המלאך
Original Word: מֲלְאָךְ
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: malak
Phonetic Spelling: (mal-awk')
Definition: a messenger
(Strong's Concordance)
FUNCTIONS OF ANGELS
Offering praise to God is regarded as the major function of angels (I. En. 40; Test. Patr., Levi 4). Their functions as intermediaries between God and humanity were, however, also of special importance.
ORIGIN OF ANGELS
The Talmud and Midrash contain a variety of opinions on the origin and nature of angels. The angels were created on the second or the fifth day of creation (R. Johanan and R. Ḥanina, Gen. R. 1:3 and parall.; S.A. Wertheimer, Battei Midrashot, 1 (19502), 25; cf. also R. Kirchheim in Oẓar Neḥmad, 3 (1860), 59, ed. J. Blumenfeld). Creation of angels is continuous since every pronouncement by God results in the creation of angels. Angels walk upright, speak Hebrew, and are endowed with understanding; they can fly in the air, move from one end of the world to another, and foretell the future (Ḥag. 16a).
(Encyclopedia Judaica, Angels & Angelology)
Midrash Rabbah, Bereshit 10:6
R. Shimon said: There is not a single blade of grass in the heavens that does not have an angel which strikes it and says, “Grow, grow!”
§ The Gemara returns to discussing the heavenly beings. The Sages taught: Six statements were said with regard to demons: In three ways they are like ministering angels, and in three ways they are like humans. The baraita specifies:
In three ways they are like ministering angels: They have wings like ministering angels; and they fly from one end of the world to the other like ministering angels; and they know what will be in the future like ministering angels. The Gemara is puzzled by this last statement: Should it enter your mind that they know this? Not even the angels are privy to the future. Rather, they hear from behind the curtain when God reveals something of the future, like ministering angels.
And in three ways they are similar to humans: They eat and drink like humans; they multiply like humans; and they die like humans.
Six statements were said with regard to humans: In three ways, they are like ministering angels, and in three ways they are like animals. The baraita explains: In three ways they are like ministering angels: They have intelligence like ministering angels; and they walk upright like ministering angels; and they speak in the holy tongue like ministering angels.
In three ways humans are like animals: They eat and drink like animals; and they multiply like animals; and they emit excrement like animals.
תניא ר' יוסי בר יהודה אומר שני מלאכי השרת מלוין לו לאדם בע"ש מבית הכנסת לביתו אחד טוב ואחד רע וכשבא לביתו ומצא נר דלוק ושלחן ערוך ומטתו מוצעת מלאך טוב אומר יהי רצון שתהא לשבת אחרת כך ומלאך רע עונה אמן בעל כרחו ואם לאו מלאך רע אומר יהי רצון שתהא לשבת אחרת כך ומלאך טוב עונה אמן
A Beraita taught that Rabbi Yossi bar Yehudah said: two ministering angels escort a person from the synagogue to his home on erev Shabbat: one good and one bad. And when he comes to his house, if he finds that the candles are lit and the table is set and his bed is made, the good angel will say: "May it be the will of God that it should be this way next Shabbat as well." And the bad angel is forced to answer "amen" against his will. And if it isn't [like this], the bad angel will say: "May it be the will of God that it should be this way next Shabbat as well." And the good angel is forced to answer "amen" against his will.
When you arrive at your home, kiss the hands of your parents and afterward gaze at the light of the Shabbat candles… take two bundles of myrtle leaves (one for Shamor and one for Zachor), recite the blessing for spices and smells and then make circle with them over the table two times. Then in joy recite Shalom Aleichem anticipating welcoming the angels that visit Jewish homes on their way from synagogue.
