Introduction: Chapter 6 - The Beginning of Yeshayahu's Prophecy
Chapter 6 of Yeshayahu is one of the most sublime chapters in the book: Yeshayahu's vision of the Heavenly Chariot (the Merkavah), which contains a profound grasp of the ways the Holy One, blessed be He, governs His world. The Abarbanel emphasizes here a point already noted at the beginning of the book: Chapter 6 is actually the chronological beginning of the Book of Yeshayahu, whereas the preceding chapters (1 - 5) were delivered later, for there is no strict chronological order in the words of the Prophets. The proof of this is straightforward: in the earlier chapters it says, "And the daughter of Zion is left like a booth in a vineyard," and "The vision of Yeshayahu... concerning Yehudah and Yerushalayim," and "Why should you be stricken anymore, that you continue to rebel?" - meaning: the Ten Tribes have already been stricken and exiled, yet you, Yehudah and Yerushalayim, continue to stray. If so, those chapters belong to a later stage, after the exile of the Ten Tribes, and cannot mark the beginning of his prophecy. Therefore, the Abarbanel teaches: here, in the year King Uziyahu was afflicted with tzara'at, Yeshayahu's prophecy truly began.
בִּשְׁנַת מוֹת הַמֶּלֶךְ עֻזִּיָּהוּ וָאֶרְאֶה אֶת אֲדֹנָי יֹשֵׁב עַל כִּסֵּא רָם וְנִשָּׂא וְשׁוּלָיו מְלֵאִים אֶת הַהֵיכָל׃ - In the year of King Uziyahu's death, I saw the Lord sitting on a high and exalted throne, and His hem filled the Temple.
"In the year of the death" - A Death That Is Tzara'at
Radak cites Targum Yonatan: "In the year King Uziyahu was struck" - the year King Uziyahu was afflicted with tzara'at. That is, the verse does not refer to actual physical death, but to tzara'at. Chazal teach that Uziyahu sought to offer incense (ketoret) in the Beit HaMikdash, and as a consequence was struck with tzara'at.
Here it is worth examining a precision in the Holy Tongue: Why do Chazal depart from the literal reading of the text? Why not simply understand that the prophecy was revealed in the year Uziyahu actually died? We find a similar idea elsewhere: "And it came to pass in those many days that the king of Egypt died" - where Chazal expound that he was struck with tzara'at, and would slaughter 150 Jewish children in the morning and 150 in the evening to bathe in their blood to heal his affliction. Once again: Why diverge from the plain meaning of the verses? And this question is not asked merely from the standpoint of homiletical interpretation (derash), but according to the strict principles of the text's plain meaning (peshat).
The answer is: "There is no dominion on the day of death." Once a person dies, titles of kingship are no longer applied to him. Throughout his life, David is referred to as "King David" or "David the King" - yet at his passing the verse states, "And David slept with his fathers," and not "and King David slept." There is no royalty for the deceased, for "a living dog is better than a dead lion." If so, how could the verse say, "In the year of the death of King Uziyahu"? It should have said simply, "in the year of the death of Uziyahu." Perforce, he was still alive. So too with Pharaoh: had he truly died, he would not have been called "the king of Egypt."
What then was this "death"? Chazal enumerate several categories: an impoverished person is considered as dead, a metzora is considered as dead, and a blind person is considered as dead. In this context, the most fitting explanation is tzara'at, for regarding Uziyahu Scripture explicitly states, "and the tzara'at broke out on his forehead." Since we see explicitly that this "death" refers to tzara'at, we learn the same regarding Pharaoh: a king is not impoverished, and literal death is ruled out because he is still referred to as "king"; perforce, he was struck with tzara'at. And so it is here: "In the year King Uziyahu was struck."
