Introduction: From a House of Stone to a House of the Soul
In this part of the chapter, the prophecy moves from the measurements to the message. After Yechezkel was taken on a detailed tour of the future Beis HaMikdash and all its parts were measured before him, the Holy One, Blessed be He, commands him to declare these matters to the people. From this point forward, the chapter addresses two issues: the prerequisite for building the Temple - repentance and shame over sins; and the dimensions of the Altar and the order of its dedication in the time to come. We will proceed verse by verse according to the commentary of the Malbim.
"Tell the House of Israel of the House" - They Themselves Are the House
אַתָּה בֶן־אָדָם הַגֵּד אֶת־בֵּית־יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת־הַבַּיִת וְיִכָּלְמוּ מֵעֲוֺנוֹתֵיהֶם וּמָדְדוּ אֶת־תׇּכְנִית׃ - "You, son of man, tell the House of Israel of the House, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and let them measure the design."
Hashem commands Yechezkel to describe to Israel the House fully built and perfected, ready and prepared to descend - this is the Third Temple. If so, why is it not here yet? To this the verse continues: "that they may be ashamed of their iniquities." Iniquities are what separate us from Hashem. The Temple is already prepared, standing ready; it is only waiting for us. One step on our part, and the Beis HaMikdash descends here built in fire. For this purpose, the Holy One, Blessed be He, showed Yechezkel the House and measured its dimensions before him - to show that it is an existing reality. Yechezkel toured the Beis HaMikdash and saw it with his own eyes. And through the realization that sins are what delay it, they will feel shame over their iniquities and hasten to repent, and then the House will appear in its glory and they will measure its design.
And what is the "design" (tochnis) of the House? The Malbim explains that within the structure of the House and its details lie exalted spiritual allusions regarding how the Holy One, Blessed be He, conducts the People of Israel and how a person should conduct himself. A person must prepare his soul, refining and straightening it so that it becomes worthy of and aligned with the Beis HaMikdash: just as the Beis HaMikdash is worthy and prepared for the resting of the Shechinah, so must a person prepare himself by refining his character traits, his conduct, and his work on fear of Heaven, so that he too becomes worthy of the resting of the Shechinah. And when a person fulfills Hashem's mitzvos and observes His decrees and teachings, he himself becomes an aspect of the resting of the Shechinah, and then the Shechinah will rest in the Beis HaMikdash as well. For the Shechinah does not rest in the Beis HaMikdash as long as it does not rest within us, and it does not rest within us as long as we have not rectified our deeds. Thus, the building of the House depends on the building of the soul, and the form of the House mirrors the form of the soul.
From this emerges a wonderful nuance in the wording of the verse: it does not say "Tell to the House of Israel" (haged el beis Yisrael), as is the usual biblical phrasing for telling, but rather "Tell the House of Israel" (haged es beis Yisrael) - tell them about themselves! The Malbim explains: Tell the House of Israel that they themselves are the House. They must rectify the dwellings of their soul, their deeds, and their conduct. Once they measure the "design" - the inner content, reflecting on how one rectifies his character traits and conduct - they will also become worthy of the design of the communal House, that the Beis HaMikdash be built and perfected as is fitting for it.
"And If They Are Ashamed" - The Great Virtue of Shame over Sin
וְאִם־נִכְלְמוּ מִכֹּל אֲשֶׁר־עָשׂוּ צוּרַת הַבַּיִת וּתְכוּנָתוֹ וּמוֹצָאָיו וּמוֹבָאָיו וְכׇל־צוּרֹתָו וְאֵת כׇּל־חֻקֹּתָיו וְכׇל־צוּרֹתָו וְכׇל־תּוֹרֹתָו הוֹדַע אוֹתָם וּכְתֹב לְעֵינֵיהֶם וְיִשְׁמְרוּ אֶת־כׇּל־צוּרָתוֹ וְאֶת־כׇּל־חֻקֹּתָיו וְעָשׂוּ אוֹתָם׃ - "And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the form of the House and its arrangement, its exits and its entrances, and all its forms and all its decrees, and all its forms and all its laws; and write it in their sight, that they may keep its whole form and all its decrees, and perform them."
Everything we have seen so far was stated conditionally. "If" is a word of condition: even when the House is built according to the dimensions and form that Yechezkel saw, the time of ultimate rectification will still not arrive until they purify themselves from their sins. If they are ashamed of all that they have done and return in complete repentance - then the form of the House will be made known to them and then it will be built. Our Sages have already stated: Whoever commits a sin and is ashamed of it, all his sins are forgiven. This is the quality of "and they are ashamed."
