Midrash su Ezechiele 38:23

(Deut. 12:29:) WHEN THE LORD GOD HAS CUT OFF THE GENTILES. A parable: To what is the matter comparable? To a king who planted a vineyard within his field, but within <that field> were great cedars and thorns.⁵Tanh., Deut. 4:9. The king went and cut down the cedars and left the thorns. His servants said to him: Our Lord King, the thorns, which catch our clothes, you have left <standing>; but you have cut down the cedars! He said to them: If I had left the cedars and cut down the thornbushes, how should I have {decreed} [fenced in] my vineyard. So also Israel is the vineyard of the Holy One, as stated (in Is. 5:7): FOR THE VINEYARD OF THE LORD OF HOSTS IS THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL. He brought Israel into the land and cut down the cedars that were in it, as stated (in Amos 2:9): YET I DESTROYED THE AMORITES [BEFORE YOU, WHOSE STATURE WAS LIKE THE CEDARS IN HEIGHT]; but he left their children and their children's children so that Israel would observe the Torah, as stated (in Jud. 3:1): NOW THESE ARE THE NATIONS WHICH THE LORD LEFT TO TEST ISRAEL. So when the vineyard stands in its place in the service of the Torah, THEN (according to Is. 33:12) THE PEOPLES SHALL BECOME BURNINGS OF LIME, THORNS CUT DOWN <THAT ARE BURNED IN THE FIRE>. It is also written (in Is. 40:17): ALL THE NATIONS ARE AS NOTHING BEFORE HIM. Look at how many hosts⁶Gk.: ochloi. Pharaoh sent out after Israel! When Israel saw them, they were terrified before them and said: Who can stand against these? The Holy One said to them: By your lives, all these are as unimportant before me as <if they were> [only] a single horse, as stated (in Exod. 15:19): WHEN THE HORSE (in the singular) OF PHARAOH CAME; they all died in a single breath (rt.: NShP), as stated (in Exod. 15:10): YOU BLEW (rt.: NShP) WITH YOUR WIND, <AND THE SEA COVERED THEM>. Similarly Gog and Magog are going to come against Israel, but the Holy One will carry out judgments against them (literally: against him), as stated (in Ezek. 38:22): I WILL ENTER INTO JUDGMENT AGAINST HIM WITH PESTILENCE AND WITH BLOOD…. At that time (according to Ezek. 38:23): SO I WILL BE MAGNIFIED, BE SANCTIFIED, AND BE MADE KNOWN BEFORE THE EYES OF MANY {PEOPLES} [NATIONS]; AND THEY SHALL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD.

(Deut. 12:29:) When the Lord God has cut off the nations.” A parable: To what is the matter comparable? To a king who planted a vineyard within his field, but within [that field] were great cedars and thorns. The king went and cut down the cedars and left the thorns. His servants said to him, “Our lord king, the thorns which catch our clothes you have left [standing]; but you have cut down the cedars?” He said to them, “If I had left the cedars and cut down the thornbushes, how should I have fenced in my vineyard. So also Israel is the vineyard of the Holy One, blessed be He, as stated (in Is. 5:7), “For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the House of Israel.” He brought Israel into the land and cut down the cedars that were in it, as stated (in Amos 2:9), “Yet I destroyed the Amorites before you, whose stature was like the cedars in height.” But he left their children and their children's children so that Israel would observe the Torah, as stated (in Jud. 3:1), “Now these are the nations which the Lord left to test Israel,” “whether they are keeping the commandments of the Lord” (Jud. 2:22). So when the vineyard stands in its place in the service of the Torah, then (according to Is. 33:12) “The peoples shall become burnings of lime, thorns cut down that are burned in the fire].” It is also written (in Is. 40:17), “All the nations are as nothing before Him….” And so do you find when Israel left Egypt. Look at what Pharaoh did. “He took six hundred choice chariots…” (Exod. 14:6). Thirty men went out against each and every one of Israel. See how many multitudes³Gk.: ochloi. went out with Pharaoh! When Israel saw them, they were terrified before them. What is written (in Exod. 14:19)? “And the angel of God traveled.” And Israel was saying, “Who can stand against these?” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, “By your lives, all these are as unimportant before Me as [if they were only] a single man or a single chariot, as stated (in Exod. 15:19), “When the horse (in the singular) of Pharaoh came….” And [so] they all died in a single breath (rt.: nshp), as stated (in Exod. 15:10), “You blew (rt.: nshp) with Your wind, and the sea covered them.” Similarly Gog and Magog are going to come against Israel in the future, and all of them will also all be burnt with one burning, as stated (in Ezek. 38:22), “I will enter into judgment against him with pestilence and with blood […].” At that time (according to Ezek. 38:23), “And I will be magnified, be sanctified, and be made known before the eyes of many nations; and they shall know that I am the Lord.”

R. Shimeon b. Lakish said: Moses gave us in writing in the Torah two verses whose meaning we can infer from the wicked Pharaoh. One verse says, “[YHVH will make you the head, not the tail;] you will only be at the top [and never at the bottom—if only you obey and faithfully observe the commandments of YHVH your God that I enjoin upon you this day]” (Deut. 28:13). Could it be that in this you will be like Me? Scripture purposely states “only”, a limiting term: My greatness is higher than yours. We can infer this from the wicked Pharaoh. It says, “You (Joseph) shall be in charge of my court, [and by your command shall all my people be directed]” (Gen. 41:40). Could it be that in this you will be like Me? Scripture purposely states “only with respect to the throne shall I be superior to you” (ibid.): My rank shall be greater than yours. Consider our verse too: “You shall be holy”. Could it be that in this you will be like Me? Scripture purposely states, “for holy am I, YHVH your God” (ibid.): My holiness is higher than yours. And this also we can learn from the wicked Pharaoh; for it says, “Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘I am Pharaoh’” (ibid. vs. 44): Could it be that in this you will be like Me? Scripture purposely states, “I am Pharaoh”: My rank shall be higher than yours.