What is the comparison to a deer or Ofer ha'Ayalim?
Rashi: They go quickly. Ofer ha'Ayalim is a young Ayal 1 .
Seforno: He rushed to stand afar, lest I sit in His shade.
Malbim (Melitzah): Their nature is, even though they distance, they return to their places. When a deer runs, it looks in back of itself, like Chazal said. In the first aspect 2 , Hashem is outside of the worlds, but He looks in back, and His Hashgachah returns to the supreme intellectual beings. In the second aspect, He is like a Ayal. It looks forward, to the world. Still, it intends to return to its place. This is Hashgachah only over the Klal.
Ayal is one of the seven Kosher Chayos (Devarim 14:5). Perhaps it is a mountain-goat. (PF)
What is the significance of "standing in back of our wall"?
Torah Temimah citing Shemos Rabah 2:2: The Shechinah never left the western wall.
Seforno: Really, He is not far - He is 'close to all who call to Him' (Tehilim 145:18). He hides Himself, so we will not sense Him until we are aroused to seek Him - "u'Vikashtem mi'Sham Es Hashem u'Matzasa" (Devarim 4:29).
Malbim (Melitzah): He has Hashgachah Pratis over a Tzadik. There are three levels. (a) He supervises only over the body, to supply all needs of his house and sustenance, and guard him from mishaps. This is like standing in back of a wall - he supervises only lest the wall fall, not on the one who dwells in it.
What is the consequence of "supervising from the windows"?
Rashi: I thought that I will be Agunah (without a husband) for many days. He informed me that He is looking through the windows of Shamayim at what is done to me - "Ra'o Ra'isi Es Ani Ami" (Shemos 3:7).
Seforno: [Even though He hides Himself,] He oversees us, lest punishments eradicate us.
Malbim (Melitzah): A higher level of Hashgachah Pratis is over the Nefesh in the house and walls (body). The verse depicts this as supervising from the windows - he looks at those who dwell in the house. So Hashem supervises over the Nefesh, to make it understand His Emes. However, this is from afar, without clinging, like one who looks via a window; the window separates between them. Hashem helps him to become Kadosh and Tahor, and to recognize His Chachmah and ways - 'one who comes to purify himself, [Shamayim] helps him' (Yuma 38b).
Why does it add "He peers through the holes"?
Seforno: He supervises from His place - from Arubos ha'Shamayim, "Lir'os ha'Yesh Maskil Doresh Es Elokim" (Tehilim 14:2). From all of us, "Ein Ish" and "Ein Mafgi'a" (Yeshayah 59:16), and He atones for us.
Malbim (Melitzah): The highest level of Hashgachah Pratis is when the Supervisor clings with the one over whom He supervises. Hashem pours His Ru'ach on who those who cling to Him - "v'Es ha'Kadosh v'Hikriv Elav" (Bamidbar 16:5). The verse depicts this as peering through the holes. He sticks his head inside the room and connects with the one who dwells in it. So Hashem's honor dwells in the palace of His chosen, to embrace the Nefesh with Neshikos Pihu, and prepare it to receive Ru'ach ha'Kodesh and Nevu'ah, to speak with it face to face, until it will be drawn after Him from its prison, and be a chariot for the Shechinah of His might.
Malbim (Mashal): He draws successively closer. First he jumped on mountains and hills, then he was in back of the wall, then he supervised from the window, and in the end he sticks his head into the house. "Metzitz" is an expression of Tzitz - something that juts out.
