Introduction: The Mission of Yechezkel
Chapter 2 of Sefer Yechezkel is the chapter of the mission. Following the vision of the Merkavah described in Chapter 1, in which Yechezkel fell on his face, the Holy One, Blessed is He, comes, sets him on his feet, and sends him to the Jewish people in exile. The entire chapter serves as mental and spiritual preparation for the prophet: who the listeners are, what their nature is, what he should not fear, and how the words of prophecy must be absorbed within him. At its conclusion appears the vision of the scroll written front and back.
"Ben Adam" - Why This Specific Title?
וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי בֶּן־אָדָם עֲמֹד עַל־רַגְלֶיךָ וַאֲדַבֵּר אֹתָךְ׃ - And He said to me: Son of man, stand upon your feet, and I will speak with you.
First, one must ask: why does the Holy One, Blessed is He, address Yechezkel with the title "Ben Adam" (Son of Man)? Rashi cites: "He calls Yechezkel 'Ben Adam' because he saw the Merkavah, walking among elevated beings." The exact reading is "walking among elevated beings," and the matter is explained thus: Yechezkel saw himself walking among elevated beings and associating with several angels, and therefore he was addressed as "Ben Adam," as if to say: there is no mortal born of woman here except this one. That is, since Yechezkel saw the work of the Merkavah and was, so to speak, up there among the angels, he was called "Ben Adam" to emphasize that he was the only human being there, while all the rest were angels. Rashi adds in parentheses: "And all this was related by a certain man to my teacher..." - meaning a person suggested this explanation to Rashi, and Rashi liked it and cited it.
Rashi brings a second explanation: "And it seems to me that He called him 'son of man' only so that his mind would not become haughty because of his pride at the vision of the Merkavah and the work of the celestial beings." That is, so that Yechezkel would not become arrogant. He already felt like an angel, roaming among the celestial beings, and therefore he was told: Son of man! You are still a human being, so do not become haughty over the vision of the Merkavah.
Here it is worth making a general observation: the text of Rashi on Nach was subject to scribal additions. There are many interpolations added over the years and by printers, so we are not always certain that something cited in Rashi's name on Nach is truly from Rashi. Rashi on the Torah spread quickly, making it difficult to corrupt, as many manuscripts were available and versions could be compared. Rashi on Nach, however, was less widespread, and consequently, in many places, later additions appear, some of which are clearly not from Rashi based on their style and date of writing. Here too, we have no certainty whether "and all this was related by a certain man to my teacher..." refers to Rashi or someone else; moreover, the second explanation appears under the heading "s''a" - meaning "in other books it is found" - and is not present in all manuscripts. Therefore, whenever reading commentaries in Rashi on Nach, especially when facing a difficulty or contradiction with other sources, one must approach them with caution.
The Radak first cites Rashi's explanation, that he was called "Ben Adam" so that he would not become haughty, and adds another explanation: since he saw the face of a man (Adam) in the Merkavah, Heaven was informing him, as it were, that he was upright and pleasing in His eyes, belonging to the category of "Adam" (man). It was as if they were telling him: you are not the offspring of a lion, nor of an ox, nor of an eagle, but a human being, "Ben Adam." This is why Targum Yonatan translates here as "Bar Adam" rather than "Bar Enasha" - because in the Merkavah there was the face of an Adam.
The Spirit that Stands Him on His Feet
וַתָּבֹא בִי רוּחַ כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר אֵלַי וַתַּעֲמִדֵנִי עַל־רַגְלָי וָאֶשְׁמַע אֵת מִדַּבֵּר אֵלָי׃ - And a spirit entered into me as He spoke to me, and set me upon my feet, and I heard Him who spoke to me.
"And a spirit entered into me as He spoke to me" - at the very moment He spoke to me, a spirit entered into me that set me upon my feet, giving me the strength and fortitude to stand. He was told, "Stand upon your feet, and I will speak with you," and what enabled him to stand? The spirit. Just as Hashem commanded him to stand, so the spirit came and stood him up.
