יחזקאל, פרק י׳, פסוק ז׳

The transfer of heavenly fire represents the looming destruction of the city and the Temple, yet this very act is woven with mercy and a purposeful delay of strict justice. Rather than acting alone, a sequence unfolds between the heavenly beings. One of the cherubs reaches into the burning fire that rests between them and lifts the flames. The man clothed in linen does not gather this fire himself; instead, the cherub places the burning coals directly into the hollow of the man's hands [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Holding the fire, the man then goes out to fulfill the command of God to scatter the flames over the city [מצודת דוד, רד״ק].

This indirect transfer holds profound inner meaning. The fire embodies a harsh heavenly decree, and passing it from hand to hand is meant to cool the coals, softening the severity of the judgment through an act of advocacy [מלבי״ם, רד״ק]. The man clothed in linen, identified as the angel Gabriel, deliberately asked the cherub to hand him the fire so that it would lose some of its heat during the exchange. Going even further to protect the people, he held onto these dimming coals for six entire years, from the time of the vision until the actual destruction. Through this prolonged hold, he lessened the harshness of the decree and delayed the fall of the Temple [רד״ק, מלבי״ם].