וַיֹּ֜אמֶר אֶל־הָאִ֣ישׁ ׀ לְבֻ֣שׁ הַבַּדִּ֗ים וַיֹּ֡אמֶר בֹּא֩ אֶל־בֵּינ֨וֹת לַגַּלְגַּ֜ל אֶל־תַּ֣חַת לַכְּר֗וּב וּמַלֵּ֨א חָפְנֶ֤יךָ גַֽחֲלֵי־אֵשׁ֙ מִבֵּינ֣וֹת לַכְּרֻבִ֔ים וּזְרֹ֖ק עַל־הָעִ֑יר וַיָּבֹ֖א לְעֵינָֽי׃
Und er redete mit dem in Leinen gekleideten Mann und sprach: 'Gehen Sie zwischen die Räder, sogar unter den Cherub, und füllen Sie beide Hände mit Feuerkohlen zwischen den Cherubim und schleudern Sie sie gegen die Stadt.' Und er ging in meine Augen hinein.
The Gate of Unity
This may be illustrated [by the fact that it was the angel] “Gavriel who [offered to] save Avraham,”11Talmud Bavli, Pesachim 118a – When he was thrown into the fiery furnace by Nimrod. and similarly, [by the fact that it was Gavriel] who12Talmud Bavli, Yoma 77a – It states (Ezekiel 8:16), “He brought me to the inner court of the house of HaShem, and behold, at the door of the temple of HaShem, between the Ulam (porch) and the Altar there were about twenty five men. Their backs were towards the temple of HaShem, and they faced east, and they bowed down eastward, to the sun.” The Talmud continues, “From the fact that it states that they faced east don’t we know that their backs were towards the temple of HaShem? Rather, what do we learn from the fact that their backs were turned towards the temple of HaShem? This teaches us that they were revealing themselves, and defecating (towards the Shechinah). The Holy One blessed be He said to (the angel) Michael, “Michael, your people have sinned.” Michael answered, “Master of the Universe, isn’t it enough that there are good people amongst them?” The Holy One blessed be He answered him, “I will burn them, including the good ones that are amongst them (because they did not rebuke the sinners).” Then (Ezekiel 10:2) “G-d spoke to the man who was clothed in linen (referring to Gavriel) and said, “Go in between the wheels (referring to the Ophanim angels), under the cherub (referring to the Chayot HaKodesh angels), and fill your hand with coals of fire from between the cherubim, and throw them upon the city.” And he went in, in my (Ezekiel’s) sight.” It then continues and says (Ezekiel 10:7) “And the cherub stretched forth his hand from between the cherubim to the fire that was between the cherubim, and he took thereof and gave it into the hands of him that was clothed with linen (Gavriel), who took it and went out.” Rav Channa Bar Bizna said in the name of Rabbi Shimon Chasidah, “Had the coals not cooled from the hands of the cherub to the hands of Gavriel, there would not remain even a remnant or a refugee from the enemies of Israel.” (Note: The term “The enemies of Israel” is a euphemism for Israel themselves. The Talmud did not wish to express a curse in regard to the Jewish people so it turned it around against their enemies.) We see from this story that the coals cooled in the hands of Gavriel, the angel of fire. Now, seemingly, they should have gotten hotter in his hands. However, because he possesses the quality of Chessed as well, he is actually capable of cooling the coals. “cooled the coals.”