And why did he need a spirit to stand upon his feet? The Malbim explains: after Yechezkel's physical senses and powers were paralyzed when he fell on his face, he began to hear a voice speaking, and the spirit strengthened him and set him upon his feet so that he could hear. Often, when a person receives prophecy, his bodily faculties are overwhelmed and nullified, and he collapses, lehavdil, like an epileptic. The prophet loses physical control, as a tremendous divine power enters him and overwhelms his natural strength. Consequently, in order to receive the word of God, a spirit had to enter him once again to set him upon his feet: "and I heard Him who spoke to me."
What is the meaning of "the One who spoke with me" (midaber elai)? Rashi explains: "And I heard the One who spoke with me" - I heard that which was being spoken to me. The word midaber vocalized with a chirik means as if "it was being spoken to me." The implication is that, as it were, the Shechinah speaks to Itself, and those who are Its emissaries overhear the words. In other words, it is not according to divine reverence that the Holy One, blessed be He, addresses a mortal directly as an equal; rather, the Holy One, blessed be He, speaks as if of Himself, and you overhear it. Therefore, the term midaber appears here. Rashi also notes that some interpret medaber with a sheva, which sounds like one person speaking directly to another, addressing him face-to-face. But out of honor and respect, it is written midaber with a chirik, as explained.
The Mission: To the Rebellious Nations
וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי בֶּן־אָדָם שׁוֹלֵחַ אֲנִי אוֹתְךָ אֶל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל־גּוֹיִם הַמּוֹרְדִים אֲשֶׁר מָרְדוּ־בִי הֵמָּה וַאֲבוֹתָם פָּשְׁעוּ בִי עַד־עֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה׃ - And He said to me: Son of man, I am sending you to the Children of Israel, to rebellious nations who have rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me unto this very day.
The Holy One, blessed be He, says to him: I am sending you to the Children of Israel - those exiled in the exile of King Yehoyachin who are with him in Babylonia, for Yechezkel prophesies there by the Kevar River. Radak adds that this very likely addresses those who remained behind in Jerusalem as well, with the message reaching them through letters and written dispatches, since Yechezkel was not physically present in Jerusalem.
And who are the "rebellious nations"? Rashi explains: Two tribes are referred to as two nations. Yehudah and Binyamin are the two tribes exiled to Babylonia. This certainly does not refer to the Ten Tribes, who had already been exiled during the earlier deportation to Chalach, Chavor, and the Gozan River, but rather to those exiled to Babylonia - Yehudah and Binyamin. They are called "nations" (goyim) in the sense of two distinct tribes. This parallels the phrase "a nation and a company of nations" (Bereishit 35:11), which signifies that two tribes were destined to emerge from one, namely the special blessing granted to Yosef that two tribes would descend from him, which constitutes the birthright. From here we see that the term "nations" can refer to tribes.
Radak, on the other hand, explains that they were called "nations" because they were deeply divided among themselves, with each faction worshipping a different idol: some worshipped the abomination of the Ammonites, others that of Moav or of other Gentile nations. Thus, they were called "nations" - as divided entities. It is also possible that Scripture refers to them as "nations" because they adopted the corrupt ways of the Gentiles, but the simple meaning is that they were fractured from one another. Another explanation is that it refers to the division of tribes and families, which is closer to Rashi's interpretation.
Two Shortcomings of This Generation
The Malbim explains that Hashem tells Yechezkel He is sending him to all the Children of Israel. The Malbim emphasizes: It is not the nature of Israel to rebel against Hashem - in the normal course of things, they fulfill Hashem's will. However, once they do rebel, it becomes a grave problem, for they are not quick to repent and it is exceptionally difficult to turn them back. This was why Yonah did not wish to go and rebuke Nineveh: Yonah argued that the Gentile nations are quick to repent, unlike Israel, even though they are equally quick to relapse into sin afterward. Yonah reasoned: Why should I go? It will only provoke an indictment against the Jewish people. Hashem sends prophets to Israel morning and evening, yet they do not repent, whereas to Nineveh a messenger was sent just once and they repented immediately. Therefore, wishing to avoid an indictment, he sought to evade the mission. From this we learn that when the Jewish people rebel, they are not quick to repent - they do not rebel constantly, but once they do, it is difficult to restore them. In contrast, it is the ordinary way of the Gentile nations to rebel against Hashem, yet on the other hand, they are quick to repent and return swiftly, as the Malbim writes: "the episode of Nineveh proves this."
