This is one of the most stunning visions in all of Jewish literature. A grieving woman becomes a city of light. And no one — not even Ezra — sees it coming.
God had told Ezra to go into a field where no house had been built, to eat only flowers, taste no meat, drink no wine, and pray continually. So Ezra went to the field called Ardat, sat among the flowers, ate the plants of the field, and waited seven days.
When he spoke again, he spoke about the Torah. "You showed yourself to our fathers in the wilderness. You said, 'Hear me, O Israel — I sow my law in you, and it shall bring forth fruit in you forever.' But our fathers did not keep it. The fruit of the law did not perish — it could not, because it was yours. But those who received it perished." And here Ezra made a strange observation: when a ship sinks, the sea remains. When food is consumed, the dish remains. The container outlasts what it holds. "But with us it has not been so. We who received the law will perish, along with the heart that received it. The law, however, does not perish but remains in its glory."
As he spoke these words, he lifted his eyes. And there on his right stood a woman.
She was mourning. Weeping with a loud voice. Deeply grieved at heart. Her clothes were torn and ashes covered her head. Ezra turned to her and asked what had happened.
She told him her story. She had been barren for thirty years, praying every hour of every day. Finally God heard her and gave her a son. She raised him with immense care. She arranged his marriage. But when her son entered the wedding chamber, he fell down dead.
She had fled to this field. She would not return to the city. She would neither eat nor drink. She would mourn until she died.
Ezra's response was not gentle. He erupted in anger. "You most foolish of women! Do you not see our mourning? Zion, the mother of us all, is in deep grief. You are sorrowing for one son — we, the whole world, for our mother." He cataloged the horrors: the sanctuary laid waste, the altar thrown down, the temple destroyed. The harp laid low, the song silenced. The ark of the covenant plundered. Priests burned to death. Levites led into captivity. Virgins defiled. The seal of Zion lost and given over into the hands of enemies.
"Shake off your sadness," Ezra told her. "Lay aside your sorrows, so that the Mighty One may be merciful to you again."
Then it happened.
Her face suddenly shone with blinding radiance. Her countenance flashed like lightning. Ezra was too frightened to approach her. His heart was terrified. She uttered a loud and fearful cry — so loud the earth shook.
And when Ezra looked again, the woman was gone. In her place stood an established city, vast, with huge foundations, shining with glory.
Ezra collapsed like a corpse. The angel Uriel came, grasped his right hand, lifted him to his feet, and explained everything.
The woman was Zion.
Her thirty years of barrenness — those were the three thousand years before any offering was made in the world. Her son — that was Jerusalem, the city Solomon built. His death in the wedding chamber — that was the destruction of the Temple. Her mourning — the grief of every exile.
And the transformation — her face becoming lightning, her body becoming a city of light — that was the Most High revealing the brilliance of Zion's true glory. The heavenly Jerusalem. Not the ruined city of stone and blood, but the city that God built, whose foundations no human work could endure beside.
"Do not be afraid," Uriel told Ezra. "Go in and see the splendor and vastness of the building, as far as it is possible for your eyes to see it. You are more blessed than many, and you have been called before the Most High, as but few have been."
[1] He answered me and said, "Measure carefully in your mind, and
when you see that a certain part of the predicted signs are past,
[2] then you will know that it is the very time when the Most
High is about to visit the world which he has made.
[3] So when there shall appear in the world earthquakes, tumult
of peoples, intrigues of nations, wavering of leaders, confusion of princes,
[4] then you will know that it was of these that the Most High
spoke from the days that were of old, from the beginning.
[5] For just as with everything that has occurred in the world,
the beginning is evident, and the end manifest;
[6] so also are the times of the Most High: the beginnings are
manifest in wonders and mighty works, and the end in requital and in signs.
[7] And it shall be that every one who will be saved and will
be able to escape on account of his works, or on account of the faith by
which he has believed,
[8] will survive the dangers that have been predicted, and will
see my salvation in my land and within my borders, which I have sanctified
for myself from the beginning.
[9] Then those who have now abused my ways shall be amazed,
and those who have rejected them with contempt shall dwell in torments.
[10] For as many as did not acknowledge me in their lifetime,
although they received my benefits,
[11] and as many as scorned my law while they still had freedom,
and did not understand but despised it while an opportunity of repentance
was still open to them,
[12] these must in torment acknowledge it after death.
[13] Therefore, do not continue to be curious as to how the
ungodly will be punished; but inquire how the righteous will be saved,
those to whom the age belongs and for whose sake the age was made."
[14] I answered and said,
[15] "I said before, and I say now, and will say it again: there
are more who perish than those who will be saved,
[16] as a wave is greater than a drop of water."
[17] He answered me and said, "As is the field, so is the seed;
and as are the flowers, so are the colors; and as is the work, so is the
product; and as is the farmer, so is the threshing floor.
