Introduction: The Stream Flowing from the Beit HaMikdash
Chapter 47 of Yechezkel opens with a wondrous vision: after all the measurements of the House and the courtyards, the angel leads Yechezkel to the entrance of the House, and there he sees water issuing from beneath the threshold of the House. This water grows increasingly stronger the farther it flows from the Mikdash, until it becomes a stream that cannot be crossed. We will first examine the literal meaning of the verses and the words of Chazal and Radak, and then delve into the Malbim's marvelous explanation of the inner meaning: what this water symbolizes, and why it increases in precisely this manner.
Verse 1: Water Issuing from Beneath the Threshold of the House
וַיְשִׁבֵנִי אֶל־פֶּתַח הַבַּיִת וְהִנֵּה־מַיִם יֹצְאִים מִתַּחַת מִפְתַּן הַבַּיִת קָדִימָה כִּי־פְנֵי הַבַּיִת קָדִים וְהַמַּיִם יֹרְדִים מִתַּחַת מִכֶּתֶף הַבַּיִת הַיְמָנִית מִנֶּגֶב לַמִּזְבֵּחַ׃ - And he brought me back to the door of the House; and behold, water issued out from under the threshold of the House eastward, for the front of the House faced east; and the water came down from beneath, from the right flank of the House, south of the altar.
The angel brings Yechezkel back to the eastern entrance of Ezrat Yisrael. The eastern entrance is the central gateway, opposite which one enters into the Beit HaMikdash, which is why the east is called the "front of the House." There he sees water flowing out from beneath the threshold of the House and extending eastward, emerging, as it were, from the House toward its front. The source of the water extends "from the right flank of the House," meaning from the southern side of the altar. For one entering the House, this would be the left side, but it is termed the right side relative to someone coming from the direction of the Heichal, looking outward, in which case it is on his right.
Radak cites the words of Chazal that this spring originates in the Holy of Holies. Rabbi Pinchas said in the name of Rabbi Huna of Tzippori: The spring that issues from the Holy of Holies - referring to a future spring that will emerge during the era of the Third Temple - initially resembles the antennae of locusts; once it reaches the entrance to the Heichal, it becomes like a warp thread, which is thicker; once it reaches the entrance to the Ulam, it becomes like a woof thread, which is thicker still; once it reaches the entrance to the Azarah, it becomes like the mouth of a small jug. And this is what we learned regarding the "Water Gate," through which they bring the flask for the water libation on the festival; and Rabbi Eliezer says: Water trickles, gurgles, and rises like the mouth of a flask, and in the future it will issue from beneath the threshold of the House.
Verse 2: Leaving Through the North Gate
וַיּוֹצִאֵנִי דֶּרֶךְ־שַׁעַר צָפוֹנָה וַיְסִבֵּנִי דֶּרֶךְ חוּץ אֶל־שַׁעַר הַחוּץ דֶּרֶךְ הַפּוֹנֶה קָדִים וְהִנֵּה־מַיִם מְפַכִּים מִן־הַכָּתֵף הַיְמָנִית׃ - Then he brought me out by the way of the north gate, and led me around by the way outside to the outer gate, by the way facing east; and behold, water was trickling out from the right side.
Why did he lead him out through the north gate rather than through the east? Because, as we have already learned, both eastern gates - of the inner courtyard and of the outer courtyard - were closed. They were opened only for the Nasi, and the outer gate as a whole was a place where "Hashem entered through it," as explained earlier. Therefore, the guide leads him outside through the north, and he circles around on the outside to the eastern side. There he sees the water trickling from the courtyard out onto Har HaBayit from the right flank, that is, from the southern side, and the opening is like the mouth of a flask (pi hapach), which represents a small trickle of water. The word "mefakkim" (trickling) is derived from "pi hapach." Radak also explains "mefakkim" as an expression of emergence, corresponding to Targum Yonatan's translation "venafkin," meaning issuing forth.
Verse 3: Ankle-Deep Water
בְּצֵאת־הָאִישׁ קָדִים וְקָו בְּיָדוֹ וַיָּמָד אֶלֶף בָּאַמָּה וַיַּעֲבִרֵנִי בַמַּיִם מֵי אָפְסָיִם׃ - When the man went forth eastward with a line in his hand, he measured a thousand cubits, and he led me through the water, water that reached the ankles.
"With a line in his hand" - a measuring tool. The angel goes out with him eastward across Har HaBayit and measures a distance of one thousand cubits, which is approximately five hundred meters, and the water is still shallow. "Mei afsayim" (ankle-deep water) - Chazal explained that a person wading through it is submerged up to the ankles. The reason for this name stems from "pas," as in the Rabbinic phrase "pas yado" (palm of the hand) and "pas raglo" (sole of the foot), so "mei afsayim" refers to water reaching the height of the ankles. It is also possible to interpret "afsayim" as meaning an extremity, as in "afsei aretz," the ends of the earth; and the extremity in man is the ankles, the bottom of his body, the soles of his feet.
