We begin the study of Sefer Yechezkel. The first chapter serves as the opening of the book, containing within it the Vision of the Chariot (Ma'aseh HaMerkavah) - among the deepest and most esoteric matters in the Torah, which touch upon the secrets of Creation. We will not study this chapter through mystical and Kabbalistic approaches, although many commentators do address it on that level; rather, we will follow the commentary of the Malbim, who brings these concepts closer to human intellect and the comprehension of mortal beings like us. Here, one could easily branch out in every direction and encounter concepts that are largely beyond our grasp; therefore, we will endeavor to remain closely aligned with one commentary, ensuring a clear and cohesive path in explaining these matters.
Who Wrote Sefer Yechezkel?
The Gemara in Bava Batra (14b) states that the Men of the Great Assembly (Anshei Knesses HaGedolah) wrote Yechezkel and Trei Asar (the Twelve Minor Prophets). Why didn't Yechezkel write his own book? Because prophecy was not permitted to be written outside the Land of Israel, and Yechezkel was in exile. Therefore, it was not appropriate for the book to be written by his own hand, but rather specifically by the Men of the Great Assembly.
Another point: Targum Yerushalmi explains that although Yechezkel is referred to here as "the son of Buzi," he is "the son of the prophet, the son of Yirmeyahu the prophet" - meaning Yechezkel is the son of Yirmeyahu HaNavi. Why was Yirmeyahu called "Buzi"? Because people used to disgrace (mevazin) him, so he was called Buzi. It turns out, therefore, that the Yechezkel we know was the son of Yirmeyahu HaNavi.
Verse 1: The Cryptic Count
וַיְהִי בִּשְׁלֹשִׁים שָׁנָה בָּרְבִיעִי בַּחֲמִשָּׁה לַחֹדֶשׁ וַאֲנִי בְתוֹךְ הַגּוֹלָה עַל נְהַר כְּבָר נִפְתְּחוּ הַשָּׁמַיִם וָאֶרְאֶה מַרְאוֹת אֱלֹהִים׃ - And it was in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth of the month, as I was among the exiles by the River Chebar, the heavens opened, and I saw visions of God.
Rashi notes: The prophet concealed his words; he did not state who he was, nor did he explain what this count of thirty was based on. "In the fourth month, on the fifth of the month" is clear - the fourth month is Tammuz, and the fifth of the month is the 5th of Tammuz. But thirty years from what? What is the starting point from which these thirty years are counted? Furthermore, who is the prophet speaking here?
Therefore, the next two verses are not the words of the prophet; rather, there is an interruption in his speech. Ruach HaKodesh (the Holy Spirit) pauses his narration to inform us who is being spoken of. This is comparable to someone saying, "Rabbi So-and-so said," and then opening parentheses to explain who that rabbi was, what book he authored, and in what era he lived - before resuming, "and that rabbi said, etc." The same occurs here. In verse 1, Yechezkel speaks of himself in the first person: "as I was among the exiles by the River Chebar, the heavens opened, and I saw visions of God."
בַּחֲמִשָּׁה לַחֹדֶשׁ הִיא הַשָּׁנָה הַחֲמִישִׁית לְגָלוּת הַמֶּלֶךְ יוֹיָכִין׃ - On the fifth of the month - it was the fifth year of the exile of King Yoyachin.
Here, Ruach HaKodesh speaks on his behalf, informing us of the date: the fifth year of the exile of King Yoyachin.
הָיֹה הָיָה דְבַר יְהֹוָה אֶל יְחֶזְקֵאל בֶּן בּוּזִי הַכֹּהֵן בְּאֶרֶץ כַּשְׂדִּים עַל נְהַר כְּבָר וַתְּהִי עָלָיו שָׁם יַד יְהֹוָה׃ - The word of Hashem came to Yechezkel the son of Buzi the Kohen, in the land of the Kasdim by the River Chebar, and the hand of Hashem was upon him there.
This verse is also not spoken by Yechezkel; had he been speaking, he would have said, "The word of Hashem came to me," just as he previously said, "as I was among the exiles." Rather, it is Ruach HaKodesh speaking on his behalf and identifying the prophet: "The word of Hashem came to Yechezkel the son of Buzi the Kohen, in the land of the Kasdim by the River Chebar, and the hand of Hashem was upon him there." Then, in verse 4, Yechezkel resumes speaking for himself: "And I looked, and behold, a stormy wind was coming from the north" - continuing his speech that had been paused after verse 1. Thus, verses 2 and 3 function as a parenthetical insertion to describe who the prophet was and the period in which he lived.