The Holy One, blessed be He, says to him: In this generation, they possess two shortcomings that deviate from their normal state. The first shortcoming is that they are in active rebellion, and not just starting now: "they and their fathers have transgressed against Me." Rebellion (mered) is far more severe than transgression (pesha). A transgression can be an isolated lapse - a person commits an offense, so he is considered a transgressor. A rebel, however, casts off the yoke of Heaven entirely. Their fathers transgressed, and they escalated that transgression into open rebellion. Furthermore, this has persisted since ancient times and they continue that pattern - meaning they have grown accustomed to rebelling, something rare among Israel, yet entrenched within this generation.
וְהַבָּנִים קְשֵׁי פָנִים וְחִזְקֵי־לֵב אֲנִי שׁוֹלֵחַ אוֹתְךָ אֲלֵיהֶם וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם כֹּה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יֱהוִה׃ - And the children are brazen-faced and hard-hearted; I send you to them, and you shall say to them: Thus said the Lord Hashem.
This is the second shortcoming: they are brazen-faced and hard-hearted, rejecting the words of the prophet. When the prophet rebukes them with rational proofs and intellectual arguments, they are brazen-faced and harden their countenances against him. And when he warns them of impending punishments and calamities - matters that ought to touch a sensitive chord in the heart - they are hard-hearted, utterly unmoved by suffering, distress, and disaster. Even so, Hashem tells him: I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, "Thus said the Lord Hashem." The primary objective of the mission, the Malbim explains, is for you to declare that you are a prophet of Hashem, so they will know that the Holy One, blessed be He, forewarned them in advance, and so they will not claim they were abandoned without Divine Providence like ordinary nations. Behold, the Holy One, blessed be He, is warning you and has dispatched a prophet to inform you.
Since the preceding verse stated, "and their fathers have transgressed against Me," Rashi notes that Scripture therefore adds, "and the children" - the sons born to these fathers are brazen-faced. Targum Yonatan translates "brazen-faced" (keshei fanim), as cited by Radak, as "chatzipei apin" (insolent of face), similar to "a brazen-faced nation" (goy az panim) - one lacking any sense of shame, whose expression is hardened and insolent. This is the exact opposite of a person with a sense of shame, whose expression softens and reddens with embarrassment when rebuked. But with an impudent person, nothing makes an impression on him, and his face registers no shame whatsoever.
"And They Shall Know That a Prophet Has Been Among Them"
וְהֵמָּה אִם־יִשְׁמְעוּ וְאִם־יֶחְדָּלוּ כִּי בֵּית מְרִי הֵמָּה וְיָדְעוּ כִּי נָבִיא הָיָה בְתוֹכָם׃ - And they, whether they listen or whether they refuse - for they are a rebellious house - yet they shall know that a prophet has been among them.
If you are in doubt whether they will listen or refuse, what is the point of going and rebuking them? The Holy One, blessed be He, says to him: Even so, go to them and tell them that they are a rebellious house - people who rebel against the word of Hashem - so that they will know that a prophet was among them, that the prophet rebuked them, and through this they will later have no one to blame but themselves. In any case, whether they listen or refuse, go and rebuke them, for there is an aspect and a chance that they will listen.
Rashi explains: I know that they are a rebellious house, contentious people, but I desire that at the time of their retribution they will know that a prophet was among them and rebuked them and they did not listen. "Contentious people" - whatever you tell them, they have an answer and a retort against you, arguments meant to antagonize the prophet and contradict his words. But when one receives the blow, he will say: Ah, a true prophet was among me and rebuked me, and this will bring them closer to teshuvah. For if trouble befalls a person and no one told him beforehand, and the disaster strikes him unexpectedly, he does not see in it any statement spoken years before or any fulfillment of the word of God - what will bring him to teshuvah now? But when he sees that the Holy One, blessed be He, warned him, and exactly as He said, so it happened, this arouses him to repent.
