LIFE AND LITERATURE from page 91 and sin which can be combated with our capacity for good, given to us by God. •HAGAR — The Egyptian maid of Abraham, Hagar was twice expelled by Abraham's wife Sarah. On both occa- sions, when Hagar feels the most help- less, angels appear- to her out of the wilderness. They are ambassadors of God, bringing to her messages of hope. In this story, angels exemplify the good in a person's heart if that heart is open to them. •ABRAHAM — Perhaps one of the most well-known angelic visitations in the Torah is when Abraham's faith in God is tested. On Mount Moriah he binds his son Isaac to an altar to be sacrificed. When he raises his knife to strike, an angel intercedes, saying to him, "Abraham! Abraham ... Do not raise your hand against the boy ... For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your favored one over Me." (Genesis 22:11- 12) Here, through an angel, God con- veys one of His most important lessons, that no killing should ever be done in His' name. •JACOB — Dreams haunt the trou- bled Jacob who was forced into exile by his twin brother, Esau. In the dream, Jacob sees a ladder that reaches into the sky and angels of God are going up and down it. He also sees God who assures Jacob that He has not left him and will fulfill the covenant He has made with Abraham and Isaac. What is drawn from this tale is the central theme of angels ascending and descending the ladder between heaven and earth. No matter how low on the ladder of life you are, you are still in the company of angels. Later in the Torah, Jacob is sudden- ly wrestling with a stranger until day- break. Jacob's hip is wrenched by,the man who then asks, "What is your name?" He replies, "Jacob." Said he, "Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with beings divine and human and have prevailed." (Genesis 32:25-29) In rabbinic literature, the man is identified as the angel Gabriel who, by sparring with Jacob, prepares him for greater trial to come. •MOSES — A bush that burns with fire but is not consumed by it piques Moses' curiosity. The fire is an angel of Private Garden Room or Fireside Setting for parties, receptions, wedding rehearsals, showers, bar mitzvahs, business meetings • Seating up to 200 people • God who calls Moses' attention to the voice of God who tells him of his des- tiny. The burning bush reinforces the monotheistic faith that God is intangi- ble and invisible. His voice can be heard, but He can never be seen. The angel here mirrors the angel in the Hagar story as a spiritual entity that serves God. •ENOCH — In Genesis 5:21-24, Enoch is mysteriously brought into heaven by God. The Apocrypha books of Enoch describe Enoch's ascendence into heaven and his transformation into the fiery angel Metatron, who ministers a variety of duties including holding the keys to the mysteries of the divine and watching over the guardian angels. The Zohar, as well, describes Enoch- Metatron's heavenly existence. When Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, his divine spark was forfeited and so it entered Enoch, enabling him to attain the spiritual perfection Adam could not. In the mystical numerology of gematria, Metatron's name is equiva- lent to Shaddai, one of the several descriptions of God. And later schol- ars believe Metatron to be the embod- iment of the ideal combination between human and angel and a metaphor for man's ultimate purpose: to gather the angels within each of us. •MICHAEL — Michael is consid- ered by most to be the angel-in-chief, the head of the entire angelic body. In 3 Baruch of the Pseudepigrapha, Michael holds the keys to the king- dom of heaven. In other literature, he is also the intermediary between man's prayers and God. •RAPHAEL - Little is written of Raphael, though he is well known as a healing angel, his Hebrew name meaning "Heal me, 0 God!" In one story, a charitable and kind man named Tobit had his property confiscated and went blind in a strange mishap. On the brink of sui- cide, he prayed to God to end his life. Raphael interceded with God to heal Tobit's blindness. •GABRIEL — As Michael embodies mercy and Raphael embodies love, it is Gabriel who embodies courage. It was Gabriel who fortified Enoch's resolve when he was transformed into an angel and feared the face of God. And again it was Gabriel who wrestled with Jacob to strengthen him for his encounter with his brother Esau. 30715 W. TEN MILE RD. (Just East of Orchard Lake Rd.) 248 •474 .3033 Distinto TORN BETIITEN THE LOVE AND LUST OF TWO .%JLV, HIDING THE SECRET OF I/FR ./F[17Sn ROOTS, MARY RIACKCIIURCII LIVED IN A WORLD ABOU7' 7'0 CILLVGE. 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