Departure and Return in Ezekiel

This reflection is part of the ongoing Forest Hills Haftorah Series. The rest of the content can be found here: https://www.sefaria.org/groups/FHJC-Haftorah-Series .

In the beginning of the book of Ezekiel, the prophet is shown what very well might be one of the most traumatic images an Israelite prophet would ever behold; the fulfillment of Israel's greatest fears - their abandonment by God.
Between chapters 9 and 11, Ezekiel's description seems to indicate that he is seeing the physical manifestation of this happening in slow-motion; Step by agonizing step. This is anticipated in chapter 8 verse 6:

Be careful what you wish for

יחזקאל ח׳

(ו) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלַ֔י בֶּן־אָדָ֕ם הֲרֹאֶ֥ה אַתָּ֖ה מהם [מָ֣ה] [הֵ֣ם] עֹשִׂ֑ים תּוֹעֵב֨וֹת גְּדֹל֜וֹת אֲשֶׁ֥ר בֵּֽית־יִשְׂרָאֵ֣ל ׀ עֹשִׂ֣ים פֹּ֗ה לְרָֽחֳקָה֙ מֵעַ֣ל מִקְדָּשִׁ֔י וְעוֹד֙ תָּשׁ֣וּב תִּרְאֶ֔ה תּוֹעֵב֖וֹת גְּדֹלֽוֹת׃ (ס)

Ezekiel 8

(6) And He said to me:

“Mortal, do you see what they are doing, the terrible abominations that the House of Israel is practicing here, to drive Me far from My Sanctuary? You shall yet see even greater abominations!"

It is in chapter 9 where the horror truly begins:

First steps

יחזקאל ט׳

(ג) וּכְב֣וֹד ׀ אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל נַעֲלָה֙ מֵעַ֤ל הַכְּרוּב֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר הָיָ֣ה עָלָ֔יו אֶ֖ל מִפְתַּ֣ן הַבָּ֑יִת וַיִּקְרָ֗א אֶל־הָאִישׁ֙ הַלָּבֻ֣שׁ הַבַּדִּ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֛ר קֶ֥סֶת הַסֹּפֵ֖ר בְּמָתְנָֽיו׃ (ס)

Ezekiel 9

(3) Now the Presence of the God of Israel had moved from the cherub on which it had rested, to the platform of the House.

The "cherub" refers to the gold angelic statues atop the "aron hakodesh," the Ark of the Holy. In Israelite theology, the wings of the cherubs were believed to be God's Throne, with the covering of the Ark being His Holy Footsool:

A moment later, God begins to address a group of men who are standing around the Bronze Altar. This means that God has already distanced Himself from the Holy of Holies. Here is an illustration; the Bronze altar is the massive square structure with a small priest and fire to the right, while the Holy of Holies is all the way to the left and up the stairs.
If you look carefully, you can make appear to be two winged-lion statues there.

Once again in chapter 10, God distances Himself even more, making it to one of the gates leading into the greater Temple Courtyard:

יחזקאל י׳

(יח) וַיֵּצֵא֙ כְּב֣וֹד יְהוָ֔ה מֵעַ֖ל מִפְתַּ֣ן הַבָּ֑יִת וַֽיַּעֲמֹ֖ד עַל־הַכְּרוּבִֽים׃ (יט) וַיִּשְׂא֣וּ הַכְּרוּבִ֣ים אֶת־כַּ֠נְפֵיהֶם וַיֵּר֨וֹמּוּ מִן־הָאָ֤רֶץ לְעֵינַי֙ בְּצֵאתָ֔ם וְהָאֽוֹפַנִּ֖ים לְעֻמָּתָ֑ם וַֽיַּעֲמֹ֗ד פֶּ֣תַח שַׁ֤עַר בֵּית־יְהוָה֙ הַקַּדְמוֹנִ֔י וּכְב֧וֹד אֱלֹהֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל עֲלֵיהֶ֖ם מִלְמָֽעְלָה׃

Ezekiel 10

(18) Then the Presence of YHWH left the platform of the House and stood atop the cherubs. (19) And I saw the cherubs lift their wings and rise from the earth, with the wheels beside them as they departed; and they stopped at the entrance of the eastern gate of the House of YHWH, with the Presence of the God of Israel above them.

What makes this a little confusing is the use of the term, "cherubs" once again, but possibly meaning something different than before. While above, it referred to the statues making up the Throne in the Holy of Holies, here it seems to refer to the angelic beings of whom the Divine Chariot is made of, which God would use to travel from place to place - for in both cases, the Throne and the Chariot, God sits above cherubim.
The first chapter of Ezekiel describes the Chariot in exhausting detail. Here is one artistic rendition.

The tragic, inevitable climax of Ezekiel's description - the completion of God's departure - occurs at the end of chapter 11:

יחזקאל י״א

(כב) וַיִּשְׂא֤וּ הַכְּרוּבִים֙ אֶת־כַּנְפֵיהֶ֔ם וְהָאֽוֹפַנִּ֖ים לְעֻמָּתָ֑ם וּכְב֧וֹד אֱלֹהֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל עֲלֵיהֶ֖ם מִלְמָֽעְלָה׃ (כג) וַיַּ֙עַל֙ כְּב֣וֹד יְהוָ֔ה מֵעַ֖ל תּ֣וֹךְ הָעִ֑יר וַֽיַּעֲמֹד֙ עַל־הָהָ֔ר אֲשֶׁ֖ר מִקֶּ֥דֶם לָעִֽיר׃

Ezekiel 11

(22) Then the cherubs, with the wheels beside them, lifted their wings, while the Presence of the God of Israel rested above them. (23) The Presence of YHWH ascended from the midst of the city and stood on the hill east of the city.

