Midrash sa Ezekiel 10:14: Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, Midrash Tanchuma, Midrash Tehillim & Midrash Tanchuma Buber

Four classes of ministering angels minister and utter praise before the Holy One, blessed be He: the first camp (led by) Michael on His right, the second camp (led by) Gabriel on His left, the third camp || (led by) Uriel before Him, and the fourth camp (led by) Raphael behind Him; and the Shekhinah of the Holy One, blessed be He, is in the centre. He is sitting on a throne high and exalted. His throne is high and suspended above in the air. The appearance of His Glory is like the colour of amber. And the adornment of a crown is on His head, and the Ineffable Name is upon His forehead. One half (of His glory) is fire the other half is hail, at His right hand is life and at His left is death. He has a sceptre of fire in His hand and a veil is spread before Him, and His eyes run to and fro throughout the whole earth, and the seven angels, which were created first, minister before Him within the veil, and this (veil) is called Pargod. His footstool is like fire and hail. Fire is flashing continually around His throne, righteousness and judgment are the foundation of His throne. And the likeness of His throne is like a sapphire throne with four legs, and the four holy Chajjôth are fixed to each leg, each one has four faces and each one has four wings, as it is said, "And every one had four faces and four wings" (Ezek. 1:6), and these (Chajjôth) are the Cherubim.

(Lev. 22:27:) “When a bull or a sheep or a goat.” This text is related (to Ps. 27:6), “And now shall my head be lifted up over my enemies round about me and I will offer sacrifice in His tent with a loud cry.” When Israel carried out that deed (of the golden calf), the nations of the world said, “There will be no recovery for them, and He will never return to them.” When Israel heard that they would sacrifice a bull, their head was lifted up, as stated (ibid.), “And now shall my head be lifted up […].” Then they said, “Now we know that the Holy One, blessed be He, has been reconciled to us, as stated (ibid., cont.), “and I will offer sacrifice in his tent with a loud cry; I will sing and chant praise to the Lord.” (Lev. 22:27:) “When a bull or a sheep or a goat [is born].” Is there a bull that is born? Or a calf born to become a bull, that it should be stated, “to sacrifice a bull.” [So] why did [the Holy One, blessed be He], say to sacrifice a bull? To atone for the image of the bull, as stated (in Ps. 103:3), “Who forgives all your sins [...].” You should know this on your own. See what is written (in Ezek. 1:6), “Each had four faces, and each of them had four wings.” What is written there (in vs. 7), “And their legs became a straight leg, and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot.” Now it was for the atonement of Israel that He added two [more] wings to them. Thus it is stated (in Is. 6:2), “[each] of them had six wings.” Why? So that their feet would be covered, because they resembled the calf. [It was] so that, as it were, He would not see them and recall the incident of the calf. [Hence (in Is. 6:2, cont.),] “with two he covered his feet.” And why all this? Simply to atone for Israel. This is the meaning of (Ps. 103:3), “Who forgives all your sins.” You have no larger fowl than the eagle, so it became a face for the living angel, as stated (in Ezek. 1:10), “and the face of an eagle.” The largest among the animals is the lion, so it [also] became a face for the living angel, as stated (in Ezek. 10:14), “and the face of a lion.” And the bull is the largest among the beasts, so that He made it a face for the living angel, as stated (in Ezek. 1:10), “and the face of a bull on the left.” (Ibid.:) “And the face of a human.” But for the sake of Israel, the Holy One, blessed be He, blotted out the bull and put a cherub in its place. As you find that it only mentions a cherub there, as stated (in Ezek. 10:14), “the face of the one was the face of a cherub.” And why all this? To atone for Israel. Ergo (in Ps. 103:3), “Who forgives all your sins.” Why did the Holy One, blessed be He, remove the calf? So that Israel would be innocent before Him. And not only that, but when someone from Israel thinks about a transgression or something evil in his heart, the Holy One, blessed be He, does not connect it to a deed (to punish him for it). As therefore David says (in Ps. 66:18), “If I had perceived iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” Now what does the Holy One, blessed be He, hear? [What is thought] when a person stands up to meditate in prayer. It is so stated (in Ps. 31:223) “truly God has listened; He has hearkened to the sound of my prayer.” And not only that, but when two people sit and occupy themselves with the Torah, the Holy One, blessed be He, hearkens and listens, as stated (in mal. 3:16), “Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another; the Lord has hearkened and listened.”⁸⁰Avot 3:2, 6; Mekhilta deRabbi Ishmael, Bahodesh 1; Ber. 62; ARN, A, 8. The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “Through the merit of the Torah, when you occupy yourselves with it, I am hearkening and listening to your prayers; but in the future, before you [even] call to Me, I will answer you.” It is so stated (in Is. 65:24), “And it shall come to pass that before they cry out, I will answer.”

