The familiar picture has them as these serene, obedient beings, but some ancient texts paint a different picture. A picture where angels actually… argue with God.
That's exactly what we find in Midrash Tehillim (a collection of homiletic interpretations of the Book of Psalms). Specifically, in Midrash Tehillim 8 in the words of Rav, that there are three specific instances where the angels “prosecuted” or argued against God's will. Can you imagine?
What were these cosmic debates about? Well, according to the Midrash, they centered on three pivotal moments: the creation of humankind, the building of the Tabernacle (Mishkan), and, perhaps most surprisingly, the giving of the Torah itself.
Let's start with the creation of man. The Midrash, drawing from (Genesis 1:26) ("Let Us make man"), suggests that God consulted with the angels on this monumental decision. But the angels? They weren’t exactly thrilled. "What is man that you recall him?!" they protested, questioning the value and purpose of this new being.
God, confident in His creation, simply replied, "Tomorrow you'll see how smart he is." So, God puts on a kind of cosmic demonstration. According to Ginzberg's Legends of the Jews, God gathered all the animals before the angels and asked them to name them. They were stumped. Then, God brought the animals before Adam.
And here's where it gets really interesting. (Genesis 2:19) states, "And the LORD formed from the earth every beast of the field." Rabbi Acha raises a question: Didn’t (Genesis 1:25) already say, "And God made the beasts of the earth?" What's with this second act of forming? The Midrash explains that the first verse speaks of creation, while this second verse, using the Hebrew word yatzar (יצר), implies a gathering, a convergence, similar to besieging a city (as in (Deuteronomy 20:1)9).
God then brought the animals to Adam "to see what he would call them." Now, did God really need to see? Of course not! As the Midrash points out, God is omniscient. The point, rather, was to show the angels Adam's innate wisdom. Adam, independently, came up with the same names as God for each animal!
Then, God turned to Adam and asked, "And you, what is your name?" Adam replied, "It is appropriate to call me Adam because I was created from the earth (Adamah)." A beautiful connection. God then asked, "And what's My name?" And Adam, in his profound wisdom, declared, "It is appropriate to call you the LORD because you are the Lord of the entire world." This, the Midrash connects to (Isaiah 42:8): "I am the LORD, this is My name."
The angels witnessed all this, and, presumably, their protests subsided.
But the story doesn't end there. The Midrash continues, pointing out that similar arguments arose when God sought to give the Torah to Israel. The angels, again, questioned the worthiness of humankind. "What is man that you should remember him?" they asked, echoing their earlier sentiment (Psalms 8:5-6). They even suggested that the Torah, being holy and pure, should remain in the heavens with them.
God, however, countered that the Torah was not meant for beings who don't experience the complexities of human life – birth, death, impurity, illness. Rabbi Nahonia, in the name of Rabbi Yehuda, offers a powerful analogy: It's like a father trying to teach his son a craft that requires all fingers, but the son is missing one. The Torah, with its laws addressing all aspects of human existence, couldn't be fully realized in a purely spiritual realm. The Torah itself says in (Numbers 19:14), "This is the law of a man who dies in a tent," and in (Leviticus 14:2), "This shall be the law of the leper," and so on. Such concepts simply don't apply to angels.
The Midrash further illustrates the ongoing tension with a scene of divine irony. When Moses descended from Mount Sinai with the first set of tablets, only to find the Israelites worshipping the Golden Calf, the tablets were broken. The angels, it says, rejoiced, thinking the Torah would now return to them.
Even after Moses ascended again to receive the second set of tablets, the angels persisted. They challenged God, pointing out the very first commandment: "You shall have no other gods before Me" (Exodus 20:3). How could God give the Torah to a people who had already violated this fundamental principle?
God's response is fascinating. He reminds the angels of their own hypocrisy. Had they not, in the guise of travelers, visited Abraham and partaken in a meal that mixed meat and milk – a practice later forbidden by the very Torah they were questioning? This subtle accusation silenced the angels, at least for a time.
