It’s not a job many would apply for, but Jewish tradition tells us there is someone – an angel, in fact – tasked with this grim responsibility. His name is Samriel, and he's the gatekeeper of Gehenna.
Gehenna, often translated as hell, is the place where, according to some Jewish traditions, the souls of the wicked are punished. But it’s not just a free-for-all. There's order, even in damnation. According to the Tree of Souls, by Howard Schwartz, Samriel makes sure of it. He's not just letting anyone waltz in.
Imagine this: the souls of sinners are dragged to Gehenna by avenging angels. Grim stuff, right? But before they’re thrown into the fire, Samriel consults a massive, presumably terrifying, Book of Gehenna. If your name's not in the book, you're not getting in. He’s making sure that those arriving truly deserve their punishment. It’s like the ultimate cosmic bouncer, but with eternal consequences.
The text goes on to say that Samriel oversees three gates of Gehenna, specifically those located on the side of the wilderness. And here's a fascinating detail: he holds the keys to these gates. When he opens them, a sliver of the world's light seeps into the darkness.
Why would light be allowed into Gehenna? Well, Samriel has three angels under his command who use shovels – imagine that image for a moment – to clear a path so the inmates of Gehenna can actually see the light. It's a poignant image, isn't it? A glimpse of hope, even in the depths of despair.
Now, you might be thinking, "Okay, so only really bad people are allowed in. Got it." But what about those righteous souls, the sages and rabbis, who occasionally try to descend into Gehenna? Sometimes, according to the story, they're trying to obtain a get (a bill of divorce) from a soul trapped there – a detail that highlights the complexities of Jewish law and the lengths to which some will go to uphold it, even in the afterlife.
But Samriel turns them all away… all except one.
Enter Rabbi Naftali Katz. When he arrives at the gate, Samriel, ever the diligent gatekeeper, checks the Book of Gehenna. No Rabbi Naftali Katz. Denied!
But Rabbi Naftali wasn't one to take no for an answer. He threatened to take a vow to remain there, eternally pestering the angel until he relented! Talk about commitment! Faced with the prospect of eternal nagging, Samriel caves and lets him in. (We find this account in Schwartz's Tree of Souls, which references "Rabbi Naftali's Trance.")
It's a fascinating story. According to this myth, as Schwartz says, Samriel is there to keep out anyone who doesn't belong. But it also reveals something deeper about Jewish tradition: the willingness to challenge even the most rigid rules in the face of compassion and justice.
We see this idea echoed in other stories, where sympathetic rabbis attempt to enter Gehenna to ease the suffering of the sinners. So, what does it all mean? Perhaps it's a reminder that even in the darkest of places, even in the face of divine judgment, there's always room for compassion, for questioning, and for a little bit of light. And sometimes, just sometimes, even the gatekeeper of hell can be persuaded to bend the rules.