A Psalm of David. May the Lord answer you on a day of trouble. This is what the verse (Psalms 50:15) means: "Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me." When Israel is in distress and they seek me out, and they honor me in that hour, I answer them, as it is said: "He will call upon me, and I will answer him" (Psalms 91:15). The analogy is made of a woman who is angry with her mother, and her mother responds by screaming at her from above. During the woman's labor pains, she hears her mother's voice from above and screams back at her, even though she is angry with her. The neighbors ask her why she is screaming when she is giving birth with her mother. She replies that even though she is angry with her, she cannot bear her mother's screams because it is her house that is in distress. Similarly, when the Temple was destroyed and gave a cry of lamentation to the world, it is written: "The Lord of Hosts called in that day for weeping and for mourning" (Isaiah 22:12). The angels said to God, "Master of the Universe, you have 'majesty and splendor before Him' (1 Chronicles 16:27), why are you crying?" God replied, "My Temple is destroyed, and my children are in captivity and pain." Thus, it is written: "With him I am in distress" (Psalms 91:15). Rabbi Joshua the Priest said there are nine verses in this psalm that correspond to the nine months of a woman's pregnancy. What does she say? "He will answer your cries" (Psalms 91:15). Rabbi Shimon bar Abba said that you can find the 18 psalms in the book, beginning with the phrase "Happy is the man," through this verse. They correspond to the 18 blessings that a person recites every day in prayer, and one should recite Psalms 91:15 after reciting these 18 psalms. They said to David, "May the Lord answer you." Another explanation is on what day? On a day that everyone acknowledges as a day of trouble for both the upper and lower worlds. And the Holy One, blessed be He, says to the nations of the world: "Come and judge with the children of Israel," as it is said (Isaiah 41:21), "Present your case, says the Lord." And they say, "Master of the Universe, who creates the chaos of your children?" And He says to them, "I am the One who gives strength and might to the people," as it is said (Psalms 68:36), "He gives power and strength to His people." And the ministers of the nations of the world say, "Master of the Universe, is there no distinction in these matters? Some reveal forbidden relationships and others reveal forbidden relationships. These spill blood, and those spill blood. These serve foreign gods, and those serve foreign gods. Why do these go down to Gehenna and those do not?" At that moment, the advocate of Israel becomes silent, as it is said (Daniel 12:1), "At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise." And the one who stands becomes silent, as it is said (Job 32:15), "They are dismayed and no longer answer." The advocate wanted to teach the heavenly court about Israel, but when he became silent, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "Michael has become silent, and you are not teaching merit and advocacy for my children. I am speaking on their behalf, for I am speaking of their righteousness and their salvation," as it is said (Isaiah 45:21), "I speak the truth; I declare what is right." And in what righteousness? Rabbi Pinchas, Rabbi Elazar, and Rabbi Yochanan said, one of them said, "In the righteousness that you did with me and received the Torah, for if not for it, I would have destroyed you," and one said, "In the reward that you did and received the Torah, for if not for it, I would have destroyed the world and returned it to chaos and emptiness," as it is said (Jeremiah 33:25), "If not for My covenant day and night." (Daniel 12:1) "And at that time shall your people escape, every one that shall be found written in the book. By whose merit? By the merit of Joseph. Why does God look at them all and not see Joseph? Because Joseph did not listen to his mistress, as it is said (Genesis 39:9) "How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" And how do we know that they are called after Joseph? As it is said (Amos 5:15) "Perhaps the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph." Rabbi Samuel bar Nahmani said that it is because of their relationship to him, as it is said (Isaiah 43:7) "Everyone who is called by My name." Rabbi Levi said it is because of the word [used in the text], as it is written here (Daniel 12:1) "And at that time shall your people escape" and it is written there (Joshua 5:9) "And the Lord said to Joshua: 'This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you'"