"And I Was Among the Exile" and "Visions of God"
"And I was among the exile" - meaning outside the Land of Israel, in the Diaspora. "By the river Chebar" - this is the name of the place, the river named Chebar. "And I saw visions of God" - Chazal explain that he did not see through a luminous prism (ispaklaria hame'irah), which is why he refers to this as "visions of God," like a dream rather than fully clear perception. True, all the prophets saw through an unpolished prism (ispaklaria she'einah me'irah), except for Moshe Rabbeinu, as it says, "and through the prophets I used allegories" (Hoshea 12:11), whereas regarding Moshe it says, "in a vision and not in riddles" (Bamidbar 12:8). Even so, among the prophets themselves there were different levels: Shmuel was the foremost among the prophets; Yechezkel was like a villager who sees the king, whereas Yeshayahu was like a city dweller who sees the king. We will see this further on and attempt to understand its deeper meaning. In any case, we learn that there are levels within prophecy, and Yechezkel is considered among the lower levels of prophecy.
"Visions of God" - meaning great and wondrous visions. The reason for this phrasing is that Scripture often magnifies something by connecting it to the Divine Name or the Name of Hashem: "a great city to God" (Yonah 3:3) when describing an immense city; "the mountains of God" (harrei El) for mighty mountains; "the cedars of God" (arzei El); "deep darkness" (ma'pelyah) for an intense gloom; "a mighty flame" (shalhevetyah) for an exceedingly powerful flame. Whenever Scripture seeks to express something exceptionally powerful, it attaches the Name of Hashem to it, indicating that the matter was immense.
The River Chebar - What Was It?
Rav Yehudah and Rav Huna disagree on this matter. Rav Yehudah said: Perat is Chebar - meaning that this is the familiar Euphrates River (Perat), which is also called the River Chebar. And why two names? "Perat" because it is fruitful and multiplies (poreh veraveh), as its waters do not diminish but rather increase. "Chebar" because its produce is coarse and does not pass through a sieve (kevarah): this river nourished large and beautiful fruits, and due to their size they would not even pass through the holes of a large sieve. Rav Huna disagrees, maintaining that Perat is distinct and Chebar is distinct - they are two separate rivers.
Historical and encyclopedic sources note that scholars identify the River Chebar as an artificial canal, or a system of canals, constructed in Babylon during the first millennium BCE - more than two thousand years ago, closer to three thousand - designed for irrigating fields as well as for transportation. The ancients made extensive use of canals for irrigation; the land most renowned for this was Egypt, crisscrossed by canals fed by the overflowing Nile, which channeled water to the fields. So too here: the River Chebar was a canal used to irrigate the fields, and boats also navigated it for transit. While the exact route of the canal is not known with certainty today and remains debated among researchers, archaeological findings attest to the river itself: ancient inscriptions have been found mentioning the term "Nar Kabari," which corresponds to the River Chebar mentioned in our text.
Targum Yonatan: Thirty Years to What?
Targum Yonatan details this time period: "And it was thirty years from the time that Chilkiyahu the Kohen Gadol found the Sefer Torah in the Beis HaMikdash, in the Azarah beneath the Ulam, at midnight after the moon had risen, in the days of Yoshiyahu son of Amon, king of the tribe of the house of Yehudah, on the fifth of the month of Tammuz. The prophet said: I was among the exiles by the River Chebar, the heavens opened, and in the vision of prophecy that rested upon me I saw a vision of the glory of the Shechinah of Hashem."
We thus learn that this refers to thirty years after Chilkiyahu the Kohen Gadol found the Sefer Torah in the Beis HaMikdash. And what does "found" mean? Not, as some mistakenly assume, that the Torah was unknown and he suddenly discovered it - heaven forbid, that is complete nonsense, for of the Torah it is written, "it shall not be forgotten from the mouth of their offspring" (Devarim 31:21), and it is impossible that the Torah was ever forgotten. Rather, Chazal explain that he found the Sefer Torah rolled and open to the verse, "Hashem will lead you and your king whom you set over yourself" (Devarim 28:36), and this was at the top of the column. This sent a shudder through them, because the Sefer Torah kept in the Heichal was always rolled back to the beginning after reading, yet here they found it rolled precisely to a passage prophesying calamity. Incidentally, it is fascinating to note: only in Yemenite Sifrei Torah does "Hashem will lead you and your king" appear at the very top of a column. In other Torah scrolls this does not occur, because they follow the layout of Vavei Ha'amudim (where nearly every column begins with the letter vav). Yemenite scrolls, however, follow the ancient tradition that predates Vavei Ha'amudim (which is a later scribal custom), and there, this verse indeed begins at the top of the column. Seeing this open before them struck terror into their hearts.
