Do angels have jealousy?

Question

In a famous Midrash in Shab. 87a-b, the angels object to the Torah being given to humans, until Moshe proves that it is only relevant to humans because of their nature. In one example, he asks rhetorically, "Do you (angels) have jealousy (that might lead you to kill or covet)?"

Well, to be honest, they were acting rather jealous. So, do angels have jealousy?

Answer 1

It is clear that angels have jealousy towards humans from Tosfiyos Brachos 3a that says that some say that we say certain prayers in Aramaic in order that the angels should not be jealous of us, and Tosfiyos does not say there is no jealousy, only that we say other prayers in Lashon Kodesh so that can not be the reason. Also Rashi Braishis 1:26 indicates that angels have jealousy towards humans.

However I have heard a while ago that among the angels themselves there is no jealousy, however they do have jealousy towards human beings. (I will try to find a source for this and add it in when I can).

Answer 2

Berachos 16b-17a implies that angels do fight with each other (see top Rashi on 17a), and Rabbeinu Bechaye (Bereishis 18:2) writes that the posuk that we say in davening עושה שלום במרומיו (Job 25) means that Hashem gives distinct tasks to each angel so that they dont end up encroaching upon each other's roles and fighting. So we see that angels arent really flawless.

I once heard Rabbi Shafier explain that angels have free will but dont sin because they see Hashem so clearly that for them, the choice to sin would be idiotic, comparable to a man sticking his hand in a fiery furnace to win a bet. Does he have the free choice to do so? Certainly, we have the free choice to injure ourselves, but it is an easy choice not to make. So too with angels: jealousy is something we feel when are insecure if what we have is best suited for us, or perhaps if the possessions of someone else more appropriately belong to me! Ibn Ezra on Lo sachmod (Yisro) explains that the way to avoid feeling jealous is to recognize that Hashem runs the world and knows what He is doing, and therefore I really do have the wife/car/house/life that is best for me. But man has a difficult time keeping this is mind and so he comes to murder, theft, and even adultery. But what Moshe was telling the angels was that mal'achim see Hashem so clearly that they have no reason to be envious of each other to the extent of murder and robbery.

However when it came to Hashem's decision to give the Torah to mankind, the angels were less understanding of why Hashem wanted to give His special Laws to imperfect man. Without the clear understanding of Hashem's ways that they usually have, they were as jealous as any man generally is.

Answer 3

Gavriel is sent to destroy Jerusalem, Hashem commands him to fill his hands with fiery coals from the hands of the Cherub. Gavriel goes to the Cherub, (understood to be Michael), Explains what he's supposed to do, Michael says, 'take the coals', Gavriel says'put them in my hands', directly disobeying G-d, with consequence. He is cast out from behind the curtain and lashed 60 times, and replaced by Dubiel, the angel of Perisa, for 21 days. (yoma 77a, tanchuma tazria 9, see also Malachei Elyon by Reuven Margoleous).

My friend said in the name of his rabbi that angels are preprogrammed to act in certain ways, regardless of whether or not those ways are right or in accordance with Hashem's will. I asked my rebbi, Rav Aron Lopiansky what angels are, he said that 'they are middos of HKBH that sometimes take on minds of their own'. So they disobey Him sometimes, because that is how they were made to act.

So the angels got upset that Moshe was taking the torah because they were created to act that way at that time, probably to teach us something, as the story is related in the Talmud.