Tree of Souls

by Howard Schwartz

  Sources:

  Genesis 5:21-24

  192. ENOCH’S VISION OF GOD

  A vision was shown to Enoch: a mist summoned him, and the stars and lightning beckoned him, and the winds lifted him upward and bore him into heaven. He drew near a crystal wall surrounded by tongues of fire, and he entered the fire and drew near a crystal house, for the walls and groundwork of that house were made of crystals. Fire surrounded the walls of the house, and its portals blazed with fire. Its ceiling was like the path of the stars and lightning, and there were fiery cherubim between them.

  In the vision Enoch entered that house, and it was as hot as fire and as cold as ice. Quaking and trembling, Enoch fell on his face and had another vision. Here he saw a second house, greater than the first, built entirely of flames. Its splendor and magnificence cannot be described. Its floor and ceiling were made of fire, and the fiery portal stood open before him. And Enoch saw a lofty throne within, and its appearance was as crystal, and from beneath the throne came streams of flaming fire, and the wheels of the throne shone as brightly as the sun. And there, seated on the throne, was the great glory of God, His garment whiter than any snow, its light brighter than the sun, the moon, and the stars. A flaming fire was around Him, and a great fire stood before Him, and none could draw near him.

  This is an early Merkavah vision, in which God’s throne is described as having wheels, like a chariot, which is the primary characteristic of the Chariot-Throne literature of the Merkavah.

  Sources:

  1 Enoch 14:8-25, 40:1-10.

  Studies:

  “Visions of God in Merkabah Mysticism” by Ira Chernus.

  193. THE METAMORPHOSIS AND ENTHRONEMENT OF ENOCH

  It is said that Enoch walked with God, and he was no more, for God took him (Gen. 5:24). Enoch, like Noah, was a righteous man in his generation. He was the first among men who wrote down the signs of heaven. God saw the righteous ways of Enoch and called upon the angel Anafiel to bring Enoch into heaven. An instant later Enoch found himself in a fiery chariot, drawn by fiery horses, ascending on high.

  As soon as the chariot reached heaven, the angels caught the scent of a living human and were ready to cast him out, for none among the living were permitted there. But God called out to the angels, saying, “I have taken an elect one from among the inhabitants of earth and I have brought him here to rule in My name.”

  Then God lifted Enoch on wings of winds and brought him to the palaces of heaven. There God opened the ten Gates of Understanding for him. To this God added wisdom, understanding, and knowledge until Enoch was wiser than all the children of heaven.

  Then God put His hand upon Enoch and blessed him, and the metamorphosis of Enoch began. His flesh was immediately changed to flames, his sinews to burning flames, his bones to fiery coals, the skin of his eyelids to the radiance of lightning, his eyes to torches, his hair to fire and flame, and his body to a smoldering flame, with pillars of fire to his right and a burning torch to his left, and all around him there raged wind, storm, and whirlwind, with the sound of thunder in front and behind him. Seventy-two wings began to grow on him, thirty-six on each side, with a wingspan as wide as the world. So too did God give him three hundred and sixty-five eyes, each one a sun in itself. No luminary in the universe shone brighter than Enoch.

  So too did God give Enoch a new name, Metatron, and make a throne for him similar to God’s Throne of Glory. And God made a majestic robe for Metatron in which all kinds of luminaries were set, and He clothed him in it. And God spread a curtain of splendor over him, similar to the curtain of the Throne of Glory. And God placed Metatron’s throne at the door of the Seventh Hall, and seated him there.

  Then a herald went forth throughout heaven, saying, “This is My servant, Metatron. I have made him into prince and ruler over all the princes of My kingdoms, and over all the Children of Heaven, in the name of their king. And every command that Metatron utters to you in My name you must observe and fulfill. Moreover, I have set him over all the treasuries of the palaces of heaven.”

  After this God revealed all the mysteries of the Torah to Metatron, including the secrets of Creation. There was nothing above or below that was hidden from him. After that, God made a garment of glory and clad Metatron in it. And He made him a royal crown whose splendor filled the seven heavens as well as reaching to the four corners of the world. And God wrote letters upon that crown with His finger, the letters by which heaven and earth were created and all the orders of Creation. And flames came forth from those letters like lightning. And before all the inhabitants of heaven God introduced Metatron as the Lesser YHVH, as it is said, For my Name is in him (Exod. 23:21).