And why specifically shame? Because sometimes a person repents superficially, merely paying lip service under pressure. He knows there is punishment, that there is Gehinnom, and therefore he repents. But to genuinely feel ashamed of the sin he committed - that is something rare and profound. And one who merits reaching the point where he is ashamed of his sin, all his sins are forgiven. Therefore, Scripture conditions this: "And if they are ashamed of all that they have done" - and only then "make known to them the form of the House..."
The Three Forms in the Beis HaMikdash
In this verse, the concept of form (tzurah) is mentioned three times: "the form of the House and its design", "all its forms", and again "all its forms and all its teachings", and finally "and they shall safeguard its entire form and all its statutes, and perform them". The Malbim explains that this corresponds to three categories of form: the form that is strictly necessary; elements that are not strictly necessary; and the form unique to the Third Temple.
The essential form: In the Beis HaMikdash, there are elements that must exist in every Sanctuary - in the First Temple, the Second Temple, the Mishkan, and the Mishkan of Shiloh. There must be an Azarah (Courtyard), a Heichal (Sanctuary), a Kodesh HaKodashim (Holy of Holies), an altar, the Golden Altar, and the Copper Altar, which is the Stone Altar. At no point did we have a Beis HaMikdash without these indispensable elements.
The variable form: There are things that are not strictly necessary and change according to the era, just as things changed between the First and Second Temples. For example, in the First Temple there were giant keruvim crafted by Shlomo that stood beside the wall of the House, in addition to the keruvim atop the Ark, whereas in the Second Temple these were no longer present. So too, the Ark was hidden away toward the end of the First Temple era.
And the third form: This is the form of the Third Temple, which belongs to the era of final rectification. These things could not be implemented even in the time of Ezra, even though Yechezkel's prophecy was known to them - for Yechezkel preceded them; he was among the exiles, while they were among those returning from exile after seventy years. Nevertheless, because they knew that the time of final rectification had not yet arrived, they did not implement these features as described in Sefer Yechezkel, because they are unique to the Third Temple.
Now, explains the Malbim, the verse is understood: Regarding the essential form required in every Beis HaMikdash, it says, "the form of the House, its design, its exits, and its entrances" - the permanent layout and structure of the House, the chambers and gates, which must exist in every Sanctuary. Regarding what is unique only to the future, which could not be carried out in earlier times because these matters will only be revealed in the future, it says, "and all its forms and all its statutes" - belonging to the category of chok, matters whose deeper reasons are concealed. And regarding the variable features, which existed in the First Temple but not the Second, and which could have been incorporated in the Second Temple when they modeled it to some degree after the First Temple - these are not concealed decrees, but rather in the category of "teachings" (torot), whose rationale is known.
He was also commanded to record the form of the future House before their eyes, as a preserve for the final generation, and indeed we see that Yechezkel wrote this before our eyes and described all that he saw. Therefore it concludes: "and they shall safeguard its entire form" - that if they safeguard all its forms and statutes and conduct themselves as required, in holiness, purity, and rectifying their deeds, they will be worthy and prepared for these forms, for the forms point to cleaving to Hashem and His connection to us. If we refine our actions, we will be worthy of all this, and the Third Temple will be built in accordance with their deeds.
"This is the Law of the House" - Atop the Mountain and Most Holy All Around
זֹאת תּוֹרַת הַבָּיִת עַל־רֹאשׁ הָהָר כׇּל־גְּבֻלוֹ סָבִיב סָבִיב קֹדֶשׁ קׇדָשִׁים הִנֵּה־זֹאת תּוֹרַת הַבָּיִת׃ - "This is the law of the House: Upon the top of the mountain, its entire boundary all around shall be most holy; behold, this is the law of the House."
Here the verse explains how the Third Temple will differ from previous Temples. First, "upon the top of the mountain" - the mountain of the House of Hashem shall be established at the top of the mountains; the mountain itself will be taller than all the mountains in Jerusalem. Second, the Temple will stand at the highest point on the mountain. The Sanctuary built in the past did not stand at the highest point, as the Gemara expounds on the verse "and He rests between his shoulders": What is the most handsome feature of an ox? The area between its shoulders, which is slightly lower and not the highest part of all. In the Third Temple this will not be the case; rather, the House of Hashem will be literally upon the top of the mountain, at the highest point of the mountain. Thus we have two aspects: at the highest point on the mountain, and on the mountain that is the highest of all the mountains - signifying the elevation and loftiness of the Third Temple.
