Seriously, imagine beings of pure light and energy, tasked with divine missions. Do they zip around at the speed of light? Or do they… well, dawdle a bit?
Our story begins, as so many do, in the Book of Genesis, chapter 19, verse 1: “The two angels came to Sodom in the evening and Lot was sitting at the gate of Sodom; Lot saw them, and rose to meet them, and he prostrated himself with his face to the ground.” But it's not just about their arrival; it's about how they arrived.
The text says, “The two angels came to Sodom in the evening…” and this prompts some fascinating interpretations in Bereshit Rabbah. The Rabbis connect this to the prophet Ezekiel, specifically Ezekiel 1:14, which describes the ḥayot – a type of angel – as “darting to and fro like the appearance of a flash.” So, were these angels blazing fast?
Rabbi Aivu offers a subtle but significant reading. He points out that the word used isn't the usual "ratzot," which simply means "running" or "darting." Instead, it's "ratzo," which also carries the meaning of "desire." He suggests that these angels weren't just moving quickly; they were driven by a deep desire to fulfill their mission.
Think about that for a moment. It's not just about speed; it's about intention.
And what about that "flash"? Rabbi Yehuda, quoting Rabbi Simon who is quoting Rabbi Levi bar Parta, provides a vivid image: it's like someone scattering bozek – olive pomace, the dry pulp left after pressing olives for oil – into an oven. Anyone who's seen that knows it ignites in a quick burst of flame. A sudden, intense light.
Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba offers another image: the angels moved like wind driving an empty wineskin, tossed and turned by forces unseen. The Rabbis add another: like wind driving the clouds. These aren't just descriptions of speed, are they? They’re metaphors for the power and the mystery of divine movement.
But here's the kicker: if these angels were so fast, why did it take them so long to get to Sodom? The text tells us that they left Abraham at the sixth hour (midday) and only arrived in Sodom in the evening. That's quite a delay for beings who can supposedly move like lightning!
The explanation given is beautiful. These weren't just any angels; they were angels of mercy. And they were tarrying. They were deliberately slowing down, hoping, believing that perhaps God might find some merit in the people of Sodom as a result of Abraham’s powerful intercessions. They were searching for a reason to not carry out their destructive mission.
As we find in Midrash Rabbah, they lingered, hoping against hope. But when no merit was found, when the wickedness of Sodom proved too great, only then did "the two angels came to Sodom in the evening."
What does this tell us? Maybe it's not just about how fast we move, but about the intentions we carry with us. Are we driven by a desire for justice, like the angels? Or do we tarry, searching for mercy, for reasons to hope? The angels’ journey to Sodom, it seems, is a powerful reminder that even divine beings can be moved by compassion and the enduring hope for redemption.