Tafsīr (Judeo-Persian Translation): Ezekiel

And he said to me, O offspring of human, these bones are for all the house of Israel, they, behold, are saying: dry were our bones, and lost was our hope, and we were cut for us. (Ezekiel 37:11)

People say that these people were saying these words in exile: “when death comes, the bones will have dried. And the hope that we used to have of seeing salvation will have been lost. And we will have been severed from the world.” And they say that those who said these words, said them with ignorance, and their belief in resurrection was shaken.

And it is thus more logical to say that they will say these words when they rise from the grave, and say: “our bones were dry in the grave, and [as for] this hope we had of seeing salvation—we haven’t seen [it], and we died in exile and were severed from the land of the living, that is, we went to the grave in the grief of exile.” If you interpret it this way, you will not need to add anything in order to correct these words.

The interpretation of saying dry were our bones is this: They will have dried. In this interpretation, their saying dry were our bones, and lost was our hope and we were cut for us needs no further explanation. They spoke these words in order to thank the Lord: If we were in this situation, the Lord would not abandon us in the grave, but would revive us and we would see the wealth and affluence of the Israelites.

Therefore prophesy and say to them: Thus said the Lord God: “Behold, I am opening to your graves and I will lift you up from your graves, O my people, and I will bring you to the land of Israel.” (Ezekiel 37:12)

Saying Therefore, the Lord says to the prophet: Because these Israelites were this way, prophesy this prophecy for them and say: Because you did not see salvation, and died in exile, I will lift you up from the grave and bring you to the land of Israel.

And if someone says that they will say these things after they rise from the grave, what is the meaning of Behold, I am opening to your graves? Know that the Lord intimates that they will say this, and he says to the prophet—this kind [of thing] that you have seen in the eye of prophecy will also exist in reality. And therefore, you will deliver to them these tidings [regarding] these things that will be, and say: Behold, I am opening to your graves and I will lift you up from your graves, O my people, and I will bring you to the land of Israel.

“And you shall know that I am the Lord upon my opening your graves and upon my lifting you up from your graves, O my people.” (Ezekiel 37:13)

It means—you shall know that I, the Lord, have done that kind [of thing] I told [you] I would do to you. [ . . . ]

“And I will give my wind in you and you will live, and I will place you in your land and you shall know that I am the Lord, that I have said and done,” is the word of the Lord God. (Ezekiel 37:14)

[Concerning] what the Lord previously said to Ezekiel: O offspring of human, and say to the wind: Thus said the Lord God: From four directions come, O Wind (Ezekiel 37:9): he means “I will give this wind to these bones, and not to others [lit., someone else],” as he said And I will give my wind in you, and omitted mentioning veins and flesh in this place.

Now [concerning] what people say, that the resurrection will be one time, and [that] those people who will rise from the grave at Salvation will not die again, but will be rewarded as they rise from the grave. And those people who will live in the time of Salvation—they and the children that they will have, and their children’s children, [and all their descendants] for eternity—will live off their own wealth and that of the Messiah, blessed be his memory, until they die, and afterwards they will rise and in resurrection will be rewarded.

And among these people it is thus [true] that part of them always observe the commandments, and part will be rewarded.

They say: We have said this because it is impossible that there will be a time when the Law of Moses will be revoked and the commandments will not be necessary, as he says: I will keep your law continually, forever and ever (Psalms 119:44).

Now, these people say that it is impossible that the resurrection will occur twice; this is their claim and they do not prove it. And this is not unthinkable [lit., unsuitable] to the mind, and no proof was heard [to the effect] that it is not possible that the Lord would do this kind [of thing].

They say that it is not possible that there will be a time when transgressions will be abolished, and their proof [of this] is I will keep your law continually, forever and ever (Psalms 119:44). The words forever and ever do not necessarily imply that this thing will persist.

Between the scholars this kind [of subject] is in dispute, that is, whether forever and ever is later than lifetime [i.e., after death]; because there is no dispute [regarding the fact] that as long as the Israelites are alive in the world—before they are rewarded or punished—this law is necessary for them for the purpose of removing obstacles.

These people also say that a corporeal body is a fundamental necessity, because these rewards and punishments can not be avoided. And it is not as they said, but it is possible that he will destroy [the body] and return it [later, so that] those worthy of reward will be rewarded and those worthy of punishment will be punished.