A Villager Who Saw the King and a City Dweller Who Saw the King
Chazal say: Everything Yechezkel saw, Yeshayahu saw. Yechezkel also prophesied in the vision of the Merkavah, and he too witnessed all that we see here. However, Yechezkel is likened to a villager who saw the king, while Yeshayahu is likened to a city dweller who saw the king. When a villager sees the royal procession and returns to his village, he describes it at great length: what a retinue, what banners, what trumpets, what horsemen riding before him - for this is his first time and he is utterly overwhelmed. A city dweller, however, accustomed to seeing the king, speaks concisely: "The king's procession passed by." Therefore, Yechezkel elaborates on the vision of the chashmal and all the intricate details of the Chariot, whereas Yeshayahu is brief: "sitting on a high and exalted throne," "seraphim stood above Him." Because of Yeshayahu's immense spiritual stature, the vision was not such a novelty to him; furthermore, the members of his generation were more spiritually complete than those of Yechezkel's generation, who were already in exile by the Chebar River. This is why Yeshayahu mentioned the seraphim and did not mention the chayyot (the living creatures). Do not think that Yechezkel saw more - on the contrary, it was Yeshayahu who saw more, but Yechezkel was more astonished, and therefore his descriptions are elaborate and detailed.
"And I Saw the Lord" - Intellectual Perception Through His Actions
The Malbim explains: The Sublime Essence, which refers to Hashem, blessed be He, cannot be perceived by physical eyes. "For man shall not see Me and live," nor can corporeal faculties comprehend Him. What, then, is the meaning of "and I saw the Lord"? This is intellectual perception; it is an apprehension of the mind. And since it is impossible to perceive the Holy One, blessed be He, in His Essence - through what can He be perceived? Through His actions. This is a fundamental principle already discussed in Nefesh HaChaim and the Kuzari: we do not grasp the Creator in His Essence, but rather through His actions and the influences that emanate from Him. When He shows mercy, one says "Hashem is merciful"; when He is gracious, one says "Hashem is gracious." But regarding His true Essence - "no thought can grasp Him at all." What can be known is what He effects, and from His actions, one perceives His ways.
Our Sages already addressed this question: "I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up" - yet is it not written, "For man shall not see Me and live"? And who raised this question? Menasheh asked it of his grandfather, the prophet Yeshayahu, before putting him to death: How can you prophesy things that contradict what is written in the Torah? The Gemara answers: Here it is through a lucid lens (aspaklaria ha-me'irah), and there through a non-lucid lens (aspaklaria she-einah me'irah). In simple terms: a lucid lens is a polished, clear mirror in which one sees distinctly, whereas a non-lucid lens is a clouded mirror in which vision is obscured. To see Hashem through a lucid lens - "man shall not see Me and live"; but through a non-lucid lens, perception is possible.
According to the Malbim's approach, a lucid lens means comprehending His very Essence, blessed be He, which is impossible; a non-lucid lens means apprehending Him through His actions and through the recipients of His influence. A parable illustrates this: one cannot look directly at the sun itself, but one can gaze at a white wall and see it brightly illuminated - thus perceiving the sunlight not in its essence, but as it acts upon a physical object. So it is here: one cannot even gaze directly upon His heavenly attendants and ministers, and all the more so upon Him. Yet through His actions and influence, apprehension was indeed possible, and this is the meaning of "I saw the Lord."
The Two Forms of Providence: Natural and Miraculous
Since Yeshayahu perceived the ways of His providence, the Malbim teaches that divine governance is divided into two realms. The first is natural governance - a fixed, unchanging system, which the Chazon Ish termed "the most constant will of the Creator of the universe." The instruments of this governance are the host of the heavens: the stars and constellations, whose orbits channel divine influence downward. This explains the connection often noted: the word mazal (constellation) is related to nozel (flowing) - cascading down, descending, and exerting influence.
