Yechezkel: The Prophet Who Breathed Life into Exile

A Voice in Babylonia, a Vision for All Time

Yechezkel ben Buzi HaKohen was a prophet who lived during the final years of the First Temple and continued to prophesy after its destruction. His yahrzeit (anniversary of death) is observed on the 15th of the Jewish month of Adar. According to dates recorded in the Book of Yechezkel, he prophesied for 22 years, beginning in the fifth year of the exile of Yehoyachin and continuing until the 27th year, sixteen years after the destruction of the Temple in 586 BCE.

Yechezkel was among those exiled during the Babylonian deportation known as the “Exile of the Charash and the Masger” (the artisans and smiths). He lived near the Chebar River in Babylonia, where he delivered his prophecies to both the people in exile and the residents of Yerushalayim. God commanded him to send written prophecies to those still in Yerushalayim, urging them to repent. According to tradition, Yechezkel is buried in Al-Kifl, Iraq.

His book contains some of the most powerful and mystical visions in Tanach, including the Ma’aseh Merkavah (Vision of the Divine Chariot), his detailed prophecy of the Third Temple, and the prophecy of the "dry bones," a profound metaphor for national resurrection.

The Valley of Dry Bones: Hope from the Depths

In Yechezkel’s arguably most famous prophecy, he is taken by the spirit of God into a valley full of dry human bones. God asks him, “Ben adam, ha-techyena ha’atzamot ha’eileh?”—“Son of man, can these bones live?” Yechezkel replies, “Hashem Elokim, Atah yadatta”—“Lord God, only You know.” God tells Yechezkel to tell the dry bones, “Hinei Ani meivi bachem ruach, vechiyitem...”—"I will cause breath to enter you and you shall live again" (Yechezkel 37).

As Yechezkel speaks, the bones rattle and reconnect—sinews and flesh grow upon them—but they remain lifeless until a second command calls upon the winds:
“Me’arba ruchot bo’i ha-ruach, u’fichi ba’harugim ha’eileh, vayichyu" —"Come, O breath, from the four winds, and breathe into these slain, that they may live again."

The bones rise, now alive—“Chayil gadol me’od me’od”—"a mighty and vast army." God then reveals:
“Ha’atzamot ha’eileh kol Beit Yisrael hemah.” The people believe all hope is lost, but God promises to open their graves and return them to the Land of Yisrael.

According to the Talmud (Sanhedrin 92b), these resurrected figures sang praises to God before dying once more. Other opinions say they returned to life fully, marrying, having children, and even leaving descendants. Rabbi Yehudah ben Beteira famously said: “Ani m’bnei b’neihem, ve’elu tefillin shehiniach li avi mehem"-—"I am a descendant of their sons, and these are the tefillin that my father’s father left me from them."

From Rebuke to Redemption

Before the destruction, Yechezkel rebuked the exiled Jews for their sins, warning that the Temple would not protect them without repentance. Like Yirmiyahu, his fellow prophet in the Land of Israel, he decried false prophets who gave false hope and warned against relying on political alliances.

After the destruction, his tone shifted toward nechamah (comfort): promises of rebuilding, return, and spiritual renewal. One of the most famous verses from his prophecies appears in the text of the Haggadah that we recite at the Seder each year:
“Va’e’evor alayich, va’erech mitboseses bedamayich... va’omar lach bedamayich chayi"—"When I passed by you and saw you wallowing in your blood...I said to you: 'Live despite your blood'” (Yechezkel 16:6).

Yechezkel also described the spiritual rebirth of the Jewish people.

Gog U’Magog and the End of Exile

In Chapters 38–39, the prophet describes the final apocalyptic war of Gog u’Magog. This war serves two purposes: for the nations to recognize God's greatness and for the Jewish people to understand that God has always been their God. God promises that following this war, exile and hester panim (Divine concealment) will end forever. 

Yechezkel was more than a prophet. He was a bridge between exile and redemption. Through his visions of dry bones coming to life and his bold calls for repentance and hope, he gave the Jewish people something more powerful than prophecy: the belief that renewal is always possible. In every generation, his words continue to echo.