Furthermore: "its entire boundary all around shall be most holy." In the former Temple, the surrounding mountain was not kodesh kodashim (most holy), because all of Israel lived and resided around it. But in the Third Temple, as we saw earlier, the city itself will be situated twenty-five thousand cubits away. The area will therefore resemble the era of the Mishkan, where only the kohanim and the consecrated among the nation dwell. Consequently, everything all around will be most holy, and the site of the Sanctuary itself will be sanctified all the more because the rest of the people reside far off. The verse concludes: "Behold, this is the law of the House" - according to this teaching must anyone conduct themselves who yearns for the House to be built.
The Dimensions of the Altar - An Overview
וְאֵלֶּה מִדּוֹת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ בָּאַמּוֹת אַמָּה אַמָּה וָטֹפַח וְחֵיק הָאַמָּה וְאַמָּה־רֹחַב וּגְבוּלָהּ אֶל־שְׂפָתָהּ סָבִיב זֶרֶת הָאֶחָד וְזֶה גַּב הַמִּזְבֵּחַ׃ - "And these are the measurements of the altar in cubits, each cubit being a cubit and a handbreadth: the base shall be a cubit high and a cubit wide, and its rim along its edge all around shall be one span; and this is the base of the altar."
The Malbim explains: the Altar hardly differed from the Altar in the Second Temple, which is why Scripture describes the construction of the Altar on its own. While the overall form of the Temple was unique to the future era and differed from both the First and Second Temples, the dimensions of the Altar can be applied even in our own time. In principle, there is also the possibility of offering sacrifices today, and there have been extensive debates over why we do not offer sacrifices nowadays, or at least the Korban Pesach, a topic about which many have spoken and written; ultimately, however, the leading Torah authorities ruled against doing so. At any rate, the dimensions of the Altar are almost identical to those of the Second Temple, and as we will see below, there were only slight differences.
Let us picture the Altar as three stacked tiers: a wide bottom tier, above it a slightly narrower tier, and above that an even narrower tier. Attached to it was an ascent ramp (kevesh) leading up to the top tier, upon which sat the woodpile (ma'arachah) where the sacrifices were offered. At the four corners of the top tier stood four horns (keranot), each one square cubit (an amah by an amah).
The bottom tier is called the Yesod (base). In the First and Second Temples, its height was one cubit, and its footprint was thirty-two cubits by thirty-two cubits. In the Third Temple, its height will be two cubits, and this is the change between the Third Temple and the earlier Temples - that the Altar's height begins with two cubits rather than one. The blood dashed against the Altar would drain down to the Yesod. The Yesod did not surround the Altar on all four sides; rather, it protruded on only two sides, while regarding the other two sides there is a dispute whether it protruded slightly or not at all.
Above it was the second tier, four cubits high and thirty cubits wide. And because the bottom tier was thirty-two cubits and the tier above it was thirty, the upper tier sat centered on top, leaving a protrusion of one cubit on each side - this was the Yesod ledge. This second tier is called the Sovev (walkway), because atop its ledge the Kohen would walk around the Altar and apply the blood; this is the meaning of "he ascended the ramp and turned to the Sovev": the ascent on the ramp led up to the top of the Altar, and from the ramp there was an exit to the right through which one could step down onto the Sovev.
The ledge of the Yesod is also called the lower ledge (azarah tachtonah) or smaller ledge (azarah ketanah), and the ledge of the Sovev relative to the tier above it is called the larger ledge (azarah gedolah) or upper ledge (azarah elyonah). A Kohen would generally not walk upon the Yesod ledge, but he would walk upon the Sovev and encircle the Altar to sprinkle the blood.
Above the Sovev was the third tier, called the Harel, with a width of twenty-eight cubits. Compared to the thirty cubits beneath it, there was an indentation of one cubit on each side, leaving twenty-eight. Thus, the top tier stood centered on the Sovev, and one walking along the Sovev could circle around all four directions within that one-cubit width, the walkway for the Kohanim's feet. The height of the Harel together with the horns was four cubits, and without the horn - from the Sovev to the roof of the Altar - three cubits. The roof of the Altar was the site of the woodpiles, the heap (tapuach) of ashes, the sacrifices, and the firewood. Above the roof of the Altar were four horns at the four corners, each horn measuring one cubit by one cubit.