The second realm is miraculous governance, through which the Holy One, blessed be He, directs the world intermittently, whenever it is His will to overturn the laws of nature. This governance is carried out through the host of angels, who exist at a higher spiritual plane than the celestial bodies. By the command of Hashem, high and lifted up, they override the laws of nature and suspend the natural order channeled through the stars and constellations. Yet this is not a permanent form of governance, but one invoked occasionally for a great need, such as the redemption of Israel from Egypt.
"Sitting on a Throne" - Natural Governance
At first, the prophet portrays natural governance, describing Hashem, as it were, as a King sitting upon a throne. What does "sitting" signify? A person who sits is settled and firmly rooted in place, at rest; this is one's standard, default state, whereas standing is temporary. Therefore, when describing the Creator's constant, steady governance, Scripture depicts Him as a King sitting on a throne. The throne represents the celestial host, the stars and constellations, through which the King directs His world with consistent rule. This is the meaning of the verses: "The heavens are My throne" and "Hashem established His throne in the heavens" - the heavens, the stars, and the constellations serve as the throne upon which rests the perpetual, natural governance.
"High and Lifted Up" - A Warning Against Anthropomorphism
The verse states, "high and lifted up" - referring to Hashem, blessed be He. Lest one imagine that this depicts something physical and material, like a human being seated on a chair, Scripture immediately follows the metaphor with an explicit warning: He is high and exalted, elevated far beyond any such physical descriptions, and the metaphor is employed only to make the concept accessible to human understanding. It functions like a parenthetical caution: take care not to let your intellect stumble. As kabbalistic texts emphasize at length in their introductions, the fundamental prerequisite for anyone beginning the study of Kabbalah is to distance oneself completely from anthropomorphism, in the spirit of "You shall not make with Me" - that a person should never, heaven forbid, visualize a literal throne and someone sitting upon it.
"And Its Train Filled the Temple" - Individual Providence Down to the Smallest Detail
"Its train" refers not to Hashem, blessed be He, but to the throne: the lower reaches of the throne filled the Sanctuary. If the throne symbolizes the fixed natural order, Scripture comes to teach that the dominion of the throne cascades downward, filling all realms down to the physical world, in the spirit of "and the earth is My footstool" - the edges of the throne reach, as it were, down to the earth. And what is meant by "filled"? Lest you mistakenly assume that divine governance is merely general. Not so: it is individual providence extending to the most minute details. There is not a single detail, not a single speck, nothing so delicate and minute that is not under the individual providence of Hashem, blessed be He - to the extent that its edges literally fill the entire Sanctuary.
שְׂרָפִים עֹמְדִים מִמַּעַל לוֹ שֵׁשׁ כְּנָפַיִם שֵׁשׁ כְּנָפַיִם לְאֶחָד בִּשְׁתַּיִם יְכַסֶּה פָנָיו וּבִשְׁתַּיִם יְכַסֶּה רַגְלָיו וּבִשְׁתַּיִם יְעוֹפֵף׃ - Seraphim stood above Him; each had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he would fly.
The Seraphim and Their Wings - The Literal Meaning
According to the literal meaning: Seraphim, who are angels, stand above Hashem, Blessed be He, and each has six wings - with two he covers his face, with two he covers his feet, and with two he flies. Rashi explains that "standing above Him" means to serve Him, for they minister before Him, Blessed be He. And why does he cover his face with his wings? Because he stands before Hashem, Blessed be He, and covers his face so as not to gaze toward the Shechinah, which would be disrespectful. And he covers his feet - so that his entire body is not exposed before his Creator, especially the feet, which represent the lowest part of man, just as a dignified person covers his feet. Rashi also cites from the Tanchuma: their feet are like the sole of a calf's foot, and they cover them so as not to constantly invoke the sin of the Golden Calf before Hashem, Blessed be He. And "with two he flies" - with these he ministers before Him, Blessed be He.
