Caution: Ezekiel

R'Ami said:
One may not transmit secrets of the Torah (Kaballah) except to someone with these five attributes:
1. Captain of 50
2. Respected Person
3. Adviser
4. Teacher of the Wise
5. Comprehender of the Mysteries.

[The Gemara sites another example where learning before you are really ready might be detrimental.]

The Rabbis taught in a Baraisa: An incident with one child, who was reading in school in the book of Ezekiel, and was contemplating Chashmal (Rashi translates Chashmal as "Grasping what it is"), and a fire emerged from Chashmal and burned him. In response, people sought to conceal the book of Ezekiel (so incidents like that would never happen again).

Chanayah ben Chizkiyah said to them, "If this child was a prodigy, are they all prodigies?"

[In other words this child was a prodigy in that he could comprehend and fully understand the book of Ezekiel. For an adult, the danger is not the same as if an adult would understand the text, they would probably be mature enough to understand without harm.

With that being said, you can close your browser now or continue below with an excerpt from Ezekiel that the Gemara covers (if you dare :-)

The Gemara previously noting the differences between Ezekiel and Isaiah's vision, expounds upon Ezekiel vision of the 4 faces of the Chayot in the Chariot (the thrown chariot of G-d. ]

As for the likeness of their faces: There was a human face; and a lion's face to the right for the four of them; and an ox's face to the left for the four of them, and an eagle's face for the four of them. Each one had four faces; the one face, the face of the keruv; the second face, the face of the human, the third face of a lion, and the fourth face of an eagle. However the ox is not listed.

Reish Lakish said: Ezekiel beseeched for mercy regarding the ox, and G-d transformed it into a Keruv (face of a child). Ezekiel said before him, "master of the universe, can a prosecutor act as a defender?" (since the ox recalls the sin of the Golden Calf, and would be inappropriate to be included among the faces of the Chariot)

- Chagigah 13a/b

[The Gemara goes on to record a dispute as to how the angels were created]

R'Shimon the saintly said: Each day ministering angels are created from the stream of fire, and they utter song and cease to exist, as it says: They are new every morning great is your praise upon them (Lamentations 3:23)

R'Shmuel bar Nachmani said in the name of R'Yonasan: From each and every word the emerges from the mouth of the Holy One, Blessed is He, a single angel is created as it says: By the Word of Hashem the heavens were made and by the breath of his mouth all their host (Psalms 33:6)

- Chagigah 14a