Following this, they went to King Yoshiyahu ben Amon. Yoshiyahu was alarmed by the discovery and sought out a prophet. Which prophet? He could have turned to Yirmiyahu, but he feared Yirmiyahu, whose prophecies were stern rebukes of wrath, and therefore instructed them to seek out Chuldah. Chuldah the prophetess was compassionate - being a woman, perhaps she would deliver a gentler message. This in itself is striking, for a prophet conveys the word of Hashem and does not speak from his or her own heart; what did he imagine, that she could soften the decree? In any case, they came to Chuldah the prophetess, and she told him the message: the Beis HaMikdash was destined to be destroyed, and the king was destined to go into exile.
The Calculation of the Years According to the Malbim
The Malbim follows this approach and explains: the eighteenth year of King Yoshiyahu of Yehudah was a Yovel year, as recorded in Seder Olam. That is, Yoshiyahu began his reign eighteen years prior to the Yovel, and the eighteenth year of his reign coincided with the Yovel. In that same year, the Sefer Torah was found rolled to "Hashem will lead you and your king." This made a profound impression; they sent to Chuldah the prophetess, and she informed them that the Temple was destined for destruction. In the twenty-sixth year of the Yovel cycle - twenty-six years after the discovery of the scroll - Yehoyachin was exiled. And in the thirtieth year of the Yovel, four years after the exile of Yehoyachin, Yechezkel saw his prophetic visions. This is the meaning of "And it was in the thirtieth year" - thirty years from the time the scroll was discovered in the Beis HaMikdash, which was the Yovel year, and four years into the exile of Yehoyachin.
"And I was among the exiles" - A Lack of Preparation for Prophecy
When Yechezkel describes that he was among the exiles by the Kevar River, his meaning is: I was not prepared for prophecy at all. In terms of location - outside the Land of Israel is not a place of prophecy. In terms of time - a period of exile is not a time of divine revelation. It was solely that "the heavens opened" on their own, without any preparation on my part, and then "I saw visions of God." In other words, there was an awakening from Above (itaruta de'le'ela) without the preliminary awakening from below (itaruta de'letata).
Yoyachin or Yehoyachin
In our text it is written "Yoyachin," and the Radak notes that Yoyachin is the same as Yehoyachin, just as Yonadav is Yehonadav, Yonatan is Yehonatan, and likewise in all such instances. Many times we see a name appearing with a vav and sometimes without a vav, such as Uriah and Uriyahu, Yeshayah and Yeshayahu, and similarly with a hei or without a hei. The Radak elsewhere explains that these variations in names stem from how people actually addressed them: at times they would call him Yoyachin, and at times Yehoyachin, just as someone named Yaakov might be called Yankele or Yankev, yet it is all the same person. So too in Tanach, an individual is often mentioned by several names, yet it is one person who went by multiple variations.
"The word of Hashem expressly came" - Prophecy Outside the Land of Israel
"The word of Hashem expressly came [Hayoh hayah]" - Chazal explain: it had already come before. The idea is that since the Shechinah does not rest upon a prophet outside the Land of Israel, it is wondrous how Yechezkel, located in the land of the Chaldeans, could receive prophecy from Hashem there. Several explanations are offered. One explanation is: "Hayoh hayah" - the word of Hashem had already rested upon him beforehand [in the Land of Israel], and there is no impediment to a prophet who has already begun prophesying continuing his prophecies outside the Land. However, for a prophet who never prophesied before to begin prophesying outside the Land - that does not happen. It is regarding this that our Sages stated that the Shechinah does not rest upon a prophet outside the Land, meaning at the inception of his prophecy; but if he had already begun prophesying in the Land, he continues to prophesy outside the Land by virtue of that momentum.
