... כִּי שָׂרִיתָ עִם אֱלֹהִים וְעִם אֲנָשִׁים וַתּוּכָל (בראשית לב, כט).
The question I would like to ask as a preface to this shiur is – "Who is more spiritually elevated, Jews or angels?" This is obviously not my question, but a question Chazal dealt with in depth. R' Chaim of Volozhin (נפש החיים שער א, פרק י) brings the various views of Chazal and the Mefarshim on the matter.
The Gemara (Sanhedrin 92b): "R' Yochanan says that tzaddikim are greater than angels גְּדוֹלִים צַדִּיקִים יוֹתֵר מִמַּלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת". Score so far 1-0. Another Gemara (Chulin 91b) says that HKB"H prefers Am Yisrael over angels – חֲבִיבִין יִשְׂרָאֵל לִפְנֵי הקב"ה יוֹתֵר מִמַּלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת שֶׁיִּשְׂרָאֵל אוֹמְרִים שִׁירָה בְּכָל שָׁעָה וּמַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת אֵין אוֹמְרִים שִׁירָה אֶלָּא פַּעַם אַחַת בַּיּוֹם. Score so far 2-0.
The Midrash (תנחומא, ויקרא פרשה א) says that tzaddikim are greater than angels - שֶׁמַּלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת אֵינָם יְכוֹלִים לִשְׁמֹעַ קוֹלוֹ אֶלָּא עוֹמְדִים וְנִבְהָלִים, וְהַצַּדִּיקִים יְכוֹלִים לִשְׁמֹעַ קוֹלוֹ. Score so far 3-0.
Avot de'Rebi Natan (פרק מד) says that Am Yisrael are greater - יִשְׂרָאֵל נִקְרְאוּ קְדוֹשִׁים וּמַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת נִקְרְאוּ קְדוֹשִׁים, וְלֹא יָדַעְתָּ אֵיזֶה מְקֻדָּשׁ זֶה מִזֶּה, כְּשֶׁהוּא אוֹמֵר - קֹדֶשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל לַה' (ירמיה ב, ג), אַתֶּם מְקֻדָּשִׁים לְפָנַי יוֹתֵר מִמַּלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת. Score so far 4-0.
It seems like a knockout, right? Except, along comes the Rambam (הלכות יסודי התורה פ"ז ה"ו) and praises Moshe Rabbeinu שֶׁנִּתְקַדֵּשׁ בִּקְדֻשַּׁת הַמַּלְאָכִים, which seems to indicate that angels are of a higher level than Moshe Rabbeinu.
To understand the Rambam's reasoning, we need to examine the sequence of events that took place when Moshe went up to Har Sinai to receive the Torah, as described in the Otzar HaMidrashim (ספר מעיין החכמה, מספר ארזי לבנון דף מ״ו ע״ב).
We all just assumed that Moshe walked up the mountain, but that is not what happened. Sefer Ma'ayan HaChochma says that a cloud descended alongside Moshe and he did not know whether he should ride on top of it, or hold onto it. Suddenly the cloud opened up and Moshe entered it and the cloud transported him up to Heaven (lehavdil, if you were wondering where those UFO movies got their special effects from …).
Once he reached Heaven, Moshe started walking around, just as if he was walking around down here on earth. Soon he encountered the sentry angel K-e-m-u-e-l (we are not allowed to say/write the names of angels in their original form, as uttering or writing their original name invokes their powers [כף החיים על שו"ע או"ח ה׳:י׳:א׳]), at the entrance to Heaven, in charge of 12,000 מַלְאֲכֵי חַבָּלָה, to prevent unauthorized entrance. This angel challenged Moshe "What are you, ben Amram (a derogatory tone), doing in the domain of the angels of fire?"
Moshe replied "I have not arrived here on my own, I am here with HKB"H's authorization, to receive the Torah and take it back down to Am Yisrael!" The sentry angel would not allow Moshe to pass, so Moshe struck him a mortal blow and erased him from the world.
Moshe continued until he met up with the next angel, H-a-d-r-a-n-i-e-l, who was 600,000 parsa'ot (1.2 million km) taller than the previous angel and each word that left his mouth was accompanied by 12,000 lightning bolts of fire. When he saw Moshe, he challenged him "What are you, ben Amram, doing in the place of the high holy ones?" When Moshe heard his voice, Moshe was shattered, tears streamed from his eyes and he almost fell out of the cloud.