"Do Not Fear Them or Their Words"
וְאַתָּה בֶן־אָדָם אַל־תִּירָא מֵהֶם וּמִדִּבְרֵיהֶם אַל־תִּירָא כִּי סָרָבִים וְסַלּוֹנִים אוֹתָךְ וְאֶל־עַקְרַבִּים אַתָּה יוֹשֵׁב מִדִּבְרֵיהֶם אַל־תִּירָא וּמִפְּנֵיהֶם אַל־תֵּחָת כִּי בֵּית מְרִי הֵמָּה׃ - And you, son of man, do not fear them, and do not fear their words, though briers and thorns are with you, and you sit among scorpions; do not fear their words, and do not be dismayed by their presence, for they are a rebellious house.
Hashem says to him: You do not need to worry or be afraid, neither of them nor of their words. The Malbim explains: Since the prophecies he was sent to deliver to the people were harsh words, it is frightening to say harsh things to the people, lest they harm you and forcibly shut your mouth. And who was greater in this than Yirmiyahu, who was the prophet of wrath whose harsh prophecies are brought in his book as we have already learned, and as a result they put him into the prison courtyard, and threw him into the muddy pit, and he was persecuted and imprisoned, and what not. Here you see that when a prophet speaks harsh words, he faces danger from the people.
Even in our day, when someone tries to say harsh things - the media crucifies him. Today there is no guillotine, but they chop off your head in the media. In his time, Rabbi Peretz spoke about the matter of Shabbat and so on, and may Hashem have mercy on what they did to him, and from then on he learned that it is dangerous to speak here. Everyone is permitted to speak, there is freedom of speech, but it depends on who and what, it depends on who is seeking to express himself and on what subject. Freedom of speech is a very important principle to uphold, especially when the left wishes to express itself.
The Holy One, blessed be He, says to him: Prepare yourself; I am about to send you with harsh words, and these words are naturally bound to create unrest. Even so - do not fear them lest they do you harm, and even "do not fear their words." Sometimes they do not actually harm you, but you hear the talk and what they are planning to do to you, and already from this one's heart sinks within him. Therefore it is said, "do not fear their words" - do not fear even the talk and the threats.
"Though briers and thorns are with you" - they refuse to listen to you, harassing you and stinging you like a painful thorn. A sillon is a type of thorn. Rashi notes that saravim is a term of rebelliousness, meaning they refuse (mesarvim), while Dunash interpreted it as a type of thorn. He mentions that there are twenty names - twenty names for types of thorns: kotz, choach, sillon, dardar, and sir ("like the crackling of thorns [sirin] under the pot," where it also refers to thorns), and so forth. It is likewise written, "a festering thorn and a painful brier." So do not fear their stinging you like thorns.
"And you sit among scorpions" - like scorpions stinging you from every side. A person who sits down and discovers he has sat on a swarm of scorpions, the matter does not end well. And even if you feel that you are sitting on scorpions and their sting is the sting of a scorpion - do not fear what they say or their threats to kill you, "and do not be dismayed" - do not feel low before them and do not feel inferior to them; on the contrary, come with strength and fortitude to rebuke them, "for they are a rebellious house" - they are rebellious and defiant, and they will not prevail over you nor be able to harm you. In simple terms: even though you will hear threats and harsh words from them, say your piece without fear and without being dismayed, and through this there is a chance that your words will ultimately have a real impact.
And some explain that "scorpions" are not actual scorpions, but rather a type of thorn: there are thorns called sillon and sarav, and there are those called akrav (scorpion). Similarly, "My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions" - according to this interpretation, the reference is to a type of whip that tears the flesh, and is therefore called "scorpions," a kind of harsh thorns. This is how the Radak explains it.