Rashi cites a Baraisa in the Mechilta teaching that "Son of man, stand on your feet" was the actual beginning of the book; that is, chapter 2 is the true chronological opening, but there is no chronological order in the Torah (ein mukdam u'me'uchar). Others say that the beginning of the book is from chapter 17, "Son of man, pose a riddle." There are several opinions on this matter.
"And the hand of Hashem was upon him there"
What is "the hand of Hashem"? Whenever "hand" is used in this book and in the context of prophecy, it denotes force - the prophecy overcomes the prophet against his will, like someone losing his senses. Prophecy, as noted on various occasions, is an immensely powerful vision that takes complete control over the body. It is comparable to someone receiving an electric shock - the body jolts; an overwhelming external force acting upon the human body. As a result, his senses are suddenly confounded; he may collapse to the ground prostrate, with arms and legs outstretched, even reaching a point where his very garments feel heavy upon him, as described with Shaul. For this reason, we often find that a prophet was called "the madman" or "the man of the spirit" - meaning someone who appeared demented while receiving prophecy, which earned him this epithet. Prophecy, then, is the overpowering force of a supreme power resting upon the prophet, which is why it is called "the hand of Hashem."
Most prophecies came in a dream, "in a dream I will speak to him," when it is far easier to receive prophecy because the bodily faculties are dormant. When a person is awake, we have seen what prophecy does - it disables his faculties, similar to someone suffering an epileptic seizure, collapsing to the ground bereft of strength; except that with a prophet, Heaven forbid, his bodily orifices do not open, for otherwise he could not receive prophecy. In any case, he loses his strength. During sleep, however, the bodily powers are already muted and subdued, which is why this was the more common medium for receiving prophecy, as elaborated in Mishnat HaChalomot.
A Pure Place for Prophecy Outside the Land of Israel
The Radak adds: Even when a prophet receives prophecy outside the Land of Israel, communication takes place only in a ritually pure location, by water, as it is written, "by the Kevar River," and as written in Daniel, "and I was by the river Ulai," alongside the river. We see that even when revelation occurs outside the Land, it takes place near a source of purity, a body of water. Rabbi Elazar bar Tzadok brings further support from what is said, "Arise, go out to the valley" - which indicates that the valley was fit [for prophecy]. That is, neither within the city nor in a place of idol worship, but either by a river or in a valley, which is an open, distant field, and where the vision of the dry bones later occurred. Know that the Shechinah does not reveal itself outside the Land; and from where is this derived? "And Yonah arose to flee to Tarshish from before Hashem." Could he possibly have thought that one can flee from the presence of Hashem? Rather, he thought: I will flee to a place where prophecy will not rest upon me. And why? For he boarded a ship carrying idolaters. As explained at length regarding Sefer Yonah (which may be heard in the shiur on Yonah), clarifying what his plan was and how it was ultimately thwarted.
The Purpose of the Prophecy: Consoling the Exiles
The Malbim explains that this prophecy came to console the exiles. This took place after a period of exile, in the fifth year of the exile of King Yehoyachin - a state in which our people had transitioned from possessing complete sovereignty in Eretz Yisrael to being battered and rejected exiles, which was exceedingly difficult for them. Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, sent a prophecy to encourage the exiled nation, so they would know that Hashem is with them, as it says, "Yet even then, when they are in the land of their enemies, I did not reject them, nor did I loathe them to destroy them, to break My covenant with them, for I am Hashem their God." Here too, He shows them that the Shechinah remains with them even when they are in the land of their enemies. And the communication was given "in the land of the Kasdim by the Chebar River," and regarding the Chebar River, we have already seen that there are differing opinions as to whether it refers to the Euphrates (Peras) or a different river.
Pasuk 4: A Stormwind from the North
וָאֵרֶא וְהִנֵּה רוּחַ סְעָרָה בָּאָה מִן הַצָּפוֹן עָנָן גָּדוֹל וְאֵשׁ מִתְלַקַּחַת וְנֹגַהּ לוֹ סָבִיב וּמִתּוֹכָהּ כְּעֵין הַחַשְׁמַל מִתּוֹךְ הָאֵשׁ׃ - And I looked, and behold, a stormwind came from the north, a great cloud and flashing fire, with a radiance around it, and from its midst, something like the appearance of chashmal, out of the midst of the fire.
Rashi explains: "A stormwind came from the north" - this refers to the Chariot of the Throne of the Shechinah's Glory, as we will see further on, and this Chariot was arriving in wrath to bring devastation upon Israel. The Malbim will also follow this approach, as we will see later. It therefore appears as a stormwind and a cloud, for a turbulent stormwind brings no good with it.