The Seraphim as the Miraculous Providential Order
According to the Malbim, if the previous verse described the natural order of providence - "sitting upon a throne," channeled through the host of heaven - here it proceeds to explain the miraculous order of providence, that which is supernatural, which is not enacted through the host of heaven but through the Seraphim, angels of a higher rank. "Seraphim standing above Him" - the word "Him" refers back to the throne, just as "its train" refers to the train of the throne. They stand above the throne, meaning they set it in motion and are higher than it. The throne is the natural order of providence, and the Seraphim direct it from above, possessing the power to alter the natural order when necessary - not of their own power, but according to what they receive from Him, Blessed be He.
And why "standing"? One who stands is like someone waiting and anticipating, prepared and ready: the Seraph stands awaiting the command to upend the natural order, and executes it immediately. Therefore, this is not in the category of "sitting" - sitting represents the fixed, natural order of providence, whereas the miraculous order is in the category of standing, poised to receive a command.
The Root of the Word "Kanaf" and Its Three Meanings
Why are the angels described as having wings? To understand this, the Malbim explains, one must examine the origin of the word kanaf in Lashon HaKodesh. Originally, a kanaf refers to the feathers attached to a bird's limb. The limb is the wing-structure that a dove moves, as in the verse "Who will give me a wing (ever) like a dove," while the feathers covering the limb are collectively termed kanaf.
From this, the term kanaf was borrowed for several concepts: for something that flies swiftly - "wings of the wind," "wings of the dawn," "a sun of righteousness with healing in its wings"; and similarly for something that flies away from a person's memory - "it will surely make itself wings" in Mishlei. And because a bird spreads its wings in flight, the term is used for spreading - "He spread His wings, He took him"; and because spreading creates shade - "the land of shadowed wings"; and because beneath the shadow of the wings one can take shelter - "they take shelter in the shadow of Your wings"; and because a bird conceals its fledglings under its wings, kanaf became an expression of concealment - "I will take refuge in the shelter of Your wings," and even "your Teacher shall no longer be hidden (yikanef)" - said of Hashem, Blessed be He: now "I will surely hide My face," but in the future your Teacher will no longer be concealed. Likewise, "he shall not uncover his father's garment (knaf aviv)," which the Rambam in Moreh Nevuchim explains in the name of Ibn Janach as the concealment of his father. And since the wing is the edge of the bird's body, kanaf is also used to denote an edge and extremity: "from the edge (knaf) of the earth we heard songs," "on the corners (kanfei) of their garments."
Thus, kanaf expresses three concepts: first, an edge and boundary, like the corners of a garment; second, covering, concealment, and hiding, as in "your Teacher shall no longer be hidden"; and third, flight, something that glides and flies effortlessly. These three aspects are the very attributes with which the Seraphim are described here.
"With Two He Covers His Face" - That They Are Limited and Receive
By covering the face, the verse comes to teach us that the Seraphim have bounds and limits. Not physical limits, for they are spiritual beings, but a limitation in spirituality: for the only unlimited spiritual existence is the Holy One, Blessed be He, whereas all other spiritual entities are limited and receive from another. And how is receiving expressed? Always through the face. The face expresses what one receives from another. Thus the Gemara states: My stature is greater than his, because I saw Rabbi Meir from the front, while one who saw him from behind is on a lower level. Similarly in the works of the Kabbalists, when discussing the unifications of upper attributes - when they are face-to-face, whereas face-to-back, and certainly back-to-back, there is no true unification. Therefore, "with two he covers his face" teaches that there is One above them who bestows influence upon them, and they are recipients and limited.
"With Two He Covers His Feet" - That We Cannot Grasp Their Essence
The feet, the Malbim explains, always express that which receives influence from oneself, as in the phrase, "and the Lord has blessed you at my foot" - through his presence came the abundance. And by covering their feet, Scripture teaches that we cannot fully comprehend their essence. For we have no way to grasp something that is above time and above space, since all material things we know fall under the categories of time and space. If someone speaks to us of a reality above time, we have no grasp of it; and likewise above space. Even today, when people speak to us about things like atoms, which no one has ever seen with the eye even though they draw diagrams of them, we begin to understand that there are realities beyond physical matter - yet grasping the true essence of the thing is still difficult for us. Therefore it says, "with two he would cover his feet": even the influence we receive from them remains covered and concealed, and we have no complete grasp of it.
