We often hear about the wickedness of humankind, but some fascinating stories lurk beneath the surface, involving fallen angels, giants, and divine justice.
According to Legends of the Jews by Ginzberg, as Noah grew into a righteous man following the path of his grandfather Methuselah, the rest of humanity spiraled into depravity. But here's the twist: the primary culprits were the fallen angels and their monstrous offspring, the giants. The earth itself cried out because of the blood spilled by these giants, and the four archangels brought accusations before God.
What followed were divine judgments, each carefully tailored. Uriel was dispatched to warn Noah about the impending flood and to instruct him on building the ark. Raphael received the grim task of binding Azazel, one of the fallen angels, and casting him into a desolate pit in the desert of Dudael, a place of sharp stones and darkness. There Azazel would remain until the final judgment, when he would be cast into the fiery pit of hell. The purpose? To heal the earth from the corruption he had brought upon it.
Then there was Gabriel, tasked with dealing with the offspring of these unholy unions—the bastards and reprobates. His mission? To incite deadly conflicts among them, a grim solution to a monstrous problem.
And what of Shemhazai and his brood? Michael was charged with their punishment. First, he forced Shemhazai to witness the bloody demise of his own children as they battled each other. Then, he bound Shemhazai himself and pinned him under the earth for seventy generations, after which he too would face the fiery pit.
But why this harsh punishment? The story takes us back to the beginning of this downfall. When idolatry took hold, Shemhazai and Azazel challenged God, echoing a sentiment from creation: "What is man, that Thou art mindful of him?" God, knowing their own potential for corruption, initially refused their request to dwell among humans. But the angels persisted, promising to sanctify God's name. God relented, saying, "Descend and sojourn among men!"
As we find in Midrash Rabbah, upon arriving on Earth, the angels were captivated by the beauty of human women. Shemhazai fell for a maiden named Istehar. She agreed to be with him only if he revealed the Shem HaMeforash (the Ineffable Name), the secret by which he ascended to heaven. He foolishly agreed. But Istehar, true to her word but not to him, used the Name to ascend to heaven herself, refusing to fulfill her promise. As a reward for her virtue, God placed her among the stars as the constellation Pleiades.
Undeterred, Shemhazai and Azazel continued their relationships with human women. Azazel, in particular, began teaching women the arts of seduction – finery and ornaments designed to allure men. It was then that God sent Metatron to Shemhazai to announce the impending destruction of the world.
The fallen angel wept, grieving for the fate of the world and his two sons, Hiwwa and Hiyya, who consumed vast quantities of food daily. These sons had prophetic dreams foretelling the flood, which Shemhazai interpreted, revealing that only Noah and his sons would survive. Though the sons despaired, Shemhazai consoled them with a prophecy of their own future fame.
As for Shemhazai himself, he repented, suspending himself between heaven and earth in a perpetual state of penance. But Azazel remained defiant, continuing to lead humanity astray. As a result, on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), two goats were sacrificed: one to God, for the sins of Israel, and the other to Azazel, to symbolically bear those sins away.
And then there's Naamah, the sister of Tubal-cain, who, unlike Istehar, used her beauty to corrupt the angels. Her union with Shamdon produced the demon Asmodeus. This reflects the broader depravity of the Cainite lineage, who, according to legend, walked naked and engaged in all manner of lewdness.
The angels, upon descending to earth and rebelling against God, lost their celestial qualities and took on physical bodies, making unions with human women possible. The offspring of these unions were the giants, known by many names: the Emim, the Rephaim, the Gibborim, the Zamzummim, the Anakim, the Ivvim, and finally, the undefined. Each name reflects a different aspect of their terrifying nature – their strength, their size, their skill in war, and their ultimate downfall, as the name Nephilim implies, bringing the world to its fall, and falling themselves.
So, what does this all mean? This story, drawn from Legends of the Jews and other Midrashic sources, offers a complex explanation for the wickedness that led to the Flood. It's not just about human sin; it's about the corruption of the divine, the seductive power of earthly desires, and the consequences of defying God's will. It paints a vivid picture of a world in chaos, where the lines between heaven and earth are blurred, and the consequences are catastrophic. It makes you think, doesn't it, about the forces, both internal and external, that shape our choices and ultimately, our fate?