"Came from the north" - it was returning from the land of the Kasdim, since the land of the Kasdim is in the north, and Scripture states, "From the north the evil shall break forth." And why had it gone there initially? In order to conquer the entire world under Nevuchadnetzar, so that the nations would not say: "Into the hands of a lowly nation You have delivered Your children." For the Kasdim were a degraded, lowly people, just as Yeshayahu says in chapter 23, "This nation was not" - and he does not mean just the Palestinians; he is speaking about the Kasdim: there was no such recognized nation. If so, it would have appeared that we were delivered into the hands of a nation that does not even possess an established name, which is not an empire at all. Therefore, as it were, the spirit of His holiness, blessed be He, went there to subjugate the entire world under the dominion of Nevuchadnetzar, making Nevuchadnetzar the master of the civilized world; thus, we were delivered into the hands of a powerful emperor rather than a lowly nation.
"With a radiance around it" - this radiance surrounded the cloud from the outside, and Rashi explains that this hints that they are destined to be redeemed from there in the future.
"Like the Appearance of Chashmal"
What is chashmal? Rashi explains: an angel bearing this name. Know that the modern scholar who chose to label electricity as "chashmal" did so in absolute defiance of the will of the Torah Sages, because the word "chashmal" is a profoundly holy term, as we will see shortly. This is why in classical halachic works, in books of Responsa and Halachah, the poskim do not use the Hebrew word chashmal, but rather "electri" or "electric" - using the foreign term - because the true source of the word chashmal is holy and pure, and one may not take such an exalted, sacred concept and appropriate it for a physical, mundane phenomenon.
And such was the foolish folly of early secular thinkers and modern Hebrew revivalists: they took a municipal sports arena and called it a "heichal" (sanctuary). We possessed a Heichal in Yerushalayim, within the Beit HaMikdash - there was an Azarah (courtyard) and there was a Heichal; yet today they have "Heichal HaMishpat" (Palace of Justice), "Heichal HaTarbut" (Hall of Culture), "Heichal HaSport" (Sports Arena), "Heichal Nokia" - "and they built sanctuaries" - inventing all manner of secular shrines. They took a sacred expression denoting sublime spiritual elevation, and coarsened it, secularized it, and profaned it. The exact same thing was done with the sacred term chashmal.
Chazal state that Chashmal is the name of a specific angel, and Yechezkel perceived a radiant hue from within the fire resembling that angel. This is the meaning of "something like the appearance of chashmal": he recognized the spiritual appearance of the angel named Chashmal, and he saw a resemblance to that angel there within the fire.
Rashi cites the Gemara: It once happened that a young student was expounding upon the esoteric mysteries of Ma'aseh Merkavah and understood the nature of chashmal - meaning he attained an understanding of those deep spiritual concepts perceived by Yechezkel - and fire came forth from Chashmal and consumed him. Fire burst out from that angel, from that exalted celestial power, and consumed him. One can appreciate from this what it means to speak of such elevated matters. The famous adage teaches: one who understands does not speak, one who knows does not speak, and one who speaks does not know. In that tragic case, the issue was that the one speaking actually did know, and as a consequence of probing beyond permitted bounds, he was severely stricken. Therefore, all our insights and all the sublime imagery we will encounter further on are only external approximations, intended merely to bring the concepts closer to human comprehension.
Our Sages offer another exposition, explaining that chashmal is a compound word: What is chashmal? Rav Yehudah said: Chayot esh memalelot - fiery angels (chayot) speaking. Chashmal is like an acronym, a combination of three words: chet - chayot, shin - esh (fire), mem-lamed - memalela (speaking) - speaking fiery angels. And in a Baraita it was taught: At times they are silent (chashot), and at times they speak (memalelot). When speech goes forth from the mouth of the Holy One, Blessed be He - they are quiet and silent; when speech does not go forth from His mouth - they speak, praising and glorifying Hashem. According to this exposition, chashmal also stems from the root of silence (hachashah), chet-shin - to be silent, as in "I know it, hold your peace" (II Kings 2:3), which means be quiet. Thus, this word encompasses two opposite ideas: keeping silent, and speaking and uttering praise. How is this apparent contradiction resolved? At times they are silent and at times they speak: when Hashem speaks - they are all silent, and when Hashem is silent - they utter the praise of their Master. Rashi adds further that chashmal may be the name of a color or gleam, as in the biblical phrasing "like the color of chashmal": something like the gleam of fire, a brilliant glow, "like the gleam of chashmal, like the appearance of fire, enclosed round about."