A Cubit and a Handbreadth, the Base and the Border
The word *amah* (cubit) is mentioned five times in the verse: "And these are the measurements of the altar by cubits, a cubit being a cubit and a handbreadth." The Malbim explains that the measurements were not uniform - at times a cubit consisted of five handbreadths (*tefachim*), and at times of six handbreadths. Our Sages already established when a cubit is five handbreadths and when it is six: the cubit used for sacred vessels versus the cubit used for construction. An unqualified cubit is five handbreadths, and when it is wider, it is six handbreadths. A handbreadth is approximately the width of a person's fist. Thus, when Scripture says "a cubit and a handbreadth," it means a standard cubit of five handbreadths plus an additional handbreadth - that is, a cubit of six handbreadths.
"And the base a cubit" (*vecheik ha'amah*) - the *cheik* (base) is the Yesod, those bottom two cubits resting on the ground, which in the First and Second Temples were one cubit high and in the Third Temple will be two cubits high. It is called *cheik* because it rests in the bosom of the earth. The Malbim explains: "The base a cubit" - the rise of the Yesod is measured by an ordinary cubit, a cubit of five handbreadths. Likewise, "and a cubit width" - the width of the Yesod's protrusion relative to the Sovev, is also measured by a cubit of five handbreadths. This aligns with the opinion of the Rambam, for Chazal stated that the cubit of the Yesod was of the smaller measure, and this does not refer to the indentation of the Yesod and the like. One who studies the Malbim will see that he delves into explaining this dispute, but we need not enter into all its details here.
"And its border on its edge round about shall be one span; and this shall be the base of the altar" - the Malbim explains that this refers to what was known in the Second Temple as the red line (*chut hasikra*). As is well known, with regard to the applications of sacrificial blood, certain bloods were applied to the upper half of the Altar, while other bloods were applied to its lower half. The bird burnt offering (*olat ha'of*) was applied above, while the bird sin offering (*chatat ha'of*) was applied below; and with animal offerings it was the reverse: an animal burnt offering (*olat behemah*) was applied below, while an animal sin offering (*chatat behemah*) was applied above. An easy mnemonic: "The bird flies high" - the bird burnt offering is above, which indicates that the draining of the blood of a bird sin offering is below, and with animal offerings it is the exact opposite. In the Mishkan, this distinction was marked by the copper grating (*machber*), and in the Second Temple there was a red thread known as the *chut hasikra* that demarcated the upper half from the lower half. The Malbim explains: in the Third Temple, a structure measuring one span (*zeret*) will protrude from the Altar, a sort of raised molding, and this will serve as the dividing line between the upper bloods and the lower bloods - and this is "the back of the Altar."
The Breakdown of Measurements: From the Base to the Horns
וּמֵחֵיק הָאָרֶץ עַד־הָעֲזָרָה הַתַּחְתּוֹנָה שְׁתַּיִם אַמּוֹת וְרֹחַב אַמָּה אֶחָת וּמֵהָעֲזָרָה הַקְּטַנָּה עַד־הָעֲזָרָה הַגְּדוֹלָה אַרְבַּע אַמּוֹת וְרֹחַב הָאַמָּה׃ - And from the bosom of the earth to the lower ledge shall be two cubits, and the width one cubit; and from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge shall be four cubits, and the width a cubit.
"From the base on the ground" refers to the Yesod (foundation), "up to the lower ledge" is the top portion of the Yesod, and the measurement is two amot - as we explained, the height of the Yesod in the Third Temple is two amot. The lower or smaller ledge is the protruding rim of the Yesod, in contrast to the protrusion of the Sovev (walkway terrace) above it, which is called the greater or upper ledge. "And from the smaller ledge to the greater ledge, four amot" - from the ledge of the Yesod up to the surface of the Sovev ascends the full height of the Sovev, which is four amot. "And a width of one amah" - there too, the width of the ledge is one amah; both the Yesod relative to the Sovev and the Sovev relative to the section above it, each protruded by one amah relative to the section above it.
וְהַהַרְאֵל אַרְבַּע אַמּוֹת וּמֵהָאֲרִיאֵל וּלְמַעְלָה הַקְּרָנוֹת אַרְבַּע׃ - And the altar hearth shall be four amot; and from the altar hearth and upward shall be the four horns.
Now it moves to the third tier that stands atop the Sovev, whose height is four amot - and these four amot include the horns: three amot to the surface of the Mizbeach plus one amah for the horn. This is the meaning of "and from the Ariel and upward shall be the four horns" - above the Ariel are four horns, and when I told you four amot, I included in them the uppermost amah which consists of the horns. But if we speak of the Harel itself up to the surface of the wood pyre (the Ma'arachah), the height is only three amot. The Malbim calculates here that the position of the red line (chut hasikra) in the Second Temple differs from its position in the Third Temple, because the Yesod in the Third Temple occupies additional height, meaning that the midpoint of the Mizbeach is located elsewhere; he calculates precisely what this amounts to, but we will not delve into those details.
