Introduction
We continue with Yechezkel's vision of the Chariot, revealed to him by the Kevar River in the land of the Chaldeans. The entire vision comes to show the prophet the order of divine providence: the four kingdoms destined to arise, and the burning of the House of our God. In the section before us, we will study the continued description of the Chayyot (living creatures), the appearance of the Ofannim (wheels), the connection between the Chayyot and the Ofannim, and the firmament spread out over the heads of the Chayyot - all based on the commentary of the Malbim, along with the insights of Rashi, Radak, and Chazal.
The Spirit of the Creator in the Chayyot and the Spirit of the Chayyah in the Ofannim
וְאִישׁ אֶל עֵבֶר פָּנָיו יֵלֵכוּ, אֶל אֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה שָּׁמָּה הָרוּחַ לָלֶכֶת יֵלֵכוּ, לֹא יִסַּבּוּ בְּלֶכְתָּן. - And each one went straight forward; wherever the spirit was to go, they went; they did not turn as they went.
"And each one went straight forward" - do not think that the Chayyot move according to their own independent choice. Therefore, the verse continues: "wherever the spirit was to go, they went." There is a supreme spirit flowing into them. Just as the spirit of the Chayyah is in the Ofannim, so too the spirit of the Creator is in the Chayyot. The Creator is the aspect of spirit within the Chayyot, and the Chayyot are the aspect of spirit within the Ofannim.
We have already noted this principle several times, based on the teachings of Rav Dessler and elsewhere: in spirituality, everything exists within within within. This can be compared to a Russian nesting doll - you open a large doll and find a smaller doll inside, and inside that another doll, and another, until from a forty-centimeter doll you arrive at one the size of a fingertip. So it is in the spiritual realms: take the innermost doll, we might call it "physical", yet relative to the doll surrounding it, it is considered soul and spirit; and the one surrounding it, which is like a body relative to what is inside, is considered a spirit relative to the one outside of it. That is, at every single level, what you previously regarded as a high spiritual entity is revealed to be coarse relative to that which is above it, which is the spirit that animates it.
Therefore: the spirit of the Creator is in the Chayyot, and the spirit of the Chayyot is in the Ofannim. The Chayyot are in the world of Yetzirah, and wherever the supreme Spirit wills them to go, so they go. It is always an influence from above to below - from higher to lower.
"They Did Not Turn as They Went" - The Faces and the Wings
Seemingly, it was already stated earlier, "they did not turn as they went"; why then does the text repeat this? The Malbim explains: earlier, the verse was referring to the wings. An ordinary bird must adjust and pivot its wings in the direction it wishes to fly, whereas the Chayyot do not need to turn, for they have wings in every direction and can fly to any side without turning. Here, by contrast, the verse is referring to their faces: "they did not turn as they went" upon the earth, at the time when the Chayyot set the Ofannim - which represent the world of Asiyah - into motion. They move them according to the order of the system, according to the spirit of their Creator, according to the divine will within them, in whatever direction is required, and they never turn back from the supreme Will. Their faces are directed and prepared toward every side, performing their Maker's will with dread and awe.
We also learn from here that when they fly with their wings, they elevate the entire order above natural reality. This is the difference explained earlier between the legs and the wings. The legs represent movement according to natural order; they tread upon the realm of the Ofannim and spheres, the world of Asiyah, the lower world - providence operating through the laws of nature. The wings symbolize flight, soaring to the higher spiritual reality - the providential guidance that operates above nature. "They did not turn as they went" means that their wings are poised for the miraculous and wondrous deeds commanded of them by the Holy One, blessed be He, without the slightest hesitation: the moment the Holy One, blessed be He, issues His command, the Chayyot instantly carry it out.
The Deeper Meaning: The Guardian Angels of the Kingdoms
What is the underlying meaning? The Malbim explains: the ministering angels of the kingdoms. After all, the core purpose of the vision shown to the prophet was to reveal the four future kingdoms, as well as the burning of the House of our God. Each kingdom has a designated face with which to go forth and traverse the earth, in every direction of the world, in accordance with the supreme Will. Each kingdom governs according to the spirit of the supreme Will embedded within it.
