Midrasz do Ezechiela 44:7
בַּהֲבִיאֲכֶ֣ם בְּנֵֽי־נֵכָ֗ר עַרְלֵי־לֵב֙ וְעַרְלֵ֣י בָשָׂ֔ר לִהְי֥וֹת בְּמִקְדָּשִׁ֖י לְחַלְּל֣וֹ אֶת־בֵּיתִ֑י בְּהַקְרִֽיבְכֶ֤ם אֶת־לַחְמִי֙ חֵ֣לֶב וָדָ֔ם וַיָּפֵ֙רוּ֙ אֶת־בְּרִיתִ֔י אֶ֖ל כָּל־תּוֹעֲבוֹתֵיכֶֽם׃
Żeście przywodzili cudzoziemców, nieobrzezanych na sercu i nieobrzezanych na ciele, aby przebywali w świątyni Mojej, aby go znieważyli, ten przybytek Mój, żeście pozwalali im składać chleb Mój, tłuszcz i krew, gdy łamali przymierze Moje, mimo wszystkie obmierzłości wasze.
Eikhah Rabbah
“Her impurity is on her hems, she had not considered her end; she has declined extraordinarily, there is no one to comfort her. See, Lord, my affliction, for the enemy has expanded” (Lamentations 1:9).
“Her impurity is on her hems.” Rabbi Berekhya said in the name of Rabbi Abba bar Kahana: All the priests who served during the reign of Zedekiah were uncircumcised.132This is the impurity to which the verse alludes. That is what is written: “As you brought strangers uncircumcised of heart and uncircumcised of flesh” (Ezekiel 44:7).
Another matter, “Her impurity is on her hems [beshuleha],” in her lower reaches [shipuleha], just as it says: “At the hems of the robe” (Exodus 28:34). Alternatively, “her impurity is on her hems,” like what we learned: There was a place below Jerusalem, Tofet was its name. Rabbi Yehuda says: It is so named due to the inferno that was in it. Rabbi Yosei said: The Valley of ben Hinom. There was a hollow idol there that was placed behind seven partitions. There was a bronze tray in its hand and there was a stove placed upon it. For anyone who would sacrifice fine flour, they would open one [partition] for him; pigeons and turtledoves, they would open two for him; a sheep, they would open three for him; a ram, they would open four for him; a calf, they would open five for him; a bull, they would open six for him; and for anyone who would sacrifice his son, they would open seven for him. They would place him into the bronze tray and ignite the stove beneath him. They would laud before him and say to him: ‘May it be pleasant for you and sweet for you.’ Why to that extent?133Why did they loudly sing the praises of the idol? So they would not hear the moaning of their sons and change their minds.
The priest came to a man and said to him: ‘[I have come] because such and such idol said to me: With all the sons that you have, do you not wish to sacrifice one of them?’ [The man] said to him: ‘Are there in my control? One is working in gold, one in silver, one in flocks, and one in cattle.’ He [then] said to him: ‘Wait, did you see that I have a small son, in school? When he comes I will give him to you.’ The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Wicked one, of all the sons that you have, did you need to cast to the idol the one who is devoted to My name?’134The young son was studying Torah in school.
Rabbi Yudan ben Rabbi Simon [said] in the name of Rabbi Levi ben Perata: [This is analogous] to a noblewoman whose lover said to her: ‘Prepare hot water for me.’ She took the king’s wreath135A wreath given by the king as a sign of honor. She used this to fuel the fire to heat the water. and prepared hot water for him. The king said to her: ‘Of all the wood that you have in this house, did you need to heat water for your lover only in my tub?’ So too, the Holy One blessed be He said to that wicked one: ‘Of all the sons that you have, did you need to cast to the idol the one who is devoted to My name?’ That is what is written: “You took your sons…[and these you slaughtered for them to devour]” (Ezekiel 16:20). “She has declined extraordinarily,” she descended to ordeals.
“Her impurity is on her hems.” Rabbi Berekhya said in the name of Rabbi Abba bar Kahana: All the priests who served during the reign of Zedekiah were uncircumcised.132This is the impurity to which the verse alludes. That is what is written: “As you brought strangers uncircumcised of heart and uncircumcised of flesh” (Ezekiel 44:7).
Another matter, “Her impurity is on her hems [beshuleha],” in her lower reaches [shipuleha], just as it says: “At the hems of the robe” (Exodus 28:34). Alternatively, “her impurity is on her hems,” like what we learned: There was a place below Jerusalem, Tofet was its name. Rabbi Yehuda says: It is so named due to the inferno that was in it. Rabbi Yosei said: The Valley of ben Hinom. There was a hollow idol there that was placed behind seven partitions. There was a bronze tray in its hand and there was a stove placed upon it. For anyone who would sacrifice fine flour, they would open one [partition] for him; pigeons and turtledoves, they would open two for him; a sheep, they would open three for him; a ram, they would open four for him; a calf, they would open five for him; a bull, they would open six for him; and for anyone who would sacrifice his son, they would open seven for him. They would place him into the bronze tray and ignite the stove beneath him. They would laud before him and say to him: ‘May it be pleasant for you and sweet for you.’ Why to that extent?133Why did they loudly sing the praises of the idol? So they would not hear the moaning of their sons and change their minds.
The priest came to a man and said to him: ‘[I have come] because such and such idol said to me: With all the sons that you have, do you not wish to sacrifice one of them?’ [The man] said to him: ‘Are there in my control? One is working in gold, one in silver, one in flocks, and one in cattle.’ He [then] said to him: ‘Wait, did you see that I have a small son, in school? When he comes I will give him to you.’ The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Wicked one, of all the sons that you have, did you need to cast to the idol the one who is devoted to My name?’134The young son was studying Torah in school.
Rabbi Yudan ben Rabbi Simon [said] in the name of Rabbi Levi ben Perata: [This is analogous] to a noblewoman whose lover said to her: ‘Prepare hot water for me.’ She took the king’s wreath135A wreath given by the king as a sign of honor. She used this to fuel the fire to heat the water. and prepared hot water for him. The king said to her: ‘Of all the wood that you have in this house, did you need to heat water for your lover only in my tub?’ So too, the Holy One blessed be He said to that wicked one: ‘Of all the sons that you have, did you need to cast to the idol the one who is devoted to My name?’ That is what is written: “You took your sons…[and these you slaughtered for them to devour]” (Ezekiel 16:20). “She has declined extraordinarily,” she descended to ordeals.
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Midrash Tanchuma
Prior to this verse it is written: Considerest thou not what this people have spoken, saying: “The two families which the Lord did choose, He hath cast them off?” and they condemn My people, that they should be no more a nation before them (ibid., v. 24). What does this verse indicate? He saw how the men of Jerusalem provoked the Holy One, blessed be He, to anger, for even the priests who offered sacrificed in the Temple were uncircumcised, as it is said: In that ye have brought in aliens, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary, to profane it, even My house, when ye offer My bread, the fat and the blood, and they have broken My covenant, to add unto all your abominations (Ezek. 44:7), and it is written elsewhere: Thus saith the Lord God: No alien, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into My sanctuary, even any alien that is among the children of Israel (ibid., v. 9).
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