Sunday, October 07, 2007

Five Non-Angels

R’ Feivel Cohen often gives out little puzzles on Shabbat evening, for people to work out by next week. This week’s puzzle was:

Angels (malachim) are mentioned in Parshat Bereshit five times, but are not referred to by the word “Angel” (malach). What are those five times?

(Answers later in the week)

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Let's see:

1) Naaseh Adam...does that count?

2) the "kruvim" with the swords that protect the way back to Gan Eden

3) In the vein of number 1, 3:22 "behold man has become like one of us"?

4) The "bnei elokim" in 6:2, according to some interpretations

5) Ditto for the "nefilim" in 6:4

I'm not sure if I answered precisely - were you looking for 5 additional ways to say "malach"?

SF

thanbo said...

That's four (benei elokim/nefilim are one, since only one is likely to be malachim, the other is something else). There's another one.

Anonymous said...

Guess: the snake as Satan?

thanbo said...

That's an Xtian reading, isn't it?

thanbo said...

The fifth one is "the heavens and the earth were finished with all their hosts - including the hosts of angels in the heavens.

My friend said he thought the rabbi had mentioned a rashi in the 4th day, but the closest I can find to "malachim" in that Rashi is "melachim", kings - sounds similar, but spelled without an "aleph".