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While attending morning minyan at Congregation Or Shalom, I noticed there were some prayers that included angels. I know that it is forbidden to pray to angels. However, angels can play a role by carrying people's prayers to G-d. I found this role to be very powerful. So, I decided that I would explore where angels can be found in Jewish prayer.
According to Midrash Tehillim 88:4, angels wait until all Jews finish their morning prayers and weave them into a crown which they place on G-d's head (1.4, p. 197). So, I am going to first discuss angels in the morning prayers, in order of appearance. I will use the Siddur Sim Shalom for translation and page numbers.
Over and over again in Jewish prayer, we affirm that G-d is the creator. He even created the angels. This is reinforced in the prayer found on p. 91. It states "You alone are the Lord. You created the heavens ... and all their array ... the array of the heavens reveres You."
The "titbarach" prayer appears near the Shema. It is in this prayer that angels are frequently mentioned. It was really this prayer that allowed me to acknowledge the concept that Jews can believe in the existence of angels. The prayer starts with a declaration that G-d "fashioned angelic spirits to serve [G-d]... they all await [G-d's] command (p.97)." The idea of angels singing hymns in praise of G-d appears next. This is Isaiah's famous phrase (Isaiah 6:3): "Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh--Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts; the whole world is filled with His glory" (p.99). Ezekiel's vision and Isaiah's vision is referred to near the end of this prayer: "As in the prophet's vision, soaring celestial creatures roar ... with [the Seraphim]: Praised be the glory of the Lord." This is from Ezekiel 3:12 and from Isaiah 6: 1-3. These visions are also referred to at the end of the "El Adon" prayer and in the Kedushah. The "El Adon" mentions that the Seraphim, the Ofanim, and the Chayot Ha-Qodesh "give glory and greatness [to G-d]." (p. 343)
The phrase "Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh" is repeated as the core of the Kedushah in the Amidah. The Kedushah expresses the concept that G-d is exalted. When we say the Kedushah, we become representatives of all Jews and echo the angels who sing G-d's praise by proclaiming His holiness and glory. (1.10, p. 100) When we recite "Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh--Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts; the whole world is filled with His glory" (p. 108), we rise up on our toes three times, symbolically lifting ourselves up to the level of the angels. As was mentioned earlier, this is from Isaiah. The kedushah also refers to Ezekiel's vision and Isaiah's vision when we respond to this declaration by stating: "Praised is the glory of the Lord".
Before bedtime, it is traditional to say the "Bedtime Shema". This prayer can be found in more traditional Siddurs, like the Artscroll Siddur. The recital of the Shema immediately before retiring is perceived as a protection against the dangers of the night" (1.10, p. 288). One section of this bedtime Shema invokes four archangels: Michael, the messenger of G-d, Gabriel, the emissary of G-d's strength, Uriel, the light of G-d, and Raphael, generally known as the healing power of G-d . As well, the prayer ends with invoking the Shekhina, the feminine presence of G-d, which is envisioned as a woman with white wings, who hovers over the bed like a canopy. One recites the following:
In the name of HASHEM, God of Israel, may Michael be at my right, Gabriel at my left, Uriel before me, and Raphael behind me; and above my head the [Shechina] (1.10, p. 295).
Each of these angels has a specific purpose. The angel Michael, whose name
means "Who is like God," has the job of guarding the children of Israel.
The angel Gabriel, whose name means "God is my strength," has the job of lending us strength and courage,
Uriel, whose name means "God is my light," has the job of lighting our way through the darkness of night,
and Raphael, whose name means "God is my healer, " is responsible for our physical and emotional well being.
The Shechina is God's "female side," God's nurturing aspect.
From: http://www.jewish.com/askarabbi/askarabbi/askr2058.htm
This bedtime prayer can be used as a meditation for both children and adults at bedtime. When we call on the archangels to be with us, we are actually tapping into G-d, as angels are representatives of G-d. They cannot exist without G-d and draw nourishment from G-d. Therefore we can instantly benefit from the feeling of an angelic presence. Rabbi David A Cooper created an archangel meditation to invoke this presence for healing.
On Friday night traditionally "Shalom Aleichem" is sung to begin the Shabbat meal. There is a midrash (a legend) that every Jew is accompanied home on Friday night by two angels. If the candles are light, the good angel gives a blessing. If the candles are not, the evil angel gives the blessing. This song starts out with:
We wish you peace, attending angels, angels of the most sublime,
the King of kings, the Holy One praised be He" (1.10, p. 723)
Yom Kippur is believed to be the one time Jews are transformed into angels. On that day, according to Talmud, we serve G-d here as G-d serves on high. Rabbi Yehiel Poupko, director of the Pritzker Center for Jewish Education, believes that, "[w]e behave like angels: they are dressed in white, and so are we. They don't eat and drink, and we don't either. They are without family, they are pure, and we are all those things for that one day. On most days, when we say the Shema prayers, we whisper the unmentionable name of G-d. Only angels can say that name out loud, because they are utterly pure. But, on Yom Kippur, every Jew becomes an angel and can say that name out loud." (2.11)
In conclusion, angels bring me closer to the experience of G-d. Angels inspire me to holiness and to a spiritual experience that can be shared with others. G-d created angels but, to paraphrase a prayer, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart have G-d send angels to me.