Do not mistakenly think, "Babylon did this to us," or "Rome did this to us" - it was not they who did it to us. "Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger" (Yeshayahu 10:5) - it is the rod of the Holy One, blessed be He's wrath. Upon each of these Chayos rests the spirit of Hashem that activates and directs them. "They did not turn as they went" - whether in times of peace or during their flight in times of war, when they shake kingdoms and overturn the orders of rule. Everything is from Hashem, according to the providence that the Holy One, blessed be He, channels through them. And this matter is concealed, for "The heart of kings is in the hand of Hashem" (Mishlei 21:1); the Holy One, blessed be He, directs their actions toward the purpose He designates, and they act in accordance with the spiritual guidance, according to the will of the Creator, blessed be He.
The Appearance of the Chayos as Coals of Fire
וּדְמוּת הַחַיּוֹת מַרְאֵיהֶם כְּגַחֲלֵי אֵשׁ בֹּעֲרוֹת כְּמַרְאֵה הַלַּפִּדִים, הִיא מִתְהַלֶּכֶת בֵּין הַחַיּוֹת, וְנֹגַהּ לָאֵשׁ וּמִן הָאֵשׁ יוֹצֵא בָרָק. - And as for the likeness of the Chayos, their appearance was like coals of burning fire, like the appearance of torches; it moved among the Chayos, and the fire had a brilliance, and from the fire went forth lightning.
The Radak explains that the "likeness" mentioned here refers to the appearance of their eyes, as their bodies have already been described above. The Malbim explains differently: when speaking of the Chayos, which are spiritual entities, it is not applicable to speak of a physical form at all. Thus, "the likeness of the Chayos" refers to the actions of the Chayos - what emerges and is effected through their existence.
And the prophet sees their action like burning coals of fire. Remember: this vision comes to express the burning of the Beis HaMikdash. Therefore, he sees the likeness of the Chayos as coals of fire, for their action now is to burn the Beis HaMikdash and the royal palace. This is the nature of their activity at this time. "Like the appearance of torches" - torches would accompany those going out to battle, and since there is a spirit of war coming upon Jerusalem here, he also saw the appearance of torches.
And lest you think this is their very essence and that they themselves are fire, Scripture emphasizes, "it moved among the Chayos." The fire is not the Chayos themselves, but rather fire moving among them, as in "take fire from between the wheels" (Yechezkel 10:2). The fire is attributed to them according to their action, and is not a description of their form or essence.
The Brilliance and the Lightning
"And the fire had a brilliance" - nogah, as we have already explained, is neither the body of the fire nor the core of the light, but the halo around it, that which shines around without burning. This comes to hint to the prophet: although you see fire here, and fire expresses destruction and burning, know that everything is from Hashem's lovingkindness. The Holy One, blessed be He, poured out His wrath upon wood and stone, and "Hashem will not cast off His people, nor will He forsake His inheritance" (Tehillim 94:14). The nogah around it is an aspect of light that illuminates without burning - an expression of Hashem's chessed.
"And from the fire went forth lightning" - the lightning is to burn and consume those who brought the fire. Those nations who came to burn the Beis HaMikdash, alluded to by the fire coming out from between the Chayos, will ultimately receive a lightning bolt that will consume and burn them. As Chazal say: The Holy One, blessed be He, sought to destroy His House, but sought to wipe His hands on that man - Hashem destroys His House, but, as it were, wipes His hands on the one who destroyed the House, meaning He exacts retribution from him. This is the lightning that goes forth to burn the nations that went to destroy the House of Hashem.
And so Chazal state: The Holy One, blessed be He, makes His angels - sometimes He makes them fire, sometimes torches, sometimes lightning. The likeness of the angels changes in each situation according to their mission: at times lightning to destroy the enemies, and at times an aspect of fire to burn the Beis HaMikdash, and so forth.
Running and Returning Like the Appearance of Lightning
וְהַחַיּוֹת רָצוֹא וָשׁוֹב כְּמַרְאֵה הַבָּזָק. - And the Chayos ran and returned, like the appearance of a flash of lightning.
Rashi cites the explanation of our Sages: like the flames of a furnace, which burst forth from the opening of the furnace and quickly dart back inside. Anyone who has seen fire knows that it seems to flicker down and flare up, flicker down and flare up - this is "running and returning" (ratzo va-shov). So, too, as it were, the Chayos extend their heads from beneath the expanse spread above them, recoil before the Shechinah, withdraw their heads back beneath the expanse, and recoil once again.
