Parshat Bereshit4 min read

The Angels Voted Against Creating Adam and God Did It Anyway

Before Adam existed, the angels debated whether humans deserved to live. God ended the deadlock by burying Truth in the earth.

Curated by Arthur · Told by Maggid ·
Table of Contents
  1. The Heavenly Assembly Divides
  2. God Buried Truth and Gathered the Dust Himself
  3. Michael's Company and What They Said
  4. The Angel Who Shaped the Clay

The Heavenly Assembly Divides

Before Adam drew his first breath, before the dust had been gathered, the ministering angels held a debate about whether he should exist at all. Rabbi Simon, whose account is preserved in Bereshit Rabbah, reports four factions: Kindness said create him, he will perform acts of lovingkindness. Truth said do not create him, he is full of lies. Righteousness said create him, he will pursue justice. Peace said do not create him, he is nothing but conflict. Four qualities that scripture treats as the foundations of a good world, and they split exactly down the middle. The heavenly assembly could not agree, and the vote was two against two.

What God did next is strange even by the standards of midrash. He did not overrule the objections. He did not explain why Truth was wrong. He took Truth and threw her into the earth. With the primary opponent of human creation buried in the ground, the remaining angels fell silent, and God made Adam.

God Buried Truth and Gathered the Dust Himself

The Psalmist later wrote that Truth will spring from the earth (Psalm 85:12). The rabbis read this as the moment Truth climbed back out after the creation was complete. God had not destroyed Truth. He had delayed it. The sequence is deliberate: Truth was a problem precisely because it was correct. Humans would be full of lies. God knew this before he made them and acted anyway, then let Truth resurface once the fact of humanity was already irreversible.

This is not a story about God deceiving anyone. It is a story about the order of operations in creation. Some things must be built before their costs can be honestly assessed. Truth buries itself in every act of new beginning, and it climbs back out afterward to begin its accounting.

Michael's Company and What They Said

A parallel tradition preserved in Legends of the Jews, Louis Ginzberg's early twentieth-century synthesis of rabbinic and pseudepigraphic material, adds a grimmer layer. Before the final decision, God consulted groups of angels, each led by an archangel. The first group, led by Michael, quoted scripture back at God: What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? (Psalm 8:5). They found no argument for creation. God responded by destroying them with fire. A second group said the same thing and was destroyed. A third group said the same and was destroyed. The fourth group chose a different strategy: they pleaded for mercy and said they trusted God's judgment. They survived.

What the rabbis drew from those destroyed angel-companies was not that dissent is forbidden. It was that the question What is man? had already been answered by the decision to ask it. God asking for counsel was not God being undecided. It was God giving the angels a chance to align themselves with a creation that had already been resolved.

The Angel Who Shaped the Clay

4 Ezra, an apocalyptic text composed around the first century CE, adds a detail the Torah does not provide: an angelic intermediary in Adam's formation. When the time came to create humankind, God commissioned the angel Michael to gather dust from the earth, some traditions specifying the four corners of the world, others identifying the site where the Temple altar would one day stand as the specific source. Michael shaped the dust into a figure before God breathed into it. The body that housed humanity's first breath was assembled by an angel who had already, in the other version of the story, tried to argue against its existence.

The rabbis allowed both stories to stand. The angel who questioned creation and the angel who built the first man are the same angel. His work was his answer to his own objection.

AdamAngelsCreationMidrashHumanity
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From the tradition

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The texts this telling draws on, in full. Open a card to read inline, or expand it for a wider, quieter read.

Bereshit Rabbah 8:5Bereshit Rabbah

The story goes that when the Holy One, Barukh Hu (blessed be He), decided to create Adam, the first human, it wasn't exactly a unanimous decision up in the heavenly realms. Rabbi Simon tells us, according to Bereshit Rabbah, that the ministering angels were all split into factions, some for and some against. It was a cosmic showdown!

Think of it like this: "Kindness and truth met; righteousness and peace touched" (Psalms 85:11). Kindness, naturally, was all for it: "Let him be created, as he performs acts of kindness!" But Truth? Truth was a tough sell. "Let him not be created, as he is all full of lies!" And Righteousness chimed in, "Let him be created, as he performs acts of righteousness," while Peace worried, "Let him not be created, as he is all full of discord."