  Then, while all the Princes of the heavenly kingdom trembled, God put the crown on Metatron’s head. Even Samael, Prince of the Accusers, trembled before him, as did the Angels of Fire and Hail, the Angels of the Wind, of lightning, and of thunder, the Angels of Snow and Rain, the Angel of Day and the Angel of Night, and the Angel of the Sun and the Angel of the moon—all trembled and were filled with fright when they beheld Metatron, Prince of the Presence.

  After that Metatron sat on his great Throne at the door of the Seventh Hall, and presided over the Celestial Court, with the princes of kingdoms standing to his right and left. There he served as the Heavenly Scribe, writing down everything and judging the Children of Heaven by the authority of God.

  This is the famous myth of Enoch as elaborated in 3 Enoch. Speculation about Enoch, building on the biblical assertion that Enoch walked with God and he was no more, for God took him (Gen. 5:24), is reflected in three major texts: The Book of Enoch (also known as 1 Enoch);The Slavonic Book of Enoch (also known as 2 Enoch); and Sefer Hekhalot, the text that Hugo Odeberg designated as 3 Enoch or The Hebrew Book of Enoch. The last is actually one of the best preserved Hekhalot texts, which describe heavenly journeys, dating from around the eighth century. While Enoch ascends into heaven in all three of these texts, it is in 3 Enoch that he is transformed into the angel Metatron. While earlier texts, such as Targum Yonathan ben Uziel on Genesis 5:24, recount that Enoch became Metatron, this transformation is greatly elaborated in 3 Enoch.

  Metatron’s role takes on the epic proportions suggested by the description God gives of him as the “Lesser YHVH,” thus a virtual second power in heaven. Here, too, God turns so many responsibilities over to Metatron that he comes to serve as a heavenly ruler, whose power derives from God. His job is to record all that takes place above and below.

  Some versions, such as that in Midrash Aggadah, explain Enoch walked with God to mean that he walked with the angels in the Garden of Eden for 300 years and from them he learned the calculation of astronomical cycles, knowledge of the constellations, and many fields of wisdom.

  A divergence of views about the verse Enoch walked with God can be seen in translations of the Bible from Hebrew to Aramaic, known as Targums. These translations were read in the synagogue after the Hebrew text, so the people could understand the text’s meaning, since they spoke Aramaic. These Targums often add midrashic-like explanations to the biblical text. Targum Onkelos on Genesis 5:24 denies Enoch’s immortality by asserting that Enoch did, in fact, perish: “And Enoch walked in reverence of the Lord, then he was no more, for the Lord had caused him to die.” Targum Pseudo-Yonathan on Genesis 5:24 asserts that Enoch died and then ascended into heaven to become Metatron: “Enoch served God faithfully and behold he was not with the inhabitants of earth, for he had died and ascended to heaven. And God called his name Metatron the great scribe.” Targum Neophyti on Genesis 5:24 seems to take a middle ground about whether Enoch died or ascended on high: “And Enoch served in truth before the Lord and it is not known where he is, because he was withdrawn by a command from the Lord.” This is in contrast to Targum Yerushalmi to Genesis 5:24, which contains the seeds of the Enoch/Metatron myth: “He ascended to heaven on God’s command and was given the name Metatron the Great Scribe.” The Septuagint, the pre-Christian Greek translation of the Bible,
states that God found Enoch righteous and therefore transferred him to heaven.

  It is worth noting that both Philo and Josephus also commented on this seminal verse about Enoch. Philo explains that Enoch was transferred from this world to heaven, journeying from this mortal life to an immortal one (Change of Names 38). Josephus wrote that Enoch and Elijah became invisible, and no one knows how they died. He also writes that after 365 years, Enoch returned to God, and that is why nothing is recorded about his death (Jewish Antiquities 1:85, 9:28).

  In addition to the three major Enoch texts, references to Enoch are found in a wide variety of ancient Jewish texts, including The Book of Jubilees, The Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs, The Sibylline Oracles, 2 Baruch, Life of Adam and Eve, and The Testament of Abraham, as well as in rabbinic sources such as the Talmud and Genesis Rabbah. Raziel ha-Malakh 2 claims that Enoch learned all the secrets of heaven by reading the same book that the angel Raziel delivered to Adam.

