Thread by @RabbiHarvey

Okay folks, as requested, here is my #thread about ANGELS in Judaism and might even tap into the differences between Judaism's angels and those within Christianity (if I have time).
#threads #threadseries #judaism #Christianity

So, before we even begin with angelic presence in the Torah and Tanakh, I think it's important to to note where angels are NOT present. Let's start with Genesis 1. While it is a popular idea that the "us" here refers to God and the angels, that is a much later idea imposed.../1

...upon the text. Instead, this refers to the pantheon, polytheistic beginnings. This is true for "b'nai elohim" (sons of god, people of god, etc), this does NOT refer to angelic beings. The transposing of angels on these polytheistic aspects of the Torah are the work.../2

...of later monotheists attempting to redact. So now that that's out of the way. Let's talk about angels. Because of multiple authorship in the Torah and Tanakh, we see several distinctions of angelic beings, different names, different rules, etc. So, let's start: /3

1. The אִ֔ישׁ. (pronounced "eesh".). This type of angel or being appears throughout the Torah and is not actually referred to specifically as an angel. The text leaves it ambiguous. However, there are certain constants with this being. First, they appear in strange places.../4

...and have knowledge that a stranger should not know. Second, they have no name, and refuse to provide one. and Third, they change the fate of the characters they encounter. Abraham encounters three of them in Genesis 18. Three "Anashim" (Plural of eesh) appear.../5

...and tell of the upcoming birth of Isaac. No names are given, they come from nowhere, and have some knowledge about what will happen. Genesis 32 is another great example. Jacob wrestles with a being, an "eesh", never identified as an angel. No name, comes out of nowhere.../6

...and after the encounter with Jacob, Jacob is changed and the being disappears. There's more to this story as it occurs at night by water which is common for ancient Near Eastern supernatural beings, but that's another thread! A final example is the encounter with Joseph/7

...in Genesis 37, where Joseph, lost in a field, encounters an "eesh", a being that appears strangely from nowhere, does not say his name, but somehow knows the location of Joseph's brothers. And if Joseph didn't find them, he wouldn't have been kidnapped, ended up in Egypt../8

...and so on. אִ֔ישׁ in Hebrew actually is translated as "man" and "anashim" (plural) as "people".
Another being in Genesis we see as a "מַלְאַ֨ךְ אֱלֹהִ֤ים", a messenger of God. Seen as in Genesis 21: /9

A similar being ( מַלְאַ֤ךְ יְהוָה֙) appears in Genesis 22, swapping out Elohim for the Tetragrammaton, this being serves as a messenger from the divine. /10

Another type of angelic being is what's known as כְּר֨וּב, or crudely translated as "cherub." The cherub is unknown in shape as no full description exists, but I can assure is NOT the fat little babies with wings. Rather, it is a powerful being, one that guards.../11

...the gates of Eden with a flaming sword (Genesis 3:24). The cherubim also sit on the top of the tabernacle (the god box) which was carried into war. The cover of the ark (tabernacle) features "...two cherubim of gold..." as seen in Exodus 25.../12

Exodus tells us that Cherubs do have wings and faces, but that is it, and they have significant power considering they were chosen to guard the Ark. The author(s) of Exodus sure like them too. They choose Cherubs for the "design" on the curtains of the Tent of Meeting. /13

The Psalmists like the Cherub too, Psalm 18:11 "(God) mounted a cherub and flew, gliding on the wings of the wind." And of course, the designs of the cherubs appear in the building of the Great Temple: /14

My favorite angelic being is the Seraph. A "snake like" angelic being that appears in the form of protection against snakes during the wilderness in Numbers 21:/15

But the best description of the Seraph is that in Isaiah 6. I do an entire thread about what they are, and frankly, flying snakes with wings and smoke sure sound like dragons to me. If you'd like to see that thread let me know and I'll post it! /16

I also want to mention that there is no "angel of death." Exodus 12:23 speaks of a being called הַמַּשְׁחִית (ha-Maschit), The Destroyer. This is not an angel. It is powerful enough that God must intercede and protect the Israelites from its path. This should speak to.../17

...the relationship between God and these beings. It seems God can call upon them, and they do as their told, but God must intercede at times to make sure they do what they're told. Another great part of this discussion is of course that of Satan from the book of Job. /18

Let's face it, that's what you want to hear anyway :)
So Job 1, tells a story of a few things of note. This is a LATE text, so the view of "b'nai ha-elohim" (as spoken about earlier in this thread) is different at this point. Translated as the "divine beings," presenting.../19

...themselves before Yahweh, and one of them, Ha-Satan (pronounced Ha-Satahn, not Sayton) is among them. The "Adversary" is one translation for this being but this being serves as God's prosecuting attorney. This speaks to the concept of angelic beings in Jewish view.../20

...that angelic beings are completely under God's control, doing what God commands (Ha-Satan tortures Job, the Eesh wrestles Jacob, the Eesh tells Joseph, etc) but do not have free will.
Now, the names of angels (not titles but names) only occur much later. /21

I will also only briefly speak to Ezekiel's acid trip of cherubs and the wheels. It is a unique and stand-alone text that is very...strange to say the least. But the cherubs seem similar to earlier ideas of cherubs just with wheel things.../22

But, most importantly, these Torah and Tanakh understandings of angels differ greatly from the later rabbinic ideas which include angels, demons, ghosts, and other fun things like that. I have a video on that on my youtube channel for those interested. /23

BUT, in conclusion, different authors throughout the Torah and Tanakh had differing views of angelic beings, divine beings, messengers, and the like, so there is no consistency here. But this is just the beginning folks...
/END

If you like threads like this, check out my book which helps speak to these ideas a bit!
amazon.com/Lets-Talk-Rabb…

I also have a youtube channel that deals with some of these issues but in cartoon form!
youtube.com/@teachmejudais…

Enjoy!

Next will be Genesis 1, and then Genesis 2! Stay tuned!