteous one. What is “and come [vava’u]”? Rabbi Shmuel said: Their sun set and they were purified; this is as it is stated: “The sun will set [uva] and he will be purified” (Leviticus 22:7).³⁸Rabbi Shmuel interprets the verse as referring not to the dead who come alive, but to those who are ritually impure and then become pure. Rabbi Levi said: “All the days of the wicked, he trembles [mitḥolel]” (Job 15:20) – he is dead [met] and a corpse [veḥalal], just as you say: “You are a wicked corpse [ḥalal]” (Ezekiel 21:30).
Another matter, it is referring to proselytes who come and repent. “They would go from a holy place” – because they went to a holy place, these are the synagogues and study hall. “But would be forgotten in the city” – their wicked deeds will be forgotten. “Where they acted like that” – and the good deeds that they performed in the city will be found. “This, too, is vanity.” Rabbi Yitzḥak said: This is not vanity, but it is vanity that they do not come on their own. Rabbi Bon said: The righteous went there and then they came, e.g., Joseph to Asenat, Joshua to Raḥav, Boaz to Ruth, and Moses to Ḥovav.³⁹In each case a gentile became a righteous convert, but only through direct contact with a righteous individual. Rabbi Aḥa said: It is vanity only that the people do not come and sanctify themselves under the wings of the Divine Presence.