So, what's a Creator to do when faced with such a deadlock? According to the story, God took Truth and cast it down to earth. Poof! Gone! As it says in (Daniel 8:12), "You cast truth earthward."

The angels weren't too happy about this. They protested, "Master of the universe, why are You demeaning Your very seal?" Because, "Truth" is considered the seal of the Holy One, Barukh Hu. The angels pleaded, "Let Truth ascend from the earth!" This sets the stage for the verse in (Psalms 85:12), "Truth will spring from the earth." A promise, perhaps, that truth, though temporarily banished, would eventually re-emerge from humanity itself.

But there's another layer to this. The Rabbis, in the name of Rabbi Ḥanina bar Idi, and Rabbi Pinḥas and Rabbi Ḥilkiya, citing Rabbi Simon, connect the word me'od (very) to Adam. the Hebrew letters for adam (אדם) and me'od (מאד) are the same, just rearranged. So, when (Genesis 1:31) says, "God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good," it's also hinting that Adam was good. The very essence of humanity, in its initial creation, was a force for good.

Rav Huna, the rabbi of Tzippori, adds a final, almost humorous note. While the angels were still debating and arguing, God just went ahead and created Adam anyway! He basically said, "Why are you deliberating? Man has already been created!" Talk about cutting through the red tape!

So, what does it all mean? Maybe it's a reminder that creation is messy, that even the divine plan can be subject to debate and disagreement. Maybe it's a reassurance that even though humanity is flawed, capable of lies and discord, we also possess the potential for kindness, righteousness, and, ultimately, truth. And maybe, just maybe, it's a cosmic wink, a reminder that sometimes, you just have to act, even when the angels are still arguing. What do you think?

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Legends of the Jews 2:13Legends of the Jews

Before God created Adam, He made the surprising decision to consult the angels. And their response nearly got them all destroyed.

Well, according to tradition, some angels did have serious reservations about God's plan to create humankind. And let's just say, voicing those concerns didn't exactly go over well.

The story goes that God, before creating Adam, wanted to get some celestial feedback. He gathered groups of angels, each led by a powerful archangel, to hear their thoughts.

The first group summoned was under the leadership of the archangel Michael. God asks them, "What do you think about creating man?" And they essentially scoff, quoting scripture back at Him: "What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that Thou visitest him?" (Psalm 8:5). They just don't see the point. Why bother with these flawed, earthly creatures?

Big mistake.

The text in Legends of the Jews, that monumental work by Rabbi Louis Ginzberg, tells us that God, displeased with their arrogance and lack of faith, stretched forth His little finger – and poof! – the entire group was consumed by fire, except for Michael himself. Talk about a tough crowd.

You might think the next group would have learned a lesson. But no.

A second group, this time under the leadership of the archangel Gabriel, voiced similar objections. And according to Ginzberg's retelling, they suffered the same fiery fate. Only Gabriel was spared.

Why? Why were these powerful, celestial beings punished so severely for simply expressing their opinions?

Perhaps it wasn't the opinions themselves, but the way they were expressed. The scorn, the lack of faith in God's plan, the refusal to see the potential for good in humanity.. maybe that was the real offense. Or maybe, the tradition is showing us that there are things beyond our understanding that we must simply trust in the divine plan.

This story, though brief, is a powerful reminder about the dangers of arrogance, the importance of faith, and the potential consequences of questioning the divine. It's also a reminder that even angels, beings of pure spirit, can make mistakes. And it certainly makes you think twice before offering unsolicited advice, doesn't it?

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Bereshit Rabbah 8:10Bereshit Rabbah

They almost made a pretty big faux pas!

The story goes like this. When the Holy One, blessed be He, created Adam, the ministering angels were... well, a little confused. They were so awestruck by this new creation that they nearly proclaimed “Kadosh!” (holy) before him. Can you imagine? They almost gave Adam the divine treatment!

