But according to ancient Jewish mystical traditions, this journey, often called "descending to the Merkavah" – the divine chariot – is fraught with peril. And perhaps the most dangerous point of all? The entrance to the sixth heavenly palace, or hekhal.
Imagine this: you've navigated through the previous five palaces, each with its own trials and wonders. Now, you stand before the sixth. What do you see? According to the tradition, it appears to be a sea of crashing waves, a terrifying, overwhelming ocean. But here's the trick, the deadly secret: there is no water! It’s all an illusion, a dazzling radiance emanating from pure marble stones.
And this is where the danger lies. If, overcome by the vision, you cry out "Water, water!" you're doomed. As the Tree of Souls (Schwartz) tells us, that cry is a fatal mistake. Why? Because the guardians of this palace, the fearsome angels Dumiel (whose name means "Divine silence") and Kaspiel ("Divine wrath"), will destroy you in an instant.
These aren't your fluffy, cherubic angels. No, Dumiel and Kaspiel are described as warlike, taller than mountains, sharper than peaks. Their bows are drawn, swords sharpened. Lightning flashes from their eyes, fiery spiderwebs stream from their nostrils, and torches of burning coals erupt from their mouths! They're covered in armor, bristling with spears and javelins. They guard the gate fiercely, and they don't hesitate to eliminate anyone who tries to pass without permission.
The Talmud (B. Hagigah 14b) recounts the tragic story of Ben Azzai, one of the four sages who famously "entered Paradise." He reached the entrance of the sixth hekhal, saw the radiant illusion of water, and cried out. In that very instant, the doorkeeper guarding the gate severed his head. A brutal lesson, isn’t it? A sign for all generations, warning against error at this perilous threshold.
So, how does anyone survive this ordeal? Is there a way to pass through the sixth gate and ascend to the seventh heaven, Aravot? Well, tradition says there is one hope: the angel Lumiel.
Lumiel carries a special seal, a divine gift for the righteous. It’s not silver, not gold, but something far more precious: the privilege of unhindered passage. As Hekhalot Zutarti explains, Lumiel's seal allows the one "descending" to the Merkavah to bypass all questioning, not just at the sixth palace, but at all the palaces! Lumiel shows the seal to the gatekeepers, and the worthy soul is allowed to continue their journey.
This raises a fascinating question: of the four sages who entered Paradise, only Rabbi Akiba entered and departed in peace. Does this mean, as the tradition hints, that he alone possessed the righteousness to earn Lumiel's seal?
The Hekhalot Rabbati offers a powerful analogy: "What is it like to know the secret of the Merkavah? It is like having a ladder in one's house and being able to go up and down at will." It speaks to the power and the danger, the accessibility and the profound responsibility that come with such knowledge.
As Gershom Scholem, the great scholar of Jewish mysticism, pointed out, these heavenly gatekeepers even echo in modern literature, like Kafka's parable "Before the Law." It makes you wonder, doesn’t it? What gates are we facing in our own lives? What illusions do we need to see through? And what inner seal of righteousness might we need to earn in order to continue our own journeys, whatever they may be?