Metzudat David explains that this silence means that the Holy One, Blessed be He, cannot be depicted through any imagination or likeness, and therefore one must remain silent: "To whom will you liken Me, that I should be equal?" (Isaiah 40:25). That is to say, when one speaks of Hashem, one has not even the beginning of comprehension, for one is speaking of a realm completely unknown to human experience. All dimensions familiar to us are corporeal and physical, whereas the Holy One, Blessed be He, is entirely spiritual and beyond comprehension. Therefore, regarding such matters it is best to be silent: when speaking of the glory of Hashem, one must fall silent and refrain from speech and verbalization, as He cannot be portrayed through any human imagination.
The Four Worlds - An Introduction to the Malbim's Explanation
We will now follow the explanation of the Malbim. His explanation is profound, and therefore requires close concentration, for if one loses the thread it will be difficult to understand later. Before beginning, one must know that the spiritual worlds are divided into four realms, famously known by the acronym ABYA. When enumerated from top to bottom, they are: Atzilut (Emanation), Beriah (Creation), Yetzirah (Formation), and Asiyah (Action).
Atzilut is, as it were, the realm of the Divine, an exalted realm far beyond our grasp and comprehension - "no evil may dwell with You" - a supremely lofty realm. Beneath it is the world of Beriah, also called the World of the Throne, where the Throne of Glory is situated, so to speak. Once again, all of these are abstract concepts: one must not imagine a physical throne with a backrest and the like. This is a purely spiritual concept called the World of the Throne; because we are corporeal human beings, things must be expressed to us through metaphor, but one must never mistakenly assume this is literal - it is an allegory. Beneath the world of Beriah is the world of Yetzirah, which is the realm of the angels. Beneath it - below the angelic realm of the Seraphim, the Chayot, the sacred Ophanim, and so forth - lies the world of the celestial spheres, called the world of Asiyah. And note: even when speaking of the world of Asiyah, the reference is to the spiritual world of Asiyah, for it is only from its lowest level that the physical world of Asiyah cascades downward - our physical world, which is also called Asiyah. When kabbalistic sources speak of the Four Worlds, they refer to four spiritual realms, and only from the lowest extremity of the spiritual Asiyah does the physical world of Asiyah descend.
Where Yechezkel Saw, and Where Yeshayahu Saw
The Malbim explains: We already know from the secret traditions of the holy sages that the Chariot (Merkavah) Yechezkel saw was in the world of Yetzirah, the angelic realm. Counting from above to below, this is the third world; counting from below, it is the second world: Asiyah, and above it Yetzirah. Thus, this was not the highest realm, but a lower reality. This vision was lower than the vision beheld by Yeshayahu, for Yeshayahu saw in the World of the Throne, which is the world of Beriah - the third from below and the second from above, just one level beneath Atzilut. Consequently, the vision Yeshayahu beheld - "Hashem sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the Temple" (Isaiah 6:1) - was also a vision of the Divine, but only one level removed from Atzilut, whereas Yechezkel saw two levels removed from Atzilut: Yeshayahu saw into Beriah, while Yechezkel saw into a lower world, Yetzirah, a realm just one step above Asiyah.
The reason for this distinction is that Yeshayahu was in Eretz Yisrael, and he saw reality while the Jewish people were still on their land, guided directly by the Holy One, Blessed be He - "a land upon which the eyes of Hashem your God are always, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year" (Deuteronomy 11:12), "Hashem has established His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom rules over all" (Psalms 103:19). Therefore, he saw Him in the World of the Throne, in the world of Beriah, in that exalted realm: sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, representing direct Divine Providence without intermediaries or auxiliary forces, orchestrated by Hashem Himself. There, Yeshayahu saw "Seraphim standing above Him" - the Seraphim stand at the height of the cosmos, in the World of the Throne, which is higher than the world of the Chayot seen by Yechezkel, like a king seated in his palace with his royal ministers standing in attendance before him.
