Jewish tradition grapples with this feeling too, often through stories of angels – beings of immense power, but always, always subservient to God.

Think about it. What does it mean to say something is "angelic?" We usually mean beautiful, kind, maybe a little ethereal. But in Jewish mysticism, angels aren't just gentle spirits. They're forces. Powers. So immense, in fact, that – get this – the distance from heaven to earth is said to be no more than the palm of one of their hands!

I know, right? It's mind-blowing. Where does this idea come from? Well, as Midrash Tanhuma-Yelammedenu, Bereshit 5, tells us, these ministering angels are forces beyond our comprehension.

And it's not just about size. They're active participants in the world. Remember the prophet Ezekiel? He had some pretty wild visions. And according to Ezekiel 8:3, one of these mighty angels actually reached down from heaven and grabbed him by the hair! "He stretched out the form of a hand," it says, "and took me by the hair of my head." Can you imagine the sheer force required for that?

This image is meant to convey the unlimited nature of God’s angels. If even the distance from heaven to earth is nothing compared to the size of an angel’s hand, how much more so is God even more powerful and beyond comprehension?

But here's the crucial point: even with all this might, these angels are still just messengers, servants of the Divine. They are not deities in their own right. They are malakhim (מַלְאָכִים), literally “messengers.”

This is where the story gets really interesting. In other mythologies – Babylonian, Canaanite, Greek – gods often have similar powers, right? Immense size, control over elements, the ability to intervene in human affairs. But Judaism insists on something different. These beings, these angels, are not independent powers. They operate solely at God’s command. Their power derives entirely from God.

This is a key element in maintaining the monotheistic vision. The angels' might emphasizes God's even greater, unimaginable power.

So, what are we left with? A paradox, perhaps. A vision of angels so vast they seem to defy comprehension, yet so firmly rooted in service to something even greater. It's a reminder that even the most awe-inspiring forces we encounter are ultimately part of a larger, more mysterious whole. It’s a way of trying to understand our place in the universe, acknowledging both our insignificance and our connection to something infinitely powerful.

Next time you look up at the night sky, remember the angels. Remember their immense size, their awesome power. But most importantly, remember who they serve. It might just change the way you see everything.