Verse 4: Knees and Loins
וַיָּמָד אֶלֶף וַיַּעֲבִרֵנִי בַמַּיִם מַיִם בִּרְכָּיִם וַיָּמָד אֶלֶף וַיַּעֲבִרֵנִי מֵי מָתְנָיִם׃ - And he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, water up to the knees; and he measured a thousand, and led me through, water up to the loins.
Another thousand cubits, roughly five hundred meters further, and the water already reaches the knees; another thousand, and the water deepens to the loins. This is a tremendous, surging torrent emerging from the Holy of Holies. And this flow is miraculous, for according to the laws of nature, water does not swell and multiply as it flows away from its spring: if it emerged as thin as a strand of hair, from where would it expand? Surely, these are miraculous waters, which begin in the tiniest trickle from the Holy of Holies and gradually become mighty and vast.
Rashi notes that from this point onward, it becomes a river that can no longer be crossed on foot. From here Chazal derived that one is forbidden to enter water above the waist, lest the current sweep him away. One who wishes to wade across a river must not enter where the water exceeds his waist: as long as the water reaches only to the waist, most of the body remains above water and retains the stability to resist the current; but once it rises past the waist, the current catches the body itself, and crossing is impossible without swimming. The subsequent measurement was therefore taken while the prophet walked on dry land, as stated later, "and he brought me back to the bank of the river" - that is, alongside the riverbank on the dry ground, and not in the water itself.
Verse 5: Water to Swim In
וַיָּמָד אֶלֶף נַחַל אֲשֶׁר לֹא־אוּכַל לַעֲבֹר כִּי־גָאוּ הַמַּיִם מֵי שָׂחוּ נַחַל אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יֵעָבֵר׃ - And he measured a thousand, a river that I could not cross, for the waters had risen, water to swim in, a river that could not be crossed.
As Rashi explains: He measured another thousand, and it had become a river he could not cross, for the waters had risen - swelling and surging higher. "Water to swim in" (mei sachu) - water through which one must swim, as it is impossible to wade on foot; "a river that could not be crossed" - a river that cannot be traversed on foot.
The Malbim: Beyond the Literal Miracle - The Waters of Knowledge
The Malbim explains that beyond the literal fulfillment of the miracle - that an actual source of water will burst forth from the House of Hashem, as prophesied in Joel, "A spring shall flow from the House of Hashem and water the Valley of Shittim," and in Zechariah, "And it shall come to pass on that day that living waters shall go forth from Jerusalem" - for Jerusalem never possessed such a natural spring, yet suddenly there will be a surging expanse of water that can only be crossed by swimming, presenting a prophecy of an entirely supernatural wonder.
Incidentally, years ago, perhaps a decade back, reports surfaced that the Waqf was struggling with water welling up from beneath the ground, employing all manner of techniques to stop it up. They were greatly alarmed, as they have a tradition that if water begins to emerge from the area of the Dome of the Rock, opposite the Holy of Holies, it is a sign that the site is about to return to the Jewish people, and so they tried every possible method to stem the flow. How accurate the account was in all its details remains uncertain, but that was the report circulated at the time; evidently they managed to contain it, as nothing further has been heard of it since.
Beyond the literal meaning, the Malbim teaches, there is an allusion here to the waters of divine knowledge, Torah, and faith pouring forth from the House of Hashem, for "from Zion shall Torah go forth." These holy waters issue from beneath the right flank of the House, south of the Altar, on the southern side, rather than from the north. Why is this? The northern side was invested with greater sanctity, being the place where the most holy offerings (kodshei kodashim) were slaughtered! Yet kodshei kodashim come to atone for iniquity and make an end to sin: the olah (burnt offering), the asham (guilt offering), and the chattat (sin offering) all address transgression - even the olah atones for sinful thoughts of the heart, for positive commandments that were neglected, and for negative commandments linked to positive ones. The waters of knowledge could not flow from that direction, for the north represents the recognition of the Holy One, Blessed be He, rooted in fear of punishment and in "turning away from evil," born out of sin and spiritual defect. Therefore, the spring opens on the right side, the south, where the southern offerings were brought - the shelamim (peace offerings), the voluntary offerings, and the thanksgiving offerings, which are shared among the owners, the kohanim, and the Altar. These do not come on account of sin, but rather reflect an appreciation of Hashem's goodness and loving-kindness, the service of Hashem born of profound gratitude.