[18] For there was a time in this age when I was preparing for
those who now exist, before the world was made for them to dwell in, and
no one opposed me then, for no one existed;
[19] but now those who have been created in this world which
is supplied both with an unfailing table and an inexhaustible pasture,
have become corrupt in their ways.
[20] So I considered my world, and behold, it was lost, and
my earth, and behold, it was in peril because of the devices of those who
had come into it.
[21] And I saw and spared some with great difficulty, and saved
for myself one grape out of a cluster, and one plant out of a great forest.
[22] So let the multitude perish which has been born in vain,
but let my grape and my plant be saved, because with much labor I have
perfected them.
[23] But if you will let seven days more pass -- do not fast
during them, however;
[24] but go into a field of flowers where no house has been
built, and eat only of the flowers of the field, and taste no meat and
drink no wine, but eat only flowers,
[25] and pray to the Most High continually -- then I will come
and talk with you."
[26] So I went, as he directed me, into the field which is called
Ardat; and there I sat among the flowers and ate of the plants of the field,
and the nourishment they afforded satisfied me.
[27] And after seven days, as I lay on the grass, my heart was
troubled again as it was before.
[28] And my mouth was opened, and I began to speak before the
Most High, and said,
[29] "O Lord, thou didst show thyself among us, to our fathers
in the wilderness when they came out from Egypt and when they came into
the untrodden and unfruitful wilderness;
[30] and thou didst say, `Hear me, O Israel, and give heed to
my words, O descendants of Jacob.
[31] For behold, I sow my law in you, and it shall bring forth
fruit in you and you shall be glorified through it for ever.'
[32] But though our fathers received the law, they did not keep
it, and did not observe the statutes; yet the fruit of the law did not
perish -- for it could not, because it was thine.
[33] Yet those who received it perished, because they did not
keep what had been sown in them.
[34] And behold, it is the rule that, when the ground has received
seed, or the sea a ship, or any dish food or drink, and when it happens
that what was sown or what was launched or what was put in is destroyed,
[35] they are destroyed, but the things that held them remain;
yet with us it has not been so.
[36] For we who have received the law and sinned will perish,
as well as our heart which received it;
[37] the law, however, does not perish but remains in its glory."
[38] When I said these things in my heart, I lifted up my eyes
and saw a woman on my right, and behold, she was mourning and weeping with
a loud voice, and was deeply grieved at heart, and her clothes were rent,
and there were ashes on her head.
[39] Then I dismissed the thoughts with which I had been engaged,
and turned to her
[40] and said to her, "Why are you weeping, and why are you
grieved at heart?"
[41] And she said to me, "Let me alone, my lord, that I may
weep for myself and continue to mourn, for I am greatly embittered in spirit
and deeply afflicted."
[42] And I said to her, "What has happened to you? Tell me."
[43] And she said to me, "Your servant was barren and had no
child, though I lived with my husband thirty years.
[44] And every hour and every day during those thirty years
I besought the Most High, night and day.
[45] And after thirty years God heard your handmaid, and looked
upon my low estate, and considered my distress, and gave me a son. And
I rejoiced greatly over him, I and my husband and all my neighbors; and
we gave great glory to the Mighty One.
[46] And I brought him up with much care.
[47] So when he grew up and I came to take a wife for him, I
set a day for the marriage feast.
[1] "But it happened that when my son entered his wedding chamber,
he fell down and died.
[2] Then we all put out the lamps, and all my neighbors attempted
to console me; and I remained quiet until evening of the second day.
[3] But when they all had stopped consoling me, that I might
be quiet, I got up in the night and fled, and came to this field, as you
see.
[4] And now I intend not to return to the city, but to stay
here, and I will neither eat nor drink, but without ceasing mourn and fast
until I die."
[5] Then I broke off the reflections with which I was still
engaged, and answered her in anger and said,
[6] "You most foolish of women, do you not see our mourning,
and what has happened to us?
[7] For Zion, the mother of us all, is in deep grief and great
affliction.
[8] It is most appropriate to mourn now, because we are all
mourning, and to be sorrowful, because we are all sorrowing; you are sorrowing
for one son, but we, the whole world, for our mother.
[9] Now ask the earth, and she will tell you that it is she
who ought to mourn over so many who have come into being upon her.
[10] And from the beginning all have been born of her, and others
will come; and behold, almost all go to perdition, and a multitude of them
are destined for destruction.
[11] Who then ought to mourn the more, she who lost so great
a multitude, or you who are grieving for one?
[12] But if you say to me, `My lamentation is not like the earth's,
for I have lost the fruit of my womb, which I brought forth in pain and
bore in sorrow;
[13] but it is with the earth according to the way of the earth
-- the multitude that is now in it goes as it came';
[14] then I say to you, `As you brought forth in sorrow, so
the earth also has from the beginning given her fruit, that is, man, to
him who made her.'
[15] Now, therefore, keep your sorrow to yourself, and bear
bravely the troubles that have come upon you.