Rabbi Hoshaya uses a wonderful analogy to help us understand this. Picture a king and a governor riding together in a chariot. The people of the province, eager to honor the king, want to call out “Domine!” ("O Lord!"). But they don't know which one is actually the king. What does the king do? He nudges the governor out of the chariot. Suddenly, it becomes clear who holds the true power.

So, what did the Holy One do when the angels were about to mistakenly sanctify Adam? As Bereshit Rabbah 8 tells us, He cast a deep slumber upon him. Boom. Instant clarification. Angels, meet mortal. Sleep is such a fundamentally human experience. Angels don't need to recharge that way. By causing Adam to fall asleep, God made it undeniably clear that this magnificent being, while special, was not divine. He was (merely!) human.

This episode highlights a critical distinction, a delicate balance. As the prophet Isaiah (2:22) says, "Desist from man, who has breath in his nostrils, for in what way is he worthy?" It's a powerful verse, reminding us of human limitations. We are magnificent, yes, but also mortal. We breathe, we sleep, we are… human.

What does this story from Bereshit Rabbah teach us? Perhaps it's a lesson in humility. Even in our most impressive moments, we are still just human. And maybe, just maybe, that's perfectly okay.

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4 Ezra 3:44 Ezra

The familiar picture has God directly shaping him from dust, but some fascinating traditions tell a slightly different story, involving heavenly helpers.

The story goes that when the time came to create humankind, God called upon the angel Michael. His mission? To fashion Adam from the dust of the earth.

Where exactly did this dust come from? Some say Michael gathered it from all four corners of the world. But other traditions, perhaps even more powerfully, claim the dust came specifically from the Holy Land, from the very spot where the altar of the Beit Hamikdash (Temple) would one day stand. – the seeds of holiness planted right from the very beginning!

Then, according to this account, Michael shaped the dust into a clay figure, meticulously crafting it in the image of God. As it says in (Genesis 1:27), "In the image of God he created him." And then, God breathed a soul, a neshama, into the clay form – a soul drawn from the Heavenly Temple itself. With that breath, Adam opened his eyes, and humanity began.

Why have Michael involved at all? The text of (Exodus 20:21), "Make for me an altar of earth," is sometimes used as a source for the idea that someone other than God gathered the dust for Adam.

Not all versions agree on which angel was tasked with this sacred duty. While many name Michael, Midrash Konen, for example, says it was Gabriel who was sent to gather the dust. But even that version has its own twist! One midrash (rabbinic interpretation) recounts that the earth actually refused Gabriel, so God himself had to reach out and gather the dust.

And the variations don't stop there. Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer 12 tells us that God took the dust from the site of the Temple because it was a holy and pure place. Other sources claim Adam's body came from Babylon, his head from the Land of Israel, and his limbs from other lands. What does this geographical diversity suggest? Perhaps that humanity is a blend of all the world's elements.

Of course, not everyone agrees with the idea of divine assistance in creation. 4 (Ezra 3:4) emphatically states that God created the earth and Adam "without help," commanding the dust directly. Josephus, in Against Apion 2:192, echoes this sentiment, writing that God needed no assistants in creating the world. He simply willed it into existence.

It is fascinating to note the parallels between Michael's role in forming Adam and the ancient story of Prometheus, who fashioned man from clay and water. Robert Graves, in The ancient stories, even suggests that the archangel Michael is the counterpart of Prometheus. This connection is further strengthened by the Jewish myth of Adam stealing light from heaven, mirroring Prometheus's act of bringing fire to humanity (as explored in "Adam Brings Down Fire from Heaven," p. 137).

So, what are we to make of these different accounts? Maybe the point isn't to take one version as literal truth, but to appreciate the tradition of interpretations surrounding the creation of humankind. Whether God worked alone or with the help of angels, whether the dust came from one place or many, the underlying message remains: the creation of Adam was a profound and sacred act, one that continues to inspire awe and wonder. The Zohar, Midrash Rabbah, Midrash Tehillim 92:6, Y. Nazir 72, 56b, Seder Eliyahu Zuta 2, and Sefer, Zikhronot 15 all add their own unique perspectives to this timeless story, reminding us that the mysteries of creation are vast and many-sided.

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