For God's Sake, You Had One Job: Abraham's Visting Angels

§ The Gemara expounds another verse involving Abraham: “And the Lord appeared to him by the terebinths of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day” (Genesis 18:1). The Gemara asks: What is the meaning of “the heat of the day”? Rabbi Ḥama, son of Rabbi Ḥanina, says: That day was the third day after Abraham’s circumcision, and the Holy One, Blessed be He, came to inquire about the well-being of Abraham. The Holy One, Blessed be He, removed the sun from its sheath in order not to bother that righteous one with guests, i.e., God made it extremely hot that day to allow Abraham to recover from his circumcision, as he would not be troubled by passing travelers whom he would invite into his tent. Despite the intense heat, Abraham wanted to invite guests. He sent Eliezer his slave to go outside to see if there were any passersby. Eliezer went out but did not find anyone. Abraham said to him: I do not believe you. The Gemara comments: This demonstrates the popular adage that people there, i.e., in Eretz Yisrael, say: Slaves do not have any credibility. The Gemara continues: Abraham himself went out and saw the Holy One, Blessed be He, standing at the entrance to his tent. This is as it is written: “My Lord, if now I have found favor in your eyes, do not leave Your servant” (Genesis 18:3), i.e., God’s presence was there, and Abraham asked Him for permission to attend to the travelers. Once God saw Abraham tying and untying the bandage on his circumcision, God said: It is not proper conduct to stand here, i.e., it is not respectful to Abraham even for God to stand there. This is as it is written: “And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, three men stood over him; and when he saw them, he ran to meet them” (Genesis 18:2). The verse first states that they stood over him, and then it says that he ran to meet them. The Gemara reconciles this apparent contradiction: Initially, they came and stood over him. Upon seeing that he was in pain, they said: It is not proper conduct to stand here. The Gemara continues: Who are these three men? They are the angels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael: Michael, who came to announce to Sarah that she was to give birth to a son; Raphael, who came to heal Abraham after his circumcision; and Gabriel, who went to overturn Sodom. The Gemara asks: But it is written: “And the two angels came to Sodom in the evening” (Genesis 19:1). The Gemara answers that Michael went along with Gabriel to Sodom to save Lot. The Gemara notes: The language is also precise, as it is written: “And he overturned those cities” (Genesis 19:25), and it is not written: They overturned those cities. Conclude from it that only one angel overturned Sodom.

The two messengers arrived in Sodom in the evening, as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to greet them and, bowing low with his face to the ground,

שני TWO — One to destroy Sodom, the other to rescue Lot — it was he who had come to heal Abraham — whilst the third, who had come to make the announcement to Sarah, had departed as soon as he had carried out his mission (Midrash Tanchuma, Vayera 8).

והנה שלשה אנשים AND BEHOLD THREE MEN — one to announce to Sarah the birth of a son, one to overthrow Sodom, and one to cure Abraham, for one angel does not carry out two commissions (Genesis Rabbah 50:2). You may know that this is so because throughout this section it (Scripture) mentions them in the plural — “and they ate” (Genesis 18:8), “and they said unto him” (Genesis 18:9) — whilst in the case of the announcement it states, (Genesis 18:10) “And he said, I will certainly return unto thee”, and with regard to the overthrow of Sodom it says (Genesis 19:22) “For “I” cannot do anything” and (Genesis 19:21) “that “I” will not overthrow [the city]”. Raphael who healed Abraham went thence to rescue Lot; that explains what is stated (Genesis 19:17) “And it came to pass when they had brought them forth, that he said, Escape for thy life”, for you learn from this that only one of these acted as Deliverer

Immediately thereafter, ’The two angels came to Sodom at even (ibid. 19:2). Where did the third one go, since it is written: And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and lo, three men stood over against him (ibid. 18:2)? This verse teaches us that each one was charged with a separate mission. One of them came to tell Sarah: And I will certainly return unto thee when the season cometh around, and lo, Sarah, thy wife shall have a son (ibid., v. 10); he completed his assignment and ascended. The second went to destroy Sodom, as it is said: And he said unto him: “See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow” (ibid. 19:21). It does not say “We have accepted thee, we will not overthrow,” but I have accepted thee, I will not overthrow, thereby indicating that this was the mission of the second one. The third one came to rescue Lot from the destruction that overwhelmed Sodom. Each one completed his mission and ascended.

“The two angels came to Sodom in the evening and Lot was sitting at the gate of Sodom; Lot saw them, and rose to meet them, and he prostrated himself with his face to the ground” (Genesis 19:1).
“The two angels came to Sodom in the evening…” – “the ḥayot were darting to [ratzo] and fro like the appearance of a flash” (Ezekiel 1:14). Rabbi Aivu said: Ratzot is not written here, but rather, ratzo – they had a desire to perform their mission. “Like the appearance of a flash [habazak]” – Rabbi Yehuda in the name of Rabbi Simon in the name of Rabbi Levi bar Parta: Like one who scatters [bozek] olive pomace in an oven. Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said: [The ḥayot moved] as wind drives an [empty] wineskin. The Rabbis say: As wind drives the clouds. They [the angels] took their leave from Abraham at six hours and arrived in Sodom only in the evening? The explanation is that they were angels of mercy, and they were tarrying, in the belief that perhaps He might find some merit for them. When He did not find any merit for them – “the two angels came to Sodom in the evening.” “He acts through one, and who can respond to Him? His soul desires and He performs” (Job 23:13) – it is taught: One angel does not perform two missions, and two angels do not perform one mission. Yet you say: “[The] two [angels came to Sodom]”? The explanation is that Mikhael gave his tidings and departed, Gavriel was dispatched to overturn Sodom, and Refael, to rescue Lot.
“The two angels came to Sodom” – here it says “angels,” but elsewhere, it characterizes them as “people” (Genesis 18:2). The explanation is that there, when the Divine Presence was over them, they were characterized as “people.” Once the Divine Presence departed from over them, they assumed the manifestation of angels.
Rabbi Tanḥuma said that Rabbi Levi said: To Abraham, whose power was great, they appeared in the image of men; to Lot, whose strength was inferior, they appeared in the image of angels.
Rabbi Ḥanina said: Before they performed their mission, they are characterized as people; after performing their mission, as angels. Rabbi Tanḥuma said: This is analogous to one who assumed a position of local government from the king. Until he reached his seat of authority, he walked about as a commoner. Once he reached the seat of his authority, he walked about as a nobleman. So, until they performed their mission, they are characterized as people, after performing their mission, they are characterized as angels.