  This myth about Enoch’s transformation into Metatron is also an enthronement myth. In it Enoch/Metatron is crowned by God and receives homage from the other angels, and he is seated on a great throne at the door of the seventh palace in the highest heaven. Other enthronement myths are found about Adam, Jacob, Moses, and King David. This

  indicates that there were once groups within Judaism who at various times viewed Adam, Enoch, Jacob, Moses and David as divine figures who ruled with God in heaven. Of these, the most extensive tradition is that concerning Enoch. See “The Enthronement of Adam,” p. 131, “Jacob the Divine,” p. 366, “The Enthronement of Moses,” p. 388, and “King David is Crowned in Heaven,” p. 395.

  Sources:

  3 Enoch 6-15, 12:1; The Book of Jubilees 4:17-23; Midrash Aggadah, Bereshit 5:18:18; Zohar 1:37b, 1:56b; Zohar Hadash 116a; Hayei Hanokh in Beit ha-Midrash 4:129; The Book of Jubilees 4:17-18, 4:21, 10:17; Pseudo-Jubilees (4Q227); Raziel ha-Malakh 2.

  Studies:

  3 Enoch translated and introduced by P. Alexander in The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, edited by James H. Charlesworth, 1:223-315.

  “The Deification of Enoch” by Joseph Dan in The Heart and the Fountain: An Anthology of Jewish Mystical Experiences, 61-73.

  3 Enoch or The Hebrew Book of Enoch by Hugo Odeberg.

  Enoch: A Man for All Generations by James C. VanderKam.

  “Enoch is Metatron” by Moshe Idel.

  Traditions of the Bible by James Kugel, pp. 173-179, 191-194.

  “A Report on Enoch in Rabbinic Literature” by Martha Himmelfarb.

  The Faces of the Chariot by David J. Halperin, pp. 420-446.

  “Sabbatai Zevi, Metatron and Mehmed: Myth and History in Seventeenth-Century Judaism” by David J. Halperin.

  194. THE RIVER OF FIRE

  The angels who serve God one day do not serve him the next. Every single day new ministering angels are created from the River of Fire, known as Rigyon. This is the river of which it is written, A river of fire streamed forth before Him (Dan. 7:10). This river springs out of the perspiration of the heavenly creatures who support God’s Throne of Glory and emerges from under the throne. There are a great many bridges of fire that have been placed over the river of fire, for the souls of the righteous to cross.

  Before they can sing before God, all the angels must first go down and bathe themselves in the river of fire, and dip their tongues and mouths in the river seven times. Then they encircle the Throne of Glory, singing hymns of praise to God unceasingly from sunrise to sunset, as it is said, From east to west the name of Yahweh is praised (Ps. 113:3).

  But those angels who serve Him today, do not serve Him tomorrow. And those who serve Him tomorrow will never serve Him again. For after they have finished singing for the first and last time, their strength is exhausted and their faces are blackened and their eyes are darkened, because of the brilliance of the splendor of the King. Metatron, the chief angel, says to the newly created angels, “The Throne of Glory is glistening!” Immediately, the angels fall silent and hasten into the river of fire. There the angels meet their end in the same fiery stream from which they were created, and others are created to take their place.

  Other angels are consumed by fire that goes forth from God’s little finger, as it is said, Fire is His vanguard, burning His foes on every side (Ps. 97:3).

  Why are the angels destroyed? Some say it is because they did not sing the hymns of the celestial liturgy in perfect unison, or do not utter their prayers in the proper order. Others say it is so that the angels will not hear the sound of the speech of God and the explicit Name of God that Metatron utters at that time.

  But the River of Fire can restore as well as destroy. This river serves as the heavenly mikveh, the ritual bath in which all souls are immersed. In this way all impurities are burned up, while all that is pure passes through unscathed.

  The existence of a heavenly river of fire derives from Daniel 7:10: A fiery stream came forth before him. The traditions concerning this fiery river, known as nehar di-nur, the river of fire, also grow out of the talmudic interpretation of the biblical verse They are renewed every morning—ample is Your grace (Lam. 3:23). It is also known as the River Rigyon. In B. Hagigah 14a, Rabbi Samuel says to Rabbi Hiyya ben Rav, “Every single day new ministering angels are created from the River of Fire. They sing hymns of praise to God and are then destroyed.” This river is also referred to in some Hekhalot texts, and the myth is elaborated in later midrashic texts. The source of the fiery river is the perspiration of the hayyot, the heavenly creatures who hold up God’s throne. See “The Living Creatures,” p. 159. In kabbalistic texts, the river of fire is said to flow through the heavenly or supernal Eden, and it is said to have both restorative and destructive properties. The souls of the righteous are ritually immersed in this stream, removing all impurities.