Ezekiel is watching as God is on His way out. For nearly a thousand years, He had been dwelling amongst the Israelites in the Holy of Holies, hundreds of those years being in the Temple in Jerusalem. But according to Ezekiel in the preceding chapters - Israel had shown a continuous disregard for this relationship. And enough is enough.

This week's Haftorah, Ezekial 44:15-31 - certainly seems dry and uninteresting - being a mere list of rules and procedures that Temple Priests are expected to follow. However, its greater context could not be any more dramatic - being part of the last major section of Ezekiel which goes from chapter 40-48, in which he describes a complete reversal of the tragic departure above! For Ezekial assures us that the time will come when God will return to Israel - more specifically, to Jerusalem - and His Home (the Temple) will be re-established in which He will dwell once against amongst the Israelites in comfort.
Between 33 and 39 are what can be called Ezekiel's "Restoration Prophecies," which include the vision of the Dry Bones in Ezekiel 37. (It was a recent Haftorah, and therefore discussed here: https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/229572?lang=bi).
After being given a tour of what will be a wondrous new Temple, Ezekiel sees God's long-awaited return; this, too, almost in slow motion. In chapter 43, God enters through the Eastward-facing gate (reversing 10:19 above):

Home-Sweet-Home

יחזקאל מ״ג

(א) וַיּוֹלִכֵ֖נִי אֶל־הַשָּׁ֑עַר שַׁ֕עַר אֲשֶׁ֥ר פֹּנֶ֖ה דֶּ֥רֶךְ הַקָּדִֽים׃ (ב) וְהִנֵּ֗ה כְּבוֹד֙ אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל בָּ֖א מִדֶּ֣רֶךְ הַקָּדִ֑ים וְקוֹל֗וֹ כְּקוֹל֙ מַ֣יִם רַבִּ֔ים וְהָאָ֖רֶץ הֵאִ֥ירָה מִכְּבֹדֽוֹ׃ (ג) וּכְמַרְאֵ֨ה הַמַּרְאֶ֜ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר רָאִ֗יתִי כַּמַּרְאֶ֤ה אֲשֶׁר־רָאִ֙יתִי֙ בְּבֹאִי֙ לְשַׁחֵ֣ת אֶת־הָעִ֔יר וּמַרְא֕וֹת כַּמַּרְאֶ֕ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר רָאִ֖יתִי אֶל־נְהַר־כְּבָ֑ר וָאֶפֹּ֖ל אֶל־פָּנָֽי׃ (ד) וּכְב֥וֹד יְהוָ֖ה בָּ֣א אֶל־הַבָּ֑יִת דֶּ֣רֶךְ שַׁ֔עַר אֲשֶׁ֥ר פָּנָ֖יו דֶּ֥רֶךְ הַקָּדִֽים׃ (ה) וַתִּשָּׂאֵ֣נִי ר֔וּחַ וַתְּבִיאֵ֕נִי אֶל־הֶֽחָצֵ֖ר הַפְּנִימִ֑י וְהִנֵּ֛ה מָלֵ֥א כְבוֹד־יְהוָ֖ה הַבָּֽיִת׃ (ו) וָאֶשְׁמַ֛ע מִדַּבֵּ֥ר אֵלַ֖י מֵהַבָּ֑יִת וְאִ֕ישׁ הָיָ֥ה עֹמֵ֖ד אֶצְלִֽי׃

Ezekiel 43

(1) Then he led me to a gate, the gate that faced east. (2) And there, coming from the east with a roar like the roar of mighty waters, was the Presence of the God of Israel, and the earth was lit up by His Presence. (3) The vision was like the vision I had seen when He came to destroy the city, the very same vision that I had seen by the Chebar Canal.

Forthwith, I fell on my face. (4) The Presence of YHWH entered the Temple by the gate that faced eastward.

(5) A spirit carried me into the inner court, and lo, the Presence of YHWH filled the Temple!

While out of context, our Haftorah can be hard to maintain interest in - reading it as part of the arc of this whole narrative is truly a thrill, as Ezekiel (or we, as the readers) are taken on a tour of every little detail of God's future home. The tour-guide - sometimes God, sometimes an unidentified man of shining copper (40:3) - is bursting with excitement at what is happening, at all that there is to see and celebrate, such that not a single detail can be left out!
As history would turn out, the second Temple - while massive and grand in its own right - would not be anywhere near as HUGE or intricate as Ezekiel's vision. Here are a few comparisons:

Here is one more rendition of Ezekiel's Temple.

Note the blue line. In chapter 47, Ezekiel describes a stream of fresh-water running from below the platform, all the way to the Dead Sea. On both sides of the stream will grow fruit-trees, plants, and flowers, while animals will flock to the stream to quench their thirst. When the waters reach the Dead Sea, the sea will become fresh, clean, and teeming with life.
Water is oftentimes used as a stand-in for connection to God. As the psalter says in psalm 63:

תהילים ס״ג

(ב) אֱלֹהִ֤ים ׀ אֵלִ֥י אַתָּ֗ה אֲ‍ֽשַׁחֲ֫רֶ֥ךָּ צָמְאָ֬ה לְךָ֨ ׀ נַפְשִׁ֗י כָּמַ֣הּ לְךָ֣ בְשָׂרִ֑י בְּאֶֽרֶץ־צִיָּ֖ה וְעָיֵ֣ף בְּלִי־מָֽיִם׃

Psalms 63

(2) God, You are my God; I search for You! My soul thirsts for You, my body yearns for You, as a parched and thirsty land that has no water!

May God look upon our yearning favorably; And may we merit the days when the experiencing of His imminent Presence is as easy to encounter as visiting a stream and taking a drink.