Kaisipang Hudyo sa Ezekiel 1:22: Akeidat Yitzchak & Guide for the Perplexed

Lack of motivation results ultimately in inertia. When David illegally ordered the Jewish people counted, and Yoav could see no reason for it, he carried carelessly, failing to count the tribes of Levi and Benjamin (Samuel II 24 and Chronicles 121). Even the tribes he did count, were not reliably tabulated. Had the people known that the war by Saul against Amalek did not have plunder as its objective but had been waged purely at the command of G-d, the tragedy of Saul would have been averted (Samuel I chapter 15). If we observe the larger planets move very slowly, this may be because they are not aware of their destination and ultimate objective. Philosophers are agreed that the greater one's intelligence, the better one appreciates the distance between one's own intelligence and that of one's Creator. The less intelligent deem themselves close to G-d, whereas the most intelligent beings realize the tremendous gulf between their own intelligence and that of G-d. This is why when angels praise the Lord, they are said to refer to Him in the third person, i.e. "blessed be the glory of His Majesty," whereas we humans address G-d in the second person, i.e. "blessed are You." The ultimate objective of our knowledge is to know the limit imposed upon our knowledge and understanding. Moses was told (Exodus 33,20) "You cannot see My face." If one presupposes that heavenly bodies are equipped with intelligence, then the large ones—which are presumably equipped with the highest intelligence because of their awareness of the limits of their intellects—lose motivation and revolve slowly. On the other hand, those stars and lesser intellects which are under the illusion that theirs is a great mind keep racing around the universe in order to achieve what they believe to be their purpose.

"Anochi" itself is not yet part of the decalogue. It represents the demand to accept G-d’s kingdom. As the Midrash describes it, a king whose subjects are willing to accept his laws, must first convince his subjects to accept his sovereignty. The anochi statement then is that of G-d’s sovereignty over Israel. Only the "do not make or do not have any other deities etc," is the beginning of the legislative part of the revelation. (Compare Maimonides in sefer hamitzvot)

You must further notice that the whole description refers undoubtedly to a prophetic vision, as it is said, “And the hand of the Lord was there upon him” (Ezek. 1:3); and yet there is a very great difference between the various parts of the description, for in the account of the Ḥayyot the prophet does not say four Ḥayyot, but “the likeness of the four Ḥayyot” (ibid. ver. 5); similarly he says, “And the likeness of a firmament was over the heads of the Ḥayyot” (ver. 22); “as the appearance of a sapphire stone, the likeness of a throne,” and “the likeness of the appearance of man above it” (ver. 26). In all these instances the word “likeness” is used, whilst in the account of the Ofannim the phrases, “the likeness of Ofannim,” the “likeness of an Ofan,” are not employed, but they are described in a positive manner as beings in actual existence, with their real properties. The sentence “they four had one likeness” must not mislead you, for here the word “likeness” is not used in the same connexion or in the same sense as indicated above. In the description of the last vision the prophet confirms and explains this view. When he commences to describe the firmament in detail, he says, “the firmament,” without adding the words “the likeness of,” for he says, “And I looked, and behold, in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubims there appeared over them as it were a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne” (x. 1). Here the prophet speaks of “the firmament” and not of “the likeness of the firmament,” as he does when he connects the firmament with the heads of the likeness of the Hayyot (i. 22). But, as regards the throne, he says, “the likeness of a throne appeared over them,” in order to indicate that the firmament was first perceived and then the likeness of the throne was seen over it. Consider this well.