The Ways of Metatron

A Book of Enoch

By Eleazar of Worms

Edited by Jonathan M. Stein, Esq.

First English Edition

Translated from the Original Hebrew Text

With Editors Note

Copyright © 2011 by Jonathan M. Stein, Esq.

Translation Copyright © 2011 by Jonathan M. Stein Esq. PLLC

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Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Editor’s Note

The Ways of Metatron (Hilchot Metatron)

End Notes

Editors Note

“And although the Holy One, Blessed be He, is not seen, we must believe that Heis.”Eleazar of Worms,Sod Ha-Yichud.

The material you are holding in your hands contains the first published Englishtranslation of “The Ways of Metatron,” (Hilchot Metatron in Hebrew), by Eleazar ofWorms (Eleazar Rokeach [1176-1238 C.E.]). On the surface, this selection recounts thecircumstances of the Biblical Patriarch Enoch ben Jared’s ascent to Heaven and“translation” into the Angel Metatron, along with other biographical anecdotes “dictated”by Metatron himself. Like an iceberg, however, most of the substance is below thesurface. Thus, I have endeavored to provide my readers with a translation that is lessidiomatic and more a rendering of the biblical Hebrew source material (as much as thatis possible). Come and see…

The canonized TaNaKh (Jewish Bible) has very little to say about Enoch:

And Jared lived a hundred and sixty two years, and he begot Enoch. And Jared livedafter he had begotten Enoch eight hundred years, and he begot sons and daughters.And all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty two years, and he died. AndEnoch lived sixty five years, and he begot Methuselah. And Enoch walked with Godafter he had begotten Methuselah, three hundred years, and he begot sons anddaughters. And all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty five years. AndEnoch walked with God, and he was no longer,for God had taken him (emphasisadded). Bereishit (Genesis), 5:18-24.

What happened to Enoch? Of Jared, and the other Patriarchs mentioned in thisgenealogy, it is stated that they died. But Enoch “was no longer,for God had takenhim.” It does not speak of his death, per se. This linguistic quirk lead to muchspeculation. “Books of Enoch,” treatises on Enoch, his fate, and his secrets, wererumored to be existent – such books were referenced in and by sources such as theZohar, the writings of Rabbi Chaim Vital (1543-1620 C.E.), and Epistles from theChristian Bible. Dr. John Dee (1527-1608 C.E.), special advisor to Queen Elizabeth I,was so infatuated with Enoch and Enoch’s fabled secrets that he spent the greater partof the 1580’s attempting to uncover them by… “other “means.

In 1773, James Bruce, a famous Scottish traveler, returned to Europe, from Ethiopia,with three copies of what later became known as I Enoch (written in the Ge’ez [Ethiopic]language), one of which is currently preserved in the Bodleian Library at Oxford. Theantiquity of I Enoch (Second Temple Period) was confirmed by the discovery of Aramaicfragments at Qumran in 1948. However, the Qumran fragments represent but a smallfragment of the greater Ethiopic work, and are largely damaged and unreadable. Thus,the bulk of the content of the original remains a mystery. A Second Book of Enoch (2Enoch or “The Secrets of Enoch”), was discovered in various Slavonic manuscriptsdating from 1300 to 1700. Although earlier Coptic fragments were identified in 2009, noexistent Aramaic fragments have been discovered. It should be noted that Aramaicmanuscripts are an important gauge of Second Temple Jewish Antiquity, becauseAramaic was the “lay” language of the period (as opposed to the formal Biblical Hebrewof scripture), and the most likely language to be employed by Jewish sources of thatperiod.

3 Enoch is most salient for the purposes of the instant work. 3 Enoch appears to be

originally written in Hebrew and exists in MS Oxford Oppenheimer 556 (the basis forHugo Odeberg’s 1928 English translation). However, Gershom Scholem – well knownfor his academic scholarship on the Kabbalah – in Orientalistische Literaturzeiung 33(1930), showed that that MS 556 is unreliable. Portions of this manuscript appear in theVatican’s collection, V228, and New York EMC 255. Note that I cite Scholem for hisscholarship only – he was empathically not a “mystic,” nor does he claim to have everpracticed any of the material he critiqued.