"Whether They Hear or Forbear" - Speaking Even What Will Not Be Heard
וְדִבַּרְתָּ אֶת־דְּבָרַי אֲלֵיהֶם אִם־יִשְׁמְעוּ וְאִם־יֶחְדָּלוּ כִּי מְרִי הֵמָּה׃ - And you shall speak My words to them, whether they hear or whether they forbear, for they are rebellious.
"And you shall speak My words to them" - do not refrain from speaking all of My words out of fear, whether they will listen or whether they will refrain. And do not think that it is preferable to withhold words that will not be heeded, on the grounds that "it is better that they be unintentional sinners rather than willful sinners." Hashem tells him: "For they are rebellious" - they are willful transgressors in any event. Why worry that rebuking them will turn them into willful sinners? They are already acting brazenly, and Hashem knows what is in their hearts. Therefore, do not think that silence is preferable here; on the contrary, it is better to speak. For as noted earlier, once the blow falls, they will at least know from Whom it came, and through this realization, they will be closer to doing teshuvah.
"Open Your Mouth and Eat" - Prophecy as Food
וְאַתָּה בֶן־אָדָם שְׁמַע אֵת אֲשֶׁר־אֲנִי מְדַבֵּר אֵלֶיךָ אַל־תְּהִי־מֶרִי כְּבֵית הַמֶּרִי פְּצֵה פִיךָ וֶאֱכֹל אֵת אֲשֶׁר־אֲנִי נֹתֵן אֵלֶיךָ׃ - And you, son of man, hear what I say to you: Be not rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.
Hashem tells him: Hear what I speak to you - listen and carry out the mission with which I charge you, do not learn from the conduct of the people, and do not rebel against My word. "Be not rebellious like that rebellious house" - Rashi explains: do not refuse to go on My mission. It was quite possible that Yechezkel would hesitate and resist out of fear; therefore, Hashem tells him: Do not be afraid and do not refuse, but rather, "open your mouth and eat what I give you."
What He offers him to eat is a scroll, which is hardly the kind of nourishment anyone would naturally seek. Of course, this is not meant literally as consuming parchment; it is a poetic metaphor: absorb the message so thoroughly that it enters your very innards. Still, we must understand why Hashem specifically chose the imagery of eating to convey that prophecy must enter deep within him.
The Malbim explains: When a person merely hears a concept, it may go in one ear and out the other, or his understanding of it may remain abstract and detached. The Holy One, blessed be He, wants the words of prophecy to become an internal reality, an essential possession bound to the prophet's soul. He therefore uses the imagery of eating. When a person eats, the food spreads through his entire anatomy; it is absorbed and becomes bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh.
To illustrate this: It is written, "No harm (aven) will befall the righteous" (Mishlei 12:21), and the Gemara explains that the Holy One, blessed be He, shields the righteous from stumbling into sin and error. Tosafot ask: How can this be? We find clear examples to the contrary - such as Rabbi Yishmael, who read by lamplight on Shabbat and inadvertently tilted the lamp, a righteous sage stumbling into a transgression! Tosafot answer that this Divine guarantee applies specifically to forbidden foods; in dietary matters, the righteous receive special protection so they do not consume what is forbidden. Why is there a difference between Rabbi Yishmael inadvertently desecrating Shabbat, or an erroneous execution of a plotting witness, and eating non-kosher food? The reason is simple: when someone consumes forbidden food, the unholy substance is absorbed into his blood, assimilated into his body, and becomes part of him. Divine assurance was therefore given specifically regarding food, whereas other sins remain external actions that do not become part of the person's physical essence.
There were Gedolei Yisrael who refused blood transfusions until they verified that the donor was a Sabbath observer. It is even told of certain Gedolei Yisrael that their bodies physically rejected transfusions until blood was obtained from observant donors, which their systems readily accepted. A tzaddik is an embodiment of holiness; if something spiritually contaminated enters him, his very body repels it. Having something forbidden become an integrated part of oneself is extraordinarily severe. Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, tells the prophet: I want these words to become part of your physical being, absorbed and assimilated within you just like food that sustains the human body.