HKB"H Himself had mercy on Moshe and said to this angel "From the day I created you (angels), you seek to quarrel. When I wanted to create Adam HaRishon, you opposed it saying מָה אֱנוֹשׁ כִּי תִזְכְּרֶנּוּ וכו' and I was angry with you and incinerated you, group by group (כִּתּוֹת כִּתּוֹת) with My little finger. And now you quarrel with the most loyal member of My house, who I have raised up here to receive the Torah and take it back down to My chosen ones? Without the Torah that Am Yisrael are receiving, you have no dwelling place in the Heavens!"
When H-a-d-r-a-n-i-e-l heard this, he snapped to attention before HKB"H and said "Ribono shel Olam, You know that I was unaware that he (Moshe) was here with Your permission. From now on, I will be his guide and will walk in front of him like a student before his teacher."
H-a-d-r-a-n-i-e-l crouched and ran before Moshe, like a תַּלְמִיד לִפְנֵי רַבּוֹ until they reached the fire of the angel S-a-n-d-a-l-f-o-n. Moshe's new "guide" said to Moshe "Quick, go back! before we are both consumed by this fire!"
When Moshe saw S-a-n-d-a-l-f-o-n he was in shock, was about to fall out of the cloud and tears streamed from his eyes. Moshe begged HKB"H for mercy and was answered. HKB"H Himself got off from His כִּסֵּא הַכָּבוֹד and stood before Moshe so that he could pass through the fire of S-a-n-d-a-l-f-o-n, who was taller than the previous angel by a walking distance of 500 years!
The Midrash goes on to describe in graphic detail how this last angel, one of the Chayot, stands behind the כִּסֵּא הַכָּבוֹד and "crafts crowns" for HKB"H, just prior to the glorious and deafening spectacle when all the angels in Heaven declare קָדוֹשׁ קָדוֹשׁ קָדוֹשׁ ה׳ צְבָ-קוֹת and בָּרוּךְ כְּבוֹד ה' מִמְּקוֹמוֹ. We have no conception what we are saying when we recite Kedusha in חֲזָרַת הָש"ץ, especially since the Gemara in Chulin (above) says that HKB"H prefers our שִׁירָה to that of the angels.
The Mishna Brura (או"ח סימן קכה, סעיף קטן ה') brings the Sefer Heichalot who says that when we say קָדוֹשׁ קָדוֹשׁ קָדוֹשׁ ה׳ צְבָ-קוֹת, we should raise ourselves on our toes to resemble the angels and gaze upward. According to Sefer Heichalot, this is HKB"H's favorite moment of every day, when Am Yisrael's eyes connect with His. At this moment HKB"H holds onto the the leg of the כִּסֵּא הַכָּבוֹד in the image of Yaakov Avinu, hugs and kisses it and reminds Himself of Am Yisrael's זְכוּיוֹת and hastens the Geulah.
The remainder of the Midrash follows in a similar vein, describing Moshe's "tour" of Heaven, through wondrous terrain, like נְהַר דִּינוּר, encountering increasingly elevated angels until he reaches the כִּסֵּא הַכָּבוֹד. It is breathtaking reading, but if I continued, it would fill up the whole shiur. I urge you to read it inside at this link.
After reading it, it is not surprising that the Rambam (above) says that angels are more elevated than Am Yisrael, even more than the greatest tzaddik in Am Yisrael – Moshe Rabbeinu.
However, the previous sources in Chazal contradict that. So, how do we reconcile the two?
After that short introduction we can begin the shiur.
Just before Yaakov's "reunion" with Eisav, the psukkim tell us that Yaakov "struggled" with a "man", וַיִּוָּתֵר יַעֲקֹב לְבַדּוֹ וַיֵּאָבֵק אִישׁ עִמּוֹ עַד עֲלוֹת הַשָּׁחַר (בראשית לב, כה). Chazal and the Mefarshim all say that this was no "man", but rather an angel. As a result of Yaakov's triumph in this struggle, his name was changed to (actually he was given an additional name) Yisrael. We are thus called Am Yisrael in his honor. Since the name of our nation is derived from this "struggle", we need to understand what this struggle was and who we truly are. When a modern secular Israeli ignorantly says "I do not consider myself Jewish, I consider myself an Israeli" does he know what an Israeli means?