Radak quotes the words of Chazal: What is "running and returning"? Like light emerging from the mouth of a furnace, as Rashi explained. And what is "like the appearance of a bazak (flash)"? Rabbi Yose ben Rabbi Chanina said: Like the light emerging from between pottery shards. And what is the connection between bazak and pottery shards? Regarding Shaul, when he went out to war, while he was still poor, scripture states, "And he counted them in Bezek" (Vayifkedem be-Vezek), meaning pottery shards (and when he grew wealthy, scripture states that he counted Israel with sheep). Here too, "like the appearance of a bazak" - like the light gleaming from between shards.
Rabbi Yehudah says in the name of Rabbi Simon bar Pazi: Like one who scatters (bozek) olive-press residue into a stove. "Bozek" means scattering, as in sprinkling salt. When someone scatters gefet, which is pressed olive residue, into a stove - and since the gefet is saturated with oil, it quickly ignites and sends up a flame, and the flame rises and falls. This is "running and returning." And lightning (barak) means something that runs swiftly and vanishes swiftly, almost impossible to grasp.
The Malbim explains: The prophet sees that the Chayos perform their task with such swiftness that it is difficult even to perceive their movement, and they return from their mission "like the appearance of a flash," like the fire of a furnace that is visible one moment and vanishes the next. And what did Heaven intend to show him through this? After showing him from Heaven that the Holy One, blessed be He, intends to burn and destroy His House - which is represented by the "coals of fire" among the Chayos - they immediately showed him that this action would not endure. The affliction would not be permanent; rather, one moment the fire appears and the next moment it disappears, like the appearance of lightning that flashes for an instant and is gone.
Michael in One and Gavriel in Two
Chazal state: Michael in one, Gavriel in two. The straightforward meaning is that Michael performs his mission in a single flight, whereas Gavriel flies twice to reach his destination. But what is the inner meaning? The Malbim explains: Michael is the angel of Chesed (lovingkindness), and therefore "in one" - he goes and performs a single act of kindness, and that is all. Gavriel is related to Gevurah, the attribute of strict justice (Din), and therefore his action is in two: he acts to bring judgment, but judgment does not remain forever. "Shall the sword devour forever?" and "He will not contend forever, nor will He keep His anger for eternity" - the action consists of judgment and retreat, in the manner of "running and returning." Therefore Gavriel, who represents Din, acts in two: once he carries out his mission, and a second time he retracts. But Michael, who represents Chesed, performs his act once and it endures, and he does not turn back.
The Ophanim - The World of Asiyah
וָאֵרֶא הַחַיּוֹת וְהִנֵּה אוֹפַן אֶחָד בָּאָרֶץ אֵצֶל הַחַיּוֹת לְאַרְבַּעַת פָּנָיו. - And as I looked at the living creatures, behold, there was one wheel upon the earth beside the living creatures, for each of its four faces.
Chazal state that this refers to a specific angel who stands upon the earth and whose head reaches among the Chayos, but it is not our practice to mention the names of angels. We will follow the approach of the Malbim.
After seeing the Chayos, which direct the Chariot, the prophet proceeds to describe the Ophanim (wheels). As we have described: there is the realm of the Chariot, upon which rests the Throne - this is the World of Beriah, the Throne of the Holy One, blessed be He. Beneath it is the World of Yetzirah, the realm of the Chayos that bear and pull the Chariot. And beneath them is the realm of the celestial spheres (galgalim), which in the metaphor are the wheels of the Chariot through whose power the Chariot moves. The spiritual influences descend from the World of the Throne to the Chayos, and from the Chayos to the Ophanim.
The wheels of the Chariot are the wheels drawn by the Chayos, and they represent the reality of the World of Asiyah. We discussed earlier that the ophanim and galgalim are expressions for the celestial bodies. The ancients called the heavenly bodies "spheres" (galgalim) because they revolve like a wheel. They receive the flow of divine bounty from the Chayos, which represent the World of Yetzirah, which in turn receives its bounty from the World of Beriah, the realm of the Throne.
The prophet sees that each Chayah has one wheel "for its four faces." Although we saw that each Chayah has four faces, one should not think that it had four wheels - each Chayah has only a single wheel, and the four Chayos have four wheels in total, which they propel corresponding to the number four.
