God Seeking the Angels’ Advice?

Rabbi Moshe Ben-Chaim

And God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, after our likeness. They shall rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the cattle, the whole earth, and all the creeping things that creep on earth.” (Gen. 1:26)

Rashi comments: 

The humility of the Holy One, blessed be He, the Rabbis learned from here, because man is in the likeness of the angels and they might envy him, therefore He took counsel with the angels. And when He judges the kings He likewise consults His heavenly council. “There are in the heavens beings after My likeness; if there will not be on Earth also beings after My likeness, there will be envy among the beings that I have created” (Sanhedrin 38b).

This theme repeats regarding the Tower of Babel:

Let us go down and confound their speech there, so that they shall not understand one another’s speech (Gen. 11:7).

Rashi comments: 

“Let us go down” — He took counsel with His Judicial Court because of His exceeding humility (Sanhedrin 38b)

Rabbi Yoḥanan said, “What is the meaning of that which is written, “And the one (Egyptian army) came not near the other (fleeing freed Jews) all the night” (Exod. 14:20)? The ministering angels wanted to sing, but the Holy One, Blessed be He, said, “The work of My hands (the Egyptians) are drowning at sea, and you wish to say songs? (Megilla 10b)

Regarding both man’s creation and administering justice over man, God “takes counsel from angels.” This is obviously metaphoric. So let’s slowly unravel the true meaning. 

Why does God seek advice from angels? God knows all, angels can’t teach Him anything! What is meant by God being very humble? Further, how is God’s humility regarding man alone; either creating him or governing him? As we don’t see God taking counsel from angels regarding any matter other than man, how is God’s humility limited to man alone. And what is this “jealousy” in creation? Finally, what is God’s rebuke of the angels singing at the Red Sea, since the Jews sang too, and the Jews were not reprimanded.

Let’s review Talmud’s greater insights:

Rav Yehuda says that Rav says, “At the time that the Holy One, Blessed be He, sought to create a person, He created one group of ministering angels. He said to them, “If you agree, let us fashion man in our image.” The angels said before Him, “Master of the Universe, what are the doings of this man You suggest to create?” God said to them, “His actions are such and such, according to human nature.” The angels said before Him, “Master of the Universe, ‘What is man that You are mindful of him? And the son of man that You think of him?’ (Psalms 8:5).” God outstretched His small finger among them and burned them with fire. And the same occurred with a second group of angels. The third group of angels that He asked said before Him, “Master of the Universe, the first two groups who spoke their mind before You, what did they accomplish? Rather, the entire world is Yours; whatever You wish to do in Your world, do.” God then created Adam. 

When history arrived at the time of the generation of the Flood and the Tower of Babel, whose actions were corrupt, the angels said before God, “Master of the Universe, didn’t the first set of angels speak appropriately before You, that human beings are not worthy of having been created?” God said to them concerning humanity, “Even to your old age I am the same; and even to grey hairs will I suffer you; I have made and I will bear; and I will carry, and I will deliver you” (Isaiah 46:4), i.e., having created people, I will even suffer their flaws.” 

So we have a few cases where the angels lacked knowledge. But we must be clear: these are midrashim (allegories), scripted stories to teach lessons, but not actual historical events: God never asked angels for advice, He never rebuked them. So these midrashim require interpretation, as do all midrashim.  Let’s first define our terms.

What is Humility? 

Humility is the expressed trait of intelligent beings when subjugated to others, even when not warranted, like a president inviting a commoner into his company. The greater party catering to the lesser is called humility. God seeking advice from angels means God is catering to them, but in what manner? 

Jealousy in Creation

If man does not exist, the imbalance (jealousy) as that the earthly portion of creation will not contain intelligent beings capable of recognizing God. This would give the wrong impression of the sole purpose of creation, which Rashi says is Israel’s engagement in Torah (Avos. 2:8). Man must exist. Creation does not exist for itself: an Earth with no man is purposeless. Furthermore angels do not have psyches. Therefore they are bereft of any emotions, including jealousy. 