וְהָאֲרִיאֵל שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה אֹרֶךְ בִּשְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה רֹחַב רָבוּעַ אֶל אַרְבַּעַת רְבָעָיו׃ - And the Ariel shall be twelve amot long by twelve wide, square to its four sides.
Here it refers to the width of the area of the Ma'arachah, and at first glance this is difficult to understand: after all, we said that the width of the Ariel is twenty-eight amot, so how do we arrive at twelve? Rather, Chazal explained that the verse means measuring twelve amot in each direction from the center of the Ma'arachah. Yet this still seems imprecise, for twelve in this direction and twelve in that direction equal twenty-four, leaving four amot unaccounted for. The calculation is as follows: the usable area of the Mizbeach is solely the place of the Ma'arachah. One amah around the perimeter is occupied by the horns at the corners, and another amah on each side is the walkway for the Kohanim, who would walk around the Ma'arachah on the roof of the Mizbeach. Thus, from each side we step inward two amot, which is four amot from both sides combined, leaving the width of the Ma'arachah at twenty-four amot. And when measuring from the center - twelve to the right, twelve to the left, twelve forward, and twelve backward - one arrives at twenty-four by twenty-four, with the one amah for the Kohanim's walkway and the one amah of the horns lying outside of it.
And why does it mention here "square to its four sides"? The Malbim already noted above that the Yesod did not extend along all four sides, but only along two sides. Therefore, when distinguishing between the Yesod and the Sovev and Ariel, it states that the latter were truly square, whereas the Yesod was not fully square - protruding on two sides and shorter on the other two sides.
וְהָעֲזָרָה אַרְבַּע עֶשְׂרֵה אֹרֶךְ בְּאַרְבַּע עֶשְׂרֵה רֹחַב אֶל אַרְבַּעַת רְבָעֶיהָ וְהַגְּבוּל סָבִיב אוֹתָהּ חֲצִי הָאַמָּה וְהַחֵיק־לָהּ אַמָּה סָבִיב וּמַעֲלֹתֵהוּ פְּנוֹת קָדִים׃ - And the ledge shall be fourteen amot long by fourteen wide to its four sides, and the border around it shall be half an amah, and its base an amah all around; and its steps shall face east.
"And the ledge" - this is the greater ledge, which is the tier of the Sovev, the second tier, whose width is twenty-eight amot. And when measuring from the center: fourteen in this direction and fourteen in that direction, which equals twenty-eight. "And the border around it shall be half an amah" - this is the structure that protrudes slightly from the Mizbeach, which replaces the red line (chut hasikra) and stands at the midpoint of the Mizbeach to distinguish between the upper and lower blood applications, and its width is half an amah. "And its base an amah all around" - the base (cheik) is the Yesod, and it is one amah all around. What is this coming to emphasize, given that we already saw this above? The Malbim explains: one might have thought that because of the half-amah protrusion of the border, the Yesod should be widened even further. Therefore, it teaches us that this is not so; rather, the Yesod was only one amah, and the half-amah protrusion of the border was not added to it.
"And its steps shall face east"
This means that one ascending the Mizbeach would face toward the east. Let us visualize the layout of the Beit HaMikdash: the entrance was from the direction of the Mount of Olives - not from the direction through which we approach the Kotel today. One entering sees directly before him, in the inner courtyard which is the Ezrat Kohanim, the Mizbeach. The ramp (kevesh) of the Mizbeach was on the left, that is, on the south side. For one coming from the direction of the Mount of Olives, left is south - and if we compare this to our vantage point today from the Kotel, this would be toward the women's section; the men's section side would be north, where all sacrifices of the most sacred order (Kodshei Kodashim) were slaughtered, as their slaughter must be in the north. This is not referring to the exact position of the Mizbeach, as it stood further inward, but merely to grasp the orientations.
Thus, the ramp was on the south side, and the Kohen ascending it faced north. When he reached the top of the ramp and turned onto the Sovev, he immediately turned to the right - for all turns that one makes must only be to the right - which means he turned toward the east, toward Kedem. And this is the meaning of "and its steps shall face east."
The Dedication of the Mizbeach in the Future Era
וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי בֶּן־אָדָם כֹּה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יֱהֹוִה אֵלֶּה חֻקּוֹת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ בְּיוֹם הֵעָשׂוֹתוֹ לְהַעֲלוֹת עָלָיו עוֹלָה וְלִזְרֹק עָלָיו דָּם׃ - And He said to me: Son of man, thus said the Lord God: These are the statutes of the Altar on the day it is made, to offer up an olah upon it and to sprinkle blood upon it.
