The book of Ezekiel gives us some potent imagery. And Jewish tradition, ever eager to fill in the gaps, expands on the story. Let's dive into a fascinating, if somewhat gruesome, tale of resurrection, faith, and consequence.
We all know the story of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah – the three who defied Nebuchadnezzar and emerged unscathed from the fiery furnace. But what happened after that miracle? According to Ginzberg's retelling in Legends of the Jews, it wasn't all celebrations and back-patting. In fact, the story takes a rather dark turn.
Nebuchadnezzar, seemingly impressed but also enraged, confronts the Jews who did bow down to his idol. He accuses them of trying to corrupt his land with their wickedness, pointing out that they worshipped a powerless idol despite their God's proven ability to save. And then, he orders the execution of sixty thousand of them. Sixty thousand! It's a staggering number, a brutal demonstration of power.
Twenty years later, Ezekiel has a vision. God commands him to go to the Valley of Dura, the very place where Nebuchadnezzar erected his idol and massacred so many Jews. Here, God shows Ezekiel a valley filled with dry bones and asks a profound question: "Can I revive these bones?"
Now, Ezekiel's response is… interesting. He doesn't outright say "yes," full of faith and confidence. Instead, he hedges, giving an evasive answer. As we find in Legends of the Jews, this lack of complete faith comes at a price. As punishment, Ezekiel is destined to die in Babylon, denied burial in the sacred soil of Palestine. Ouch.
But back to the bones. God, despite Ezekiel's hesitation, proceeds. He sends dew from heaven, and miraculously, "sinews were upon them, and flesh came up, and skin covered them above" (Ezekiel 37:8). The bodies are reforming, but they're still lifeless.
Then comes the truly awe-inspiring part. God sends winds to the four corners of the earth, winds that unlock the "treasure houses of souls," bringing each soul back to its corresponding body. Imagine that – the cosmic retrieval of individual essences, the perfect fit of spirit and form.
And they all come back to life... almost.
There's one exception. One man remains lifeless. God explains to Ezekiel that this man is a usurer, someone who profited from lending money at exorbitant interest rates. He is deemed unworthy of resurrection. This detail, found in Legends of the Jews, highlights the importance of ethical behavior and the consequences of greed, even beyond the grave.
But that's not all! The people revived by Ezekiel included other specific groups, each with a story. There were the Ephraimites who tried to escape Egypt prematurely, before Moses led the Exodus. There were Jews who defiled the Temple with pagan practices and those who denied the resurrection itself! Talk about a mixed bag.
And then there were the beautiful youths. Ginzberg tells us that these were Jewish boys, captives in Babylonia, whose beauty was so striking that it drove Babylonian women to distraction. Driven by lust, the Babylonian women convinced their husbands to massacre the young men. Even in death, their beauty haunted them. God resurrected these youths as well.
So, what do we take away from this vivid, sometimes disturbing, story? It's a reminder of the power of faith, the consequences of idolatry and unethical behavior, and the enduring hope of resurrection. The image of the Valley of Dura, filled with dry bones brought back to life, speaks to the possibility of renewal, even in the face of unimaginable loss. But it also reminds us that our actions have consequences, not just in this life, but perhaps, according to the legend, in the next as well.