1)

(a)Rav Acha bar Yakov learns from the Pasuk "u'Demus al Roshei ha'Chayah Raki'a" - that there is yet another heaven above the heads of the Chayos.

(b)That heaven comprises ice ("k'Ein ha'Kerach ha'Nora").

(c)The Pasuk in Ben Sira "b'Mufla Mimcha Al Tidrosh ... " teaches us - that up to this point one is permitted to delve, but no further.

2)

(a)The connection between Nevuchadnetzar and Nimrod - is that, like the latter, the former rebelled against Hash-m, by attempting to go up to the heaven, as we shall see (he was not really a descendent of Nimrod, as the Gemara appears to be saying - see Tosfos DH 'Ben' and Agados Maharsha).

(b)Rebbi Yochanan ben Zakai says in a Beraisa that, when Nevuchadnetzar ha'Rasha said "A'aleh al Bamasei Av, Adameh la'Elyon", Hash-m replied with the Pasuk in Tehilim "Yemei Shenoseinu Bahem Shiv'im Shanah ... " - pointing out to the futility of such an ascent, seeing as it would take many life-times to get as far as Hash-m's Throne, since there are seven heavens to cross, not to speak of the distance from the feet of the Chayos till the Throne. The seventy or eighty years life-span would in no way suffice to reach one's destination.

(c)The distance between the earth and the first heaven, and between one heaven and the next is five hundred years walking distance (7,300,000 Mil, at the rate of forty Mil per day).

(d)The distance from the feet of the Chayos till Hash-m's Throne is much further, since the feet of the Chayos corresponds to the total distance of the earth till there, and so it is with their ankles, their calves and their thighs, their bodies their necks their heads and their horns.

3)

(a)According to Rebbi Zeira, when Rebbi Chiya quoting a Beraisa, permitted teaching the 'beginning of chapters' (of the Merkavah) to individuals, he meant either to an Av Beis-Din or to someone who is constantly worried about sinning. According to others, he needs to be an Av Beis-Din (exclusively) who is constantly worried about sinning.

(b)Rebbi Ami restricts teaching the secrets of Torah to anyone who does not possess five qualities (the first two: an officer of fifty and favored by all - these and the other three will be discussed later). The secrets of Torah - comprise the Beraisa of Ma'aseh Merkavah, Sefer Yetzirah and the Beraisa of Ma'aseh Bereishis.

(c)Rebbi Ami learns from the Pasuk "Lo Asah Chen l'Chol Goy u'Mishpatim Bal Yeda'um ... " - that one may not teach Torah to a Nochri (see Tosfos DH 'Ein').

4)

(a)Rebbi Elazar declined to learn the Ma'aseh Merkavah from his Rebbe Rebbi Yochanan, because he considered himself too young (less than fifty - Rabeinu Chananel, though the age of forty is normally cited). He declined to learn it from Rebbi Asi after Rebbi Yochanan's death - because he said, if he had merited to learn it, he would have learned it from Rebbi Yochanan.

(b)Rav Yosef struck a deal with the elders of Pumbedisa - that he would teach them Ma'aseh ha'Merkavah, if they would first teach him Ma'aseh Bereishis.

(c)After they had taught him Ma'aseh Bereishis - he declined to teach them Ma'aseh Merkavah, on the basis of the Pasuk "Dvash v'Chalav Tachas Leshonech" (there are certain things that are best kept hidden).

5)

(a)When the elders of Pumbedisa told Rav Yosef that they had already learned the last two Pesukim in the first chapter of Yechezkel: "va'Eire k'Ein Chashmal ... " and "k'Mar'eh ha'Keshes" - he replied that in that case, they had already learned Ma'aseh Merkavah.

(b)The Beraisa, where Rebbi defines Ma'aseh Merkavah as until (but excluding) "va'Eira", according to ...

1. ... the first Lashon - is describing the sections that one is permitted to teach under all circumstances; whereas Rav Yosef is referring to those sections that one is only permitted to teach the 'beginning of chapters'.

2. ... the second Lashon - is describing the sections that one is permitted to teach only to a Chacham, who, when taught the 'beginnings of chapters', understands the rest by himself.

(c)Fire went out from the Chashmal and consumed that child who was teaching the Chashmal - because he was too young to be doing that.

6)

(a)According to Rav Yehudah, Chazal wanted to hide the Book of Yechezkel because of apparent discrepancies that clashed with the Torah. Chananya ben Chizkiyah promptly took three hundred barrels of oil up into his attic and worked on it until he had reconciled all the discrepancies (as described in Shabbos), earning himself huge praise from the Chachamim.

(b)According to the Beraisa, they wanted to hide the Book of Yechezkel because of the child that died on his account, as we just learned. Chananya ben Chizkiyah argued (successfully) against this happening - because, he argued, there were not too many children around who could understand Ma'aseh ha'Merkavah, to whom this might happen.

7)

(a)According to Rav Yehudah, 'Cha.sh.mal.' is the acronym of 'Chayos Esh Memalelos' (speaking Chayos of fire); according to the Beraisa, it is 'Itim Chashos, Itim Memalelos' (['Chash, Mal'] (sometimes they are silent - in the day, and sometimes they speak - by night).

(b)The Pasuk reads "v'ha'Chayos Ratzo va'Shov k'Mar'eh ha'Bazak".

1. Rav Yehudah describes "v'ha'Chayos Ratzo va'Shov" - like the flame that leaps out of a furnace.

2. Rebbi Yosi b'Rebbi Chanina describes "k'Mar'eh ha'Bazak" - like a multicolored flame that jumps up from the holes in the clay-pans into which the gold-smiths place the gold when purifying it.

