According to Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating and imaginative work of Jewish literature, the angels created on the second day of creation are quite the versatile bunch. When they're sent as messengers, they transform into winds, and when they're ministering before the Holy One, blessed be He, they become fire! It's all right there in Psalms 104:4: "Who maketh his angels winds; his ministers a flaming fire." Talk about multi-tasking!
But the story doesn't stop there. Oh no, it gets even more vivid.
Imagine four distinct camps of ministering angels, each with its own role and leader, constantly singing praise before the Holy One. Michael leads the camp on His right, Gabriel commands the camp on His left, Uriel stands before Him, and Raphael guards the rear. And in the very center of it all? The Shekhinah, the Divine Presence, of the Holy One, blessed be He.
He is sitting on a throne, "high and exalted," as Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer so beautifully puts it. This isn't just any throne; it's suspended in the air! Its appearance is described as being the color of amber, and upon His head rests a crown. The Ineffable Name – that's the unspeakable, holiest name of God – is emblazoned on His forehead.
The vision gets even wilder. One half of His glory is fire, the other hail. At His right hand is life, at His left, death. He holds a scepter of fire, and a veil – the Pargod – is spread before Him. His eyes, we are told, "run to and fro throughout the whole earth." And within the veil, the seven angels created first minister constantly.
His footstool? Also fire and hail. Fire flashes around the throne, and righteousness and judgment form its very foundation. The throne itself is like sapphire, with four legs. Attached to each leg are the four holy Chajjôt – that’s the Hebrew word for "living creatures". These beings are the Cherubim, each with four faces and four wings, just as Ezekiel described in his vision (Ezekiel 1:6).
It's quite a picture, isn't it? A whirlwind of fire, wind, and angelic beings all centered around the Divine Presence. What are we meant to take away from such a powerful image? Perhaps it’s a reminder of the sheer, overwhelming power and majesty of the Divine, and the intricate, awe-inspiring order of the cosmos. It's a vision that encourages us to look beyond the everyday and contemplate the mysteries that lie just beyond our grasp. And maybe, just maybe, to catch a glimpse of the Divine within ourselves.