  Here large numbers of angels, who constitute a celestial choir, are created and destroyed out of the river of fire. The irony that they are destroyed in the same river out of which they were created is noted in Genesis Rabbah and other sources.

  Metatron, who was once Enoch, is the Prince of the Presence, in charge of all the other angels. In the Sefer ha-Komah, Metatron’s role is to signal when the newly created angels should stop singing and return to the fiery river out of which they were created. The statement Metatron makes, that “The Throne of Glory is glistening!” is apparently some kind of a code, which the angels understand commands them to end their existence.

  The Name of God that Metatron pronounces is the Tetragrammaton, YHVH. Anyone who knows its secret pronunciation would have the power of the Name, virtually the power of God. That is one reason given for the daily destruction of the angels of the heavenly choir, so that they are kept from learning this secret.

  According to Zohar 2:252b, the River of Fire flows during the days of the week, but “When Sabbath arrives the river quiets, its storms and sparks cease.” Thus it is portrayed as a kind of heavenly river Sambatyon, the river that is said to flow six days a week and to rest on the Sabbath. See “The River Sambatyon,” p. 475.

  Sources:

  B. Hagigah 14a; Exodus Rabbah 15:6; Lamentations Rabbah 3:8; 3 Enoch 36:1-2, 40:1-4; Zohar 1:201a, 2:252b, 3:211b, 3:16b; Tikkunei ha-Zohar Intro 4a; Re’iyyot Yehezkel; Gedulat Moshe 5; Hekhalot Rabbati 8:2; Eikhah Rabbati on Lamentations 3:23; Seder Rabbah di-Bereshit, p. 45; Ma’ayan Hokhmah in Otzar Midrashim pp. 306-311; Aggadat Shir ha-Shirim 2:135; Sefer ha-Komah, Oxford Ms. 1791, ff. 58-70; Sod ha-Shabbat 11.

  195. THE LIVING CREATURES

  The creatures of the upper world and the creatures of the lower world were created at the same instant. But the creatures of the upper world, who hold up the Throne of Glory, are nourished by the splendor of the Shekhinah, while the creatures of the lower world must labor for their nourishment. There are four heavenly creatures, facing the four winds. Each one is as large as the whole world. Each one has four faces and four wings, and every wing would cover the world. Clothed in fire and wrapped in a garment of flame, these h
eavenly beasts stand laden, day and night, in trembling and terror, for the Divine Chariot is above them, and the Throne of Glory upon their heads, and rivers of fire pass between them.

  God says to them, “Exalt yourselves. It is proper that those who bear up My throne should make yourselves strong. May the hour be blessed in which I created you. May the planet be exalted under which I formed you. For you are precious vessels I have prepared and completed.” So the living creatures strengthen and hallow and purify themselves. Each one binds thousands of crowns on its head. And they stand in holiness and sing songs and hymns with one voice, one mind, and one melody.

  One of the living creatures leads the heavenly hosts in the morning prayers. This creature stands in the center of the firmament and says, “Bless you the blessed God!” On its forehead is engraved its name, Israel, and the words, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord alone.” Other heavenly creatures, all consisting of fire, ascend to the Throne of Glory and stand beneath the legs of the Throne of Glory, each with four faces and four wings. The King, the living and eternal God, dwells above them.

  Drawing on Ezekiel’s Vision (Ezek. 1:1-28), rabbinic and kabbalistic sources refer to the hayyot, the living creatures (also known as the heavenly creatures), who are said to hold up God’s Throne of Glory: Above the expanse over their heads was the semblance of a throne (Ez. 1:26). A description of these creatures is found in Ezekiel 1:13-14: Such then was the appearance of the creatures. With them was something that looked like burning coals of fire. This fire, suggestive of torches, kept moving about among the creatures; the fire had a radiance, and lightning issued from the fire. Dashing to and fro among the creatures was something that looked like flares.