| 13a. בבתי גואי הא בבתי בראי ואמר רב אחא בר יעקב עוד רקיע אחד יש למעלה מראשי החיות דכתיב (יחזקאל א, כב) ודמות על ראשי החיה רקיע כעין הקרח הנורא,עד כאן יש לך רשות לדבר מכאן ואילך אין לך רשות לדבר שכן כתוב בספר בן סירא במופלא ממך אל תדרוש ובמכוסה ממך אל תחקור במה שהורשית התבונן אין לך עסק בנסתרות תניא אמר רבן יוחנן בן זכאי מה תשובה השיבתו בת קול לאותו רשע בשעה שאמר (ישעיהו יד, יד) אעלה על במתי עב אדמה לעליון יצתה בת קול ואמרה לו רשע בן רשע בן בנו של נמרוד הרשע שהמריד כל העולם כולו עליו במלכותו,כמה שנותיו של אדם שבעים שנה שנאמר (תהלים צ, י) ימי שנותינו בהם שבעים שנה ואם בגבורות שמונים שנה והלא מן הארץ עד לרקיע מהלך חמש מאות שנה ועוביו של רקיע מהלך חמש מאות שנה וכן בין כל רקיע ורקיע,למעלה מהן חיות הקדש רגלי החיות כנגד כולם קרסולי החיות כנגד כולן שוקי החיות כנגד כולן רכובי החיות כנגד כולן ירכי החיות כנגד כולן גופי החיות כנגד כולן צוארי החיות כנגד כולן ראשי החיות כנגד כולן קרני החיות כנגד כולן למעלה מהן כסא כבוד רגלי כסא הכבוד כנגד כולן כסא הכבוד כנגד כולן מלך אל חי וקים רם ונשא שוכן עליהם ואתה אמרת אעלה על במתי עב אדמה לעליון אך אל שאול תורד אל ירכתי בור:,ולא במרכבה ביחיד: תני רבי חייא אבל מוסרין לו ראשי פרקים אמר רבי זירא אין מוסרין ראשי פרקים אלא לאב ב"ד ולכל מי שלבו דואג בקרבו איכא דאמרי והוא שלבו דואג בקרבו,אמר רבי אמי אין מוסרין סתרי תורה אלא למי שיש בו חמשה דברים (ישעיהו ג, ג) שר חמשים ונשוא פנים ויועץ וחכם חרשים ונבון לחש ואמר רבי אמי אין מוסרין דברי תורה לעובד כוכבים שנאמר (תהלים קמז, כ) לא עשה כן לכל גוי ומשפטים בל ידעום,א"ל רבי יוחנן לרבי אלעזר תא אגמרך במעשה המרכבה א"ל לא קשאי כי קש נח נפשיה דרבי יוחנן א"ל ר' אסי תא ואגמרך במעשה מרכבה א"ל אי זכאי גמירתא מר' יוחנן רבך,רב יוסף הוה גמיר מעשה המרכבה סבי דפומבדיתא הוו תנו במעשה בראשית אמרו ליה ליגמור לן מר מעשה מרכבה אמר להו אגמרון לי מעשה בראשית בתר דאגמרון אמרו ליה ליגמרון מר במעשה מרכבה אמר להו תנינא בהו (שיר השירים ד, יא) דבש וחלב תחת לשונך דברים המתוקין מדבש וחלב יהו תחת לשונך,ר' אבהו אמר מהכא (משלי כז, כו) כבשים ללבושך דברים שהן כבשונו של עולם יהיו תחת לבושך אמרו ליה תנינן בהו עד (יחזקאל ב, א) ויאמר אלי בן אדם אמר להו הן הן מעשה המרכבה,מיתיבי עד היכן מעשה המרכבה רבי אומר עד (יחזקאל א, כז) וארא בתרא ר' יצחק אומר עד החשמל עד וארא מגמרינן מכאן ואילך מסרינן ראשי פרקים איכא דאמרי עד וארא מסרינן ראשי פרקים מכאן ואילך אם הוא חכם מבין מדעתו אין אי לא לא,ומי דרשינן בחשמל והא ההוא ינוקא דדרש בחשמל ונפקא נורא ואכלתיה שאני ינוקא דלאו מטי זימניה,אמר רב יהודה ברם זכור אותו האיש לטוב וחנניה בן חזקיה שמו אלמלא הוא נגנז ספר יחזקאל שהיו דבריו סותרין דברי תורה מה עשה העלו לו ג' מאות גרבי שמן וישב בעלייה ודרשו,ת"ר מעשה בתינוק אחד שהיה קורא בבית רבו בספר יחזקאל והיה מבין בחשמל ויצאה אש מחשמל ושרפתו וביקשו לגנוז ספר יחזקאל אמר להם חנניה בן חזקיה אם זה חכם הכל חכמים הן,מאי חשמל אמר רב יהודה | 13a. b to /b the b inner houses, /b where there is only light; b that /b source, according to which He is surrounded by darkness, is referring b to /b the b outer houses. And Rav Aḥa bar Ya’akov said: There is one more firmament /b above these, which is b above the heads of the divine creatures, as it is written: “And over the heads of the divine creatures there was the likeness of a firmament, like the color of the terrible ice” /b (Ezekiel 1:22).,The Gemara comments: b Until here, you have permission to speak; from this /b point b forward you do not have permission to speak, as it is written in the book of Ben Sira: Seek not things concealed from you, nor search those hidden from you. Reflect on that which is permitted to you; you have no business with secret matters. It is taught /b in a i baraita /i : b Rabban Yoḥa ben Zakkai said: What response did the Divine Voice provide to that wicked man, /b Nebuchadnezzar, b when he said: “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High” /b (Isaiah 14:14), thereby intending to rise to heaven? b A Divine Voice came and said to him: Wicked man, son of a wicked man, descendant, /b i.e., follower of the ways, b of Nimrod the wicked, who caused the entire world to rebel against Him during /b the time of b his reign. /b , b How many are the years of man? Seventy years, as it is stated: “The span of our life is seventy years, or if we are strong, eighty years” /b (Psalms 90:10). b Now is /b there b not from the earth to the firmament a walking /b distance b of five hundred years, and the thickness of the firmament /b itself is b a walking /b distance b of five hundred years, and a similar /b distance exists b between each and every one of the firmaments? /b ,And b above them, /b above all the firmaments, b are the divine creatures. The feet of the divine creatures correspond /b in distance b to all /b the firmaments; b the ankles of the animals correspond to all of them, the shins of the animals correspond to all of them, the knees of the animals correspond to all of them, the thighs of the animals correspond to all of them, the bodies of the animals correspond to all of them, the necks of the animals correspond to all of them, the heads of the animals correspond to all of them, /b and b the horns of the animals correspond to all of them. Above them /b is the b Throne of Glory: The feet of the Throne of Glory correspond to all of them, the Throne of Glory corresponds to all of them, /b and the b living, almighty, lofty, exalted King dwells above them. And you, /b Nebuchadnezzar, b say: “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High” /b (Isaiah 14:15), but the next verse states: b “Yet you shall be brought down to the netherworld, to the uttermost parts of the pit” /b (Isaiah 14:15).,§ It is taught in the mishna, according to the Gemara’s explanation: b Nor /b may one expound b the /b Design of the Divine b Chariot to an individual. Rabbi Ḥiyya taught: But one may transmit to him, /b an individual, b the outlines /b of this topic, leaving him to comprehend the rest on his own. b Rabbi Zeira said: One may transmit the outlines /b of the Design of the Divine Chariot b only to the president of the court, /b who needs to know them due to his wisdom and meritorious deeds, b and to anyone whose heart inside him is concerned, /b i.e., one who is concerned about his sins and desires to achieve full repentance. b There are /b those b who say /b that this does not refer to two separate individuals, but to the president of the court, b whose heart inside him is concerned. /b , b Rabbi Ami said: The secrets of the Torah may be transmitted only to one who possesses /b the following b five characteristics: “The captain of fifty, and the man of favor, and the counselor, and the cunning charmer, and the skillful enchanter” /b (Isaiah 3:3). b And Rabbi Ami said /b further: b The words of Torah may not be transmitted to a gentile, as it is stated: “He has not dealt so with any nation, and as for His ordices, they have not known them” /b (Psalms 147:20).,§ The Gemara relates: b Rabbi Yoḥa said to Rabbi Elazar: Come and I will teach you the Design of the /b Divine b Chariot. /b Rabbi Elazar b said to him: /b I have b not /b yet b aged /b sufficiently, as one must be very settled in one’s mind for these studies. b When he grew old, Rabbi Yoḥa had /b already b passed away. Rabbi Asi said to him: Come and I will teach you the Design of the /b Divine b Chariot. He said to him: Had I merited, I would have learned /b it b from Rabbi Yoḥa, your teacher. /b It therefore appears that I am unworthy of studying it.,The Gemara relates: b Rav Yosef would study the Design of the /b Divine b Chariot /b and was familiar with the subject, whereas b the Elders of Pumbedita would study the act of Creation. They said to /b Rav Yosef: b Let the Master teach us the Design of the /b Divine b Chariot. He said to them: /b You b teach me the act of Creation. After they taught him /b that subject, b they said to him: Let the Master teach us the Design of the /b Divine b Chariot. He said to them: We learned with regard to them /b the secrets of the Torah: b “Honey and milk are under your tongue” /b (Song of Songs 4:11), meaning that b matters that are sweeter than honey and milk should remain under your tongue. /b In other words, one should not speak of such matters, and anyone who is familiar with them may not reveal them to others., b Rabbi Abbahu said: /b It is derived from b here, /b from the following verse: b “The lambs /b [ b i kevasim /i /b ] b will be for your clothing” /b (Proverbs 27:26), which he expounds as though it were written with the letter i shin /i , i kevashim /i , meaning concealed matters: b Things that constitute the concealed matters of the world should be under your clothing; /b you should not reveal them. When the Elders of Pumbedita saw that Rav Yosef was not going to teach them, b they said to him: We have learned them, /b the verses concerning the Design of the Divine Chariot written in the book of Ezekiel, b up to /b the verse b “And He said to me, son of man” /b (Ezekiel 2:1). b He said to them: /b If so, b these /b verses b are /b the very essence of the b Design of the /b Divine b Chariot, /b as they provide the main details of the topic.,The Gemara b raises an objection /b to this from a i baraita /i : b Until where is the Design of the /b Divine b Chariot /b related? b Rabbi /b Yehuda HaNasi b says: Until the latter “And I saw” /b (Ezekiel 1:27), not including the last verse. b Rabbi Yitzḥak says: Until /b the word b “the electrum” /b (Ezekiel 1:27). Neither of these opinions accord with Rav Yosef’s opinion that the Design of the Divine Chariot continues until the end of the chapter. The Gemara answers: b Until “And I saw,” we teach /b those worthy of it; b from this /b point b forward, /b we b transmit /b only the b outlines. There are /b those b who say: Until “And I saw,” we transmit the outlines; from this /b point b forward, if he is wise /b and b can understand of his own accord, yes, /b we teach him. b If not, /b we do b not /b teach him even the outlines.,The Gemara poses a question: b And may one teach about the electrum /b of the Design of the Divine Chariot at all? b But wasn’t there a certain youth /b who b expounded the electrum, and fire came out and consumed him, /b showing that such study is highly dangerous? The Gemara answers: That b youth was different, for his time /b to study such matters b had not /b yet b arrived. /b Therefore, he was punished., b Rav Yehuda said: Indeed, that man is remembered for good, and Ḥaya ben Ḥizkiya was his name, /b because b were it not for him, the book of Ezekiel would have been suppressed. /b Why did they wish to suppress it? Because they found b that its words contradicted the words of Torah, /b as its later chapters contain many i halakhot /i that appear not to accord with those of the Torah. b What did he do? They brought up to him three hundred barrels of oil, /b for light and sustece, b and he sat in an upper chamber and expounded it, /b to reconcile its teachings with those of the Torah., b The Sages taught: An incident /b occurred b involving a youth who was reading the book of Ezekiel in the house of his teacher, and /b he b was /b able to b comprehend the electrum, and fire came out of the electrum and burned him. And they sought to suppress the book of Ezekiel /b due to the danger it posed. b Ḥaya ben Ḥizkiya said to them: If this /b youth happened to be b wise, /b are b all /b people b wise /b enough to understand this book?,The Gemara asks: b What is /b the b electrum? Rav Yehuda said: /b |
