By Daniel Gwertzman, Israel
"In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the angel of his presence saved them; In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them, And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old." (Isaiah 63:9)
When I was a young man, I had a very anti-mystical upbringing. I remember as a toddler my father came into my room where I had a night light and told me big people didn't sleep with a light on at night. He switched on and off the light and told me that what was in the room when the light was on was exactly the same as what was there when it was off and that was the end of having a night light. When I was older, I realized that this was not exactly the case as insects and some animals not active during the day come out at night, However, by that time I was used to not sleeping with a light on at night.
My sister and I were never taken to a magic show. My father took us to museums, musical performances etc. But he didn't believe in magic, astrology, seances etc. not even card tricks. This was all needless superstition. I once asked him if he believed in demons. His reply was only the kind that walked on two legs.
The roots of our family were in White Russia, in a place called Kobrin. My grandfather left in 1900 by crossing the border illegally and going to Hamburg where he purchased a ticket on a boat going to America to New York. He had come from a Hassidic family who were Karlin-Stolin Hassidim. In America he simply joined the Orthodox community in the Lower East Side.
He became clothing manufacturer of Women's dresses. He was successful until the Great Depression when his business collapsed., My father was American born and schooled. However, he told me I should never forget I was an Ost Jude (an Eastern European Jew). This seemed very odd to me as I was not born in Eastern Europe nor were we maintaining important elements of Eastern European culture. Neither my sister or I spoke Yiddish which my parents did as well as English. Also, in our family we never had cholent. In fact, my father's father though being born in the Shtetl, when he had money bought a sail boat. Also, we did not rely on traditional folk remedies or what is called natural medicine. My father was a Conservative Jew who respected science and scholarship. The attitude of these European Jews was that culture, science and music and art were to be found in Europe and not America. When you went to America you went there to make money.
This partially came from the fact that Yiddish speaking Jews found it very difficult to adjust to English. At least in Austria, Germany and Switzerland in German speaking areas, you could make yourself partially understood and it was easier to pick up High German (Hoch Deutsch).
Most of Modern Judaism has its roots in Germany. The Reform, Conservative and Modern Orthodox movements were born there. The Science of Judaism, the academic study of Judaism originated in Germany. In the First World War the German occupation authorities in Russian territory treated the Jews who stayed behind decently. The change in attitude to Germany was produced by the Holocaust. I remember being told in high school that I could not study German which I very much wanted to learn as I wanted to study History. In college I was forbidden to buy a Volkswagen which was very popular among college students. The specially oddity about this was that the original designer of that car was a Jew. There was a special student tour going to the Rhineland and Bavaria and I was told I could not set foot in Germany because of the Holocaust. My father was an anti-Communist and was not fond of utopian ideas yet in college he permitted me to study Russian despite Soviet antisemitism. They had a highly regarded literature and it was a good idea to know your enemy and about the area our family came from.
I registered for a travel a study program with a group from the University of Pittsburg and studied in Russian at the V.I. Lenin Pedagogic Institute in Moscow as well as visiting various other places in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe in the summer of 1970. This was the hundredth anniversary of Lenin's birth. This was a very eye-opening experience which shaped my views on Communism and Russian Culture. It was here I encountered my first German youth group from West Germany in Sochi on the Black Sea shore. They were very nice people on the whole and also part of a study program.
In 1973 I volunteered to work on a kibbutz and attend a Hebrew Language Ulpan. In addition to my tallit and tefillin I brought the Jerusalem Bible in English language translation as I wanted to read both the Old and the New Testaments while in Israel. When visiting the Land, you really need a Bible it is truly the Bible Land. There was a German Christian group volunteering in the kibbutz and we had discussions with them so Bible study became very popular in the ulpan. There were obviously things we shared as well as issues that divided us. However, this excited my interest in theology.
