PARASHAT Vayera

Torah Gems - November 15th 2008 / 17 Cheshvan

This week's Torah Gems were prepared by

Rob Lindeman

PARASHAT Vayera

Angelology - Part I

The Hebrew word for angel, malach, is derived from the root lamed

-aleph-chaf, meaning "send." The two derivatives of this root in ancient Hebrew are malach (angel) and malachah (creative work.) In Tanakh, when God wants to transmit an idea to someone, He sends a malach. When He wants to transmit an idea into concrete form, He "sends" His idea into three-dimensions as malachah (Beresheit 2:2)

Angels in Tanakh obey the following rules:

1. An angel's message changes the course of history.

2. An angel's message compels Biblical characters to do things they wouldn't otherwise do.

3. An angel delivers one message, and then disappears.

In parashat Vayeira, three angels appear together before Abraham (18:2), deliver their messages, and disappear one by one, but not before changing the course of the narrative.

The first angel appears to tell Abraham and Sarah that they will produce a child (18:10). Sarah clearly didn't know this would happen, otherwise, why would she laugh at the suggestion (18:12)? This angel's mission was to get the very old Abraham and Sarah to engage in marital relations, so that having a baby would be possible. If there were no baby Isaac, the Torah would grind to a screeching halt at the end of Chapter 20. After delivering this message, angel #1 disappears. At the beginning of Chapter 19, only two angels come to Sodom in the evening (19:1).

The second angel destroys Sodom and Gomorrah. This angel doesn't deliver a message to anyone in particular. However, one could consider the destruction of the cities of the plain as a message to the survivors who witness the event, including Lot. The 'message' is a demonstration to Israel and the world that God will not tolerate total immorality and depravity.

The destruction occurs somewhere in the middle of Chapter 19, verse 18:

And Lot said unto them (aleihem, plural), Oh not so, my Lord (adonai, singular)

Lot prepares to speak to two angels, but one disappears before Lot can form the words. The change from plural to singular in mid

-verse suggests that the destroying angel has done his deed and disappeared.

The remaining angel rescues Lot. Despite a stern warning (19:15), Lot is reluctant to leave Sodom (19:16). He must be told to leave the city lest he remain there and die. But Lot cannot die, because he must become the progenitor of the Moabites and the Ammonites (20:37

-38.) Ruth the Moabite will become the progenetrix of the Davidic line (Megillat Ruth). If Lot does not escape, there will be no King David, and no messianic legacy. Verses 21-22 of Chapter 19 give the angel's last words to Lot. After this we hear no more from him because he has disappeared.

The Torah claims that God intercedes in human affairs, frequently by means of angels. Angels usually appear in human form, superficially indistinguishable from ordinary people. If the Torah does state explicitly that a messenger is a malach, how does one identify him as such? By means of his modus operandi: If the messenger adheres to our set of rules, he is probably a malach hashem, a messenger of God.

Question for further study (with apologies to Nechama Leibowitz):

Two more angels appear in parashat Vayeira. Where do they appear? Do they obey the rules set out above? If so, how so? If not, why not? To respond, go to http://wiKItorahchat.blogspot.com and click on the comments section.