Sephardic addition of Stanza #4
B'Shivtechem L'Shalom
Dwell in peace... Messengers of peace
Rest in peace... Messengers of peace
Sit in peace... Messengers of peace
In our home it is customary to have the chairs already set around the table; all the beds made - even in the other rooms; everything swept up; the dishes and silverware clean and polished and even the cobwebs removed in honor of Shabbat as if an important guest were arriving. Aruch HaShulchan (O.H. 262)
שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם, מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת, מַלְאֲכֵי עֶלְיוֹן, מִמֶּלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים, הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא:
בּוֹאֲכֶם לְשָׁלוֹם, מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁלוֹם, מַלְאֲכֵי עֶלְיוֹן, מִמֶּלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים, הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא:
בָּרְכוּנִי לְשָׁלוֹם, מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁלוֹם, מַלְאֲכֵי עֶלְיוֹן, מִמֶּלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים, הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא:
צֵאתְכֶם לְשָׁלוֹם, מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁלוֹם, מַלְאֲכֵי עֶלְיוֹן, מִמֶּלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים, הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא:
[שוּבְכֶם לְשָׁלוֹם, מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁלוֹם, מַלְאֲכֵי עֶלְיוֹן, מִמֶּלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים, הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא:]
Peace upon you, ministering angels, messengers of the Most High,
of the Supreme King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He.
Come in peace, messengers of peace, messengers of the Most High,
of the Supreme King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He.
Bless me with peace, messengers of peace, messengers of the Most High,
of the Supreme King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He.
May your departure be in peace, messengers of peace, messengers of the Most High, of the Supreme King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He.
[May you return in peace, messengers of peace, messengers of the Most High, of the Supreme King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He.]
If there is no "Shalom Bayit" peace in the house- one should not recite this verse "B'shiv'techem."
As the Jew enters the Shabbat, the Shabbat enters the Jew. Elliot Ginsburg
All week long a person is conflicted: the body pulling in one direction, the soul in another. But on Shabbat, the power of holiness is so strong that body and soul at last make peace with one another and, for this reason, the angels bless us. This seems to imply that the angels represent dimensions of our own psyches, which, on Shabbat, finally attain a harmonious balance. ––Rabbi Shmuel of Sochtchov
How to Bring Angels into Your Personal Shabbat Experience
The tradition of malachim Jewish angel cards began in a circle of friends in Jerusalem in 1989. We sang Shalom Aleichem to honor the beginning of Shabbat, noting that the words of the song welcome the "messengers/angels of peace," which are said to frequent the homes of those who celebrate Shabbat (Talmud, Tractate Shabbat, page 119a). I created a set of malachim to accompany our singing.
Malachim (Angel) Cards:
You can lay the malachim face down, take a moment for personal reflection, Kavannah (intention), and then randomly select one. The malach/message might affirm, remind, or inspire you – or maybe it sparks a new understanding. You can use the malachim in families, in community, in solitude.
There is a tradition that we are given a neshama yetera (extra soul) on Shabbat so some people pick two on Shabbat. Others pick during Havdallah, the ceremony that marks the end of Shabbat, to find a focus as they begin their new week. Some Rosh Hodesh groups begin their ritual or study with participants picking from the malachim. This enables individuals to find a kavannah[focus] for their time together or for their month.
Whether malachim are understood poetically, symbolically, or literally, the questions underlying these traditions are still relevant: How do we make sense of incidents or interactions that occur in our lives? Are the decisions we make and paths we take purely of our own design? Are there forces in our world in addition to those that we can easily sense and "rationally" understand? What gives us spiritual strength as we move through the world? How do we experience that which is transcendent?
