יחזקאל, פרק מ״ז, פסוק ג׳

A prophetic vision unfolds, revealing the gradual growth of a miraculous stream flowing from the Temple. The prophet is guided by a celestial being who tests the depth of the waters as they journey together. The angel leading the prophet travels eastward, moving outside the walls of the Temple Mount in the direction of the flowing water [רד״ק, מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. In his hand, the angel holds a measuring line made of a flax cord [מצודת ציון, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. With this cord, he measures a distance of one thousand cubits along the path of the stream, starting from the exact point where the water emerges [רש״י, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

After walking this initial distance, the prophet is led through the water itself. At this stage, the primary approach among commentators is that the stream is still very shallow. The exact depth, however, is understood in a few distinct ways. Some explain that the water barely covers the soles of the feet [מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון, מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Others rely on early rabbinic traditions, suggesting the water reaches ankle height [רש״י, רד״ק, מלבי״ם]. Another perspective focuses on the quantity of the water rather than a specific body part, explaining that the stream contains a minimal, barely noticeable amount, almost as if it were nothing [מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

In contrast to these views of a shallow stream, a unique midrashic approach suggests the water actually reaches as high as the neck. According to this interpretation, the initial measurement of one thousand cubits is not a single continuous line. Instead, the distance is divided and spread out across the four directions of the compass [חומת אנך].