Questions tagged [malach-angel]
Relating to Angels in Judaism.
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Did Avraham invite the angels into his house?
Avraham sits at the entrance to his tent waiting for guests. When the three angels arrive he runs out to greet them and pleads that they stay. He then tells them (Bereishit 18:4):
יֻקַּח-נָא מְעַט-...
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The hebrew meaning of the name Laila
My wife and I just had a beautiful little girl and we named her Laila Grace. I was curious of the meaning of Laila and decided to search the web. I came to an interesting comment that I am hoping ...
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Does everyone say the piyut addressing Af beri?
According to the opinion that Machnisei Rachamim should not be said as we don't pray to angels, is there a problem to address Af Beri? I haven't heard of anyone skipping that piyut.
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Is there a malach taking care of rain or not?
The Gemara in Taanis 2a mentions rain as one of the items that Hashem never gives the key of which over to a messenger.
אמר ר' יוחנן ג' מפתחות בידו של הקב''ה שלא נמסרו ביד שליח ואלו הן מפתח של ...
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How many wings do Chayot have
In the first chapter of Yechezkel, the Chayot are described ambiguously as having four wings. Is this per side, or a total number?
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Kiddush cup with the name of angels engraved on the inside
I just bought an antique kiddush cup in Yerushalayim with names of the angels written all throughout the inside on the whole length of the kiddush cup (in several columns around the cup). The store ...
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Rambam and the 10 types of Malachim
In Yesodei HaTorah 2:7, The Rambam lists the 10 types of malachim (angels) in order of power.
Many people have told me that this halacha proves that the Rambam knew Kabalah, since this knowledge is ...
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What class of entity are Wisdom and Death?
Most Jews and Christians will only recognize the angels as being the only other spirits made by G0d, but angels are not omnipresent nor omnipotent and it seems to me that the Spirit of Wisdom in ...
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Why does Yaakov say, "ראיתי אלוקים פנים אל פנים"?
In Bereishit 32:31, Yaakov says, "ראיתי אלוקים פנים אל–פנים" after his encounter with the angel. Most commentators, such as Rashi, interpret that when Yaakov says this, he really meant "I have seen [...
user5540
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What is the need for angels?
Why did G-d create angels to assign them specific tasks (Bava Metzia 86b)? Since G-d is omnipotent, what is the need for angels -- why doesn't He perform these tasks directly?
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Why believe angels' showing Aaron dead after being fooled about Moses?
When Moses didn't come down from Sinai, the Jews requested a replacement leader, explaining (Exodus 32:1) that
this Moses man who lifted us out of the land of Egypt — we don't know what has ...
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Does satan know our thoughts
Does the satan know what crosses our minds and thus whisper to us what is in accordance with our thoughts to instigate us in harboring negative thoughts and committing sins?
Was also asked on Islam....
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Why did the angels object to the Torah being given to Moshe – what did the angels think?
The well-known Gemoro Shabbos 88b reports the angels protesting against HKB”H giving the Torah to Israel. HKB”H tells Moshe to answer the angels and Moshe shows that the Torah is only applicable to ...
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Angel in the womb for women?
The Talmud (Niddah 30b) teaches us that when a child is in the womb, an angel comes and teaches it the entire Torah, which he subsequently forgets.
The simple reading of the Gemara gives no reason to ...
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Story of Rabbi Who Burned Out His Eyes
I once heard a story about a rabbi who was given a test by God, in which the Satan was sent in the form of a beautiful woman to entice him. He would not look at the Satan, and when pressed, he had one ...
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How can one achieve k'fitzat hadereh (miraculous speedy travel)?
Rav Hai Gaon in תשובות הגאונים החדשות, מהד' עמנואל סי' קטו, עמ' 125 states that there are books which contain the practical kabbalistic methods for achieving k'fitzat hadereh (miraculous speedy travel)...
user5092
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What is the proper intent to have when we say "Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh?"
One of the benefits of communal prayer is the ability to say K'dusha in the repetition of the Amidah. We also say "Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh" (Is 6) as a preparatory component of Shma, and in U'Va L'...
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What do Jews think angels look like?
I'm a Christian and I've seen and been constantly exposed to our common view of angels. That said I like Matisyahu who draws from a different culture based in Judaism rather than Christianity. In his ...
user2566
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Sources for free will of angels
I want to define free-will for this question as a moral right and wrong decision, not an arbitrary decision or a true/false decision. I am familiar with sources that say that angels do not have free ...
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Why did the angels not go straight to S'dom?
It says in Bereishis 18,16 “and the men arose from there and they looked upon S’dom, and Avraham went with them to escort them”. This is followed by several posukim dealing with the dialogue between ...
user4523
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Is there a Malach for Am Yisrael?
I had a very bizarre dream where at the end I was in a room singing then having a heated discussion with someone who claimed to be the malach of 'Am Yisrael'. Is there such a thing as a Malach for Am ...
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How to understand the Medrash that Isaac's eyes were weakened by the tears of the angels?
Rashi's second interpretation of Braishis 27 (1) (based on the Medrash Rabbah 65 (10)) is that Isaac's eyes were weakened by the tears of the angels at the Akeidah.
Rashi speaking about the angels ...
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Getting dressed in the bathroom
I heard an interesting, but confusing, chumrah observed by Rabbi Pesach Levi of Lakewood. He said one should get dressed in one's bathroom because one should not appear naked in front of one's ...
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Are Jews greater than angels?