- Rabbi Deborah Eisenbach-Budner
excerpt from: https://www.ritualwell.org/ritual/malachim-jewish-angel-cards
To Purchase angel cards: https://ritualwell.myshopify.com/collections/shabbat/products/malachim-angel-cards
(א) אמנם שהמלאכים נמצאים - זה ממה שאין צריך שתובא עליו ראיה תוריה כי זה כתוב ב'תורה' במקומות רבים. וכבר ידעת כי 'אלוקים' - שם השופטים "עד האלוקים יבוא דבר שניהם"; ולזה הושאל השם למלאכים ולאלוה - להיות שופט על המלאכים; ולזה אמר כי יי' אלוקיכם" - וזה סיפור למין האדם כולו - ואחר כך אמר "הוא אלוקי האלוקים" - רצונו לומר אלוה המלאכים - "ואדוני האדונים" - אדון הגלגלים והכוכבים שהם 'אדונים' לכל גוף זולתם. זהו הענין לא שיהיה 'אלוקי' ו'אדונים' ממין האדם שהם יותר פחותים מזה; וכל שכן שאמרו 'אלוקיכם' כולל כל מין האדם ראשיו ונעבדיו. ואי אפשר שיהיה הנרצה בו גם כן שהוא ית' אדון על כל מה שיחשב בו אלוהות מאבן ועץ שאין הגדלה וכבוד בהיות האלוה אדון האבן והעץ וחתיכת מתכת; ואמנם הנרצה - שהוא ית' השופט על השופטים - רצוני לומר המלאכים - ואדון הגלגלים:
(ב) וכבר קדם לנו בזה המאמר פרק בבאור המלאכים אינם גופות. וזה גם כן הוא מה שאמרו אריסטו; אלא שהנה - התחלפות שם הוא יאמר שכלים נפרדים ואנו נאמר 'מלאכים'. ואמנם אמרו הוא שאלו השכלים הנפרדים הם גם כן אמצעיים בין האלוה ית' ובין הנמצאות ושבאמצעותם יתנועעו הגלגלים אשר הוא סיבת היות ההוות - זה גם כן כתוב בכל הספרים שאתה לא תמצא כלל פועל שיעשהו האלוה אלא 'על ידי מלאך'. וכבר ידעת שענין 'מלאך' שליח וכל עושה מעשה מצוה הוא 'מלאך' עד שתנועות בעלי החיים ואפילו שאינם מדברים סיפר הכתוב עליהם שהם 'על ידי מלאך' כשתאות התנועה ההיא לכונת האלוה אשר שם בו כח יניעהו התנועה ההיא. אמר "אלוקי שלחני מלאכה וסגר פום אריותא ולא חבלוני" - ותנועות 'אתון בלעם' כולם 'על ידי מלאך'; עד שהיסודות יקראו גם כן 'מלאכים' "עושה מלאכיו רוחות משרתיו אש לוהט". והנה יתבאר לך ש'מלאך' יאמר על השליח מן האנשים "וישלח יעקב מלאכים"; ויאמר על הנביא "ויעל מלאך יי מן הגלגל אל הבוכים"; "וישלח מלאך ויוציאנו ממצרים"; ויאמר על השכלים הנפרדים שיראו לנביאים 'במראה הנבואה'; ויאמר על הכוחות החיוניות כמו שנבאר.
(ג)
Moses ben Maimon/Maimonides (Spain/Egypt 1138-1204)
(1) As for the existence of angels, there is no necessity to cite any proof from Scripture, where the fact is frequently mentioned.
(2) We have already stated above that the angels are incorporeal. This agrees with the opinion of Aristotle: there is only this difference in the names employed--he uses the term "Intelligences," and we say instead "angels." ... But "angel" means "messenger"; hence every one that is entrusted with a certain mission is an angel.
The elements are also called angels. ... It is also used of ideals, perceived by prophets in prophetic visions, and of man's animal powers, as will be explained in another place.
(3) [As for the texts that say] "God does nothing without consulting the host above..."
These passages do not convey the idea that God spoke, thought, reflected, or that God consulted and employed the opinion of other beings, as ignorant persons have believed. How could the Creator be assisted by those whom God created! They only show that all parts of the Universe, even the limbs of animals in their actual form, are produced through angels: for natural forces and angels are identical. How bad and injurious is the blindness of ignorance!
Our Sages have already stated--for those who have understanding--that all forces that reside in a body are angels, much more the forces that are active in the Universe. The theory that each force acts only in one particular way, is expressed in Beresheet Rabba (chap. 1.) as follows: "One angel does not perform two things, and two angels do not perform one thing"; this is exactly the property of all forces.
"R. Jochanan said that Judah was about to pass by [without noticing Tamar], but God caused the angel of lust, i.e., the libidinous disposition, to present himself to him." Man's disposition is here called an angel.
(4) We have already stated that the forms in which angels appear form part of the prophetic vision. Some prophets see angels in the form of man, others perceive an angel as a fearful and terrible being, others see them as fire,
Another passage in Beresheet Rabba (ibid.) runs thus: "Before the angels have accomplished their task they are called men, when they have accomplished it they are angels."
