Moses and the Heavenly Realms of Angels

In Legends of the Jews, the heavens are arranged so mercy stands near the Throne while destruction is kept at the edge.

Ginzberg, in his wonderful compilation Legends of the Jews, shares a captivating story of how God was about to create the world, not with a big bang, but with His very word. Imagine this: the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet, the very building blocks of language and meaning, descending from God's crown. These aren’t just any letters; they’re engraved with a pen of flaming fire!

Each letter, eager to be the chosen one, steps forward to plead its case: "Create the world through me!"

First up is the letter Taw (ת). This letter argues, "O Lord of the world! May it be Thy will to create Thy world through me, seeing that it is through me that Thou wilt give the Torah (תורה), the sacred teachings, to Israel by the hand of Moses, as it is written, 'Moses commanded us the Torah.'" A pretty strong argument. Taw is associated with the Torah itself!

But God says, "No!" Can you imagine the disappointment? Taw asks, naturally, "Why not?" And God's answer is striking: "Because in days to come I shall place thee as a sign of death upon the foreheads of men."

Whoa.

As soon as Taw hears these words, it retreats, dejected and crestfallen. It's a powerful moment. The letter associated with the gift of the Torah is also associated with mortality. It highlights the complex relationship between life, death, and divine purpose.

So, what does this all mean? Why begin the creation story with a rejection? Perhaps it’s a reminder that even the most sacred things can have a shadow side. That even in creation, there's an awareness of limitation, of mortality. And maybe, just maybe, that awareness is what makes the beauty and goodness of the world all the more precious.

That the goodness of God may rule on earth as in heaven, the Angels of Destruction are assigned a place at the far end of the heavens, from which they may never stir, while the Angels of Mercy encircle the Throne of God, at His behest.

When God was about to create the world by His word, the twenty-two letters of the alphabet descended from the terrible and august crown of God whereon they were engraved with a pen of flaming fire. They stood round about God, and one after the other spake and entreated, "Create the world through me! The first to step forward was the letter Taw. It said: "O Lord of the world! May it be Thy will to create Thy world through me, seeing that it is through me that Thou wilt give the Torah to Israel by the hand of Moses, as it is written, 'Moses commanded us the Torah.' " The Holy One, blessed be He, made reply, and said, "No!" Taw asked, "Why not?" and God answered: "Because in days to come I shall place thee as a sign of death upon the foreheads of men." As soon as Taw heard these words issue from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He, it retired from His presence disappointed.