Why Everything Is Divided into Four
What does the number four signify? The Malbim explains that the ancients divided the celestial sphere into four quadrants encompassing all its parts. The zodiac is divided into four sections, with three constellations in each section. The year is divided into four seasons (tekufot). The moon has four monthly phases. The day is divided into four periods of transition. And in the world, there are four cardinal directions. According to the inner dimension of things, as explained previously, because everything draws its vitality from the Four-Letter Name of Hashem, everything is divided into four. Since there are ten Sefirot, in a more detailed breakdown it also branches out into ten, but fundamentally the primary division is into four, from which the four elements and everything else emerge, as everything originates from the Name Havayah. Here, where we are dealing with the lower influences - the Ofanim and the celestial spheres, that which rolls down and descends to us into this world - the division is likewise into four Ofanim.
He was also shown something else in the four Chayot: the four kingdoms, as alluded to earlier - Babylon, Media and Persia, Greece, and Rome. Each of them moves a celestial body that governs and exerts influence over that nation. Each Chayah moves an Ofan, and the Ofan represents the flow of divine influence (shefa) that descends and is channeled below. Thus, each nation draws vitality from one Chayah, and how so? Through that sphere, which corresponds to the celestial systems found down here.
The Malbim adds: Although modern astronomers have firmly established that no physical sphere exists in reality - for the astronomical conception of the ancients, Ptolemy and his school, is fundamentally different from later science, and today we know through telescopes, direct observation, and radio waves detected from stars we cannot see at all, that there is no solid sphere above - nevertheless, the revolution itself is circular, which corresponds to the word ofan, denoting circular rotation. He describes the space beyond the atmosphere, which he refers to as "aether," in which the planets complete their circuits along a fixed path, following their orbits and never departing from them. Even if there is no physical wheel, the pattern of a wheel's rotation remains.
The Appearance of the Ofanim Was Like Tarshish
מַרְאֵה הָאוֹפַנִּים וּמַעֲשֵׂיהֶם כְּעֵין תַּרְשִׁישׁ, וּדְמוּת אֶחָד לְאַרְבַּעְתָּן, וּמַרְאֵיהֶם וּמַעֲשֵׂיהֶם כַּאֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה הָאוֹפַן בְּתוֹךְ הָאוֹפָן. - "The appearance of the Ofanim and their workings was like the color of tarshish, and all four had one likeness; their appearance and their workings were as a wheel within a wheel."
Rashi explains that tarshish is a precious gem, cristal in Old French. Radak likewise explains that it is a precious stone from the Choshen (breastplate), whose color resembles techeilet (sky-blue).
The Malbim notes a precision: Regarding the Ofanim, the word "likeness" (demut) is not used at first, whereas regarding the Chayot it is mentioned twice. Why? Because the Chayot are completely incorporeal, and therefore one can speak only of their likeness - what they resemble - and not of their concrete reality. By contrast, the spheres already border on tangible reality, being actual celestial bodies, and the prophet perceives this not merely in visionary metaphor but grasps it as actual reality. Therefore, the language of sight applies to them: "The appearance (mar'eh) of the Ofanim," rather than "the likeness of the Ofanim."
Regarding them, it says that their appearance is like cylinders (gelilim), which corresponds to the verse in Shir HaShirim: "His hands are rods of gold set with tarshish." As the Malbim explains there, the gelilim are the celestial spheres (galgalim), filled with atmospheric air and resembling tarshish. And as Radak explains, tarshish is a stone whose color resembles techeilet. When one looks up toward the realm of the stars, one sees spheres resembling tarshish, whose color is like techeilet. This also accords with the teaching of Chazal that techeilet resembles the sea, and the sea resembles the sky. "The Sea of Tarshish" is well known in traditional sources as the name of a sea, and it is likewise written of Shlomo that he had ships traveling to Tarshish. That sea is blue, the sky is blue, and so too is the crystal gemstone, which is blue as well.
A Wheel within a Wheel
What is meant by "as a wheel within a wheel"? Rashi and the Malbim explain: If we were to visualize this, we would picture a hollow wheel with another wheel inside it, set at right angles - crosswise - to the outer one. One wheel is oriented, for instance, from east to west, while the wheel turning within it is oriented from north to south. This is the concept of a wheel within a wheel.