Sara Yocheved Rigler (Jerusalem, 1948- )
According to Judaism, angels can be created by human beings. Every good thought, word, and deed gives birth to a positive force in the universe, which is called an angel. These angels are eternal. They hover around us throughout our life, and accompany us to our reward after our death.
Adin Steinsaltz (Jerusalem, 1937- ) - The Thirteen-Petaled Rose
Angels have been revealed to human beings in either of two ways: one is through the vision of the prophet... the other is through an isolated act of apprehension by an ordinary person suddenly privileged to receive a revelation of things from higher levels.
(11) For G-d will order G-d's angels to guard you wherever you go.
(יז) וַיִּשְׁמַ֣ע אֱלֹהִים֮ אֶת־ק֣וֹל הַנַּעַר֒ וַיִּקְרָא֩ מַלְאַ֨ךְ אֱלֹהִ֤ים ׀ אֶל־הָגָר֙ מִן־הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וַיֹּ֥אמֶר לָ֖הּ מַה־לָּ֣ךְ הָגָ֑ר אַל־תִּ֣ירְאִ֔י כִּֽי־שָׁמַ֧ע אֱלֹהִ֛ים אֶל־ק֥וֹל הַנַּ֖עַר בַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר הוּא־שָֽׁם׃
(17) God heard the cry of the boy, and an angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heeded the cry of the boy where he is.
(יא) וַיִּקְרָ֨א אֵלָ֜יו מַלְאַ֤ךְ יְהוָה֙ מִן־הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וַיֹּ֖אמֶר אַבְרָהָ֣ם ׀ אַבְרָהָ֑ם וַיֹּ֖אמֶר הִנֵּֽנִי׃ (יב) וַיֹּ֗אמֶר אַל־תִּשְׁלַ֤ח יָֽדְךָ֙ אֶל־הַנַּ֔עַר וְאַל־תַּ֥עַשׂ ל֖וֹ מְא֑וּמָּה כִּ֣י ׀ עַתָּ֣ה יָדַ֗עְתִּי כִּֽי־יְרֵ֤א אֱלֹהִים֙ אַ֔תָּה וְלֹ֥א חָשַׂ֛כְתָּ אֶת־בִּנְךָ֥ אֶת־יְחִידְךָ֖ מִמֶּֽנִּי׃
(11) Then an angel of the LORD called to him from heaven: “Abraham! Abraham!” And he answered, “Here I am.” (12) 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.”
B'Shem HaShem
Prayer for Protection
בְּשֵׁם יְיָ אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, מִימִינִי מִיכָאֵל, וּמִשְּׂמֹאלִי גַּבְרִיאֵל, וּמִלְּפָנַי אוּרִיאֵל, וּמֵאֲחוֹרַי רְפָאֵל, וְעַל
רֹאשִׁי שְׁכִינַת אֵל.
B'shem Hashem, elohei Yisrael
B'ymini Michael u-smoli Gavriel
U-milfanai Uriel, me'acharai Raphael
V'al roshi, v'al roshi, Shechinat-El
In the name of God, the God of Israel
On my right is Michael, on my left is Gabriel (strength)
In front of me is Uriel (light), behind me Raphael (healing)
And all around, surrounding me, Shekhinat-El.
For more on these angels: http://shma.com/s-blog-bshem-hashem/
Angels in Kabbalah
The Jewish Virtual Library
The Jewish mystical tradition expounds even further on the nature of angels. Kabbalistic sources portray angels as forces of spiritual energy. Rabbi David Cooper, who has written extensively about Kabbalah and Jewish meditation, has described angels as “invisible metaphysical energy bundles” that act like magnets, causing physical changes by means of forces that are invisible to the eye.
In Kabbalah, angels reside in the worlds of beriah (creation) and yetzirah (formation) — the middle two of Kabbalah’s four worlds, which represent the spiritual stages through which divine energy is conducted down to the material world. In his classic work on Kabbalah, The Thirteen Petalled Rose, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz writes that human behavior can create angels. In a counterpart to the way biblical angels bear messages from the divine realm down to humanity, the angels created by human actions carry the energies of humankind upwards into the higher spiritual realms.
