478. “And I saw what appeared like HASHMAL, as the appearance of fire all around within it.” “And I saw” lacks the letter Hey since that vision that he saw for the time being had departed from him. This is why he said, “And I saw,” and it is not written “and I will see,” with a Hey [in Hebrew].
479. It is written, “appeared like HASHMAL,” and not actually HASHMAL. “Appeared like” means like a blazing, glittering color and rising in its colors. “Appeared like” means like an eye that cannot look for an extended period of time, but closes and opens, opens and closes; so is the HASHMAL.
480. There is also hidden HASHMAL, which is not seen at all, unless from a hidden mirror, that there is no one who can withstand it and recognize it at all. Then there is HASHMAL that is in colors inside a glittering to shine and to look for the time being. This is below, since above, it is not written, “and I saw,” but rather “and I will see.” This is HASHMAL that is seen in colors, in the color crimson, green, red, and white, where the middle line is in the color green and in the color crimson, and the left line is red, and the right line is white. And when one color ascends, the other color descends, and they govern one at a time, blazing and glittering, ascending and descending.
Three HASHMALS are written: 1) In verse no. 4: “And a blazing fire, and a glow around it, and from within it, like the HASHMAL.” 2) In verse no. 27: “And I saw what appeared like HASHMAL, as the appearance of fire all around within it.” 3) In verse no. 8: “And from his waist and above, as the appearance of a glow, like HASHMALA.”
There is hidden HASHMAL that is completely unseen; this is the first HASHMAL, which is under the legs of the animals. Then, there is HASHMAL that is in colors inside a glittering; this is the second HASHMAL, which shines temporarily and departs. This is why it is written about it, “and I saw,” without a Hey, and not “and I will see,” since it is not written above “and I saw,” but “and I will see.” This is the HASHMAL that is seen in colors, the third HASHMAL.
481. This is why it is written, “And I saw what appeared like HASHMAL,” and it is not written “and I saw the HASHMAL,” since it is not the HASHMAL itself, but like its color. And as it appears, so are its colors. But HASHMAL is light that grips light within it. And besides that light that is seen in its glittering, there is a thin light within it that glows and sparkles more. The one he speaks of here is not HASHMAL, but appears like HASHMAL.
482. Concerning the appearance of the first HASHMAL, it is written, “And a blazing fire, and a glow around it.” Afterwards, “and from within it, like the HASHMAL.” Here, it is first written “the appearance of HASHMAL,” and then “with the appearance of fire all around within it, and from the appearance of his waist and upward, and from the appearance of his waist and downward,” from the middle of the body and below.
483. Three Ophanim, HASHMAL, fire, Noga, secrets are engraved in the holy name. ADNI is initially on the outside, like HASHMAL. Elokim, as the appearance of fire within it. HaVaYaH is within everyone, and it has a glow [Noga]. All three engravings were as one, for all to be one, one within the other. Hence, Ezekiel looked above, at ZA, and looked below, inside the faith, Malchut.