And what is the underlying concept? A wheel positioned from north to south moves from north to south, and a wheel positioned from east to west moves from east to west. Because the verse intends to convey that the Chayot move in all four directions - as stated, "they did not turn as they went," meaning they did not need to physically turn around, but could move forward, backward, right, or left instantly - this can only be represented by the configuration of a wheel within a wheel set crosswise. In our physical world, of course, it is difficult to visualize how such a mechanism would roll in practice, as rolling in any direction would require a spherical exterior, like a ball. However, one must understand that this is an allegorical description meant to express that their movement encompasses all four directions simultaneously.
The Malbim adds that we find a similar motion among the celestial bodies as well. Let us take the sun as an example, although this holds true for the other planets and stellar systems as well. We see that the sun moves from east to west, and if we face west, we notice that in the winter the sun inclines toward the south; with the transition of the seasons, it moves slowly toward the center, and then inclines more toward the north (never entirely north, but in a northerly direction), and so on cyclically. Thus, in addition to its east-to-west motion, it also possesses a south-to-north movement. This is the expression of the celestial sphere (galgal), which reflects a dual motion: both from east to west and from south to north. Similarly, each celestial body has its own unique Rosh Teli and Zenav Teli (orbital nodes), which are like a wheel set within a wheel.
The Four Quarters
עַל אַרְבַּעַת רִבְעֵיהֶן בְּלֶכְתָּם יֵלֵכוּ, לֹא יִסַּבּוּ בְּלֶכְתָּן. - "Upon their four quarters they went when they moved; they did not turn as they went."
Each day they move from east to west, affecting the four quarters of the day, as explained earlier: astronomers divided the day into four parts, such that every six hours a wind from a different direction and a different dimension of influence is awakened, as it were. And so Chazal stated: Four winds blow each day. Every half year, they move in a circuit from south to north and north to south, as we explained. Thus, every year they complete the circuit, from west to east and from north to south, across all four seasons - cold and heat, summer and winter, as written in the Book of Bereishit. In this manner, each celestial body exerts its influence across these four divisions, and its motion encompasses all four directions.
Their Backs Were Full of Eyes
וְגַבֵּיהֶן וְגֹבַהּ לָהֶם וְיִרְאָה לָהֶם, וְגַבֹּתָם מְלֵאֹת עֵינַיִם סָבִיב לְאַרְבַּעְתָּן. - "As for their rims, they had height and they had awesomeness, and their rims were full of eyes round about the four of them."
Rashi explains: "And their rims (vegabeihen)" - they had a rim, or back. "And they had fear (veyir'ah lahem)" - two interpretations: either that they were terrifying to whoever saw them, filling the viewer with awe and dread; or in its plain sense, that they themselves stood in awe, the Ophanim standing in fear before the majesty of His glory. "And their rims were full of eyes" - in order to see in every direction, for "they did not turn as they went"; they do not turn, and therefore need to look simultaneously in all directions.
Radak explains that "vegabeihen" (and their rims/backs) is an independent, freestanding word, just as he explained earlier regarding the word "ufeneihem" (and their faces): they had backs, period. Then, "and they had height and they had fear" is a separate matter. His precise proof comes from the fact that "vegabeihen" carries a disjunctive cantillation mark (ta'am ma'amid). Furthermore, "gabotam" has the same meaning as "gabeihen", except that one is in the masculine and the other in the feminine; it does not refer to eyebrows, but rather to their backs.
The Malbim explains: The Ophanim have a back. And if the Ophanim represent celestial bodies, the "back" refers to what lies behind them - the stars that stand upon their backs, which are unfathomably numerous and immeasurably distant, resting atop the spheres and orbits of the planets.
"And they had height" - their height is immense and boundless. There are stars whose existence we know of not because we have seen them directly, but only through the light shining from them. Yet that light is not the star's essence, for the light may have begun its journey thousands of light-years ago, and only now is it seen. Although the world has existed for six thousand years, we have already explained that the Holy One, blessed be He, created the stars in a state where their light was already in transit, mid-journey as it were, for He created the world in its full stature and maturity (bitzevyono uvekometo). From this one can appreciate the vast distances involved - "and they had height," loftier than anything one could imagine or conceive.