The Four Measurements - Four Levels in the Attainment of the Divine
Still, we must understand: What is the significance of the four measurements, where at first there is only a trickle of water, and then more and more - ankle-deep, knee-deep, waist-deep, and waters to swim in? The Malbim cites the Abarbanel (on whom many of the Malbim's commentaries are based, as mentioned previously) that this alludes to four levels of perception of the Holy One, blessed be He, attained through the waters of knowledge flowing from the Sanctuary. "Ankle-deep water" (mei afsayim) represents perceiving the Creator through the world of generation and decay, the physical world which is vanity and nothingness (efes). "Knee-deep water" represents perception derived from the celestial spheres, the heavenly bodies - the sun, the moon, and the stars - which are in motion. "Waist-deep water" represents perceiving the angelic realm, as explained at length regarding the Chariot (Merkavah) at the beginning of the book, for the strength of angels resides in their loins, "mighty ones of strength, who fulfill His word." "Waters to swim in" (mei sachu) represents the perception of Divinity itself, where the waters swell beyond the depth of comprehension: you can no longer walk on the ground but must swim above, unable to fathom the absolute depths of these truths, perceiving them only from their uppermost surface.
The Malbim adds: In my view, this also alludes to the era of which it is said, "For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Hashem, as the waters cover the sea." Now, the waters covering the sea do not cover it evenly: there are places that are miles deep, and others that are shallow. So too, although everyone will know Hashem, there will be varying levels in the quantity, quality, and depth of that perception. Everyone will know Him, but not at the same level or degree; each person will grasp according to his own capacity.
The Four Classes Among the Nations
From here, the Malbim delineates four categories. There are nations that will remain in their ancient state of foolishness, worshipping idols and celestial bodies - such as China, Japan, and the peoples of India, where even today there are people who stand at attention when a cow passes by, literal idolaters. Their knowledge in perceiving Divinity will then correspond to their level, extremely faint - the aspect of ankle-deep waters, the merest trickle of water.
Those nations that do not worship literal idols and have a religion, but err regarding Divinity by worshipping the true God together with that man - referring to the Christians - will have a greater measure of the waters of knowledge, since they already acknowledge the Holy One, blessed be He. Yet for them, the water will reach only to the knees, and no higher.
Those nations that accepted true beliefs regarding faith in Divinity and His oneness, but did not accept the true religion and God's commandments - referring to the Muslims - will have waist-deep waters of knowledge. For Muslims have no flaw in their belief in the unity of Hashem: they know that Hashem is God and there is none beside Him, and they do not believe in the impure Trinity of the Christians. They call Muhammad His prophet, and regarding faith in Hashem, blessed be He, in and of itself, they have no error; rather, they do not observe the true religion, but instead follow the religion of Muhammad, which is vanity and folly, having received nothing, and everything he transmitted is false.
As noted in the lessons on the Kuzari, the Rambam teaches that these religions represent a progression toward the recognition of God. For previously, humanity practiced paganism and idol worship; with the advent of Christianity, there was already progress, as they acknowledge a single, abstract God. Islam emerged later, representing an additional step forward, for they acknowledge a single, abstract God who has no connection to the nonsense of Christianity, which speaks of a shared dominion, as it were, with the son and the holy ghost. Thus, Islam represents further advancement in theological belief, and therefore they will draw more abundantly from the spring of living waters, and the waters of knowledge for them will reach the waist.
The fourth category is the nation that accepted the Torah of Hashem, His statutes, and His commandments - the Jewish people. They will attain the greatest perceptions, and for them it will be a flowing brook, a fountain of wisdom, waters to swim in, where the waters of knowledge swell within their souls in great abundance.
The Difficulty: The Distant Are Inside and the Close Are Outside
Yet there is a puzzling paradox here. Who occupies the lowest level? The idolaters, who correspond to ankle-deep waters. And who is on the highest level? The Jewish people, who correspond to waters to swim in. And behold, the ankle-deep waters emerge right next to the Holy of Holies, whereas the waters to swim in are located hundreds and thousands of cubits outside the Temple! Seemingly, the reverse should be true: the deepest waters should be near the Holy of Holies, while the shallow waters should be far from the Sanctuary.
The Malbim explains that this comes to teach us: the further a person is, the greater his yearning for holiness and his desire to attain the truth. We recognize this from everyday life. A person who became a ba'al teshuvah yesterday is still very distant, and if you examine his observance of mitzvos, he may be starting from almost nothing - yet despite this, you see that his yearning and his will are passionate, precisely because of his distance. By contrast, one who was born religious often appears close in his standing but distant in his aspirations, lacking great ambition. So it will be in the Future: precisely those who are far from perceiving Divinity, at the level of ankle-deep waters, will press harder to frequent the tents of Torah and will pursue the knowledge of Hashem, as it says, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of Hashem... and He will teach us of His ways" - as the nations will say in the future. They will have an immense yearning and a burning desire to draw close to Hashem, blessed be He; therefore, those who have not yet learned will be further inside, while those who have already learned and known Hashem are already going outside.
