REVACH L'DAF
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SUMMARY
In Hashem's interior chamber there is only light, but in the outer chamber there is darkness.
There is an eighth heaven on top of the heads of the Chayos.
It is forbidden to discuss anything regarding what is above the eighth heaven.
After Nevuchadnetzar said, "I will rise above the clouds and be like G-d," a heavenly voice called out, putting him in his place. (1)
It is forbidden to expound on the Merkavah, even to only one individual, unless he is a sage and understands on his own, and it is only permitted to give over the headings. (2)
It is forbidden to give over words of Torah to a Nochri.
If it was not for Chananya ben Chizkiyah, Sefer Yechezkel would have been hidden away. (3)
Hashem captured the entire world for Nevuchadnetzar, so that the nations of the world would not say that Hashem gave over his sons to a lowly nation.
Everything that Yechezkel saw (in the Ma'aseh ha'Merkavah), Yeshayah saw as well. Yechezkel is analogous to a villager who saw the king while Yeshayah is analogous to a city dweller who saw the king.
Yechezkel succeeded with his prayers to turn the ox on the Merkavah into a Keruv. (4)
As a result of the destruction of the Beis ha'Mikdash, the verse counts only four wings for each of the Chayos, instead of the original six. (5)
A BIT MORE
1. The heavenly voice proclaimed, "It is a distance of 500 years from earth to heaven. The breadth of each heaven is 500 years. The distance between one heaven and the next is 500 years. Above the heavens are the Chayos ha'Kodesh. The height of the feet of the Chayos is equal to the height of everything before them, the knees of the Chayos are equal to everything before them, the legs of the Chayos are equal to everything before them, the hips of the Chayos are equal to everything before them, the thighs of the Chayos are equal to everything before them, the bodies of the Chayos are equal to everything before them, the necks of the Chayos are equal to everything before them, the heads of the Chayos are equal to everything before them, the horns of the Chayos are equal to everything before them. The Throne of Honor is above them. The legs of the Throne is equal to everything before it. The Throne of Honor is equal to everything before it. The Melech Kel Chai v'Kayam Ram v'Nisa is present over them -- and you say, 'I will rise above the clouds and be like G-d'?! Instead, you will descend to purgatory to the depth of the pit."
2. Rebbi Zeira says that it is permitted to give over only the headings of the Merkavah to the head of the Beis Din or to someone who has a somber demeanor. A second version is that it may be given over only to a person who is both the head of the Beis Din and also has a somber demeanor.
3. The words of Sefer Yechezkel seemed to contradict the Torah, and by the light of 300 barrels of oil Chananya ben Chizkiyah sat in an attic and expounded [the contradictions and reconciled them].
4. The ox on the Merkavah acts as a prosecutor because it is a reminder of the sin of the Egel (golden calf), and a prosecutor cannot be an advocate.
5. The Amora'im disagree about whether the missing wings were those with which the Chayos said Shirah, or those which covered the feet of the Chayos.
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BRIEF INSIGHT
The Gemara says that it is forbidden to give over words of Torah to a Nochri, because the verse says, "It shall not be done to any Nochri, and the statutes shall not be made known to them." Tosfos asks that the Gemara in Sanhedrin says that a Nochri who learns Torah is punished with death. Consequently, it is forbidden to teach a Nochri Torah because of the transgression, "Do not put a stumbling block in front of the blind." Why, then, does the Gemara here quote a different source to forbid teaching Torah to a Nochri? The Gemara here cannot be referring to teaching them about their seven Mitzvos, because it is a Mitzvah to teach them about the seven Mitzvos. Tosfos answers that the Gemara is referring to a situation in which there is a fellow Nochri who is willing to teach him Torah. Since he is able to learn Torah without the Jew's help, the prohibition of placing a stumbling block no longer applies.
QUICK HALACHAH
What is the difference between the Ma'aseh ha'Merkavah and Ma'aseh Bereishis? It is forbidden to expound on the Ma'aseh ha'Merkavah even to one individual unless he is a sage and is capable of understanding on his own, and it is permitted to give over only the headings. It is permitted to expound on the Ma'aseh Bereishis to one individual even if he is not capable of understanding on his own, and he may be taught everything regarding Ma'aseh Bereishis. Why is it forbidden to expound on these things publicly? The reason is that not everyone is astute enough to comprehend the explanation and elucidation of these topics. (Rambam, Hilchos Yesodei ha'Torah 4:11)
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