"And with Two He Would Fly" - Their Inherent Nature
And corresponding to the third aspect of the wing, the expression of flight, Scripture comes to describe their inherent nature, their role and essence: that they run swiftly to do the will of their Maker. And the Targum renders: "and with two he serves" - carrying out and ministering to the will of his Maker.
Why Always in Pairs of Two?
Notice that the wings are always attributed in pairs of two. Simply put, one could say that Scripture gives an example from familiar reality, where every winged creature has two wings. But the Malbim teaches that there is an additional matter here: although the Seraphim are stripped of physicality, they do not possess simple unity like the Creator. The Creator is an absolute, simple unity with no composition whatsoever, which is why when we say "One," it refers to Him, blessed be He. But something described as two no longer possesses simple unity. Do not be confused: the stature of the Seraphim is exceedingly high, yet they are not the Creator, for they have an even number of wings.
Furthermore: "with two he would cover his face" in two, because they have two apprehensions - apprehending oneself, and apprehending one's Creator and receiving abundance from Him. "With two he would cover his feet" in two, because within him there is his own inherent power and the power by which he channels influence downward. "And with two he would fly" in two, corresponding to his inherent being and corresponding to carrying out the will of his Creator - two essences within him.
Six Wings in Yeshayahu and Four in Yechezkel - Gemara Chagigah 13b
In Yechezkel, the Chayot are described as having only four wings, while here there are six. How can this be, if both saw the same reality? The Gemara in Chagigah states: One verse says, "six wings, six wings to each one," while another verse in Yechezkel chapter 1 says, "Each had four faces, and each of them had four wings." It is not a contradiction: one was while the Beit HaMikdash stood, and the other was when the Beit HaMikdash did not stand - so to speak, the wings of the Chayot were diminished. In the days of Yeshayahu, the Temple stood firmly in its place, so there were six wings; in the days of Yechezkel, the time had come for the Beit HaMikdash to be destroyed, and as it were, the Heavenly retinue was diminished. In truth, there is no actual diminishment there, but rather, since they could no longer channel their influence down below as was fitting, it was considered as if the Heavenly retinue had been diminished.
And which wings were diminished? Rav Chananel said in the name of Rav: Those with which they recite song. The proof is that after they were diminished, it is written, "From the wing of the earth we have heard songs" - the earth itself now had to recite song, because those wings with which the angels recite song were diminished. And it is written here, "and with two he would fly [ye'ofef]," and it is written there, "Will your eyes glance [hata'if] upon it, and it is gone?" - those wings of "flying" are the ones that vanished. And from where do we know that with these they recite song? For it says, "and with two he would fly," and immediately, "And one called to the other and said, Holy, holy..." - and that is the meaning of "and with two he serves," that with them he serves before his Maker and proclaims holiness before Him.
And the Rabbis say: Those with which they cover their feet were the ones removed. For in Yechezkel it is stated, "and their legs were straight legs" - and if two wings covered their feet, how did Yechezkel see their feet? Rather, it must be that these were the ones diminished. The Gemara rejects this: perhaps they were momentarily uncovered and he saw them. For if you do not say this, it says, "As for the likeness of their faces, they had the face of a man" - and how did he see their faces, when "with two he would cover his face"? Rather, you must say that they were uncovered for a moment, and the same could apply to the feet. But the Rabbis do not accept this: uncovering one's face before one's master is proper conduct, but uncovering one's feet before one's Master and Lord is not proper conduct. Therefore, in their view, the two wings that were removed were those of "with two he would cover his feet," not those with which they recite song.