By contrast, Yechezkel perceived the Divine manifestation while in exile, outside the Land of Israel. There, the Holy One, Blessed be He, does not guide events through overt, miraculous means, but rather through the natural order and the cosmic system - the celestial systems and the stars, which are also called the Ophanim (the wheels), the prime movers of the natural system. And the Ophanim, note well, already belong to the world of Asiyah. Therefore, Yechezkel perceived reality as it was revealed to him in the world of Yetzirah, which channels influence downward into the world of Asiyah.
The Malbim continues: The world of the Chayot, which is the world of Yetzirah, the realm of the angels, is an intermediary realm between the World of the Throne - Beriah above it - and the world of the Ophanim, which is the world of Asiyah below it. The world of celestial spheres is called by that name because of the cyclical spheres in nature, as all the heavenly systems and constellations revolve in orbital spheres. The power and Divine influx originate from the Throne, from Beriah, and through that power the world of Yetzirah moves the Ophanim below. Thus, the world of Beriah is supreme, Yetzirah serves as the intermediary between them, and Asiyah is the lowest. Yetzirah, empowered by Beriah above it, directs Asiyah beneath it - serving as an intermediary channel to direct creation through the Ophanim.
This is why Yechezkel describes his perception as having taken place in the world of Yetzirah, perceiving the Chayot, as we will soon see in the descriptions of the Chayot. Later, he describes how this power transitions from the world of Yetzirah to the world of Asiyah, to the Ophanim positioned beneath them, and how it draws strength and might from the Throne, from Beriah above Yetzirah, while the world of Yetzirah channels this influence downward into the world of Asiyah.
The Kuzari: The Prophet Envisions According to the Action
The Malbim cites the Kuzari, as we have already learned in the fifth essay, where the Chaver explains to the King of the Khazars that the prophets perceive Hashem in changing forms that correspond to the action He performs at that time. That is, according to the action Hashem performs at that moment, so He reveals Himself to the prophets. For example, at the Red Sea they saw Him as a warrior, and at Har Sinai as an elder sitting in a yeshivah, because He was then teaching them Torah, and so forth. It emerges that prophetic revelation corresponds to the specific message it conveys.
He brings an example there: at a time when He is "deposing kings and establishing kings" - removing rulers and enthroning others in their stead - as Daniel saw in chapter 7: "Until thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days sat." The thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of Days, who is the Holy One, Blessed be He, sat upon His throne. The meaning is that He removed kings and set other kings in their place, and therefore Daniel sees Him on a throne. Incidentally, we have noted more than once that although "Ancient of Days" (Atik Yomin) is a kabbalistic term, in its plain literal sense in Daniel it does not mean "old" or "very ancient" as people say today, but rather "removed from the framework of days": we live within the framework of time, but the Holy One, Blessed be He, is above time. Therefore He is called Atik Yomin - removed from the framework of days, for the framework of days does not apply to Him, as He transcends time.
In summary: Chapter 1 opens with the prophecy of Yechezkel ben Buzi the Kohen - who is the son of Yirmiyahu the prophet - delivered in the thirtieth year from the finding of the Sefer Torah in the days of Yoshiyahu, four years after the exile of Yehoyachin, in the land of the Chaldeans by the Kevar River. Yechezkel emphasizes that he was not prepared for prophecy, neither in terms of place nor in terms of time, and simply "the heavens opened" on their own - an awakening from Above without an awakening from below - and the prophecy came to comfort the exiles and inform them that the Shechinah is with them even in the land of their enemies. "The hand of Hashem" teaches of the overwhelming force of prophecy that overtakes the prophet, and that prophecy outside the Land of Israel is possible only for one who had already begun prophesying in the Land, and in a pure location over water or in a valley. From verse 4, the Account of the Chariot (Ma'aseh HaMerkavah) begins: a stormy wind from the north, which is the chariot of the glory of the Shechinah coming in wrath from the land of the Chaldeans, and within it "like the color of chashmal" - the name of an angel, and the expounding of Chazal: "fiery creatures speaking" (chayot eish memalelot), at times silent (chashot) and at times speaking (memalelot), to teach us that regarding the glory of Hashem one must be silent, for it cannot be portrayed by any imagination. The Malbim's explanation is that Yechezkel's vision took place in the World of Yetzirah, two worlds below Atzilut, in contrast to Yeshayahu who saw into the World of the Throne - Beriah - because Yeshayahu saw the direct divine providence in the Land of Israel, while Yechezkel saw the natural order of providence in exile, which extends from Beriah through Yetzirah to the ofanim in the World of Asiyah.