Ezekiel 37:15-28 

The verses of this haftarah are an independent unit of divine revelation that continues the theme of national restoration that was expressed dramatically in the vision of the resurrected dry bones in Ezekiel 37:1-14.

Ezekiel 37:15-28 focus on the promised reunification of the northern and the southern tribes, the renewal of the Davidic royal lineage, and the re-establishment of the covenant between God and the people Israel. Ezekiel 37 as a whole progresses from physical revival and national ingathering (Ezekiel 37:1-14) to political unification and spiritual restoration (Ezekiel 37:5-28). 

 The haftarah itself is composed of two parts. In the first, the prophet performs a symbolic act that anticipates the unification of the tribes of Judah and Israel in the homeland, followed by an explanation of its significance (Ezekiel 37:15-23). The second part develops the themes of this explanation (Ezekiel 37:24-28). The prophecy was delivered in the Babylonian exile, sometime after the destruction of the Temple in 587-586 ʙ.ᴄ.ᴇ.  

The central concern of the first part is national unification and the ascension of one king over all. It is built on the structure of act, inquiry, and explanation. The second part further develops the theme of monarchy (adding such terms as “shepherd” and “prince”) and national purification.

It focuses on settlement in the Land, and the new sanctuary. The elements of ingathering, monarchy, repurification, and Temple building constitute the main configuration of messianic hope for ancient Israel and for subsequent Jewish Generations. 

The themes of the haftarah are underscored by recurrent terminology. In a striking manner, they reflect the concerns and hopes of the nation. The first of these is “unity,” expressed through variations of the word eḥad (one).

Another recurrent theme is “permanence,” expressed as a permanent change from the past and as a vision of a permanent future. The idioms used are lo od (never again, Ezekiel 37:22-23) and l’olam (forever, Ezekiel 37:25-26, Ezekiel 37:28).  

Through these repeated terms and ideas, the haftarah achieves an intensity of focus and emphasis. Indeed, through them the dispersed nation is given hope in a new future, unsullied by the defilements of sin, and restored to their land and God, one people forever. This is the new covenant of peace prophesied to the people. It is an unconditional promise. 

Relation to the Haftarah to the Parashah

What the TorahRefers to the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh, also called the Five Books of Moses, Pentateuch or the Hebrew equivalent, Humash. This is also called the Written Torah. The term may also refer to teachings that expound on Jewish tradition. portrays as a family event, the prophet Ezekiel projects as a national hope: the reconciliation and reunification of all the people Israel. In the parashah, Judah assumes a leadership role among his brothers and negotiates with Joseph for the redemption of his brethren (Genesis 44:18-34).

This leads to the restoration of family unity and the collective ingathering of Jacob’s offspring in Egypt during the time of drought. In the haftarah, God prophesies the unification of the northern and the southern tribes, symbolized respectively by Judah and Joseph, along with their national ingathering to the ancestral homeland.

In the Torah, the initiation of reconciliation starts on the human plane and requires bilateral human understanding for its fulfillment. In Ezekiel 37:15-28, the initiation of redemption belongs to God alone, as does its consummation: a divine grace transforming human hopelessness.

Joined together, the Torah episode of reconciled brothers is a portent of the redeemed and reunited nation prophesied in the haftarah. Put in the manner of the classic rabbinic epigram, “the acts of the fathers are a sign for the children.”