Rabbi Eleazar’s materials, translated herein, appear in British Museum Margoliouth MS737, and are written in Biblical Hebrew, clearly re-copied from earlier source material. Itcan thereby be deduced that this material is of the greatest antiquity available to ustoday (for these Enochian materials). The authenticity and usefulness (for theKabbalist or mystic) of this work is implicit due to the mere fact that it was selected byRabbi Eleazar for use and dissemination in his closed, esoteric circle of Kabbalists – theHassidei Ashkenaz. This material has not been available in English – until now.

The material - The Ways of Metatron – is a small selection that tracks the core portionsof 3 Enoch and includes additional materials in the form of Baraitas (externalMishnayot). Scholars will certainly be intrigued by the use of language – in comparisonto the other manuscripts and Odeberg’s English work – and the supplemental materialssupplied by Rabbi Eleazar. The same applies to contemporary self-styled mystics of the“Western Tradition.” I suggest reading the material several times and meditating on thedeeper meanings therein. It should also be noted that this selection is representative ofmaterials existent in the pre-Zoharic “Kabbalah.”

For the novice, this translation – due to its length and content – provides an excellentintroduction to the Jewish esoteric schools of antiquity, in contrast to the contemporaryZohar based (and I use this attribution loosely) teachings, calling itself “THE Kabbalah,”prevalent in pop culture (think “Madonna” ).

So, without further ado, I present you with the first published English translation of “TheWays of Metatron.”

__________________________

Jonathan M. Stein, Esq. – Editor

July 21, 2011

NB: Bracketed text and text in parens are not part of the text and have been addedfor explanation and ease of reading.

The Ways of Metatron

Said RabbiIshmael: I asked the minister Metatron, to write down everything that was writtenabout the head of angels (‘sar hapnim’: lit. in modern Hebrew: ‘minister of interior’). I said tohim, what is your name? [Metatron] said: I have seventy names against seventy nations in theworld, like the name of my King, but my King calls me youngster”1”.

Said RabbiIshmael: I asked Metatron, sinceyou are being called byGodin seventy names, andyou are greater than all ministers, and higher than all angels, and wiser than all servants, and[more] honored than all hosts, and dearer than all soldiers, in kingship and in honor and ingreatness, why do they call you youngster in Heaven? Said [Metatron]: because I am Enoch ben(son of) Jared, that when the generation of the Flood sinned andtransgressed in deeds and said toGod, leave us and knowing your path we do not wish [to follow], God raised us (lit., probablyspeaking of himself in the plural) from among those [victims of the Flood] on Earth to be awitness in Heaven of [the deeds] for every living soul in the world, so that none will say:‘mercifulandcruelHe”2”is, what sin have these people [of the flood generation] done? And if theyhave sinned, their sons anddaughters, their horses and mules and their livestock and property andeveryanimalthat has been in the world, what sin have they done so that they were killed withthem and God has vanished them from the world’? Therefore,the Holy One, Blessed beHe,raised me to Heaven in front of their eyes to be a witness about them in theworld to come;and God placed me as a minister and arulerof theministering angels. At the time He raised me toHeaven, three angels from those of Aza and Azael”3”came and were there [viciously] denouncingme, saying to theHoly One, Blessed be He: ‘Master of the Universe,were not those prior [Angelswho came to] to you ([sic] literally) right in saying not to create a human being? God answered,saying to them: I did [create Man] and will suffer and escape. Once they [the angels] saw me[Enoch] they asked Him: what is the nature of this [being] who came up to the sky? Is he notfrom the sons of the sons of these who were punished in the Flood? His place is here in Heaven?God answered [to the angels]:what is your place that you interrupt my words? I want him morethan you all to be a head of the angels in Heaven. [Upon this] all promptly stood and welcomedme, bowed to me and said blessed are you and blessed are your parents that God wanted”4”you,and because I am small among them and young in years they call me “youngster.”

