"Just Call Me Angel"

(5) And out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man. (6) And every one had four faces, and every one of them had four wings. (7) And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf’s foot; and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass. (8) And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and as for the faces and wings of them four, (9) their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward. (10) As for the likeness of their faces, they had the face of a man; and they four had the face of a lion on the right side; and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four had also the face of an eagle. (11) Thus were their faces; and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies. (12) And they went every one straight forward; whither the spirit was to go, they went; they turned not when they went. (13) As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like coals of fire, burning like the appearance of torches; it flashed up and down among the living creatures; and there was brightness to the fire, and out of the fire went forth lightning. (14) And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.

May your name be praised forever, our king, who creates ministering angels, and whose ministering angels all stand in the heights of the universe...And the ofanim and the chayot hakodesh, with a great noise rise up toward the seraphim, and in their manner offer praise and declare:

(1) Peace be with you, ministering angels, messengers of the Most High,

(2) Messengers of the King of Kings, the Holy One, Blessed be He.

(3) Come in peace, messengers of peace, messengers of the Most High,

(4) Messengers of the King of Kings, the Holy One, Blessed be He.

(5) Bless me with peace, messengers of peace, messengers of the Most High,

(6) Messengers of the King of Kings, the Holy One, Blessed be He.

(7) Go in peace, messengers of peace, messengers of the Most High,

(8) Messengers of the King of Kings, the Holy One, Blessed be He.

The fifth principle That He is the One that is fitting to serve and to exalt and to make His greatness known and to do His commandments; and not to do this to that which is below Him in existence - from the angels and the stars and the spheres and the elements and what which is composed of them. As they are all designed and there is no judgement and no free choice in their actions - only to Him, may He be blessed. And so [too], it is not fitting to serve them in order that they be intermediaries to bring them closer to Him, but rather to Him alone should they direct their thoughts and leave everything besides Him. And this fifth principle is that idolatry (worship of others) is prohibited, and most of the Torah prohibits this.

(1) The LORD appeared to him by the terebinths of Mamre; he was sitting at the entrance of the tent as the day grew hot. (2) Looking up, he saw three men standing near him. As soon as he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to greet them and, bowing to the ground, (3) he said, “My lords, if it please you, do not go on past your servant. (4) Let a little water be brought; bathe your feet and recline under the tree. (5) And let me fetch a morsel of bread that you may refresh yourselves; then go on—seeing that you have come your servant’s way.” They replied, “Do as you have said.” (6) Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Quick, three seahs of choice flour! Knead and make cakes!” (7) Then Abraham ran to the herd, took a calf, tender and choice, and gave it to a servant-boy, who hastened to prepare it. (8) He took curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared and set these before them; and he waited on them under the tree as they ate. (9) They said to him, “Where is your wife Sarah?” And he replied, “There, in the tent.” (10) Then one said, “I will return to you next year, and your wife Sarah shall have a son!” Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent, which was behind him. (11) Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years; Sarah had stopped having the periods of women. (12) And Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “Now that I am withered, am I to have enjoyment—with my husband so old?” (13) Then the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I in truth bear a child, old as I am?’ (14) Is anything too wondrous for the LORD? I will return to you at the same season next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” (15) Sarah lied, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was frightened. But He replied, “You did laugh.” (16) The men set out from there and looked down toward Sodom, Abraham walking with them to see them off.

(15) As dawn broke, the angels urged Lot on, saying, “Up, take your wife and your two remaining daughters, lest you be swept away because of the iniquity of the city.” (16) Still he delayed. So the men seized his hand, and the hands of his wife and his two daughters—in the LORD’s mercy on him—and brought him out and left him outside the city. (17) When they had brought them outside, one said, “Flee for your life! Do not look behind you, nor stop anywhere in the Plain; flee to the hills, lest you be swept away.” (18) But Lot said to them, “Oh no, my lord! (19) You have been so gracious to your servant, and have already shown me so much kindness in order to save my life; but I cannot flee to the hills, lest the disaster overtake me and I die. (20) Look, that town there is near enough to flee to; it is such a little place! Let me flee there—it is such a little place—and let my life be saved.” (21) He replied, “Very well, I will grant you this favor too, and I will not annihilate the town of which you have spoken. (22) Hurry, flee there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” Hence the town came to be called Zoar. (23) As the sun rose upon the earth and Lot entered Zoar, (24) the LORD rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah sulfurous fire from the LORD out of heaven. (25) He annihilated those cities and the entire Plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities and the vegetation of the ground. (26) Lot’s wife looked back, and she thereupon turned into a pillar of salt. (27) And Abraham arose in the morning and hurried to the place where he had stood before the LORD,

