Chagigah 13B

חיות אש ממללות. במתניתא תנא: עתים חשות, עתים ממללות. בשעה שהדיבור יוצא מפי הקדוש ברוך הוא ⁠— חשות, ובשעה שאין הדיבור יוצא מפי הקדוש ברוך הוא ⁠— ממללות.

It refers to speaking animals of fire. Electrum [ḥashmal] is an acrostic of this phrase [ḥayyot esh memallelot]. It was taught in a baraita: At times they are silent; at times they speak. When the divine speech emerges from the mouth of God they are silent; and when the divine speech does not emerge from the mouth of God they speak.

״והחיות רצוא ושוב כמראה הבזק״. מאי ״רצוא ושוב״? אמר רב יהודה: כאור היוצא מפי הכבשן. מאי ״כמראה הבזק״? אמר רבי יוסי בר חנינא: כאור היוצא מבין החרסים.

§ The verse states: “And the divine creatures ran and returned like the appearance of a flash of lightning [bazak]” (Ezekiel 1:14). What is the meaning of “ran and returned”? Rav Yehuda said: Like fire that is emitted from a furnace, whose flame is continuously bursting out and withdrawing. What is the meaning of “like the appearance of a flash of lightning”? R' Yosei bar Ḥanina said: Like the fire that is emitted from between pieces of earthenware used for refining gold, as an additional meaning ascribed to the word bazak is shards of earthenware.

״וארא והנה רוח סערה באה מן הצפון ענן גדול ואש מתלקחת ונוגה לו סביב ומתוכה כעין החשמל מתוך האש״. להיכן אזל? אמר רב יהודה אמר רב: שהלך לכבוש את כל העולם כולו תחת נבוכדנצר הרשע. וכל כך למה? שלא יאמרו אומות העולם: ביד אומה שפלה מסר הקדוש ברוך הוא את בניו. אמר הקדוש ברוך הוא: מי גרם לי שאהיה שמש לעובדי פסילים ⁠— עונותיהן של ישראל הן גרמו לי.

The verse states: “And I looked and, behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, a great cloud, with a fire flashing up, so that a brightness was round about it; and out of its midst was like the color of electrum, out of the midst of the fire” (Ezekiel 1:4). The Talmud poses a question: Where did that wind go? Rav Yehuda said that Rav said: It went to conquer the entire world under the wicked Nebuchadnezzar. And why was all of this necessary? Why was it necessary that the entire world be subjected to his dominion? So that the non-Jewish nations would not say: God delivered His children into the hands of a lowly nation. Since it was already decreed that the kingdom of Israel would fall into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, God made him into a great conqueror, so that Israel would not be ashamed of being defeated by him. God said with regard to this: Who caused Me to be an attendant to worshippers of molten images, forcing Me to wage their wars? It was the sins of Israel that led Me to do so.