[16] For if you acknowledge the decree of God to be just, you
will receive your son back in due time, and will be praised among women.
[17] Therefore go into the city to your husband."
[18] She said to me, "I will not do so; I will not go into the
city, but I will die here."
[19] So I spoke again to her, and said,
[20] "Do not say that, but let yourself be persuaded because
of the troubles of Zion, and be consoled because of the sorrow of Jerusalem.
[21] For you see that our sanctuary has been laid waste, our
altar thrown down, our temple destroyed;
[22] our harp has been laid low, our song has been silenced,
and our rejoicing has been ended; the light of our lampstand has been put
out, the ark of our covenant has been plundered, our holy things have been
polluted, and the name by which we are called has been profaned; our free
men have suffered abuse, our priests have been burned to death, our Levites
have gone into captivity, our virgins have been defiled, and our wives
have been ravished; our righteous men have been carried off, our little
ones have been cast out, our young men have been enslaved and our strong
men made powerless.
[23] And, what is more than all, the seal of Zion -- for she
has now lost the seal of her glory, and has been given over into the hands
of those that hate us.
[24] Therefore shake off your great sadness and lay aside your
many sorrows, so that the Mighty One may be merciful to you again, and
the Most High may give you rest, a relief from your troubles."
[25] While I was talking to her, behold, her face suddenly shone
exceedingly, and her countenance flashed like lightning, so that I was
too frightened to approach her, and my heart was terrified. While I was
wondering what this meant,
[26] behold, she suddenly uttered a loud and fearful cry, so
that the earth shook at the sound.
[27] And I looked, and behold, the woman was no longer visible
to me, but there was an established city, and a place of huge foundations
showed itself. Then I was afraid, and cried with a loud voice and said,
[28] "Where is the angel Uriel, who came to me at first? For
it was he who brought me into this overpowering bewilderment; my end has
become corruption, and my prayer a reproach."
[29] As I was speaking these words, behold, the angel who had
come to me at first came to me, and he looked upon me;
[30] and behold, I lay there like a corpse and I was deprived
of my understanding. Then he grasped my right hand and strengthened me
and set me on my feet, and said to me,
[31] "What is the matter with you? And why are you troubled?
And why are your understanding and the thoughts of your mind troubled?"
[32] I said, "Because you have forsaken me! I did as you directed,
and went out into the field, and behold, I saw, and still see, what I am
unable to explain."
[33] He said to me, "Stand up like a man, and I will instruct
you."
[34] I said, "Speak, my lord; only do not forsake me, lest I
die before my time.
[35] For I have seen what I did not know, and I have heard what
I do not understand.
[36] Or is my mind deceived, and my soul dreaming?
[37] Now therefore I entreat you to give your servant an explanation
of this bewildering vision."
[38] He answered me and said, "Listen to me and I will inform
you, and tell you about the things which you fear, for the Most High has
revealed many secrets to you.
[39] For he has seen your righteous conduct, that you have sorrowed
continually for your people, and mourned greatly over Zion.
[40] This therefore is the meaning of the vision.
[41] The woman who appeared to you a little while ago, whom
you saw mourning and began to console --
[42] but you do not now see the form of a woman, but an established
city has appeared to you --
[43] and as for her telling you about the misfortune of her
son, this is the interpretation:
[44] This woman whom you saw, whom you now behold as an established
city, is Zion.
[45] And as for her telling you that she was barren for thirty
years, it is because there were three thousand years in the world before
any offering was offered in it.
[46] And after three thousand years Solomon built the city,
and offered offerings; then it was that the barren woman bore a son.
[47] And as for her telling you that she brought him up with
much care, that was the period of residence in Jerusalem.
[48] And as for her saying to you , `When my son entered his
wedding chamber he died,' and that misfortune had overtaken her, that was
the destruction which befell Jerusalem.
[49] And behold, you saw her likeness, how she mourned for her
son, and you began to console her for what had happened.
[50] For now the Most High, seeing that you are sincerely grieved
and profoundly distressed for her, has shown you the brilliance of her
glory, and the loveliness of her beauty.
[51] Therefore I told you to remain in the field where no house
had been built,
[52] for I knew that the Most High would reveal these things
to you.
[53] Therefore I told you to go into the field where there was
no foundation of any building,
[54] for no work of man's building could endure in a place where
the city of the Most High was to be revealed.
[55] "Therefore do not be afraid, and do not let your heart
be terrified; but go in and see the splendor and vastness of the building,
as far as it is possible for your eyes to see it,
[56] and afterward you will hear as much as your ears can hear.
[57] For you are more blessed than many, and you have been called
before the Most High, as but few have been.
[58] But tomorrow night you shall remain here,
[59] and the Most High will show you in those dream visions
what the Most High will do to those who dwell on earth in the last days."
So I slept that night and the following one, as he had commanded me.
