Komentaryong Sumisipi para sa Ezekiel 20:9

desecrates herself [Hebrew: teḥel] Many people say that this word comes from “beginning” [Hebrew: tḥilla]; but I believe it comes from “desecration” [Hebrew: ḥillul], except that here the word is in the hif‘il form, as in “he may not break his word” [Numbers 30:3]. Both opinions require the word to stem from an ‘ayin-‘ayin root, ḥ-l-l. The word, however, is irregular; and it seems likely that the reason for the irregularity, both in the infinitive haḥel [the heh is vocalized with a pattaḥ instead of a qammaṣ — Translator] as well as in this word teḥel (where the tav is vocalized with a ṣereh ), is to avoid confusion with “beginning”, the other meaning of the root. Compare, “that it should not be profaned” [Hebrew: heḥel] [Ezekiel 20:9].

בהכותי, G’d caused other harm to the Egyptians during that night, in addition to killing all their firstborn. Had it not been for the “passing over” He had performed as an act of pity for the Israelites, they would not have escaped that judgment even if their firstborn had not been killed. The matter is similar to what the angel had told Lot concerning his not turning around, when he warned פן תספה בעון העיר, “lest you will be wiped out on account of the guilt of the people inside the city.” (Genesis 19,15) G’d commanded the Israelites to smear the blood as a sign so that they would escape. This was for the sake of His great name, as we know from Ezekiel 20,9 when the prophet reminded the people that G’d had said בדמיך חיי, בדמיך חיי, ”by your blood you shall live, by your blood you shall live.”(Ezekiel 16,6) [both the blood of the circumcision and that of the Passover lamb. Ed.]

וגם את הגוי אשר יעבדו דן אנכי, I will judge the Egyptians even though it was I Who decreed that the Israelites would be enslaved by them. The reason why I will judge them is that they acted with great cruelty toward the Israelites, something which I had not decreed. The prophet Zacharyah 1,15 spelled out this concept in connection with the punishment G’d visited on the Babylonians, who, though entitled to destroy the Temple in Jerusalem, had never been entitled to go about it with such a vengeance. Similar verses justifying G’d punishing those who had carried out part of His plan against the Jewish people, but with needless harshness, are also found in Isaiah 47,6. The harshness of the slavery in Egypt was a punishment for the Israelites having abandoned the traditions of their fathers, having reverted to idolatry, having violated the covenant between G’d and Avraham, and not even having circumcised their male children. According to Ezekiel 20,7-8 and 9, the Israelites in Egypt had actually been guilty of utter annihilation for forsaking this covenant, and if G’d nonetheless redeemed them, this was for the sake of His name, not because they had deserved it. Having sworn to Avraham that He would redeem his offspring from the country in which they would be enslaved, we must view the Exodus as primarily an exercise of preserving G’d’s image. G’d had told Moses already in Exodus 6,8 that He had sworn an oath to Avraham, etc. Such statements are meant to demonstrate that the Israelites while in Egypt had not been forsaken by G’d, that He had not overlooked what was happening to them, but that they had been the architects of their own misfortune, and that if it had not been for G’d’s oath to the patriarchs, they would have perished there. Apparently, G’d had sent prophets to them prior to Moses, warning them of what might happen, but they had turned a deaf ear to such warnings. This is why Moses, aware of this, said to G’d that He should send another prophet, as He had been in the habit of doing, שלח נא ביד תשלח (Exodus 4,13). This is also what the prophet Ezekiel had in mind in the paragraph that we have referred to earlier. [All of this demonstrates that when Avram asked in verse 8 of this chapter במה אדע כי אירשנה, which we explained as his concern that G’d’s promise might not become actual due to some sin of his offspring, he was quite justified in worrying about such a scenario. It also explains still better G’d’s answer and His statement that He gave Avram a lot of credit for believing G’d’s assurance that in spite of his fears the promise would be carried out in due course. G’d’s answer to Avram contained an acknowledgement that He was aware that the Israelites would indeed sin in Egypt, but also the fact that He would punish them there but not annihilate them, so that eventually they would leave from there with great riches. The redemption would occur after their punishment had run its course. Perhaps, in support of our author’s theory, we might add that the word וגם, “and also,” in our verse, which appears strange since we had not been told who else had been judged and punished, refers to the Jewish people, who by that time had received their punishment in full, so that the remnant, the 20% of whom Rashi speaks on Exodus 13,18 (וחמושים) were entitled to redemption after risking their lives by slaughtering the lamb and circumcising themselves. Ed.]