(1) And He appeared to him: The language of Rashi - to visit the sick man. Rabbi Hama the son of Hanina said, "It was the third day after his circumcision and the Holy One, blessed be He, came and inquired [about the state of his health]." "And behold, three men came" - the angels that came to him with the appearance of men were three - one to announce to Sarah [the birth of a son], one to cure Abraham and one to overthrow Sedom - and Raphael, who healed Avraham, went from them to save Lot, as this is not two assignments, because it was a different place and he was commanded afterwards or [because] they are both about saving (and therefore really one). "And they ate" - they appeared to be eating. And in the book, Guide for the Perplexed 2:4, it is said that the section is [presented in the style of] the general [followed] by the details: the verse first states that God appeared to him in prophetic visions...And behold, according to his words, Sarah did not knead cakes and Avraham did not fix the young cow, and also Sarah did not laugh. [Rather,] everything was a vision. And, if so, this dream came 'with much detail' like the false dreams, as what is the point in showing him all of this? And [the Guide there] also said about the matter of "and a man wrestled with him" (Genesis 32:25), that it was all a prophetic vision. And [if so,] I don't know why he limped on his thigh when he woke up, and why he said (Genesis 32:31)... And behold, according to his opinion, this would require [us] to say this in the matter of Lot - that the angels did not come to his house and he did not bake for them matsot and [that] they ate, but [rather] the whole thing was a vision. [But] how were the evil and sinful people of Sedom prophets? As [otherwise], who told them that people came to his house? And if it was all prophetic visions of Lot, [then] "and the angels pressed, etc. 'Get up, take your wife'" (Genesis 19:15), "and he said, 'escape for your life'"(Genesis 19:17), and "Behold, I have lifted up your face" (Genesis 19:21) and the whole section would be a vision. And Lot would have stayed in Sedom and [Rambam] would think that the acts would have been done on their own, and the statements in each and every thing were a vision. And these things contradict Scripture - it is forbidden to hear them, and even to believe them. And in truth, in all places in Scripture where the seeing of an angel or the word of an angel is mentioned, it is in a vision or in a dream - as the senses cannot perceive angels - but not prophetic visions. As one who [merely] perceives to see an angel or his word is not a prophet; as the matter is not as the teacher defines (Guide for the Perplexed 2:34, Mishneh Torah, Foundations of the Torah 7:6),...The sages saw fit to inform us [here] that the seeing of the angel is not prophecy and that those that see angels and speak with them are not in the category of prophets, as I mentioned with Daniel. [Rather], it is a vision called uncovering of the eyes, as in "And the Lord uncovered the eyes of Bilaam and he saw the angel of the Lord" (Numbers 22:31), and "And Elisha prayed and said, 'O Lord, uncover his eyes and he shall see" (II Kings 6:17). But in a place where it mentions the angels with the name, 'people'/ 'Ish' like the matter of this section and in the section with Lot, and so [too], "and a man wrestled with him" (Genesis 32:25), and so [too], "And a man found him" (Genesis 37:15) - according to the opinion of our rabbis (Midrash Tanchuma, Vayeshev 2), it is the glory that is created with the angels - that is called by those who know, 'a garment/ a covering - that is perceived by eyes of flesh, by those of pure souls; like the pious ones and the students of the prophets. And I cannot explain [it]...

(1) WE have already explained that the term "angel" is a homonym, and is used of the intellectual beings, the spheres, and the elements: for all these are engaged in performing a divine command.