In a spiritual sense which is greater - or if you prefer, has more kedusha - angels or Jews and why? Please explain and cite explicit sources, not inferences.
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What is wrong with asking the angels for a blessing in Shalom Aleichem?
In the artscroll zemiros book they mention that the Gra and Rav Emden either did not say or modified the shabbat song Shalom Aleichem because there is a stanza which requests that the angels bless us. ...
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Do any Jews, ancient or modern, hold that Michael the Arch-angel is the coming messiah?
I am currently studying the origin of an uncommon Christian belief that the angel Michael mentioned in the Jewish Bible (Daniel 12:1) is the same person as Jesus. It is becoming a frustrating mystery ...
user3178
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Why "מלאכי השרת" in only the first stanza of "Shalom Alechem"?
The first stanza of the popular Friday-night song "שלום עליכם" calls angels "מלאכי השלום מלאכי השרת מלאכי עליון" (or, in other versions, just "מלאכי השרת מלאכי עליון"). The other stanzas call them ...
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What is the source for the tradition that the philtrum is formed by an angel before birth?
Physiological context: The philtrum is the dip or groove in the middle of the upper lip below the nose (link). It is a feature of most mammals, thought to draw water from the mouth to the nose to keep ...
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Is free will limited to humans?
Do other beings besides humans have free will? Perhaps animals have free will? What about angels?
Does the status of other types of beings' freedom of will affect us in any way?
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Importance of Gavriel in Judaism
What is the status or rank or position or importance of Gavriel as an Angel in Tanach or Oral Law and what causes it to be at that position or rank?
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Is the angel named uriel or oriel
There is a significant difference, where one means: my fire is of god's and the other means: my light is of god's.
Since the spelling is the same in Hebrew, it is not apparent from some sources what ...
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Why can we not say the names of certain angels aloud?
I have found in certain kabbalistic documents that contain names of angels there is an instruction not to say the names of those angels aloud - example with names in parenthesis. I realize we are not ...
user2110
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If no-one went to synagogue on Friday night, do the people at home sing “Sholom Aleichem”?
The Ashkenazi custom is to sing “Sholom Aleichem” when returning home on Friday night from the synagogue. The reason is related to the ministering angels who accompany a person home on Friday night ...
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Do angels have jealousy?
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 ...
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How can angels "give permission" to each other?
As I understood it, angels have no free will and strictly do those things G-d instructs them to do. But in the brachas preceding krias Shema, we say that the angels "all accept upon themselves the ...
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Saying names of angels
I've heard you shouldn't say the names of angels, except for the four that surround us at night.
What's the source and reason for this? Is it halacha or kaballah?
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Why is the Evil Inclination Called a "Fool"?
Koheles (4:13), (as explained by the Midrash Rabba) describes the Yetzer Hara (Evil Inclination) as "A king, old, and a fool".
It explains:
"...ולמה קורא אותו כסיל? שהוא מלמד לאדם דרך ...
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Does one have to listen to an angel?
Does one now (or ever in the past) have to listen to the instructions of an angel?
If so, would that include listening if the angel told you to violate a Torah commandment (either temporarily or ...
user2110
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What was Moshe Rabbeinus argument against the angels?
Breishis 18:8 says that Avraham served the angels milk and meat together. Rashi in the name of the Medrash says that it only seemed like they were eating. Medrash Shocher Tov Tehilim 8 says that one ...
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What's the ultimate fate of Satan?
Since Jews don't believe in hell for unbelievers, what will happen to Satan? Will he be punished for eternity?
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Do any Jewish sources mention Satan talking to a Jew?
Do any Jewish sources mention Satan talking to a Jew?
If so, how did the things that were said affect ancient Jewish life?
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Scriptural evidence that angels have no free will
Judaism does not believe in the free will of angels. What is the scriptural evidence for that and since when has such belief been held within the Jewish community?
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Babies in the field Midrash
What is the source for the Midrash that says that in Egypt some babies were put into fields and saved by Malachim who looked like their fathers? Also, what is the context in which the Midrash is ...
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Can you explain the beginning of Pirkei D'Rebbi Eliezer chapter 4?
At the beginning of the 4th chapter of Pirkei D'Rebbi Eliezer, it states [my own translation]:
On the second day God created the heavens (rakiyah), the angels and the fire of flesh and blood (aisho ...
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What is the etymology of סמאל?
I've heard that סמאל (Samael, a "bad" angel) is related to the word שמאל (left). Is there any basis for this, and are there any other explanations for his name?
The Hebrew Wikipedia claims that it is ...
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Shalom Aleichem to angels?
The zemer "Shalom Aleichem" is obviously addressed to angels. The Tur (OC Siman 3) gives a short text to says before entering the bathroom: התכבדו מכובדים משרתי עליון, etc. (also obviously addressed ...
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Free will a prerequisite for punishment?
I read that the angel Metat was subjected to 60 pulsei de-nura (Aramaic: פולסא דנורא "lashes of fire"). I have been taught that angels do not have free will. Did this angel act from free will or did ...
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HaMalach HaGoel Osi
Why does Yakov ask the malach (angel) (actually it sounds more like a statement of fact - "he will...") who protected him from evil to bless Ephraim and Menashe? Also, do we find that this actually ...
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Arabic and Angels
The angels in Heaven are said to not be able to understand Aramaic because it represents a deviation from the Hebrew language. My question is: Do they understand the Arabic language (as is very close ...
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