Said RabbiIshmael: Metatron, head of the angels, told me [that] on the day God expelled Adamfrom Paradise, [the] Divine spirit”5”was present on a cherub”6”under the Tree of Life, and theministering angels were gathering, coming and going down, groups and groups from Heaven,bands and bands, droves and droves, to do God’s will throughout the whole world, and Adamand Eve, [were] sitting [outside the Gates of the Garden], there to look upon the brightness of theDivine spirit, since the brightness of the Divine spirit traverses the entire world from end to end,and [is] even 365 thousand times brighter in the sun, [because for] anyone who embraces”7”thebrightness of the Divine spirit there are no flies and no mosquitoes on him and he is not sick andfeels no sorrow and no harm[ful thing] can damage him, and no longer [can] even the angels rulehim. And when the Holy One, Blessed be He, got out of Eden to the [lower] garden (lit.) andfrom the [lower] garden to Heaven and from Heaven to the [higher] garden, all were looking atthe brightness of the Divine spirit and were not damaged, until the arriv[al of] the generation ofEnoshe, head of all idol worshipers in the world. What the generation of Enoshe was doing waswalking from the end of the world to its end, each and everyone collecting silver, gold andgemstones and pearls in the mountains and in the hills”8”, and [they] were idol-worshiping withthe Four World-Winds (winds of the world), and were positioning him (Enoshe?) within the FourWorld-Winds, of paganism, measured as 1000 parasangs, and were bringing down the sun and

moon, stars and zodiac-signs, and putting all in front of them, to their right and to their left, toserve them in the same way that they served God in the past”9”, as it written (Kings A 22, 19):“…and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.” And how didthey have the power to get them down? Because Aza and Azael were teaching them witchcraft[that enabled them to do these things]; if it was not so, they would not be able to get them down.

And at the same timethe ministering angels colluded [together] to put a prosecutor in front ofGod, telling him: “Master of the Universe, what [business] do you have with human beings, as itis written (Psalm 8, 4): ‘…what is man (in Hebrew: Enoshe) that thou art mindful to him?’ Andit is not written what is Adam (Hebrew: a man, a human being), but what is Enoshe (Hebrew: aman, a human being), since he (Enoshe) was the head of paganism. Why did you leave the holyheavens, which are full with your honor, that high and glorified they are, and the raised chair thatis at the height of heaven’s plains and you came and went with human-beings, idol-worshipersthat compared you with paganism, [and] now you are on earth, what is your place with earth-walkers and idol-worshipers?” God immediately removed the Divine spirit from earth; then theserving angels and hosts battalions and plains’ soldiers, 1000 droves and hosts, came and tookthe trumpets and grabbed the shofars in their hands and circled the Divine spirit in songs andsinging to heaven, as written (Psalm 47, 5):”God is gone up with a shout”.

Said RabbiIshmael: Metatron, head of the angels, told me: at first, when God wanted to raiseme up to heaven, He sent a ministering angel, Anfiel, who took me from among them (people onEarth) before their eyes and put me on a big cherub and in a fire-vehicle and fire-horses andhonor-servants, and raised me with the Divine spirit to heaven, and when I arrived to heaventhere were animals”10”and cherubs and ministering angels and wheels and fire-servants”11”upthere, and they smelled my smell from far away, 5000 and 3,600,000 (lit. 360 ten-thousand)parasangs, and they all said: ‘what is the smell of this mortal-drop and what is the reason for thiswhiteness-drop (sic) coming up to heaven to serve among those carved from sparks of fire (lit.:spark-carved)? God answers and tells them: servants of my host, my cherubs and my ministeringangels, do not oppose this, since all human-beings left me and my great kingdom, and turned andworshiped idols, I removed my Divine spirit from among them and raised it back to heaven, andthis [Enoch] is the only thing I took from my world under the whole sky.

Said RabbiIshmael: Metatron, head of the angels, told me: when God took me from among theFlood generation [he] raised me in the wings of the Divine spirit to the supreme heaven andentered me into great palaces at the height of heaven, where there [is] the honor of the Divinespirit, large carriages of fury and soldiers of rage, and angels of fire and cherubs of torch andangels of ember, and servants of flame and flashes of lightning and angels of sparkle—andplaced me [there] to serve everyday in front of His-honor’s chair.