The Malbim explains in Sefer Yechezkel: From the day the Beit HaMikdash was destroyed, the wings of the Chayot were diminished, because since that time they no longer receive and channel influence through hidden, miraculous means, but only through the natural order, in an open and known manner that is not enveloped in numerous wings and coverings. In other words, the two missing wings allude to the fact that divine abundance now descends through the celestial order, through the constellations and heavenly bodies. This is an overt form of providence - so much so that even genuine astrologers of those days, who understood what they were talking about (unlike modern horoscopes), could discern what was destined to descend and influence the lower world. The miraculous order, by contrast, is a concealed providence. Since the Churban, as it were, miraculous providence has been diminished and does not prevail: we do not see overt miracles, no hail stones falling from heaven, no splitting of the Red Sea, no Ten Plagues as in Egypt. And even when Hashem performs a miracle, He channels it through many garments of nature, in a concealed manner.
וְקָרָא זֶה אֶל זֶה וְאָמַר קָדוֹשׁ קָדוֹשׁ קָדוֹשׁ ה' צְבָאוֹת מְלֹא כָל הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ׃ - And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory."
"And one called to another" - Taking permission from one another
Rashi explains "and one called to another and said" - they receive permission from one another, for they must begin together as one. For if one precedes or lags behind, he is liable to burning. Therefore, they call to one another and open all at once. For this reason, we too say in Kedushah, "All as one respond and declare." "And one called to another" - they invite and prompt one another so that it takes place all at once.
The Malbim cites the Targum, "they receive from one another," and explains that this aligns with the view of the philosophers and kabbalists: that every angel, as it were, receives divine influence through its fellow, drawing strength, vigor, and power from another angel. They thus invite one another, as it were, to contemplate and express in their words the holiness of the Maker and the supremacy of the Creator.
"Holy, holy, holy"
According to its plain meaning, the Malbim explains, "Holy, holy, holy" is phrased like "King of the kings of kings": there are kings, and there is one who reigns over all kings, and the Holy One, blessed be He, reigns even above that king over all kings. So too with holiness: there is a holy entity that is holy above all holy beings, and Hashem is holier still than that. That is to say, whatever supreme level of holiness you can conceive, which transcends all other forms of holiness - the Holy One, blessed be He, remains holy, distinct, and exalted above it.
And its Targum translation, which is what we recite in Kedushah de-Sidra: "Holy in the high heavens above, the abode of His Shechinah; holy upon the earth, the work of His mighty power; holy forever and to all eternity." Let us explain: "Holy in the high heavens above, the abode of His Shechinah" - in the highest heavens, the dwelling of His presence; this teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, is distinct even from form. For in everything there is matter and form: matter is the physical component, and form expresses the spiritual essence of the thing, like an angel. Even in the heavens, where there is no matter but only form - the Holy One, blessed be He, is exalted and distinct from there. "Holy upon the earth, the work of His mighty power" - the earth is the product of His mighty act, and He is holy and separate from it as well, having no physical or material existence whatsoever.
And what does kadosh mean in Lashon HaKodesh? Distinct and set apart. "Behold, you are consecrated (mekudeshet) to me" - set apart and designated for me, away from the rest of the world. A holy person is one who is detached and separated from the desires of this world. In that same vein, though in the opposite direction, a kedeishah (harlot) is designated and set apart for immorality. Here, "holy" means distinct and separated from all matters of impurity, holy and exalted.
"Holy forever and to all eternity" - here it no longer refers to His essence, but to time. In the Malbim's words, He is removed from nonexistence, meaning He exists forever, enduring eternally. It turns out, then, that we are proclaiming: Hashem is exalted above the spiritual realm, and certainly above the physical realm, and He is exalted above time, which is inherently limiting.