that Michael went along to save Lot: And it is a wonder for it says in Braishit Rabba (chapter 50) that "one angel does not perform two missions." And it is suggested that here Michael only performed one mission, to tell news about Sarah (that she will have a child) and when he went from there to Sedom, then began another mission and (the idea is) specifically that in one place one angel cannot have two missions. And in Breishit Rabbah (there) it has that Refael came to save Lot and the healing of Abraham is not mentioned. And even if he came to heal Abraham, it can all be considered one mission, as healing and saving may be considered one idea. And R' Elchanan questioned about the language of the verse that both of them seemed to save (Lot) as it is written (Breishit 19) "and the men grabbed his hand" and it is written "and they brought him him out and they left him outside the city" and it is written afterwards that the angel that was to overturn Sedom said to him "for I cannot do anything until you arrive there". And it is suggested that both of them took them out of the city, and Michael went with him until Tzoar and Gabriel commanded him to hurry.

"והנה שלשה" [And here are three] in gematria refers to Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael.

אבל אם היו שני מינין שפיר הוו מיקרו שתי שליחיות:

"But if there were two kinds, then it would have been considered two missions."

and Rafael who healed Abraham went from there to save Lot: This is found in Breishit Rabba. Because we don't find regarding healing that an angel spoke in singular terms like how we find the angels speaking about giving over the news (of the baby) or of the turning over of Sedom, because there is no hint to an angel healing Abraham. Rather, from the words of the Sages it must be explained that Rafael who healed Avraham is the one that went to save Lot. And the explanation is that since we find that regarding saving, the angel spoke in singular terms, it is like we found this language regarding the healing (as well).

And because of this Rashi, was inclined to the idea in B"R in what it says that Rafael went to save Lot, and he set aside the words of the gemara that say [] "'and two angels came to Sedom' and Michael came to save Lot" because it (the gemara) was not able to bring a proof text that Rafael healed Abraham by speaking in singular terms, but rather (Rashi follows) the opinion of B"R that says that Rafael went to save Lot, and not the opinion of the gemara that says that the one to save Lot was Michael who gave Sara the news. And if you say that since one angel cannot go on two missions, how was Rafael able to both heal and save, it is suggested that healing and saving are considered one idea. Or else, two places are different, and since he did one mission in one place... and then went to another place, it is as if he returned (from the first mission) and was sent on another, and we do not have here two missions in one instance. And this (the latter explanation) is the more correct one because with this it settles the issue with the gemara that says that Michael went to save Lot (which is a different kind of mission than giving news of a child). But with this there is a question because if so two would have been enough. This needs to be looked into further.

It seems Rafael did go on two missions.... And in my humble opinion, the answer is that there is no limiting God and there is no "poverty in a place of richness" (meaning that when it comes to holiness, we do things in the best way possible and do not skimp).

And since there were three angles, it is possible that one of them had two mission, and the rule is not so exacting. (!!)

והנה שלשה אנשים, according to Rashi, these “three men,” were in fact three angels with different tasks to perform. One was Rafael, whose task it was to heal Avraham from the wounds of the circumcision. (this is based on Talmud Baba Metzia 86. He then went on to save Lot.) Of the two angels who proceeded on to Sodom, one was Michael. If it had been so this would contradict the statement of our sages that an angel is assigned only one task at a time. Some Rabbis consider saving Lot as similar in principle to healing Avraham, so that there would be no contradiction.

How we know an angel came to heal Avraham.

Disagreeing with one of Tosfot's answers.

Here it discusses the missions/differences of each angel.

And this is what they are arguing about.

According to the 'pshat', the simple contextual meaning, the "three anashim" were actually men, because we do not find that angels can eat or drink or sleep in houses as they did in Lot's house.... or like the angel with Manoach(Shimshon's father, where the angel refused to eat).

But one does not have to chastise the words of the rabbis, because they were like angels to those that saw them. Nonetheless, it is forbidden to teach that they were angles and the proof is that they actually ate (which angels do not do).

And from here is a response to the heretics that the three "men" are the three parts of God (Trinity). If that were true, why did one of them need to inquire about the woman (Sarah)? [And if your answer to how could they eat bread is that] the Christian (Jesus) took the food (not the other angels), but here all three of them took meat and ate and drank and they did not enter the innards of the woman

(2) Another matter: “I am the Lord your God” – that is what is written: “Face to face the Lord spoke with you” (Deuteronomy 5:4). Rabbi Avdimi of Haifa said: Twenty-two thousand [angels] descended with the Holy One blessed be He to Sinai, as it is stated: “The chariots of God are myriads, thousands of angels [shinan]” (Psalms 68:18).4Since myriad in biblical and Talmudic usage means ten thousand, myriads indicates at least twenty thousand. Likewise, “thousands” indicates at least two thousand. Therefore, together there must be at least twenty-two thousand. They were fine and praiseworthy. Is it, perhaps, that because they were many they were crowded? The verse states: Shinan, they were tranquil [shaanan] and serene.