An allusion to this is found in the verse itself: "No harm will befall the righteous" (lo ye'uneh latzaddik kol aven). If you take the negative word lo ("not"), the initial letters of the subsequent words - ye'uneh latzaddik kol aven - form the word yochel ("he will eat"), reading together as lo yochel ("he shall not eat"). Where is there an absolute guarantee that no harm will befall the righteous? Only in matters of eating - "he shall not eat" - is he guaranteed not to stumble into sin, whereas in other matters, even a righteous person may err.
An Outstretched Hand and a Scroll of a Book
וָאֶרְאֶה וְהִנֵּה־יָד שְׁלוּחָה אֵלָי וְהִנֵּה־בוֹ מְגִלַּת־סֵפֶר׃ - And I looked, and behold, a hand was stretched out to me, and behold, in it was a scroll of a book.
"Sheluchah" (stretched out) is feminine, while "vehinei vo" (and behold, in it) uses the masculine pronoun "vo". Is "yad" (a hand) masculine or feminine? Rashi explains that certain nouns function in both the masculine and feminine forms. For instance, "hashamesh yatza al ha'aretz" (the sun had risen upon the earth) uses the masculine verb, and "ba hashamesh" (the sun went down) is masculine, whereas "vezarchah lachem yirei shemi shemesh" (the sun of righteousness shall arise for you who fear My Name) uses the feminine form "vezarchah", rather than the masculine "vezarach". Likewise, "vehayah hamachaneh hanish'ar lifleitah" (the remaining camp shall escape) treats camp as masculine, while "el hamachaneh ha'achat vehikkahu" (against the one camp and strike it) uses "ha'achat" in the feminine and "vehikkahu" in the masculine, because "machaneh" (camp) can be both masculine and feminine. The same is true of "be'er" (a well), "ruach" (wind or spirit), and several other words that can be treated as either masculine or feminine.
In truth, according to the Ibn Ezra there is fundamentally no question here at all, for he states that whatever lacks the breath of life may be treated as masculine or feminine. Anything that has no spirit of life can be referred to in either gender. However, the Ibn Ezra's approach is not widely accepted, and the commentators generally do not follow his view; we are accustomed to being meticulous about masculine and feminine gender forms even with inanimate objects. At any rate, if someone corrects your Hebrew grammar on masculine and feminine, you have the Ibn Ezra in your pocket to pull out: whatever lacks the breath of life may be treated as masculine or feminine. The breath of life belongs to a male or female dog, an ox or a cow, a man or a woman - there masculine and feminine distinctions are essential. But saying "bring the table hagdolah (feminine big)" - why hagdolah? It should be hagadol! Yet the Ibn Ezra says that because it has no breath of life, it may be treated as masculine or feminine. Still, as noted, this is not accepted in standard grammar today.
"And I looked, and behold, a hand was stretched out to me" - the prophecy that the Holy One, blessed be He, conveys to him appears in the form of a hand holding a scroll of a book. A "megillat sefer" is a book formed by rolling. Our books today are bound, whereas a "megillat sefer" is like a Sefer Torah or the Megillot, and that is how ordinary books were written in those days as well.
"And He spread it before me" - An Unrolled Scroll, Not a Sealed Book
וַיִּפְרֹשׂ אוֹתָהּ לְפָנַי וְהִיא כְתוּבָה פָּנִים וְאָחוֹר וְכָתוּב אֵלֶיהָ קִנִים וָהֶגֶה וָהִי׃ - And He spread it before me, and it was written on the front and on the back; and there was written upon it lamentations, mourning, and woe.
When the Holy One, blessed be He, delivers the prophecy to him, He spreads the scroll open before him. What is meant by "written on the front and on the back" (panim ve'achor)? According to the literal sense, the Radak explains that "panim" is the front side from which a person reads, and "achor" is the reverse side of the scroll - meaning that the scroll was written on both sides.