"Hashem, Master of Legions; the whole earth is full of His glory" - An Explanation of the Threefold Sanctification
The continuation of the verse explains its beginning. "Hashem" corresponds to "holy forever and to all eternity," for nonexistence does not apply to Him and He is eternal. The Four-Letter Name (Havayah) denotes existence, and its letters comprise hayah, hoveh, ve-yihyeh (He was, He is, and He will be) - the three tenses of time - and He transcends time. "Tzeva'ot" (Master of Legions) refers primarily to the heavenly hosts, corresponding to "holy in the high heavens," signifying that His holiness is above the angels and above all the holy beings on high. "The whole earth is full of His glory" corresponds to "holy upon the earth," meaning that He is holy and exalted, and His glory fills the entire earth.
Through this, the Malbim explains, the elements of the vision are complete. We saw initially "sitting upon a high throne," where the throne signifies natural providence under the aspect of "sitting" - corresponding to "holy upon the earth," for natural providence primarily manifests on earth. Next, "seraphim stood above Him," representing miraculous providence that transcends nature - corresponding to "holy in the high heavens," as the miraculous is attributed to the heavens above the earth. And corresponding to His intrinsic holiness is "holy forever": for before any creation was formed, His holiness already existed, and even when everything reaches its end, His holiness will remain, for He is beyond time.
So too, these correspond to the three perceptions we observed in the seraphim. First, they perceive their Cause - represented by "with two he covered his face," meaning they do not bare their faces toward the One from Whom they receive. Corresponding to this is "and one called to another and said": the angels call to one another, declaring that Hashem is holy and concealed beyond their comprehension, lofty above the lofty, far above their grasp. Second, they perceive and recognize themselves and their function - represented by "and with two he flew," corresponding to "holy in the high heavens," for the Holy One, blessed be He, is holy and exalted even above the angels. Third, they recognize the divine influx they transmit to the lower realms - corresponding to "holy upon the earth," for even the bounty that descends to the lower realms originates solely from Him, and He is exalted and elevated above all that He influences and bestows.
"The whole earth is full of His glory" - His praise is that He exercises Providence
And if a person should come and say: If He is so elevated and exalted, what has He to do with our affairs? Perhaps He has no connection to us at all - like the claim of the philosophers discussed in the previous lesson, that the Holy One, blessed be He, is too lofty and exalted to care about your marginal problems? To this the verse comes and adds: "The whole earth is full of His glory." The glory and praise of the Holy One, blessed be He, lies in the fact that He fills the whole earth. His virtue and greatness are that He watches over what happens here: that despite all His loftiness and exaltation, He oversees everything that transpires among the lowly, down to the smallest details - even to a tiny worm that needs a leaf above it to shield it from sunstroke. To such an extent does the Holy One, blessed be He, watch over all, in the words of the Baal Shem Tov.
In summary:
Chapter 6 is the beginning of Yeshayahu's prophecy, in the year Uzziah was stricken with *tzara'at* - a "death" that was not literal death, for "there is no rulership on the day of death" and he would not have been called "the king." In the vision, the prophet perceived through intellectual comprehension and through the prism of His actions, blessed be He, rather than His essence (an unilluminated looking glass), the two modes of the Creator's governance: the fixed natural governance, likened to a king sitting on a throne, where the throne is the heavenly host and its hem descends and cascades down to the earth in individual Divine Providence down to the finest detail; and the miraculous governance, likened to the seraphim standing above the throne and moving it, standing and waiting for the command to overturn the order of nature. Their six wings teach of their limitation and receptivity (face), of the concealment of their influence from us (feet), and of their performing their Maker's will (flying), while their being paired indicates that they do not possess simple unity like the Creator. When the Beit HaMikdash was destroyed, the wings of the *chayot* were diminished, as the overt miraculous governance departed. Finally, the seraphim call to one another, "Holy, holy, holy" - separated from form, separated from matter, and exalted above time - and despite all this, "the whole earth is full of His glory": for this is His glory and greatness, that the Lofty and Exalted One watches over every single detail in His world.