"And They Had Awesomeness" - Gravitational Attraction
The Malbim notes: This describes the gravitational pull by which smaller celestial bodies are drawn toward larger ones. We know today in astronomy that celestial bodies revolve in circular orbits around a larger body, the reason being that every celestial body possesses mass, and exerts a pull according to its mass and its magnetic-like force. The smaller bodies are drawn to the larger ones by the force of gravity.
Just as we stand upon the Earth, and every child asks his father: How do those on the other side of the Earth not fall off? It is a good question, and the answer everyone understands is that the Earth is magnetic, and this magnet creates the force of gravity, so that whatever you throw into the air immediately falls back down. This magnetism is not uniform everywhere: on the moon, for instance, gravitational pull is only one-sixth of that on Earth. By the way, this may depend on the density of the matter, and there are celestial bodies that are immense, powerful magnets, millions of times stronger than any magnet you know.
This is the expression "they were dreadful" (literally, ve-yirah lahem - "they had fear"): as it were, the smaller stars stand in awe of and are drawn toward the larger ones. This is also the reason for circular revolution. For when an object rotates in a circle, it is governed by centrifugal force, which pulls it outward. Take a stone, place it in a sling, and swing it in a circle - the moment you let go, it flies outward rather than continuing to spin. Through this force, motorcycles can ride on the "wall of death" without falling: the centrifugal force pulls them outward, and they cling to the wall. Here, too, what prevents the celestial bodies from flying outward as they rotate? The magnetism that draws them inward toward the great celestial body at the center. Thus, "they had fear" - each one, as it were, stands in awe of its fellow, drawn and adhering to it, and the smaller one fears to distance itself from the larger one, following in its pull.
The Malbim brings an additional possibility, as Chazal taught us: that they fear the word of Hashem, for the Holy One, blessed be He, set for them an unbreakable decree, that they must constantly revolve around the central point He designated as their axis of motion. According to this, the fear is of Hashem, Who engraved this law, rather than fear of the larger celestial body.
"And their rims were full of eyes" - the rims, as noted, are full of stars. And stars are beyond count, and suns are beyond count: we know that just as we have a solar system, so too are there many other solar systems. Therefore, he calls them "eyes," because they shine like eyes, just as the sun shines like an eye - "the eye of the sun."
Another explanation for "eyes": every star channels influence downward. The stars and constellations, as discussed previously, are conduits of abundance - not an independent source, but channeling what is bestowed upon them from the realm above them. The nations, the idolaters, erred in this and believed that the source of abundance was autonomous, which was a grave mistake and distortion, and therefore they worshipped the stars and constellations. We know that a constellation merely dispenses and pours out the abundance it received from the realm above it, and there is no sense in worshipping it; rather, one must worship the Prime Cause, the Holy One, blessed be He. Thus, "eyes" refers to those star systems through which the Holy One, blessed be He, as it were, watches over what occurs down below and channels abundance through them. And "their rims" refers to what serves as the back or outer frame of the spherical system, the higher sphere where the stars reside, which possesses the quality of eyes - abundance descends and influences through them, and the eyes of Hashem are open to watch over all of reality through His constant providence.
The Connection Between the Chayos and the Ofanim
וּבְלֶכֶת הַחַיּוֹת יֵלְכוּ הָאוֹפַנִּים אֶצְלָם, וּבְהִנָּשֵׂא הַחַיּוֹת מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ יִנָּשְׂאוּ הָאוֹפַנִּים. - "And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up."
After explaining the nature of the chayos on their own, and the matter of the ofanim on their own, the text now comes to explain the connection between them and the influences flowing from one to the other. For who drives the motion of the ofanim? The chayos. In the allegory of the chariot: the beast pulls the chariot, and by that force the wheels roll, and through the wheels the chariot is drawn forward. One must therefore understand the connection and synthesis between the action of the chayos and the rolling of the ofanim.
The Malbim explains that there are three types of governance here. Two of them are natural movements. The first is the natural daily movement, wherein every day they circle from east to west; this is the rapid, daily movement. The second is the movement from south to north, which is an annual journey, and there are celestial bodies whose cycle is even longer. In this journey there are "cessations," meaning that at times they appear to us to be stationary and we do not perceive their movement. The movement from east to west is perceived immediately - you see the sun in its passage. But in the movement from south to north, it sometimes appears as though it stops and pauses in the middle of its course, as Chazal noted: sometimes it comes by a long route, and sometimes by a short route.