Finally, the Midrash touches upon the building of the Tabernacle, the portable sanctuary that accompanied the Israelites in the desert. Again, the angels protested, questioning the need for a physical dwelling place for the Divine Presence among humans. The Midrash uses imagery from (Psalms 68:13) ("Kings of armies flee, they flee, and she who waits at home divides the spoil") and (Joel 4:3) ("And they cast lots for my people") to illustrate the tension and God's ultimate decision to proceed. Rabbi Yudan, son of Rabbi Ivu, concludes that God essentially tells the angels, "By My life, I will do it," referencing (Habakkuk 3:3) ("His glory covered the heavens").
So, what are we to make of these angelic arguments? The Midrash Tehillim isn’t just telling us historical anecdotes. It's offering a profound commentary on the nature of humanity, the purpose of the Torah, and the relationship between the divine and the earthly. It suggests that our very imperfections, our struggles, and our capacity for both good and evil are precisely what make us worthy of God's attention and the gift of Torah. The angels, in their perfect holiness, simply couldn't grasp the messy, beautiful reality of being human. Maybe, just maybe, that's the whole point.
"The LORD is our Master, how mighty is Your Name in all the earth." Rav said: "We find three places where the angels prosecuted God; the creation of man, the tabernacle, and the giving of the Torah." Where do we find [this phenomenon] regarding man? When God wished to create man he consulted the angels as it says (Genesis 1:26) "Let Us make man." They began to say "What is man that you recall him?!" [God] replied " Tomorrow you'll see how smart he is." When He created man what did God do? He brought all animals before the angels and asked them the names of all the animals and they did not know. God said to them "Do you want to know the wisdom of Man? I will ask him and he will tell me what all their names." What did God do? He brought all the animals and birds before Adam as it says (ibid. 2:19) "And the LORD formed from the earth." Rabbi Acha said, Did it not already say (ibid. 1:25) "And God made the beasts of the land?" What does the word "and He formed" come to teach us? Rather there it says "and He made" i.e. created them and here it says יצר from the root that connotes convergence as in (Deuteronomy 20:19) "when you besiege a city. (Genesis 2:19) "And He came to Adam to see what to call them" Isn't God omniscient? Rather "to see" means "to show the angels Adam's wisdom [by showing what Adam would call them]," and Adam independently came up with the same name as God for each and every animal. Then God asked him, "And you, what is your name?" He replied, "it is appropriate to call me Adam because I was created from the earth (Adamah)." God asked, "And what's My name?" Adam replied "It is appropriate to call you the LORD because you are the Lord of the entire world." That is why He says (Isaiah 42:8) "I am the LORD, this is My name." [Alternative: "Lord, our God, how majestic is your name in all the earth." Rabbi Meir said that we find in three places where the angels protested against God: in creating man, in the building of the Tabernacle, and in giving the Torah. Regarding man, when God wanted to create him, He took counsel with the angels. He said to them (Genesis 1:26), "Let us make man." They began to say to Him, "What is man that You are mindful of him?" He said to them, "Tomorrow you will know his wisdom." Once God created man, He gathered all the animals, beasts, and birds before the ministering angels and began asking each one its name. They did not know. God said to them, "Do you want to learn the wisdom of man, whom I am about to ask his name and he will tell Me the name of all of you?" God then gathered all the animals, beasts, and birds, and He passed them before Adam, as it says (Genesis 2:19), "And the Lord God formed from the ground every beast of the field." Rabbi Aha asked, "Didn't God already create the animals, as it says (Genesis 1:25), 'And God made the beasts of the earth'?" Why does it say here, "And the Lord God formed?" It is to teach us that He gathered them together, as it says (Deuteronomy 20:19), "When you besiege a city." (Genesis 2:19) "And He brought [the animals] to Adam to see what he would call them." Why did God want to see what he would call them? To show the ministering angels the wisdom of man. What was Adam's name? God gave him the name that Adam himself called everything. God said to him, "And what is your name?" He said to Him, "I am worthy to be called 'Adam' because I was created from the earth. And what is Your name?" He said to him, "I am worthy to be called 'Lord,' for I am the Master of the entire world." Therefore, it says (Isaiah 42:8), "I