(c)Yechezkel saw a storm-wind accompanying the Chashmal, which was coming in from the north - where it had just placed the whole world under the yoke of Nevuchadnetzar. In this way, the nations of the world would not be able to say that Hash-m had given Yisrael into the hands of a lowly nation.

(d)This caused Hash-m to complain - that Yisrael's sins had caused Him to serve an idolater (to tend to his needs and raise him to a high pinnacle).

8)

(a)The name of a particular Ofan that Yechezkel saw was Sandalfon, whose function it was to tie crowns for his Creator. He was standing - on the ground, and his head reached the Chayos.

(b)According to the Beraisa, when he tied the crowns, he was standing behind Hash-m's Throne. This not possible however - because we learn from the Pasuk in Yeshayah "Baruch Kevod Hash-m mi'Mekomo" that nobody knows where Hash-m's Glory (i.e. His Throne) is.

(c)Sandalfon pronounced the Name of Hash-m - and the crowns flew on to Hash-m's Head by themselves.

(d)As Rava maintains, Yeshayah saw everything that Yechezkel saw. Nevertheless, it was Yechezkel who described Ma'aseh ha'Merkavah in awe, and not he, since for him, it was a common occurrence, and not worth recording (so to speak); very much like a townsman, who thinks nothing of seeing the king, whereas a villager is deeply moved by the experience.

9)

(a)Resh Lakish explains the Pasuk in Beshalach "Shiru la'Hashem Ki Ga'oh Ga'ah" - to mean that Hash-m is proud (majestic) over the proud ones (i.e. the four angels that support Hash-m's Throne [the Merkavah], which represent the rulers of the world, as we shall now see; yet Hash-m rules over them all.

(b)The lion is king of the beasts, the ox is king of the animals, the eagle, of the birds, and man rules over them all.

(c)In a later chapter, Yechezkel replaces the face of an ox with that of a Kruv (a Cherub) - because an ox is reminiscent of the Egel ha'Zahav. So he prayed that it should change its appearance, because we need the Merkavah to pray for mercy on our behalf, and how can a prosecutor act as a defense counsel? So it was changed into the face of a Cherub ...

(d)... which had the face of a child (specifically a child, so as not to confuse it with the Chayah that had the face of an Adam - a grown-up man).

(e)The real meaning of 'Kruv' is 'ke'Ravya' (the acronym of 'like a child').

10)

(a)The Pasuk in Yeshayah ascribing six wings to each Chayah - speaks in the time of the Beis Hamikdash, whereas the Pasuk in Yechezkel, which mentions four - is speaking about the time of the Churban (when their 'wings were clipped').

(b)According to Rav Chananel Amar Rav, it was the wings with which they sang Shirah that were covered, and he learns it from the juxtaposition of the two Pesukim "u'vi'Shtayim Ye'ofef ... v'Kara Zeh el Zeh v'Amar". The Pasuk "Hasa'if Einecha Bo v'Einenu" completes the picture - inasmuch as it indicates that the two wings with which they flew ("u'vi'Shtayim Ye'ofef") are the ones with which they sang Shirah and which were removed).

(c)The Rabanan disagree with Rav Chananel Amar Rav. They learn from the Pasuk "v'Ragleihem Regel Yesharah" - that it must have been the wings which covered their legs that were removed after the Churban, because otherwise, how would Yechezkel have known that.

(d)The Rabanan know that Yechezkel did not simply see this when the Chayos momentarily uncovered their legs as they sang Shirah (by rapidly moving their wings), just like he saw their faces when they momentarily uncovered them - because, whereas it is not a lack of respect to uncover one's face before Hash-m, it is a lack of respect to uncover one's legs.

11)

(a)We initially reconcile the Pasuk in Daniel, which speaks of "the million angels that serve Him and the hundred million that stand before Him, with the Pasuk in Iyov "ha'Yesh Mispar li'Gedudav" - by establishing the former Pasuk after the Churban, and the latter Pasuk, before.

(b)According to Rebbi in a Beraisa, both Pesukim refer to the same era - only the former Pasuk is speaking about the number of angels who serve in one group only, whereas the latter Pasuk refers to the total number of groups, which is numberless.

(c)In our first answer, it was all a matter of time; in the third answer (given by Rebbi Yirmeyahu bar Aba), it was all a matter of location - because, whereas the former Pasuk refers to those angels who served Hash-m at Nahar di'Yenur (the the River of Fire) exclusively, the latter Pasuk speaks about all the angels, which are numberless.

(d)The source of 'Nahar di'Yenur' is - the sweat of the Chayos, singing Shirah to Hash-m, and it ends in Gehinom, on the heads of the Resha'im.

12)

(a)According to Rav Achah bar Yakov, explaining the Pasuk in Iyov "Asher Komtu v'Lo Eis, Nahar Yutzak Yesodam", the Nahar di'Nur pours on to the 974 generations in Gehinom - on to the heads of Resha'im who should have comprised the 974 generations (together with the twenty-six generations which actually did live until Matan-Torah, these make up the intended thousand generations from the creation until Matan Torah, as the Pasuk writes in Tehilim: "Davar Tzivah l'Elef Dor").

(b)Hash-m changed His mind, when He saw that the world would not last a thousand generations without Torah.

(c)So He 'planted' them (a few per generation) throughout history and they turned out to be the brazen trouble-makers in each generation, which is why the fire from Nahar di'Nur poured on to their heads in Gehinom.

(d)Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak interprets "Asher Komtu v'Lo Eis, Nahar Yutzak Yesodam" differently. According to him, the Pasuk speaks about Talmidei-Chachamim who scrimp on their material needs in this world for the sake of their Torah-studies. We learn from the Pasuk - that in the World to Come, Hash-m will reveal to them the secrets of Torah.