And the third is a providential movement. This means that the Holy One, blessed be He, operates these forces outside their natural order, as in the case of "Sun, stand still at Gibeon": Hashem gives a command to the sun, and the sun falls silent and stands still. This is the providential movement, in which the Holy One, blessed be He, alters the celestial order. So too when He "took two stars from the constellation Kimah," or when the Holy One, blessed be He, halts the star systems from the heavens, or "from their courses the stars fought against Sisera" - all those instances in which the Holy One, blessed be He, alters the movements of the stars to achieve a specific outcome that He wills.
In this verse, it speaks of the daily movement, which has no cessation and is constant. Therefore it says, "And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them." We have already explained that "going" denotes a regular, steady course, and we saw that the chayos also have wings, where flight was discussed, which is a providential action - an elevation upward, not by ordinary walking but through the supernal influences. Thus, there is the regular, natural movement, which is "going," and there is the supernatural movement, which is flight, like one who transcends nature and acts beyond the normal path of walking.
"And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them" - this is the natural movement, the course of the stars operating according to the laws of nature, both from east to west and from south to north, and the action of the chayos channels influence in a natural manner. "And when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth" - there is an unnatural path, wherein the governance is spiritual, a governance of flight, providential governance, and then "the wheels were lifted up." And when there is supernatural governance, it is because "the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels," which is like a soul within a body, and the soul elevates the body above its natural laws into supernal spiritual governance. This explains the verse: "and the wheels were lifted up alongside them, for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels" - when the spirit of the living creature is in the wheels, they naturally operate in a supernatural manner by virtue of the living spirit within them.
בְּלֶכְתָּם יֵלֵכוּ וּבְעׇמְדָם יַעֲמֹדוּ, וּבְהִנָּשְׂאָם מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ יִנָּשְׂאוּ הָאוֹפַנִּים לְעֻמָּתָם, כִּי רוּחַ הַחַיָּה בָּאוֹפַנִּים. - When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up alongside them, for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.
Here, the Malbim explains, it refers to the second, intrinsic motion, in which the celestial bodies rotate from south to north. Until now, the discussion was about the daily rotation from east to west; now it addresses the motion through which we observe the difference between the sun's path in the winter, which tilts more toward the south, and its path in the summer, which tilts more toward the north. When they move in their natural order - "when those went, these went." When there is a cessation or delay in their course, as in the concept of "sometimes it comes by a long route and sometimes by a short route" - "and when those stood, these stood." And when the Holy One, Blessed be He, wishes to guide them through supernatural governance - "and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up alongside them." For even in this motion, from south to north, there is a supernatural dimension. And by what power? By the power of the living spirit within the wheels.
The Firmament Above the Heads of the Chayyot
וּדְמוּת עַל רָאשֵׁי הַחַיָּה רָקִיעַ כְּעֵין הַקֶּרַח הַנּוֹרָא, נָטוּי עַל רָאשֵׁיהֶם מִלְמָעְלָה. - And over the heads of the living creature there was the likeness of a firmament, like the color of the awesome ice, stretched out over their heads from above.
Until now, the prophet described the world of the angels and the world of the ofannim (wheels), and the connection and divine flow (shefa) between the chayyot that propel and the ofannim. Now he describes how the chayyot themselves receive the flow from the realm above them. For among the three lower worlds - Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah (BY"A; we do not delve into Atzilut) - Asiyah is the spheres (galgalim), Yetzirah is the domain of the chayyot and the angels, and above it is Beriah, which corresponds to the World of the Throne. The divine flow descends through a chain of transmission (hishtalshelut) from one level of exalted height to another, all the way down to the lowest physical reality.
The Malbim explains: Above the heads of the chayyot there is a firmament (raki'a). A firmament is a partition that separates upper from lower. In our world, the firmament is the altitude to which vapors ascend; everything up to that point belongs to the earth, and from the firmament upward begins the domain of the heavens, where life cannot survive because there is no air or oxygen. This is the meaning of "And God called the firmament Heaven." Just as in our realm the firmament separates us from the upper regions, so in each and every world there is a screen separating the upper from the lower, which serves as the firmament of that world. This screen is termed a "parsa," which is the Aramaic Targum word for a partition (mechitzah).