In order to fully understand what an "Israeli" is and who we, Am Yisrael, are … we need to learn a profound Or HaChayim.
In parshat Kedoshim the passuk says וְהִתְקַדִּשְׁתֶּם וִהְיִיתֶם קְדשִׁים כִּי אֲנִי ה' אֱ-לֹקֵיכֶם (ויקרא יט, ב). The Or HaChayim there says that Am Yisrael are commanded to achieve קְדֻשָּׁה, and the passuk continues - וִהְיִיתֶם קְדשִׁים, that if we do, we will achieve the same level of קְדֻשָּׁה as the angels. But that is not the end of it.
When Am Yisrael stood at the foot of Har Sinai, prior to receiving the Torah, the passuk says וְאַתֶּם תִּהְיוּ לִי מַמְלֶכֶת כֹּהֲנִים וְגוֹי קָדוֹשׁ (שמות יט, ו). The Or HaChayim on this passuk says that the turning point of Matan Torah was to raise Am Yisrael to the level of angels. Just as there are angels who serve HKB"H above, so too will there now be angels who serve Him below (referring to the Kohanim serving HKB"H in the Beit HaMikdash, who are equivalent to angels).
The Or HaChayim continues "It also says וְאַתֶּם תִּהְיוּ לִי". In other words the status of angels is not limited only to Kohanim, but to everyone in Am Yisrael. In the words of the Or HaChayim –
מָצִינוּ שֶׁהַצַּדִּיקִים הִשִּׂיגוּ מַעֲלָה זוֹ שֶׁנִּקְרָאִים מַלְאָכִים וּקְדוֹשִׁים. כִּי בְּאֶמְצָעוּת הַתּוֹרָה תִּגְדַּל וְתַעֲלֶה מַעֲלַת הָאָדָם עַד אֵין קֵץ לְמַעְלָה מֵהַמַּלְאָכִים. וְזֶה לְךָ הָאוֹת, כִּי ה' בָּחַר לְיוֹתֵר מַעֲלָה לִקְדֻשַּׁת מְקוֹם כְּבוֹדוֹ עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל. הָא לָמַדְתָּ כִּי הֵם לְמַעְלָה מֵהֶם, כִּי מַעֲלִין בַּקֹּדֶשׁ וְאֵין מוֹרִידִין.
Using the Torah, tzaddikim can attain a level higher than the angels. By managing to transcend our physical, earthly bodies, the kedusha we achieve is on a higher level than the angels, who have no physical handicaps.
The Or HaChayim adds (שמות לא, טז) that this is the בְּרִית עוֹלָם בֵּינִי וּבֵין בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, the covenant of Olam HaBah which is promised to us. That Olam HaBah is on a higher level than the world of the angels and angels will not be allowed to dwell there. Compared to the tzaddikim in Olam HaBah, the angels will be secondary וְיִהְיוּ הַמַּלְאָכִים שִׁירַיִם לָהֶם. Then angels will look up with wonder at the tzaddikim in Olam HaBah and say כִּי לֹא נַחַשׁ בְּיַעֲקֹב וְלֹא קֶסֶם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל כָּעֵת יֵאָמֵר לְיַעֲקֹב וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵל מַה פָּעַל אֵל (במדבר כג, כג).
From the words of the Or HaChayim it all now becomes clear. The discrepancy between the sources in Chazal and the Rambam (above) reflect the reality after and before Matan Torah.
The Rambam is describing the reality before Moshe received the Torah, the awesome greatness of the angels in Heaven, one more "fearsome" than the next. What Chazal in the Gemara are describing is after Matan Torah, that we now possess the ability to transcend the level of the angels.
This is all not surprising in any way. The Midrash (תנחומא פקודי, סימן ג') says that immediately after Adam Harishon was created, the angels mistook him for G-d and bowed down to him. Adam corrected them saying "Let us praise the true G-d" and proceeded to sing שִׁיר שֶׁל יוֹם for erev Shabbat – ה' מָלָךְ גֵּאוּת לָבֵשׁ (תהילים צג, א). The Gemara (Sanhedrin 59b) describes the reality in Gan Eden before Adam HaRishon sinned, how the angels decanted wine and roasted meat for him.
(continued Part II)
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