Midrash su Ezechiele 37:7

Rabbi Phineas said: After twenty years, when all of them had been slain in Babylon, the Holy Spirit rested upon Ezekiel, and brought him forth into the plain of Dura, and called unto him very dry bones, and said to him: Son of Man ! What dost thou see? He answered: I see here dry bones. (The Spirit) said to him: Have I power to revive them? The prophet did not say: Sovereign of all the worlds ! Thou hast power to do even more than (this) here; but he said: "O Lord God, thou knowest" (Ezek. 37:3), as though he did not believe; therefore his own bones were not buried in a pure land, but in an unclean land, as it is said, "And thou shalt die in a land that is unclean" (Amos 7:17). "Prophesy over these bones" (Ezek. 37:4). He said before Him: Sovereign of all the worlds ! What ! will the prophecy bring upon them flesh and sinews and bones? Or will the prophecy bring upon them all the flesh and bones which cattle, beast, and bird have eaten, and they (also) have died in the land? Immediately the Holy One, blessed be He, caused His voice to be heard, and the earth shook, as it is said, "And as I prophesied there was a thundering, and behold an earthquake" (Ezek. 37:7), || and every animal, beast, and bird which had eaten thereof and died in another land the earth brought together, "bone to his bone" (ibid.).

Rabbi Joshua ben Ḳorchah said: There came down upon them the quickening dew from heaven, which was like a fountain, which was bubbling and bringing forth water; so likewise (the bones) were moving and bringing forth upon themselves flesh, (other) bones and sinews, as it is said, "And I beheld, and lo, there were sinews upon them, and flesh came up, and skin covered them above" (Ezek. 37:8). He said to him: Prophesy unto the wind, as it is said, "Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind.… Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live" (Ezek. 37:9). In that hour the four winds of the heaven went forth, and opened the treasure-house of the souls, and each spirit returned to the body of flesh of man, as it is said, "So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived,… an exceeding great army" (Ezek. 37:10); and it is written about Egypt, "And the children of Israel were fruitful,… and waxed exceeding mighty" (Ex. 1:7). What is the meaning of "exceeding"? Just as in the latter case there were 600,000 (men), so in the former case there were 600,000 (men), and they all stood upon their feet except one man. The prophet said: Sovereign of all the worlds ! What is the nature of this man? He answered him: He gave out money for usury, and he took with interest. || As I live, he shall not live. In that hour the Israelites were sitting and weeping, and saying: We hoped for light, and darkness came. We hoped to stand up with all Israel at the resurrection of the dead, and now "our hope is lost" (Ezek. 37:11). We hoped to arise so as to be gathered with all Israel, and now "we are clean cut off" (ibid.). In that hour the Holy One, blessed be He, said to the prophet: Therefore, say to them, As I live, I will cause you to stand at the resurrection of the dead in the future that is to come, and I will gather you with all Israel to the land, as it is said, "Behold, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves… and I will bring you into the land of Israel.… And I will put my spirit in you, and ye shall live" (Ezek. 37:12, 14).