The parsa is a type of screen, and one exists between each and every world. It stands in the middle between two worlds, and through it the divine flow passes from the higher world to the lower one. The prophet sees the likeness of the firmament above the heads of the chayyot, which acts as a barrier between the realm of the chayyot and the world above them - the World of the Throne, the World of Beriah.
"Like the Color of the Awesome Ice" - The Condensation of the Divine Flow
What is meant by "like the color of the awesome ice"? The Malbim explains: Just as in the lower firmament we see that vapors rise - whether you explain it according to the natural scientists, that vapors rise from below to above, or according to the words of Chazal, that the entire world is nourished and drinks from the upper waters, which are above and bestow down below - there they condense and become rain, and sometimes take the form of ice.
Incidentally, know that there are celestial bodies that are giant masses of ice, and there is a reality of receiving rain from celestial bodies. Just as there are asteroids - pieces of celestial bodies that plummet down here and typically burn up in the atmosphere - it is likewise possible for ice to descend downward and turn into rain. Rabbi Zamir Cohen wrote about this in his book "The Revolution" (HaMahapach), noting that even according to natural science, there is a reality in which the world drinks from the upper waters, in addition to the spiritual understanding found in the words of Chazal.
In this manner, the Malbim explains, the Divine flow descending from the World of the Throne, the World of Beriah, is described. There, it is in an exceedingly spiritual state, and as it descends downward, it becomes, as it were, condensed and materialized. Water is liquid, whereas ice is solid. The divine flow descends from above in a highly spiritual form, and by the time it reaches above the heads of the chayyot, it has already condensed into a form that they can receive and absorb. This is what the prophet describes as ice - something solid, hardened, and tangible. Thus the flow condenses and takes on the quality of ice relative to that world, so that the chayyot can receive it, for they cannot grasp a spiritual light that is beyond their capacity of comprehension.
However, this ice is an "awesome ice," far loftier than the physical ice known to us. The reason is that there is an awe here that freezes the blood, stemming from that exalted realm. When one perceives that higher reality, which is awesome and inspires dread, the blood runs cold in the veins; therefore, it is described as an exceedingly awesome ice. All of this is allegory and metaphor, explains the Malbim, to explain to human ears the congealing of the divine flow: it descends from above as a subtle spiritual flow, and upon arriving below, it becomes, as it were, congealed and takes on a denser form so that it can be received and grasped. And the firmament was stretched out over the heads of the chayyot from above, so that the heads of the chayyot would receive the divine flow through it and bestow it below unto the ofannim.
In summary:
In the chapter before us, we learned that the Chayos do not move of their own accord, but according to the supreme spirit flowing into them; and just as the spirit of the Chayah is in the Ophanim, so the spirit of the Creator is in the Chayos - a chain of influence descending from above to below. "They did not turn as they went" teaches that there is no delay in fulfilling the Creator's will, neither in the natural order nor through miracles and wonders. The allegorical meaning applies to the heavenly ministers of the earthly empires: neither Babylon nor Rome acted against us on their own, but rather "Woe, Assyria, the rod of My anger," and the heart of kings is in the hand of Hashem. The appearance of the Chayos like coals of fire and torches reflects the burning of the Beis HaMikdash, yet the brightness all around expresses Hashem's kindness, which does not consume; and the lightning emerging from the fire represents retribution against the nations that destroyed the Temple. "Running and returning like the appearance of a flash of lightning" teaches that affliction is not permanent, just as Gabriel, representing the attribute of strict justice, acts in two stages - judgment and retraction - while Michael, representing kindness, acts in one and remains. In the Ophanim, we saw the celestial bodies and the patterns of their movement toward the four quarters, a wheel within a wheel, their rims full of eyes like the stars that channel bounty through divine providence, and "they inspired fear" representing the gravitational force established by the Creator as an unbreakable law. Finally, the firmament like the color of awe-inspiring ice is the partition separating realm from realm, in which the supernal flow condenses until the Chayos can receive it and channel it down to the Ophanim. Everything teaches a single fundamental principle: there is nothing in the universe, in heaven or on earth, within nature or beyond nature, that does not move and operate solely by the power of the supreme spirit of the Creator, blessed be He.