Angels are singular and unchanging in their essences, Steinsaltz writes, and can be either good or evil (demons), the latter the product of human beings doing the opposite of a mitzvah — harboring evil thoughts or committing acts of wickedness. Like good angels, evil angels also act in a dual fashion — bringing evil from the spiritual to the material world by inspiring sin or causing suffering and punishment, while also receiving energy from the misdeeds of human beings. “To be sure, were the world to root out all evil completely, then as a matter of course the subversive angels would disappear, since they exist as permanent parasites living on man,” Steinsaltz writes. “But as long as man chooses evil, he supports and nurtures whole worlds and mansions of evil, all of them drawing upon the same human sickness of soul.”
Rabbi Barry Leff, Matot 5771
For the kabbahlists, angels serve as a kind of bridge between our lower physical world, and the upper realms within God. They come in an infinite variety and convey our feelings, words, deeds to God; and God sends angels to us. The word we use in Hebrew for angel literally means messenger. Messages to and from God are born by angels.
But the essential concept is that when we do a mitzvah we create something we call an “angel” that has a life of its own, separate from the person who did the act. And similarly if we do something bad, we create a “demon,” an accuser, negative energy that also takes on a life of its own.
(ה) אמר רבי סימון: בשעה שבא הקב"ה לבראת את אדם הראשון, נעשו מלאכי השרת כיתים כיתים, וחבורות חבורות, מהם אומרים: אל יברא, ומהם אומרים: יברא, הדא הוא דכתיב (תהלים פה): חסד ואמת נפגשו צדק ושלום נשקו. חסד אומר: יברא, שהוא גומל חסדים. ואמת אומר: אל יברא, שכולו שקרים. צדק אומר: יברא, שהוא עושה צדקות. שלום אומר: אל יברא, דכוליה קטטה. מה עשה הקדוש ברוך הוא? נטל אמת והשליכו לארץ, הדא הוא דכתיב (דניאל ח): ותשלך אמת ארצה. אמרו מלאכי השרת לפני הקב"ה: רבון העולמים! מה אתה מבזה תכסיס אלטיכסייה שלך? תעלה אמת מן הארץ, הדא הוא דכתיב (תהלים פה): אמת מארץ תצמח. רבנן אמרי לה בשם ר' חנינא בר אידי ורבי פנחס ורבי חלקיה בשם רבי סימון אמר: מאד הוא אדם, הדא הוא דכתיב: וירא אלהים את כל אשר עשה והנה טוב מאד, והנה טוב אדם. ר' הונא רבה של צפורין אמר: עד שמלאכי השרת מדיינין אלו עם אלו, ומתעסקין אלו עם אלו, בראו הקדוש ברוך הוא. אמר להן: מה אתם מדיינין, כבר נעשה אדם:
(5) Rabbi Simon said: At the time when the Holy Blessed One came to create the first man, the ministering angels formed themselves into groups, some saying 'man should not be created' and some saying 'man should be created.' As it says: "Kindness and Truth met; Justice and Peace kissed" (Psalms 85:11). Kindness said: man should be created because he does acts of kindness, and Truth said: man should not be created, because he is all lies. Justice said: man should be created because he does just acts, and Peace said: man should not be created because he is all quarrels. What did the Holy Blessed One do? God took Truth and threw him to the ground, as it says: "And Truth was thrown to the ground" (Daniel 8:12). The ministering angels said before the Blessed Holy One: Master of the Universe: why are You disgracing the chief of your court ceremonies - bring Truth back from the ground! As it says: "Truth will grow from the ground" (Psalms 85:12). The Rabbis said [the following] in the name of Rabbi Hanna bar Idi, and Rabbi Pinchas and Rabbi Hilkiyah in the name of Rabbi Simon said: "Very" refers to man, as it says: "And God saw all that God had done, and behold it was very good" (Genesis 1:31), behold man is good. Rabbi Huna Rabbah of Tzippori said: while the ministering angels were reasoning one with the other and engaging one with the other, the Holy Blessed One created man. God said to them: what are you reasoning about - I already created man.