Said RabbiIshmael: Metatron, head of the angels, told me: before God placed me [in Heaven]to serve the honored chair, [He] opened for me, the Holy One, Blessed be He, 600 thousandsgates of wisdom and 300 thousand [gates] of sense, and 300 thousand of life, and 300 thousandofcunning, and 300 thousand of Divine spirit, and 300 thousand of bravery and strength and 300thousand of grace and kindness, and 300 thousand of love, 300 thousand of Torah, and 300thousand of livelihood, and 300 thousand of humility, and 300 thousand of fear-of-sin. From thatmoment on, God added to me wisdom upon wisdom, sense upon sense, cunning upon cunning,knowledge upon knowledge, mercy upon mercy, and Torah upon Torah, and love upon love,kindness upon kindness, and delight upon delight, and humility upon humility, and bravery uponbravery, and power upon power, and strength upon strength, and brightness upon brightness, andbeauty upon beauty, and appearance upon appearance, I was honored and glorified in all thesefine and remarkable virtues more than any one in heaven.

Said RabbiIshmael: Metatron, head of the angels, told me: all of this God did for me, [he mademe] a chair like the chair-of-honor, and prize upon prize of the chair-of-honor, that all kinds of

brightness and glory of the world are fixed in it, and put the chair at the entrance of the seventhhall, and sat me on it, and the announcement about me [and my elevation] went out into heavens,saying: Metatron, my [God’s] servant, I made him a minister and a ruler over all my kingdom’sministers, and [over] all heaven’s members, except for eight ministers and honored angels, the

greats and the awe-inspiring who were called Y”H (as the Hebrew letters ) as the name oftheir king, and every angel and every minister who has a thing to say, will go to him [Metatron],and to him will speak, and everything he will tell you in My name you will observe (maintain,respect) and do, because [as you are now] a minster of wisdom and minister of sense, I [God]gave you to learn the wisdom of heaven and of earth and the life of this world, and this of theworld to come, and I [God] also nominated him [Metatron] on all the hoards of the plain’s hallsand of all life-treasures I have in heaven.

Said RabbiIshmael: Metatron, head of the angels, told me: God revealed to me the spring of allTorah mysteries and all wisdom secrets and all depths of the upright Torah, and all the laws ofnature are known to me, as they are known to their Creator, and I watched to look at deep-enigmas and at wonder-secrets; before a man thinks – I know, and before he does somethingclandestinely – I see, and there is nothing either in the height or in the depth that is hidden to me.

Said RabbiIshmael: Metatron, head of the angels, told me: out of [the] love that God loved me[with] more than any [other] angel in heaven, he made me pride-clothing (sic) in which all kindsof glories are fixed, and dressed me and made me a coat in which all kinds of brightness andsplendor are fixed, and raised me and made me a kingdom-crown in which 49 gemstones arefixed and their light is like the sun, and their brightness spreads in four heaven-plain’s winds andin seven heavens and in four winds, and tied it to my head and called me ‘little God’”12”in frontof all the entourage-of-heaven, as it says (Exodus, 23,21):” … for my name is in him.”

Said RabbiIshmael: Metatron, head of the angels, told me: splendor in all heaven, since Godtook me to serve the honor-chair and the carriage’s (Merkava) wheels and all of the Divinespirit’s guarantors, [and] promptly my flesh turned into a fire-flame and my tendons [turned] intoburning hot fire, and my bones into broom-ember, and my eyelids into sparkles, and my eye-wheels into fire-torches, and my head-hair into flame-blazes, and all my organs into burning fire-wings, and all my body-height into a blazing fire, to my right, hewers of fire-flames, and to myleft, torches-burners, and my surroundings are floating in a tempest-wind and a storm and a voiceof noise in noise in front of and behind me.

Up to herewe wrote a few Braitas (Aramaic, external Mishna) ofMerkavah.