There is also an additional dimension here regarding the Jewish people, who correspond to the waters outside, waters to swim in: this represents spreading the wellsprings outward. The Jewish people will disseminate the wellsprings until the waters spread throughout the entire world, for they are the sanctified nation of Hashem, tasked with spreading faith across the entire globe, moving throughout the earth and teaching across all lands.
The Spring from Locust Antennae to the Mouth of a Cruse - The Four Worlds
Let us return to the words of Rabbi Pinchas cited earlier: the spring emerging from the Holy of Holies is initially like locust antennae, at the entrance of the Heichal like a warp thread, at the entrance of the Ulam like a weft thread, and at the entrance of the Azarah like the mouth of a small cruse. The Malbim explains this as well in terms of the waters of knowledge. The beginning is from the intellect emanated from the World of Atzilus, represented by the Holy of Holies, the highest realm - and there, human comprehension is like locust antennae, an exceedingly thin measure, fine as the eye of a needle. It is an indication: from the immense light of the World of Atzilus, one grasps no more than the width of locust antennae.
When it reaches the entrance of the Heichal, these represent perceptions that have already descended from the World of Atzilus into the World of Beriah, the realm of the Throne, where greater perception and grasp are possible - like a warp thread, which is already more tangible. When it reaches the entrance of the Ulam, it descends further into the World of Yetzirah, the world of the angels, where perception is even greater. And as it descends further into the world of the Ofanim, the World of Asiyah - the domain of the heavenly spheres, celestial bodies, and the physical realm - it already resembles a cruse, bubbling water, for concerning astronomical phenomena and the natural order of the lower world, we possess far greater comprehension than we do of the loftier matters of the Divine. In the outer area, the water bubbles forth in great volume, for in the lower realms of Asiyah we have extensive grasp, whereas in the higher realms of Yetzirah, Beriah, and Atzilus, our comprehension is far more faint.
"Elef" - Rooted in Instruction and Learning
From here, the Malbim draws a beautiful insight: why does Scripture repeatedly mention a measurement of one thousand (elef) cubits? This is not incidental. Elef shares the root of iluf, meaning training and instruction. While today the word often connotes taming or animal training, in the language of Tanach and Chazal it means teaching: "I will teach you (a'alephecha) wisdom," "I will teach you understanding," and in Arabic, alifa similarly denotes learning. The Holy One, blessed be He, is called Alufo shel Olam - not merely as a title of rank, but because He instructs the world, "He Who teaches Torah to His people Israel." So too, "my companion and close friend (alufi umeyuda'i)" refers to one who imparts knowledge to me. Thus, every elef in the chapter alludes to instruction and learning: one thousand corresponds to Atzilus, followed by Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, each being an elef - fields of study from which and through which one can attain understanding.
Therefore, at the outset there are "ankle-deep waters" (mei afsayim), where perception is virtually nothing (efes), for mortal man cannot readily comprehend such elevated, spiritual matters. Comprehension widens regarding the World of the Throne - reaching the knees; in the world of angels - up to the waist; and in the final study, the last thousand cubits corresponding to the world of celestial spheres and physical matter, "the waters rose," as researchers proliferated and knowledge surged in astronomy, nature, and the various sciences. For in the World of Asiyah, our comprehension is far greater than in any of the other worlds, as explained through the concept of the expanding waters.
In Summary:
Yechezkel sees a spring emerging from beneath the threshold of the Temple toward the east, originating south of the Altar, steadily increasing: ankle-deep waters, knee-deep waters, waist-deep waters, and finally swimming waters - an impassable river. On the literal level (peshat), this is an overt miracle: a spring issuing from the Holy of Holies in the Messianic era, in a city that never had a natural spring within it. In the inner sense, according to the Malbim, these are the waters of knowledge and Torah flowing from the House of Hashem. This is why it emerges specifically from the southern side, the side of the thanksgiving offerings and peace offerings (shelamim) - service of Hashem rooted in gratitude - rather than the northern side associated with atonement for sin. The four measurements indicate four levels in attaining Divine comprehension - both corresponding to the Four Worlds (Atzilus, Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah), and corresponding to four groups in the world: idolaters, Christians, Muslims, and the Jewish people. Although the waters will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea, they will not all be equal; rather, each will attain according to his level. And the wonder that the waters are sparse near the Sanctuary and vast far from it comes to teach two things: that those who are distant possess a fiercer longing to know Hashem, and that the Jewish people are destined to spread the wellsprings outward until the earth is filled with the knowledge of Hashem.