{"id":64960,"date":"2019-10-30T15:14:36","date_gmt":"2019-10-30T13:14:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=64960"},"modified":"2023-05-25T12:33:01","modified_gmt":"2023-05-25T09:33:01","slug":"encountering-the-angels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/encountering-the-angels\/","title":{"rendered":"Encountering The Angels"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[509,480,374,751],"acf":{"old_id":"64960","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":42746,"related_cahpter":"340","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"For our sages, being human was a greater blessing\r\n\r\n","content":"

Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh<\/span><\/em>, say the angels; holy, holy, holy, they repeat three times. The imagery of the angels \u2013 seraphim \u2013 standing in attendance of God is powerful, and yet, wonder our sages, why do the angels have to repeat the call \u201choly, holy, holy\u201d, three times? If they are so angelic, so divine, so on-high, isn\u2019t once enough?<\/span><\/p>\n

In Tractate Chullin, there is a discussion of encounters with angels. This is but one example of the associative nature of the Gemara: Chullin deals primarily with non-sacrificial kosher foods, so how did angels enter these pages? It is because we are in the heart of discussing the prohibition of <\/span>gid hanashe<\/span><\/em>, the sciatic nerve, the sinew in the (right) leg that, according to Jewish law, may not be eaten. This is a result of Jacob\u2019s struggle with an angel, possibly, according to Rashi, Esau\u2019s guardian angel. Esau\u2019s angel could not beat Jacob, but he did wound him.\u00a0 <\/span>At the end of the fight, the angel strikes a nerve in Jacob’s leg, causing him to limp. The verse then states: “Therefore the Israelites do not eat the <\/span>gid hanashe<\/span><\/em> [thigh muscle] on the hip-joint to this very day.” (<\/span>Genesis 32:33<\/span><\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

But Israel, says the Gemara (Chullin 91:b), \u201care more dear to the Holy Blessed One than the <\/span>ministering angels. The Jewish people may recite a song of praise to God at any time, but ministering angels recite a song of praise only one time per day!\u201d. This opinion gets challenged with less and less frequent occurrences: maybe only once a week, or even just once a month or once a year; maybe as little as once every seven years or once a Jubilee. \u201cAnd some say that they recite a song of praise one time in the entire history of the world\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Isn\u2019t it great to be an angel? The Gemara isn\u2019t so sure about that either. Drawing on our verse, it teaches that \u201cthe Jewish people mention the name of God after two words, as it is stated in the Shma: \u201cHear, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one\u201d (<\/span>Deuteronomy 6:4<\/span>). But the ministering angels mention the name of God only after three words, as it is written: \u201cAnd one called unto another, and said: \u201cHoly, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory\u201d (<\/span>Isaiah 6:3<\/span>).<\/span><\/p>\n

The angels were assigned one task each; it kept them at bay in their relationship with God, not too far, but also, without the possibility of ever getting any closer. Being an angel is sometimes used as a term of endearment but for our sages, being a human was a much greater blessing.<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":64961,"id":64961,"title":"is6-angels","filename":"is6-angels.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/is6-angels.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/encountering-the-angels\/is6-angels\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"is6-angels","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":64960,"date":"2019-10-30 13:14:22","modified":"2021-04-07 19:21:22","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1920,"height":882,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/is6-angels-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/is6-angels-300x138.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":138,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/is6-angels-768x353.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":353,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/is6-angels-1024x470.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":470,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/is6-angels.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":706,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/is6-angels.jpg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":882,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/is6-angels-1200x551.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":551,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/is6-angels-914x420.jpg","home_baner-width":914,"home_baner-height":420}},"embedded_video":"","video_duration":"","show_fb_comments":true,"credit_media":""},"tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"Encountering The Angels","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"For our sages, being human was a greater blessing","preview_embedded":"","preview_image":{"ID":64961,"id":64961,"title":"is6-angels","filename":"is6-angels.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/is6-angels.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/encountering-the-angels\/is6-angels\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"is6-angels","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":64960,"date":"2019-10-30 13:14:22","modified":"2021-04-07 19:21:22","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1920,"height":882,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/is6-angels-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/is6-angels-300x138.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":138,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/is6-angels-768x353.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":353,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/is6-angels-1024x470.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":470,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/is6-angels.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":706,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/is6-angels.jpg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":882,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/is6-angels-1200x551.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":551,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/is6-angels-914x420.jpg","home_baner-width":914,"home_baner-height":420}},"preview_video":"","external_link":"","link_for_pay":false,"tile_gallery_items":false,"credits":""},"alternate_tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"","hide_media":false},"tile_group":{"preview_image_url":false,"main_caption":"","sub_caption":"","":null,"popup_package_extra_content":"","read_time":""},"home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo":{"seo_title":"","seo_description":"","seo_default_title":"","seo_default_description":""},"links":false,"send_noty":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64960"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64960"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64960\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":115489,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64960\/revisions\/115489"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64960"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64960"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64960"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}