06 Nov Parshat Vayera: Angels Running Interference

Angels, like God, exist whether we like it or not. As with God, the question is not “Do you believe in …?” but rather “What do you believe about …?”

Are angels walking invisible among us or do they appear as other human beings? Do they have a will of their own or are does each have only one task to complete? Are they a literary invention to bridge the distance between an abstract notion of God or are they the gods of early polytheism who have been demoted by later monotheists?

Angels are a tricky thing when it comes to the Jewish tradition. On one hand, God seems to have no problem speaking directly to human beings, prevailing upon those engaged in evil deeds or interfering with the flow of nature. On the other hand, these angels, malaachim in Hebrew meaning messengers, appear both in the heavens above and among us mortals down here on earth. Jewish prayer is predicated upon a direct and unmitigated relationship between human beings and the Lord, yet throughout history, angels have constantly been asked to intercede on behalf of those in need.

Whether it’s God sending an angel on a mission to help out one of us, or one of us petitioning an angel for protection or healing, we’re naturally curious about how that interaction takes place.

In this week’s Torah reading, God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. The story is well-known, including the end in which only at the last-minute, after Abraham is fully prepared to slaughter his son on the altar, does a messenger of the Lord, an angel, run interference:

And Abraham picked up the knife to slay his son.

Then an angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”And he answered, “Here I am”.

And he said, “Do not raise your hand against, the boy, or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your favored one, from Me.” (Gen. 22:10-12)

It seems from the biblical text that the angel is calling out to Avraham from a distance and at some point of the narrative becomes God’s actual voice.

Pessah Haggadah, Germany, 1845, Lisa and William Gross Collection

Are we to understand that the God’s voice is the angel? Or, are we to imagine an angel as a human-like body creature with wings?

Tur Hoshen Mishpat, Poland, 1613, Lisa and William Gross Collection

Wimpel (Torah binder), Denmark, 1816, Lisa and William Gross Collection

With all that Abraham put into preparing for this moment, some might feel that perhaps the angel is too late and that he is still intent on fulfilling what he understood to be God’s will. A midrashic tradition found in Genesis Rabbah (ed. Theodor-Albeck 56:12) seems to address this concern:

“Do not raise your hand against the boy” – but where was the knife?

Tear drops shed by the attending angels fell upon the knife and rendered it unfit for use.

Abraham responded to this by saying, “Then, I will strangle him.”

This is when the angel replied, “Do not raise your hand against the boy”.

That same midrashic passage quotes Rabbi Hiya (Babylonia, Land of Israel, 2nd century) who explains that the angel cried out using Abrahams’ name twice to show both endearment and urgency. This is spelled out more clearly in a later midrashic work, Tanhuma (96:13):

And why did the angel call out “Abraham! Abraham!”, using his name twice?

It is because he was so determined to quickly carry out his Creator’s will and slay the boy.

Apparently, at least for some readers, there was still a chance that Abraham would not heed the angel’s words. I believe, for this reason we find illustrations such as these:

Lisa and William Gross Collection

Lisa and William Gross Collection

What about Isaac? Perhaps he too needed to be reassured. Perhaps both father and son required a palpable angelic presence?

Bible, Italy, 1739, Lisa and William Gross Collection

Whatever you believe about angels, where they come from and what they do, the stories we tell about them are a valuable source of wisdom. They provide us with a possibility of understand how each of us, with our own limitations, often need outside help. It might take the form of an inspiration felt in the heart or a voice heard in the head. It might be a presence we felt or a vague sensation holding us back from doing something perhaps we shouldn’t do.

Likewise, these narratives are able to teach us how we might function as angels to others, how we might run interference. There are times we need to be up front and close, and other times keep our distance.

Let the angels teach you how to run interference.

Shabbat Shalom!