{"id":74919,"date":"2020-05-19T16:36:49","date_gmt":"2020-05-19T13:36:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=74919"},"modified":"2020-05-19T16:36:49","modified_gmt":"2020-05-19T13:36:49","slug":"ezekiel-the-watchman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/ezekiel-the-watchman\/","title":{"rendered":"Ezekiel The Watchman"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[],"acf":{"old_id":"74919","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":33877,"related_cahpter":"485","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"Failing to perform his assigned function - he becomes culpable for the sins of others\u00a0\r\n\r\n","content":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our chapter begins the third major section of the Book of Ezekiel, which includes oracles of restoration along with more oracles against foreign nations. At the beginning of our chapter, Ezekiel is recommissioned as God\u2019s \u201cwatchman\u201d (<\/span><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tzofeh<\/span><\/em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) for the House of Israel: \u201cNow, O mortal, I have appointed you a watchman for the House of Israel. And whenever you hear a message from My mouth, you must transmit My warning to them\u201d (33:7). Here the prophet\u2019s commission is being renewed (see 3:17). Elsewhere a \u201cwatchman\u201d is described as walking on the roof of the gate of the city wall or on a tower to call down a report of anyone approaching (see 2 Samuel 18:24-27, 2 Kings 9:17). In our Chapter, Ezekiel, the prophetic watchman, is equipped with a shofar with which to sound a warning to the people. If the watchman fails to sound the shofar when he sees danger approaching, the watchman will be destroyed by God.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Midrash Sifre Devarim Pisqa 13 elaborates on the watchman\u2019s responsibility and culpability if he fails to perform his assigned function. \u201cAnd I will appoint them as your heads &#8212; ve-asimem be-roshekhem (Deuteronomy 1:13) can be read as \u201ctheir guilt is upon your heads \u2013 ve-ashamam be-roshekhem\u201d. This teaches that Israel\u2019s guilt hangs on the heads of their judges if they have not sufficiently warned Israel. As God said to Ezekiel: \u201c&#8230;[if] you have not spoken to warn the wicked man against his way, he, that wicked man, shall die for his sins, but I will demand a reckoning for his blood from you\u201d (Ezekiel 33:7-8).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Midrash Pesiqta de-Rav Kahana Shuvah (24:1) preserves a parable about the importance of \u201cearly warning\u201d. An old man raised the warning of approaching foreign forces. Those who heeded the warning were saved, but those who ignored the warning were killed. As God says to Ezekiel: \u201cI have appointed you a watchman for the House of Israel\u2026if you have warned the wicked man to turn back from his way, and he has not turned from his way, he shall die for his own sins\u2026\u201d (Ezekiel 33:7-9). Similarly, \u201cShall a shofar be sounded in a city, and the people not tremble?\u201d (Amos 3:6). This refers to the shofar sounded on Rosh HaShanah causing Israel to tremble. For \u201cCan misfortune come to a city, if the Lord has not caused it?\u201d (Amos 3:6). But, the Holy One, blessed be He, does not seek the death of the wicked, as God instructs Ezekiel to say to Israel: \u201cAs I live\u2014declares the Lord God\u2014it is not My desire that the wicked shall die, but that the wicked turn from his [evil] ways and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways, that you may not die, O House of Israel!\u201d (Ezekiel 33:11).<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":74927,"id":74927,"title":"ez33-watchman","filename":"ez33-watchman.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/ez33-watchman.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/ezekiel-the-watchman\/ez33-watchman\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"ez33-watchman","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":74919,"date":"2020-05-19 13:36:10","modified":"2020-05-19 13:36:18","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":934,"height":1373,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/ez33-watchman-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/ez33-watchman-204x300.jpg","medium-width":204,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/ez33-watchman-697x1024.jpg","medium_large-width":697,"medium_large-height":1024,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/ez33-watchman-697x1024.jpg","large-width":697,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/ez33-watchman.jpg","1536x1536-width":934,"1536x1536-height":1373,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/ez33-watchman.jpg","2048x2048-width":934,"2048x2048-height":1373,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/ez33-watchman-816x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":816,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/ez33-watchman-286x420.jpg","home_baner-width":286,"home_baner-height":420}},"embedded_video":"","video_duration":"","show_fb_comments":true,"credit_media":""},"tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"Ezekiel The Watchman","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"Failing to perform his assigned function - 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