Bereshit (4)

 

(To read the previous part, click here.)

The second question

Why does the creation account in Bereshit not mention the creation of the spiritual angels, when they constitute one-third of existence, and are the first and most elevated part of creation? Should we assume, as some investigators have suggested, that there are no separate intellects (sechalim nivdalim), apart from the First Cause (ha-sibah ha-rishonah, i.e., God)? According to this view: God alone is the only force that moves the celestial spheres. The universe consists of one moving sphere and one Prime Mover (ha-kadur ha-mitnoa echad veha-mania echad).

However, this idea is not only false from the perspective of true philosophical reasoning, but it is also heresy according to the Torah! The Torah clearly affirms the existence of angels: They appear in the narratives of the forefathers (Avot); they are described in prophetic visions (Nevi’im); the Book of Daniel explicitly names angels such as Gabriel and Michael. Moreover, Chazal (the Sages) have taught that the angels were created at the beginning of creation, along with all other created entities. As it is written in Tehillim (Psalms 148:2): "Praise Him, all His angels!" (Halleluhu kol malachav).

"For He commanded, and they were created." Therefore, the Torah states (Bereshit 2:1), "And the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their host." This phrase includes not only the celestial bodies themselves but also the intellects that move them. As it is written (I Kings 22:!9), "I saw the Lord sitting upon His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him, on His right and on His left." This "host of heaven" refers to the angels, as is further emphasized in Yeshayahu’s prophecy (Isaiah 45:12): "I have made the earth, and created man upon it; My hands stretched out the heavens, and I commanded all their host." In another prophetic vision, Yeshayahu also describes seraphim standing above God, calling the angels "seraphim" because their mission was to burn, as it is written, "And the house was filled with smoke." How, then, could one deny their existence?

Now, regarding the heavenly bodies, the Torah does not elaborate extensively on their matters, but it does at least bear testimony to their creation. If so, why does the Torah not even mention in general terms the creation of the separate intellects, who "sit first in the kingdom"? I carefully searched through all the major commentaries on this matter and found that Rashi does not address this issue at all. However, regarding the verse, "And the spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters," Rashi comments: "The Throne of Glory was standing in the air, hovering by the breath of God's mouth and by His command." (1) This is all he says on the subject. We do not know what exactly this "Throne of Glory" that Rashi mentioned refers to. Is it a term for the gathering of angels? What were they doing in the air? And why is there no mention of their creation?

As for Ibn Ezra (Ra’avad), I have already informed you of his position—that nothing from the upper realms is mentioned in the creation narrative. However, this is not the view of the divine Torah.

Ramban wrote the following: "If you seek an explicit mention of the creation of angels, who are incorporeal beings, you will not find it in the Torah. However, if you merit to understand the secret of 'In the beginning', and why the Torah does not say 'God created in the beginning', then you will know that according to the way of truth, the verse speaks explicitly about the lower world, while alluding to the upper realms. The word Bereshit hints at wisdom."

His intention is that the term Bereshit refers to the Sefirah of Chokhmah (Wisdom), which was the beginning of creation, as it is stated, "Hashem founded the earth with wisdom." According to this interpretation, the word Elohim (God) in the verse refers to the angels. Thus, the meaning of the verse would be as follows: "Through supreme wisdom, the Creator (who is not mentioned explicitly in this verse) brought into existence three levels of created beings which are 'Elohim'—that is, the spiritual angels, and the 'heavens'—which includes all celestial spheres and the 'earth'—which encompasses all lower creations. These three categories correspond to the three divisions of existence: the intellectual beings (angels), the celestial beings (heavens, spheres), and the physical, lower world (earth and its contents). For this reason, the Torah did not phrase the verse as 'Elohim created in the beginning', because according to this interpretation, Elohim itself was created—it is not the Creator. Rabbeinu Bechaye follows the same explanation.

. . .

(1) Rashi (on Bereshit 1:2) does not explicitly discuss the creation of angels, but his reference to the Throne of Glory suggests that divine presence existed before the shaping of the physical world. Some commentators understand this as an indirect allusion to pre-existing angelic beings, while others interpret it metaphorically. Abarbanel questions this ambiguity and challenges why the creation of angels is not explicitly mentioned in the Torah.

Read more...

(Here we continue publishing selections from our translation of Abarbanel’s classic commentary on Genesis.) 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bereshit (7)

Image
  (To read the previous part, click here .) The fourth argument is that if the light mentioned on the first day referred to the angels, what then would be the meaning of the darkness mentioned afterward? Why would the Torah call the intellectual light "day" and the darkness "night"? And how could a single day be formed from both light and darkness—how would all of this be justified in relation to the angels? Ralbag answers that the darkness mentioned in the passage symbolizes the existence of the lowly matter, which is at the utmost distance and distinction from the spiritual light. For the intellectual light represents complete form and action, while the primordial lowly matter is merely potential, deficient, and dark in comparison to the nivdalim (separate beings). Because of its existence, God called the light "day" and called the dark, potential matter "night" due to its deficiency. And the phrase "And there was evening, and there w...
Read more

Bereshit (1)

Image
1. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (1) He begins by addressing the order of creation and the reason for the juxtaposition of the words Bereshit (“In the beginning”) and Bara (“created”) in the phrase Bereshit Bara Elokim (“In the beginning, God created”) up until the mention of “one day.” I have found it necessary to raise several questions regarding these verses: The First Question The first question arises from the verse Bereshit Bara Elokim ... (“In the beginning, God created...”). If the Torah seeks to describe the order of creation and what preceded what, how can it state that the first thing created was the heavens and the earth? For these two encompass all physical existence, both above and below. If everything was created at the outset, then what remained to be created afterward? The commentators have addressed this difficulty by explaining that the Torah does not intend to present the chronological sequence of creation. Rather, they interpret...
Read more

Bereshit (8)

Image
(To read the previous part, click here .)   The fourth question concerns the meaning of the verse: "And the earth was tohu va’vohu (formless and void), etc." You are already aware of the interpretation given by the Rav haMoreh (Maimonides) in Guide for the Perplexed (Part II, Chapter 30), which was followed by Ramban. Their general intent is that after the verse mentioned the creation of the heavens and the earth, it then informs us that the earth which was created contained within it the four fundamental elements—earth, water, air, and fire. Thus, in this verse, "the earth" refers specifically to the element of earth, while "darkness" refers to the element of fire, for primordial fire is dark1. If it were luminous, it would be visible at night. Moreh Nevukhim (Maimonides) proves that darkness refers to fire from the verse regarding Mount Sinai: "When you heard the voice from within the darkness" (Deuteronomy 5:20), which is also expressed ...
Read more