Daily Tanach – Yechezkal Chapter 4: Symbolic Siege and Judgment on Jerusalem (Thursday, 12th Teves)

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Chapter 4: Symbolic Siege and Judgment on Jerusalem

  1. The Brick and the Siege (Verses 1–3)

Yechezkal is commanded to take a brick, engrave Jerusalem on it, and set up a model siege with ramps, camps, and an iron plate as a barrier. This dramatic act serves as a sign of the coming siege against Jerusalem.

  1. Bearing Israel’s Iniquity (Verses 4–8)

Yechezkal must lie on his left side for 390 days to represent Israel’s sins, and then on his right side for 40 days for Judah’s sins—each day symbolizing a year. He is bound during this time, showing the severity and inevitability of judgment.

  1. Measured Food and Water (Verses 9–11)

Yechezkal is instructed to eat a meager diet of mixed grains and drink water by measure, symbolizing famine and scarcity during the siege.

  1. Defiled Bread (Verses 12–15)

Initially told to bake bread over human dung (symbolizing defilement among the nations), Yechezkal protests. God permits cattle dung instead, showing mercy but maintaining the symbolism of impurity.

  1. Breaking the Staff of Bread (Verses 16–17)

God declares that food and water will be rationed in Jerusalem, causing anxiety and despair. The people will waste away in their guilt as judgment falls.

About The Author

Rabbi Yaakov Goldstein is a 6th generation descendent of the famous Chief Rabbi of Izhmir, Rav Yehoshua Avraham Krispin, who authored a number of Sefarim, and was a colleague of Rav Chaim Falagi, and father in-law of the Pesach Hadvir. He currently lives with his wife Shayna, and twelve children K”H, in Tzfas, Israel. Rabbi Goldstein received Semicha from Rabbi Schneur Zalman Labkowski of the Tomchei Temimim headquarters in 2005 and served as a chaplain in the Lotar/Kalatz and K9 unit of the IDF from years 2005-2008. He is also a certified Shochet, and has performed Hashgacha work in slaughterhouses. Rabbi Goldstein is the director of Shulchanaruchharav.com, the world’s leading web-based Halacha database, and is the director of the Home Study Semicha Program, a self-study web-based Semicha program. He is a prolific author of over 50 Sefarim studied by a wide range of readers throughout the world, which is used regularly in Semicha programs around the globe. He is a world renowned Posek, answering questions to a web-based market, and serves as a local Posek, Rav, and Lecturer, in the Tzemach Tzedek community Shul in Tzefas, Israel. His many classes can be heard both from his website, Vimeo and YouTube channel. Students can join live to classes given in the Tzemach Tzedek Shul, through the “בית חבד צפת Chabad Tsfat” YouTube channel.