Now Hashem informs him how the dedication of the Altar will take place. Whenever a Beit HaMikdash is built, just as occurred with the Mishkan, there is a dedication ceremony - and this dedication is not merely a celebration, but the actual sanctification of the place. Even when the Sanhedrin decided to expand the courtyards or the chambers, an entire formal procedure with the Sanhedrin was required to sanctify the area. So too here: the area must be sanctified and the Third Temple inaugurated.
The Malbim explains: The standard way to inaugurate a new Altar is through the daily tamid offerings, beginning with the morning tamid. Here, however, the inauguration is not merely for the Altar alone, but a comprehensive dedication for the entire Beit HaMikdash. While there was an inauguration of the Altar in the time of Ezra, that was an exceptional, temporary measure (hora'at sha'ah) and was conducted differently, because they knew that the Second Temple was not the ultimate House and that it was destined to be destroyed, as discussed earlier. Here, Hashem promises him that this House is the Third Temple, and Yechezkel himself - who was a Kohen - will perform the service of dedicating the House; therefore, the inauguration is conducted differently from the way it was done in the Second Temple.
The Malbim adds: Even in the Mishkan, the inauguration was accomplished through offerings that applied only to that specific occasion - temporary offerings: "one silver bowl weighing one hundred and thirty shekels" and all the offerings of the princes (Nesi'im), which were one-time offerings and not brought on a regular basis. This is the meaning of "on the day it is made": you shall inaugurate it so that it will be fit to offer up the limbs of the olah upon it and to sprinkle the blood of the olah, the most holy offerings (kodshei kodashim), and the offerings of lesser sanctity (kodashim kalim) - so that regular sacrifices may begin to be offered upon it.
וְנָתַתָּה אֶל־הַכֹּהֲנִים הַלְוִיִּם אֲשֶׁר הֵם מִזֶּרַע צָדוֹק הַקְּרֹבִים אֵלַי נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יֱהֹוִה לְשָׁרְתֵנִי פַּר בֶּן־בָּקָר לְחַטָּאת׃ - And you shall give to the Kohanim, the Levi'im, who are from the offspring of Tzadok, who draw near to Me, says the Lord God, to minister to Me, a young bull for a sin-offering.
We have already mentioned that only the descendants of Tzadok will be eligible to perform the Temple service in the future, because they were always close to Hashem and did not worship idols, and a Kohen who served idols is disqualified from serving in the Beit HaMikdash. "The Kohanim, the Levi'im" - the Kohanim from the tribe of Levi. "Who draw near to Me to minister to Me" - they did not worship idols, but rather served Me; therefore, they are the ones who will approach to minister. And "you shall give" - you, Yechezkel himself, will give them the bull to sacrifice, as we noted that he himself will be present at the dedication of the Temple.
וְלָקַחְתָּ מִדָּמוֹ וְנָתַתָּה עַל־אַרְבַּע קַרְנֹתָיו וְאֶל־אַרְבַּע פִּנּוֹת הָעֲזָרָה וְאֶל־הַגְּבוּל סָבִיב וְחִטֵּאתָ אוֹתוֹ וְכִפַּרְתָּהוּ׃ - And you shall take of its blood and place it upon its four horns, and upon the four corners of the ledge, and upon the border round about; and you shall purify it and cleanse it.
Here too, the verse reveals that Yechezkel himself will take and perform the blood service. "And you shall take" refers to kabalat hadam (receiving the blood) in a sacred vessel; for as is well known, slaughter (shechitah) is valid even by a non-Kohen, but from receiving the blood onward - collecting the blood from the animal's neck and onward - it is an exclusive priestly service. "And place it upon its four horns" - this is the application to the horns. "And upon the four corners of the azarah (ledge)" - this does not mean the Temple courtyard, but as explained earlier, there is a large ledge (azarah gedolah) and a small ledge (azarah ketanah); here it refers to the large ledge, which corresponds to the sovev (surrounding ledge). "And upon the border" - this is the protruding zeret (span) from the Altar, the level of the red dividing line (chut hasikra), which in the Third Temple will be called the border (gevul), with the upper half-tefach belonging to the upper section. "And you shall purify it" - wherever the term chittui is used, it means applying the blood with the finger, just as they did on the inner Altar during the Yom Kippur service, when the Kohen Gadol purified the Altar from its four corners. "And cleanse it" - by pouring the remaining blood onto the base (yesod). The atonement (kapparah) here is not in the sense of atoning for sin, but in the sense of purifying and wiping clean, from the Aramaic word keforei - as in "lekafurei yedei", to wipe clean one's hands.
