what does judaism teach about angels?

Question

a jewish relative of mine said that jewish people do not believe in angels.

Answer 1

What about the Angel of the Lord? A student of Torah will accept this one, not to mention Ezekiel's vision of Heaven, Daniel's visitation by an angel in Daniel chapter 10 and on and on. If they read and follow the Tenach (Old Testament), then I don't see how one could not.

Answer 2

Judaism teaches about angels. The notion of an angel in Judaism is a bit different...one leg, a single mission, daily praise of God, no free will, and they don't speak Aramaic. There are many types and names, but that's the general gist.

Answer 3

Judaism does believe in angels but there are different understandings of what they are. What rosends said is certainly one of the ways. A different way is to see them as being the manifestations of G-d's will in action.

Answer 4

Hmmm ...

Then why are there Jewish Rabbis who discuss them?

For example, the article on Angels by the Rabbi Geoffrey W. Denis, included in the Encylopedia Mythica:


"In Judaism an angel is a spiritual entity in the service of God. Angels play a prominent role in Jewish thought throughout the centuries, though the exact meaning of the word has been subject to widely, at times wildly, different interpretations.
A number of numinous creatures subordinate to God appear through the Hebrew Bible; the Malach (messenger/angel) is only one variety. Others, distinguished from angels proper, include Irinim (Watchers/High Angels), Cherubim (Mighty Ones), Sarim (Princes), Seraphim (Fiery Ones), Chayyot ([Holy] Creatures), and Ofanim (Wheels). Collective terms for the full array of numina serving God include: Tzeva, (Host), B'nei ha-Elohim or B'nai Elim (Sons of God), and Kedoshim (Holy Ones). They are constituted in an Adat El, a divine assembly (Ps. 82; Job 1). A select number of angels in the Bible (three to be precise) have names. They are Michael, Gabriel, and Satan.

Angels can come in a wondrous variety of forms, although the Bible often neglects to give any description at all (Judges 6:11-14; Zechariah 4). They appear humanoid in most Biblical accounts (Numbers 22) and as such are often indistinguishable from human beings (Gen. 18; 32:10-13; Joshua 5:13-15; Judges 13:1-5) but they also may manifest themselves as pillars of fire and cloud, or as a fire within a bush (Ex. 3). The Psalms characterize natural phenomenon, like lightning, as God's melachim (Ps. 104:4). Other divine creatures appear to be winged parts of God's throne (Is. 6) or of the divine chariot (Ezek. 1). The appearance of cherubim is well known enough to be artistically rendered on the Ark of the Covenant (Ex. 25). Perhaps the most ambiguous creature is the Malach Adonai, an angel that may or may not be a visible manifestation of God.

Biblical angels fulfill a variety of functions, including conveying information to mortals, shielding, rescuing, and caring for Israelites, and smiting Israel's enemies. The Book of Daniel includes a number of ideas about angels that would be elaborated upon in post-Biblical tests, including named angels and guardian angels, that all the nations of the world have their own angelic prince, that angels are arranged hierarchically, and that angels have delimited spheres of authority. "

(the article continues ... check it out: http://www.pantheon.org/articles/a/angels.html)

Rabbi Denis also states that "Generally speaking rabbinic literature deemphasizes the importance of angels when compared with their role in the Apocalyptic and Mystical traditions." Perhaps this explains your relatives views?

But he notes "Still, references to angels in rabbinic literature are almost as vast as the Hosts of Heaven themselves."

Maybe these two references will also help.

Article on Angeology from Jewish Encyclopeida.com
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=1521&letter=A&search=angelology

Article from "Jewish Heritage Online Magazine"
http://www.jhom.com/topics/angels/index.htm

Answer 5

I could not have summed it up better than the two above me have

Answer 6

Hopefully they teach about their non-existence.