God consulting the angels about creating man and talmud’s lesson that God destroyed the angels who disagreed with man’s creation, indicates that angels lacked God’s knowledge. Rav Chaim Ozer Chait said, as God is unrelated to physicality, God created angels as a means to relate to a physical Earth. In this sense, angels serve man. But angels may have another purpose for themselves too, as we see they praise God.

If there will not be on Earth also beings after My likeness, there will be envy among the beings that I have created.

Without an intelligent being on Earth, Earth's purpose would appear as existing for itself, and not to provide God’s wisdom to observers. The heavens would be “envied” as having greater importance, as only there, beings exist that perceive God’s wisdom. But now that God did create man, all portions of creation convey God's will that intelligent beings should observe His wisdom and enjoy it. 

 Tolerating Man

Clearly, angels do not possess the capacity of toleration. They also don’t share the Creator’s mercy over His creatures. That's why they initially said, “What is man that you should be mindful of him?” Meaning, “Man will corrupt himself, so why create him?” What’s God’s response of Isaiah 46:4? God initially says that "I am He," meaning “I am the only one that can have mercy as I am the sole creator.” That's why He follows up that statement and explains in the verse, "I have made man," meaning as a creator I have a different relationship to My creations that the angels do not have. That is also expressed by “tolerating” man. The angels don’t have God’s capacity of mercy ("angels of mercy" in Rashi, Gen. 19:1 means they carry out God's mercy, not their own mercy). They see man violating God’s will, and say man should not be created. In the metaphysical world, nothing conflicts with God’s will. Angels included. God originally destroyed the angels who disagreed with Him about creating man (an allegory). This teaches that angels are not all-knowing, they are lacking in this sense and “deserve destruction.” God alone is all-knowing. God knows man should exist despite his sins. That is the tolerance.

At the Red Sea too, the angels lacked mercy: “My creations are drowning in the sea and you want to sing?” The midrashim are consistent in presenting allegories that angels operate outside of God’s mercy. Why were the Jews mandated to sing Az Yashir? This is due to the benefit God bestowed upon them in saving them from the Egyptian’s attack. That goodness obligated them in thanks to God (Rabbi Israel Chait). 

It would appear man knows God’s mercy, whereas angels do not, as in their world, mercy plays no role for all beings there operate without sin. Purely intelligent angels can’t sin  and therefore don’t need mercy. That perfect world’s inhabitants—angels—do not deem a sinful creature as deserving existence, so they replied to God, “What is a man that you should be mindful of him?” So God did not really destroy them because there was no conversation. But it means that as angels do not possess God's knowledge, they are oblivious to God's greater considerations to create man. 

God’s Humility: Only Regarding Man

We noticed that God consulted the angels only regarding creating man or in governing man. But in creating and managing all else, angels were not consulted.  

God consulting angels for their opinion is absurd; He knows all. We said it means God’s creation of man was not understood by angels. That’s the message of the angels disagreeing with man’s creation, and also God’s burning of the angels. 

In the creation and governing of man, the allegories teach that God’s tolerance of a sinful creature is outside the pale of a purely metaphysical angel, who live without mercy. Like we said, at the Red Sea God rebuked the angels, “My creations are drowning in the sea and you want to sing?” There was no dialogue between God and the angels. It means the same idea that mercy is something God possesses and angels do not. 

Why does God consult angels only in connection with mankind, and not any other creation? Since this midrash is to teach that angels are unrelated to God’s mercy on a sinful creature named man, this does not apply to all other creations which are unrelated to free will and sin. 

God consulting with angels never took place. This scripted dialogue is to focus on the angel’s response that they don’t understand man. God demanded man’s existence. So it’s irrelevant that angels don’t agree with man’s existence. Man’s existence is mandatory. 

What is God’s humility in consulting His angels? God knows what they will disapprove of man. What’s the point of the question? As we said, there was no dialogue, this is allegory. But it means that God seeks His creations to operate optimally. So “asking the angel’s advice” allegorically means that God seeks to offer opportunity to His creations.

You see that a gemara must be highly respected, and carefully analyzed to derive the rabbis' wisdom. But offering simplified and lame interpretations is wrong, as it treats gemara poorly, and forfeits the chance to inspire others of God's brilliant Torah.