יחזקאל, פרק מ״ג, פסוק י״ט

The future dedication of the Temple altar carries both a deeply personal promise to the prophet and a profound historical correction for the priesthood. God outlines the exact procedures for the upcoming Temple service, assigning specific roles to those who remained faithful over the generations.

God speaks directly to Ezekiel, who was himself a priest, instructing him to hand over the dedication offering to the chosen priests. The primary approach among commentators [מצודת דוד, רד״ק, מלבי ם ואברבנאל] views this direct command as a powerful promise of resurrection. God assures Ezekiel that he will return to life to actively participate in the future dedication, personally delivering the offering and throwing its blood. Taking this a step further, [רד״ק] suggests that Ezekiel might even serve as the High Priest or as a deputy to Aaron. This specific involvement serves as proof for certain commentators [רד ק ואברבנאל] that this vision concerns the ultimate Third Temple rather than the Second Temple. Ezekiel died and was buried in Babylon, never returning to the Land of Israel. Furthermore, the procedures for building the altar and offering sacrifices at the beginning of the Second Temple era were entirely different from the events described here.

The vision also clearly defines exactly who will have the privilege to serve in this future Temple. The role is given to priests from the tribe of Levi [רש״י, מצודת דוד וביאור שטיינזלץ], but it is strictly limited to the descendants of Zadok, the very first High Priest to serve in the Temple built by Solomon [רש״י, ביאור שטיינזלץ וצאינה וראינה]. They are chosen exclusively because they remained devoted and loyal to God, refusing to participate in the idol worship that corrupted others [מלבי ם וביאור שטיינזלץ]. Expanding on this, [אברבנאל] explains that in the past, the Israelites rebelled by rejecting the royal House of David and the Zadokite priesthood, replacing them with unworthy priests. In the future, true repentance will bring about the restoration of both the Davidic monarchy and the exclusive priesthood of the loyal Zadokite line.

Finally, Ezekiel is instructed to provide these priests with a young bull for a sin offering. This choice is highly deliberate, serving as an exact parallel to the offering brought by Moses during the seven days of dedication for the Tabernacle in the desert [רד ק ואברבנאל].