Three Fundamentals Regarding the Resurrection of the Dead
The Malbim explains that several fundamental principles regarding techiyat hameitim (the resurrection of the dead) are revealed here. First, by the time the Temple is dedicated, the resurrection of the dead will already have occurred. For we see that Yechezkel will be alive and well, personally performing the service, yet Yechezkel is not currently among us - it follows that as soon as the Beit HaMikdash is built, the resurrection will have already taken place and he will inaugurate it.
Second, the resurrection will be in both body and soul: a person will literally rise clothed in flesh, sinews, and bones, physically complete without any blemish. For if you were to say that he will return as a soul, a spirit, or an angel - an angel is not eligible to perform Temple service; and if you were to say that he would lack any limb - a person with a physical blemish (ba'al mum) is disqualified from service. Perforce, he will return physically whole in complete perfection, as a full human being.
Third, he will be fully obligated in mitzvot like any other person. For if not, how could he fulfill the mitzvah of wearing the priestly garments and the mitzvah of offering the sacrifices? Only someone who is obligated in a matter can perform it and effect its halachic status, whereas someone exempt cannot. Since we see that he acts and performs the service, he must necessarily possess the status of being obligated, and all the resurrected will be obligated in mitzvot just like all other human beings.
As noted in the teachings on reincarnation from the holy Ari, when the Beit HaMikdash is rebuilt, we will all complete the components missing from our Torah observance. In order for the soul to attain its full purification, it must fulfill all 613 *mitzvot*, yet there are *mitzvot* that are completely beyond our reach today, such as the sacrificial offerings. The holy Ari explains that when the Beit HaMikdash is rebuilt, we will offer the sacrifices that we are missing, and through this our souls will achieve their ultimate completion. Sacrifices are thus destined to be offered in the future Beit HaMikdash, bringing about this spiritual completion - and this is only applicable when a person rises in human form at the Resurrection of the Dead and is obligated in *mitzvot*, for if one is not obligated, how could he offer a sacrifice?
The Order of the Seven Days of Consecration
וְלָקַחְתָּ אֵת הַפָּר הַחַטָּאת וּשְׂרָפוֹ בְּמִפְקַד הַבַּיִת מִחוּץ לַמִּקְדָּשׁ׃ - You shall take the bull of the sin offering, and he shall burn it in the designated place of the House, outside the Sanctuary.
The Malbim explains: This bull is similar to the bull of consecration brought at the inauguration of the Mishkan, whose blood Moshe Rabbeinu applied to the horns of the altar and whose remaining body he burned in fire outside the camp. Here too, he is commanded to burn it outside the Sanctuary, in the area designated for burning the offerings that are consumed by fire. This is the meaning of *mifkad ha-bayit* - the designated and prepared site for this purpose outside the Beit HaMikdash, where the burned bulls were consumed.
וּבַיּוֹם הַשֵּׁנִי תַּקְרִיב שְׂעִיר־עִזִּים תָּמִים לְחַטָּאת וְחִטְּאוּ אֶת־הַמִּזְבֵּחַ כַּאֲשֶׁר חִטְּאוּ בַּפָּר׃ - And on the second day you shall offer an unblemished he-goat for a sin offering; and they shall cleanse the altar, just as they cleansed it with the bull.
Rashi notes: This practice did not exist in the Mishkan; in the consecration of the Future Era, it will take place in this manner by Divine command and prophetic decree. The Metzudot explains *ve-chite'u* ("and they shall cleanse") - those who sprinkle the blood will purify the altar through the sprinkling of the goat's blood, just as they purified it on the first day through the sprinkling of the bull's blood.
בְּכַלּוֹתְךָ מֵחַטֵּא תַּקְרִיב פַּר בֶּן־בָּקָר תָּמִים וְאַיִל מִן־הַצֹּאן תָּמִים׃ - When you have finished cleansing, you shall offer an unblemished young bull and an unblemished ram from the flock.
This too takes place on the second day: after the purification with the blood of the he-goat sin offering, he offers a bull and a ram as burnt offerings.
וְהִקְרַבְתָּם לִפְנֵי יְהֹוָה וְהִשְׁלִיכוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים עֲלֵיהֶם מֶלַח וְהֶעֱלוּ אוֹתָם עֹלָה לַיהֹוָה׃ - You shall bring them near before Hashem, and the Kohanim shall cast salt upon them, and offer them up as a burnt offering to Hashem.
