Getting help from angels – Ask the Rabbi
Q. Why do some people call to the angels to help them?
A. Whether you take the angels seriously or regard them as metaphors for the world’s forces and energies, there is still a problem since the general trend of Judaism is to say that human beings have a direct line to God and need no mediators to help them.
A cynic might say, “When you’re desperate you will accept help from anyone even if you’re not sure they really exist”.
A more positive approach would be to say that when you seek to approach God you are overwhelmed by the thought of how small you are in relation to the Divine greatness. You feel the need of spiritual reinforcement. You want the support of everyone and everything in the world.
But large segments of the world are neither kind nor considerate so what you do is to say, “May all the well-disposed elements of the world please come to my aid and give me support”. Poetically, this is like an appeal to the angels.
