Angels as Inner Forces in Kabbalah

Angels are messengers of reformation but not of the purpose of creation, because the purpose of creation is to receive, not to bestow. Angels are close to the quality of bestowal by nature, yet that quality cannot fulfill the purpose of creation. This is why angels raise the question of exclusivity: how can vessels of reception, which are in opposition to the angel’s nature, be given the jewel of the Torah. The apparent contradiction dissolves when we understand that angels are not forces apart from us. An angel must dress according to the world it is assigned to, which means angels are forces within us, people in our world. This force within us stands in contradiction and even in anger with the will to receive, with its growth and its defiance. Exclusivity remains part of this tension.

Because angels are forces within us, the work of elevation is an inner work. Rising above reason is the way this contradiction is held, bringing together the force that tends to bestow and the will to receive. This rising is one of three parts of the work: to rise, to tie, and to reform at the root. What was given before is the ability to see where to go, and now the instruction is how to get there, which is through raising ourselves in order to bring back the light not for it but for us.

All the preparation is for ourselves, to recognize the state of our vessel and the state of our intention. This begins with Jacob, raised at night in a dream to recognize where he is. From there, the work continues through the Kohen and the Levites forming one body, and through the Menorah, where the action is not lighting but elevation. In this, the two opposing qualities are held together, with a vessel of fear — the fear of misusing what is given and the fear of missing it.