However, Rashi cites Targum Yonatan, who explains that "front and back" is not to be taken literally: "Uferas yatah kadamai" - He spread it before me; "vehia ketivah mei'apah ume'achorah" - and it was written from its beginning and from its end; "mah dehavah min sharuyah u'mah de'atid lemehvei besofah" - that is, "front and back" refer to time: what took place from the beginning and what is destined to occur in the end. "Uchtiv bah de'im ya'avrun beit Yisrael al oraitha yishletun behon ammaya" - that if the House of Israel transgress the Torah, the nations will rule over them; "ve'im ya'avdun yat oraitha yisuf minehon elya vedavneh veteinachta" - but if they fulfill the Torah, lamentation, anguish, and groaning will cease from them, which correspond to "kinim vahegeh vahi", various forms of weeping, grief, and mourning.
And what are "kinim, vahegeh, vahi"? Rashi explains: "Kinim" (lamentations) refers to the tribulations of the righteous in this world. "Vahegeh" (utterance) refers to the granting of their reward, which they will sing of in the World to Come, for "hegeh" denotes speech and utterance. "Vahi" (woe) derives from "nehi", which means lamentation, grief, and mourning - the wailing of the wicked in the World to Come. These three things he saw written in the scroll.
The Malbim explains: since the scroll was rolled up, He spread it out. And what does this spreading out come to express, given that everything here is allegorical? The Malbim explains that the matters were clear to him and laid open before him, as Scripture says, "and they shall spread out the garment" - matters that are as clear as an outstretched garment. Here too, the prophecy reached him in a clear and comprehensible manner, unlike what is written, "and the vision of all this has become to you like the words of a sealed book," where someone receives a text but it remains sealed and he cannot comprehend what is written there. This is similar to what we find regarding Daniel, for whom the prophecy was like a sealed book and he did not understand the meaning of "a time, times, and half a time," requiring an angel to explain it to him. Here, however, it was not like a sealed book but on the contrary, like an open book: the rolled scroll was spread open.
Incidentally, we find a parallel to this in the account of Rabbi Eliezer the Great. When his disciples came to take leave of him as he lay on his deathbed - and until that time they had been unable to visit him, because Rabbi Eliezer had been placed under a ban over the dispute concerning the Oven of Akhnai - Rabbi Akiva and his colleagues came to part from him. He said to them: My two arms are like two rolled Sefer Torahs. What did he mean? That although I learned much from my teachers, I was only like a dog lapping water from the sea, and my disciples have received from me only as much as an applicator takes from a tube of paint. And why all this? Because they did not come to learn Torah from me. Had they come to receive Torah from me, they would have gained far more. What is this comparable to? To a Sefer Torah from which one cannot read because it remains rolled up. Therefore he said, "like two rolled Sefer Torahs" - they are Torah scrolls, but they are rolled up; no one opened them to learn from them. And therefore he told them that their deaths would be harsh, because they did not come and seek to learn Torah from him. Thus we see that a rolled scroll is like a sealed book and one cannot know what lies within it. Here, by contrast, "and He spread it before me" indicates that Yechezkel's comprehension of the prophecy was complete, rather than remaining like a sealed book.
In summary:
Chapter 2 is the chapter of Yechezkel's preparation for his mission. He is addressed as "Son of man" - either to emphasize that he is the only mortal among the exalted beings, or so that his spirit would not grow haughty from the vision of the Merkavah, or because he had seen the face of a man in the Merkavah. A spirit sets him upon his feet after his physical faculties had fallen away, and he is sent to "rebellious nations" - Yehudah and Binyamin who were exiled to Babylonia, in whom two flaws converged in this generation: a rebellion to which they had grown accustomed from their ancestors, and brazenness and stubbornness of heart that yielded neither to rational proof nor to warnings of impending retribution. Even so, he is sent, so that they will know that a prophet was among them, and at the time of retribution they will repent. Hashem strengthens him not to fear either them or their words, even though they are like thorns, thistles, and scorpions, but rather to speak His words with boldness. Finally, he is commanded, "Open your mouth and eat" - meaning that the words of prophecy should be absorbed within him like food that is swallowed and assimilated into the body, becoming an intrinsic acquisition bonded to his soul. The scroll of the book was then spread before him, open and clear, written front and back, containing lamentations, moaning, and wailing - retribution, reward, and mourning, according to the deeds of Israel.