1. General context of the Parashah Vaierá
The parashah Vaierálocated in Genesis (Bereshit) 18:1 – 22:24recounts some of the most important episodes of the life of Abraham:
- The visit one of the three “men” or “malajim” (angels) in Mamre.
- The announcement of the birth of Isaac (Yitzhak).
- The the intercession of Abraham for Sodom and Gomorrah.
- The destruction of cities of the valley of the Jordan.
- The birth of Isaac, and the sacrifice of Isaac (Akedat Yitzhak).
The parashah begins by saying:
“And appeared to him the Eternal to Abraham at the oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day” (Genesis 18:1).
This verse introduces a theophany, that is to say, a manifestation of the divine. Immediately after, describes the arrival of three men to which Abraham received with hospitality.
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2. Do angels or human beings? — The interpretation of rabbinic classic
Rabbinic tradition teaches that the three visitors they were not simple men, but malajim (los angeles), sent by God, each one with a specific mission:
- Miguel (Mijael): announce the birth of Isaac.
- Rafael: heal Abraham after his circumcision.
- Gabriel: destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.
The Midrash Bereishit Rabbah (50:2) says:
“One angel does not perform two different missions, each malaj has a specific function.”
Therefore, the three “men” are angels in human form, which is consistent with other apparitions of angels in the Bible (for example, visitors who speak with Lot in Sodom).
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3. The angels according to Maimonides: levels and nature
Maimonides, in his work “Guide of the Perplexed” (More Nebujim, II:6-12)develops a vision of rationalist and hierarchical structure of the angelic world. For him, the angels are not beings with wings or bodies, but intellects separated, intermediaries between God and the material world.
According to Maimonides, there are ten orders of angels, each with a different level of perfection and closeness to divinity:
| Level | Hebrew name | Main function |
|---|---|---|
| 1️⃣ | Jaiot hakodesh made (Holy creatures) | Close to the divine presence. |
| 2️⃣ | Ofanim (Wheels) | Vehicles of the divine glory. |
| 3️⃣ | Erelim | Force of cosmic movement. |
| 4️⃣ | Hashmalim | Transmitters of spiritual energy. |
| 5️⃣ | Serafim | Purifiers; burn the impurity. |
| 6️⃣ | Malajim (Los Angeles) | Messengers direct. |
| 7️⃣ | Elohim | Rulers of the natural order. |
| 8️⃣ | Bnei Elohim (Sons of God) | Control the celestial spheres. |
| 9️⃣ | Keruvim (Cherubs) | Custodians of the divine wisdom. |
| 🔟 | Ishim (Men celestial) | Intermediaries between God and man. |
For Maimonides, los angeles they are not materials; when “appear”, they do so by prophetic visionsnot as physical entities. He recognizes, however, that the prophets perceive their presence as body because the human mind needs to translate the spiritual in images understandable.
4. Hypothesis: what Were the angels aliens?
to. Etymology and concept
The Hebrew term “malaj” (מַלְאָךְ) it literally means “messenger”. Does not necessarily imply a spiritual creature, but an envoy of Godwhether human or heavenly. But the word it does not mean “land”.
From this perspective, every being that is not from the Earth —as the los angeles— may be taken literally “alien”. In the Bible, angels fall of the sky and then amount again (Genesis 28:12, the vision of Jacob). They are, by definition, not earthlings.
b. Hypothesis and modern theological
Various contemporary thinkers, such as rabbi Ariel Bar Tzadok and the philosopher Erich von Däniken (from a more speculative), have suggested that the encounters, angelic, could be interpreted as contacts with the intelligence of non-human.
The mystical judaism, especially in the Zohar, describes that there are higher worlds (olamot) inhabited by spiritual beings or energy, some of which may manifest in our plane.
According to this interpretation, the visit of the three “men” to Abraham could be seen as a intervention of intelligences celestial that had adopted human form temporarily, a notion compatible with the text without the need to deny it.
5. The angels on the Kabbalah: beings interdimensional
In the Cabal, the angels are entities independent of God, but emanations of the divine light that they operate within the sephiroth of the Tree of Life. Each one has its angelic order corresponding to:
| Sefirah | Angelic order | Function kabbalistic |
|---|---|---|
| Kéter | Jaiot hakodesh made | Represent the pure will of God. |
| Jojmá | Ofanim | Express the cosmic wisdom. |
| Biná | Aralim | Channel the divine understanding. |
| Chesed | Hashmalim | Manifest mercy. |
| Gevurah | Serafim | Run the rigor and justice. |
| Tiféret | Melachim | Balance mercy and judgment. |
| To netzaj | Elohim | Direct the forces of nature. |
| Hod | Bnei Elohim | Reflect the divine glory. |
| Yesod | Keruvim | Connect the spiritual with the physical. |
| Maljut | Ishim | Contact directly with humans. |
From this perspective, the three visitors to Abraham would be projections of energy that is “packed” in human form to convey divine messages. There is No contradiction between the faith and the possibility of there are intelligent beings beyond Earthsince both come from the same Creator.
6. Judaism and the idea of the aliens
to. Opinions please
- Rav Aryeh Kaplan and Rav Chaim Kanievsky admit that the universe may contain other forms of life created by Godnot necessarily made “in the image of a human being”.
- The Talmud (Avodah Zarah 3b) suggests that God travels 18,000 worlds, which can be interpreted as the existence of other civilizations or spheres of consciousness.
- The Zohar (Vol. III, 113b) he claims that “there are creatures in other worlds, that serve God in different ways to that of man”.
b. Opinions against
- Some scholars, such as the Ramban (Nachmanides)they argue that the Earth is the the spiritual center of the creation, and that the “higher worlds” are dimensions spiritual, not physical.
- Other rabbis modern, as Rav Moshe Feinsteinnotice that the concept of aliens not relevant halachic or religiousas it will not affect the relationship of man with God.
7. Conclusion: synthesis theological and philosophical
The parashah Vaierá presents to us a vision where the divine manifests itself through the non-terrestrial.
The three “men” who visited Abraham can be understood from three levels:
- Literal (Peshat): there were three travelers, messengers of God.
- Mystic (Sod): they were projections of angels, or emanations of divine.
- Contemporary: could be viewed as si no human, extraterrestrial beings created by the same God that created Adam.
Judaism, in its majority, do not reject the possibility of extraterrestrial life; merely considered irrelevant to the spiritual practice, since all life —whether on Land or out of it— it serves the same divine source.
“The heavens tell of the glory of God” (Psalm 19:2).
Perhaps those skies are also full of beings that praise him in ways we don't yet understand.
