4. Bereshit — Abarbanel on the Torah, Section 4
The Missing Angels and the Unity of Creation
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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?1 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 burn2, as it is written, “And the house was filled with smoke.” How, then, could one deny their existence?
I carefully searched through all the major commentaries on this matter and found that Rashi does not address this issue at all.
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.”3 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 ʿIn the beginningʾ, and why the Torah does not say ʿGod created in the beginningʾ, then you will know that according to the way of truth4, 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.
This interpretation is also incorrect. Throughout the entire account of Creation, the name “Elohim” is consistently used as a designation for the Creator, blessed be He5. How, then, could the first mention of “Elohim” at the beginning of the Torah refer to the created angels, while in the subsequent verses, the same name refers to the Creator, the Cause of all causes, blessed be He? Alternatively, if one were to claim that every mention of “Elohim” in the Creation narrative refers to angels, this would imply that they were the ones who created the world—a notion that is utterly unacceptable. Creation in its entirety is attributed exclusively and directly to the First Cause, blessed be He, without any intermediary, and certainly not to any of His creations. Furthermore, according to this interpretation, the identity of the Creator would be missing from the verse. It would state merely, “In the beginning, [someone] created,” without identifying who was the Creator. While in other scriptural verses, we sometimes tolerate an implied subject—such as in “Shall one plow with oxen?” (Amos 6:12) or “For He did not shut the doors of my womb” (Job 3:10)—it would be wholly inappropriate to accept such ambiguity in the very first verse of the Torah, where the fundamental principle of creation ex nihilo is established.
Moreover, if the word “Elohim” were meant to refer to a created entity, the verse should have stated: “In the beginning, He created Elohim, the heavens, and the earth.” For in Hebrew, the word “et” (אֶת) serves as a direct object marker. Thus, if Elohim were among the created beings, the word “et” should have preceded it, just as it does before “the heavens” and “the earth.” Seeing, then, that none of these three scholars provide a satisfactory response, we can confidently state that they, too, must agree with us—the true interpreters of the Torah6.
Next section → Primordial Light and the Question of Angelic Creation
Abarbanel is alluding to a classical division of all created existence into three broad categories: (1) the spiritual realm, composed of incorporeal beings such as angels; (2) the celestial realm, consisting of the heavens and stars; and (3) the terrestrial realm, including all physical and material beings on earth. This tripartite model—rooted in medieval Jewish philosophy and influenced by Aristotelian cosmology—is often found in the writings of thinkers like Saadia Gaon, Maimonides, and the author of Sefer ha-‘Ikkarim. In this scheme, the angels represent the highest and most refined level of creation, hence Abarbanel’s description of them as “the first and most elevated part” of existence.
The Hebrew word seraphim (שְׂרָפִים) comes from the root שרף (saraf), meaning “to burn.” In Yeshayahu’s vision (Isaiah 6:2-6), these angels were associated with fire and purification, symbolizing their role in executing divine judgments or purging impurity.
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.
The phrase “the way of truth” (דרך האמת) is often used by Ramban as a reference to Kabbalistic wisdom. In his commentary, he frequently contrasts (the simple meaning) with sod (the mystical, deeper meaning). Here, he implies that the true understanding of creation involves the mystical concept of the Sefirot, particularly Chokhmah (wisdom), which serves as the divine blueprint of existence.
In Jewish tradition, Elohim is associated with God’s attribute of justice and power. This is often cited to explain why the Creation account in Genesis 1 uses “Elohim” as the divine name throughout, whereas the Tetragrammaton appears prominently beginning in Genesis 2:4. Some kabbalistic interpretations, such as Ramban and Rabbeinu Bechaye, suggest that in Bereshit 1:1, Elohim might allude to spiritual beings (angels) in addition to God. Abarbanel strongly rejects this view, insisting that Elohim always refers to God in this context.
Abarbanel’s phrasing here may seem bold, but it reflects a rhetorical strategy rather than a claim of superiority. Since Rashi, Ramban, and Ibn Ezra do not explicitly resolve this issue, Abarbanel argues that their silence serves as indirect support for his interpretation. His intention is not to dismiss their scholarship, but to demonstrate that his reading of the verse remains unchallenged by prior commentators.