am the Lord; that is My name. And My glory I give to no other, nor My praise to idols." Immediately, God said to the angels, "See the wisdom in the heart of man, and you say to Me, 'What is man that You are mindful of him?'" Similarly, when God came to give the Torah to Israel, the ministering angels protested and said to Him, "What is man that You are mindful of him?" (Psalms 8:5-6) Similarly, we find in the giving of the Torah that when the Lord came to give the Torah to Israel, the angels began to argue and said before Him, "What is man that you should remember him?" And they said before Him, "Let your Torah be given in the heavens, for we are holy and your Torah is holy; we are pure and your Torah is pure; we are living and your Torah is life." He said to them, "It is not fitting to be upheld in you, as it is said, 'It is not found in the land of the living.' And is there an earth above?" "And where does it exist below? As it is said (Isaiah 45:12): "I made the earth and created man upon it." Rabbi Nahonia said in the name of Rabbi Yehuda: It is analogous to a man who had a son, and that son was missing one finger. He went to teach him a craft (and all crafts) and there was one craft that required all fingers. After some days, his father came to him and found that he had not learned that craft. He said to his teacher, "Did you not teach him this craft?" He replied, "This craft requires all fingers, and your son is missing one, so he cannot learn it." Similarly, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to the angels, "The Torah cannot be fulfilled among you, for there is no procreation, death, impurity, or illness among you; rather, you are all holy." And it is written in the Torah (Numbers 19:14): "This is the law of a man who dies in a tent," (Leviticus 14:2) "This shall be the law of the leper," (Leviticus 15:25) "And if a woman has a discharge," and also (Leviticus 11:9) "These shall you eat," and all of these things are not among you. Therefore, it is said (Job 28:13): "It cannot be found in the land of the living." And the Holy One, blessed be He, did His kindness and gave it to Moses when he completed it, to speak all these things to the angels. And when Moses came down and Israel did that deed, the Tablets were broken, and the ministering angels rejoiced and said, "Now the Torah will return to us." And when Moses ascended to receive the Tablets a second time, the ministering angels said to the Holy One, blessed be He, "Master of the Universe! Did you not write in it yesterday (Exodus 20:3): 'You shall have no other gods before Me'?" The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, "At every moment, [there are] accusations between Me and Israel. Were you not there when you came down to Abraham and ate meat with milk, as it is said (Genesis 18:8) And he took butter and milk and the calf which he had dressed. And their child, when he comes from his teacher's house, and his mother gives him bread and meat and cheese, and he says to her, "Today my teacher taught me (Exodus 34:26) 'Thou shalt not seethe a kid in its mother's milk.'" She has no response for him. At that moment, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses (Exodus 34:27) "Write thou these words." Until they had no response or reply. And when the Holy One, blessed be He, sought to have service in the Tabernacle, the ministering angels said to Him, "What is man that You should remember him?" Rabbi Judah in the name of Rabbi Ivu and Rabbi Judah, son of Rabbi Simon, both said that they would take two slips of paper from the same verse (Psalms 68:13): "Kings of armies flee, they flee, and she who waits at home divides the spoil." Like it is written (Joel 4:3), "And they cast lots for my people." Rabbi Yudan, son of Rabbi Ivu, said, "The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, 'I will perform your wish,' as it is stated (Habakkuk 3:3), 'His glory covers the heavens.'" Until they have no response and answer. And when the Holy One, blessed be He, sought to serve in the Tabernacle, the ministering angels said before Him, "What is man that You should remember him?" Rabbi Yehuda in the name of Rabbi Yivvo and Rabbi Yehuda the son of Rabbi Simon said that they would cast lots with a single verse, as it is said, "Kings of armies flee, they flee, and she who sits at home divides the spoil" (Psalms 68:13), like the verse that says, "And upon My people they cast lots" (Joel 4:3). Rabbi Yudan the son of Rabbi Yivvo said that the Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, "By My life, I will do it," as it is said, "His glory covered the heavens" (Habakkuk 3:3). Know that it is as it is said, "Praise the Lord from the heavens" (Psalms 148:1). Therefore, David said, "The Lord our God, how majestic is Your name."]
