Angels Among Us

While the metaphor of Jacob's ladder is well known and I've spoken about it on many occasions, what are we to make of the angels who are going up and down that ladder?

What exactly is an angel anyway? And what does Judaism have to say about angels?

Now I could use the metaphor of the angels in Jacob's dream to just say that the angels going up and down the ladder symbolize our ups and downs of life. But that would be too easy and too simplistic because Judaism sees angels as much more than just that.

Jewish mysticism tells us that there resides in each of us a good angel and an evil angel. Our every step is therefore guided and accompanied by both good and bad angels. It also teaches that even in the next world, angels accompany man where, depending upon our life on earth, we are received either by the angels of peace or by the angels of destruction.

I think that there are two ways to see the true angels that Judaism offers us today. Although they are related, they both involve seeing something angelic in others.

One has to do with elevating ourselves in holiness, to become more godlike. And the other involves seeing angels in others, who exist in our lives to help us through difficult times and enlighten us and brighten our lives.

To explain this a bit further I want to return to Jacob's dream of angels climbing up and down a ladder.

The rabbinic commentator Joseph B’khor Shor (I love that name) argues that it is very significant that the angels are first climbing up the ladder and only then coming down because it signifies that the angels were first coming up from earth in order to get to heaven. And that is the way in which we human beings, people, typically climb ladders.

Shor then tells us that if the angels are truly going up to heaven from earth, that might just mean that the angels' origin is in the earth below rather than in the heavens above.

Think about that. This idea suggests that angels, divine messengers, are of possible earthly origin, and therefore are truly in our midst. To put it another way, Shor suggests that angels are human. That angels are truly among us. That our neighbor could be an angel. Or perhaps a family member. Or a friend.

Too often we tend to believe that godly acts are sent from one direction only - from heaven down to us on earth. But Shor's theory makes us think of the possibility that the word of God or Godly acts originate here on earth and not in heaven. That goodness and godliness just might originate from each one of us.

Which is why we must always act like earthly angels of God, inspiring others to holiness, bringing others closer to God and helping others with the ups and downs of life.

But using this definition, we must also open our eyes to the possibility that God does send us angels, even today. But today they appear in human form, in the form of those who we encounter in our lives. Sometimes these angels in our lives serve to bring us closer to God. And sometimes these angels appear at just the right time, when we need them the most.

And sometimes these angels are just there for comfort and support, to help us out of difficult situations, to provide encouragement and joy, to brighten our days, and to offer unconditional love. Sometimes they inspire us in so many ways, to be and to do our best.

We never know when these angels come into our lives. But when they do come in, hold on to them, for they are special people. And don't ever let them go.

And if we do see angels in others, when we do truly appreciate how they have helped us, then we should take some of that inspiration, some of that angel dust, and use it to be angels for others. Because that is how we can make earth a little more like heaven. By being angels and climbing that ladder.

May we all be a little more angelic in our lives, and in the process help others to fulfill their potential to be more angel-like as well. In other words, may we all be touched by an angel.