The Kohanim shall cast salt upon them, as stated in the Torah, "Upon all your offerings you shall offer salt," and then they shall offer them up as a burnt offering to Hashem.
שִׁבְעַת יָמִים תַּעֲשֶׂה שְׂעִיר־חַטָּאת לַיּוֹם וּפַר בֶּן־בָּקָר וְאַיִל מִן־הַצֹּאן תְּמִימִים יַעֲשׂוּ׃ - Seven days you shall prepare a he-goat for a sin offering each day; and an unblemished young bull and a ram from the flock they shall prepare.
The Radak explains: There was nothing comparable to this during the days of consecration in the time of Moshe, nor do we find that the returnees from the Babylonian Exile offered such a sacrifice when they rebuilt the altar. Even though Chazal state that consecration offerings were brought in the days of Ezra just as they were brought in the days of Moshe, they were certainly not performed in this specific order. Thus, this is an innovation destined for the future sacrifices, and one should not attempt to equate it with what occurred in the past, for there was never anything like it. Here the prophet commands a unique order for the dedication of the Third Temple, and this procedure will continue for seven days, in addition to the first day on which they offered the bull.
שִׁבְעַת יָמִים יְכַפְּרוּ אֶת־הַמִּזְבֵּחַ וְטִהֲרוּ אֹתוֹ וּמִלְאוּ יָדָו׃ - For seven days they shall atone for the altar and purify it, and consecrate it.
During these seven days, in which they will offer a he-goat, a bull, and a ram, they will atone for the altar with the blood of the he-goat, purify it, and "fill its hands" through the offering of the burnt-offering (*olah*). For on the first day, when they offered the bull, they did not fill its hands, since the bull did not go up onto the altar but was burned outside the camp. When did the altar emerge "with full hands"? From the second day onward.
וִיכַלּוּ אֶת־הַיָּמִים וְהָיָה בַיּוֹם הַשְּׁמִינִי וָהָלְאָה יַעֲשׂוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּחַ אֶת־עוֹלוֹתֵיכֶם וְאֶת־שַׁלְמֵיכֶם וְרָצִאתִי אֶתְכֶם נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יֱהֹוִה׃ - And when they have completed the days, on the eighth day and onward, the Kohanim shall offer your burnt-offerings and your peace-offerings upon the altar, and I will accept you with favor, says the Lord God.
"And when they have completed the days" - they will finish offering the sacrifices of all eight days. And from the eighth day onward, the Kohanim will prepare your burnt-offerings (*olot*) and your peace-offerings (*shelamim*) upon the altar, meaning that anyone who becomes obligated or wishes to bring an *olah* or a *shelamim* may do so only from the eighth day onward. The first day plus an additional seven days make eight days, and only then will they be able to offer *olot* and *shelamim* upon it. Furthermore, we will see later that the first day will be on the 23rd of Adar and the eighth day on Rosh Chodesh Nisan, just as it was in the days of Moshe Rabbeinu at the dedication of the Mishkan, when the *Milu'im* (days of consecration) began on the 23rd of Adar and the eighth day was on Rosh Chodesh Nisan. And "and I will accept you with favor (*veratziti etchem*)" - Rashi explains this in the sense of favor and goodwill: I will graciously accept your burnt-offerings and sacrifices upon My altar, so that they will be favorably received before the Holy One, Blessed be He.
In summary:
The chapter opens with the command, "Tell the House of Israel of the House" - to tell Israel that they themselves are the House, and that the rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash depends on the rebuilding of the soul. The Temple is ready to descend, and only sins delay it; and whoever is ashamed of their sin is forgiven for all their sins. The three "forms" mentioned in the text teach us about what is essential to every Temple, what changes from one Temple to the next, and what is unique to the Third Temple, whose rationale remains hidden and will only be revealed in the future. The Third Temple will stand upon the summit of the highest of mountains, and its entire boundary all around will be holy of holies. Afterward, the dimensions of the altar and its components were given - the base (*yesod*), the ledge (*sovev*), and the hearth (*harel*) with the horns - which hardly differ from the altar of the Second Temple, except for the height of the base and the construction of the border in place of the red line (*chut hasikra*). Finally, we have the order of the eight-day dedication of the altar, which Yechezkel himself will perform, from which we learn that the Resurrection of the Dead (*Techiyat HaMeitim*) will be in a complete body and with the obligation to fulfill mitzvot. May Hashem rebuild the Beit HaMikdash for us speedily, Amen.