After returning to U.S. to finish my Master's degree, I came back to Israel and worked for the Israel Interfaith Organization and later Beit Hillel at the Hebrew University. I also attended the lectures at the Ecumenical Theological Research Fraternity in Jerusalem where I was privileged to listen to the lectures of Jewish scholars, Rabbis, noted Christian theologians and people active in the Interfaith field. I got to know priests, ministers and many Christian institutions such as the Ecole Biblique, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
So, were the Christians responsible for my interest in Angels? Well, actually the answer is no. Nor were Professor David Flusser's Christian graduate students' most of whom I counted among my friends including one who wrote his doctorate on the Holy Spirit.
My interest in Angels comes from reading the Bible. Angels are spiritual entities in the service of God. The term Malakh (Angel) actually means messenger. A number of these creatures subordinate to God appear throughout the Hebrew Bible. Collective terms for those serving God are: Tzeva (Host) B'nai Ha Elokim or B'nai Elim (Sons of God) and Kedoshim (Holy Ones). They constitute an Adat El (a Divine assembly). (Psalm 82:1 and Job 1:6).
Sometimes God's messengers are actually humans.
"Behold, I am going to send an angel before you to guard you along the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared." (Exodus 23:20)
Here it is evident an actual person is meant. This is a reference to Moses as God spoke with him face to face and was able to communicate His will to the people. Moses would only command what God had ordained therefore loyalty to Him would mean obedience to God, The Prophets and Priests are also sometime called God's Angels (Malachi 2:7).
There is also a prayer which we recite before going to bed called The Bedtime Shema, in which we mention 4 Angels and the Divine Presence. Michael is at my right, Gabriel at my left, Uriel in front of me, Raphael behind me and above my head the Presence of God (Shekhinah). Your prayers are directed to God and not His Angels. Michael is performing His miracles, Gabriel is the Emissary of His Almighty Power and Uriel bears God's Light before you while Raphael brings healing from Him while above your head is the Presence of God. So how can I deny the existence of angels and God's Spiritual Universe?
Now comes the most difficult part why do I own a Book in Hebrew and Aramaic which I do not read or study? This is the Book of Raziel Ha-Malakh. So, who was this, Angel? Raziel (Secret of God) is an Angel of Revelation, some say he provided a book inscribed on sapphire to Adam and Eve, He bears the words of Mortals to Heaven and Hearing what is said from behind the Celestial curtain brings decrees back to earth,
This work has its origins in the 13th Century Rhineland among the Jews. The likely compiler was Eleazar of Worms, one of the leaders of Hasidei Ashkenaz (The Pietists of Ashkenaz) who stressed the importance of Devekut (Communion with God). Its goal was to produce a true servant dedicated to God. They drew on earlier Jewish and Christian sources in France and Germany expressed in ethical and esoteric forms stressing repentance and prayer which is similar to contemporary Christian Asceticism. Such people wished to show the highest levels of fear and love of God and were considered masters of the Holy Spirit.
The printed version of Sefer Raziel like the Torah is divided into 5 Books, some in the form of a Mystical Midrash on Creation, an elaborate Angelology, Gematria, the names of God and Protective Spells.
According to Jewish traditions, the Angel Raziel was sent to Earth to teach Adam as he prayed for guidance after the fall and then returned to teach Abraham spiritual knowledge and laws because he had an elevated soul. The Book Raziel explains everything from astrology, to how the creative life energy starts with a thought from spiritual realms prior to its manifestation as energy of this earth in love. The book explains the spiritual laws of birth, death, reincarnation of the soul and many spiritual laws of "change".
For many Eastern European Jews, it represented their spiritual insurance policy and the link to spiritual hope for the future even if they didn't read it or understand all of its aspects. It was a direct line to Heaven. Wouldn’t you want a direct link on your bookshelf to salvation and hope?
"Hate evil, you who love the Lord, Who preserves the souls of His godly ones; He delivers them from the hand of the wicked." (Psalms 97:10)
Daniel Gwertzman, Israel
Tetze Torah - תֵּצֵ֣א תוֹרָ֔ה 