Kriat Shema Al Hamitah (Part 24)
“The amount of sleep required by the average person is five minutes more.”
Wilson Mizener – American Playwright
Kriat Shema al Hamitah continues: In the Name of Hashem,
Our Sages teach us that the vast majority of angels have no permanent name. Rather, each angel’s name is defined by the mission that it has been entrusted with. After completing its mission, the angel is given another name reflecting the new task it has been commanded to perform. There is, however, a small cadre of angels whose names remain consistent. These are the angels considered to be closest to Hashem, whose names remain unchanged due to their constant and consistency role in Hashem’s Masterplan. The four angels mentioned in Kriat Shema al Hamitah are a part of this exclusive group. Their names reveal the reason for their existence and define their essence.
The first angel is Michael. “Michael” is a composite of two words, “Mi
ka-Kel – Who is like Hashem”. Throughout Tanach, the angel Michael always represents Hashem’s Infiniteness, the fact that Hashem is not restricted or constricted in any way by the physical world.
For example, when the three angels come to visit Avraham Avinu (Bereshit 18 and Rashi there) it is Michael who tells Avraham that he and his wife Sarah will have a child, despite it being physically impossible for the two of them to have a child together.
Why is Michael found at our right? The right side represents our physical strength. Most people’s right hand is their stronger hand. Michael stays at our right side to remind us that, regardless of how strong we think we are, Hashem is immeasurably stronger.
The second angel is Gavriel. “Gavriel” is also a composite of two words: “Gevurat
Kel – the might of Hashem”. Gavriel represents Hashem’s absolute power. In the same narrative as above, it is Gavriel who informs Avraham Avinu that Hashem decreed that the city of Sedom be obliterated together with its inhabitants due to their wickedness which had become untenable. Gavriel is at our left, our weaker side, to inform us Hashem’s strength is with us always.
The third angel is Uriel. Uriel means “Uri Kel – Hashem illuminates for me". Uriel is in front of us lighting up our way, just as a person walking in darkness shines their flashlight ahead of them. The Rabbis explain, however, that the true light in our world comes from the Holy Torah. And it is Uriel who bathes our world in the only light of any real consequence. Standing in front of us, Uriel lights our way, showing us how to forge a stronger connection to our Father in Heaven.
There is a story that illuminates (pun intended) just how a person can access the precious light that Uriel brings into this world. Rabbi Shlomo Freifeld (1925-1990) was one of the most influential spiritual mentors of his generation in America. Under the guidance of his beloved Rebbi, Rabbi Yitzchok Hutner, he established the famed Sh’or Yoshuv Yeshiva in Far Rockaway. The very last time he met with Rabbi Hutner, Rabbi Freifeld cited a verse from Sefer Iyov (38:19): “Eizeh haderech yishkan ohr? – How does one acquire light?” Rabbi Freifeld used the verse to obliquely ask what one needs to access the wisdom of the Holy Torah.
Rabbi Hutner answered him in Yiddish: “M’darf zein freilech – You have to be happy!”
The last of the four angels mentioned is Raphael. As with his “colleagues”, his name is comprised of two words, ‘Refuat Kel – Healing from Hashem’. Raphael’s essence is healing. Hashem thus sent Raphael to Avraham Avinu to cure him after he had a Brit Milah at the age of ninety-nine (ibid.).
Raphael’s position is behind us. Not having eyes in the back of our heads makes the back our most vulnerable side. Sickness is not something that one chooses; it creeps up from behind and afflicts a person. It is therefore Raphael who stands behind us to protect us.
And finally, above us is the Presence of Hashem. Without Hashem’s continuous Presence everything would unravel. Even the boundless powers of the angels Michael, Gavriel, Uriel and Raphael would be ineffectual without Hashem conducting His magnificent symphony from above.
To be continued…