Knowthat Metatron is called asmitetor, which is a leader, as inBereshit Rabba (see,Albeck,section 5, starting “let the water under heaven gather together onto one place”), let thewater gather, God became a mitetor to the water, meaning a leader, hence the name Metatronmeans leader of the world and singing song (Hebrew:ron) everyday, and of him it was said(Exodus, 23, 21): “Beware of him and obey his voice, provoke him not…for my name is in him”.Shad’’ai(literally, guard of Israel’s doors) in Metatron (equal in gematria), and more my name is

in him, replace the [Letter]Kofof in him ( the Hebrew word ) in – do not say –

Blessed is His name, and it will be and take from my [God] name[the letter]Yod,and it

will be , and Shad”ai is his [Metatron’s] Rabbi’s [God] name. And why is Metatronas (like) Shad’ai? Because he is [the one who]testifies [to] God [as to] that (or whom) is worth[y]

to worship and glorify as it is in (before the) Merkabah. The youngster Metatronbows down toGod and goes under (to the foot of) the chair-of-honor andpraisesand says Blessed is He

(all areHebrew letters representing permutations of the Divine name) each and every day, and theyoungster praises (God) three times a day”13”. Hisstatureis the entire world, [the] crown on hishead 500 thousand upon 500 thousandparasangs, Israel his name, and the crown, thegemstonebetween itsbeamslights as far as 300 thousand upon 300 thousand, and his body lookslike anarcsurrounded by home-fire (lit.), and the name of the Great (the Great name of God) isengravedin his heart for my (God’s) name is in him. And the voice hits and exhausting hispower, in the place where the name isengravedand from there hear the ministering angels, andfrom there it explodes, “Is not my word like as fire?...and like a hammer that breaketh the rock inpieces?” (Jeremiah, 23, 29) to that it was said (Exodus,23, 21):“Beware of him and obey hisvoice, provoke him not…for my name is in him.” That is (Ibid. 22) “But if thou shalt indeedobey his voice, and do all that I speak” and it is written (Ezekiel, 1, 28) “… and I heard a voiceof one that spoke.”

In Rabbi Akiva’salphabet, 70 names has he, Metatron, and [also] the name “little God,” as hethat will walk among us, and it did not say you will walk [among us], but he will walk and hestands as it is written (Kings A, 22, 19): “…I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the hostof heaven standing by him on his right-hand and on his left.” But where it is written that he issitting it is only a semblance of sitting, he looks as-if he is sitting, since he is the judgeof themall.

Said RabbiIshmael: Metatron, head of the angels, told me: at first, I was sitting on a great chairat the entrance of the seventh hall andjudgedall of heaven’s-members with theauthorizationofGod, andallottedgreatness and kingdom andRabbinate,andsplendorandpraiseandtiaraandcrownand honor, and all the ministering angels were standingabove me to my right and to my left, when I was sitting in the assembly-of-heaven bytheauthorizationof God. And whenElisha ben (son of) Abuya”14”came, he was late to look attheviewingof thecarriage (Merkavah), and was looking at me, and was fearing me andshockedbyme, and his soul isrushing(NB: as is the case in several other places, the author changes tenses inmid-sentence) to flee out of him as a result of [his] fear of me, myreverenceand myawe, that hesaw me sitting on the chair as a king and the ministering angels are standing by me and all theministers of heaven’s-kingdoms aretying crowns and surrounding me; at that time he [Elisha]opened hismouthand said: “for sure there are twoauthorities in heaven.” Promptly a Bat Kol(lit. avoice, metaphorically a Heavenly Voice) came out [from] before the Divine spirit and said:return younaughtysons,apart fromanother. Then came, at the command of God, Anfiel H’ theminister-angel, thehonored,magnificent,wonderful,pleasant,awesomeandadmired– and brought60 pulsas (from the Aramaic, lit.lashes) of fire [against Metatron] and they (the pulsas) stood mestraight-up on myfeet (knocked Metatron up onto his feet).

In Rabbi Akiva’salphabet, (God) gave to Metatron, who isEnoch ben (son of) Jared,allthehoardsand assignedhim all thetreasureI (God) have in every heaven, and the key to each oneis in his (Metatron) hands. I (God)appointed him to [be] a minister of all the ministers, and Imade him a servant of my honored chair, tocurl and totake care ofthe holy animals (the ChayotAngels) and to tie crowns to their heads, andangels of splendor to surround them, honor,gloryandsplendor to dress them, andsparks ofradianceto grab in hands, brightness andradianceof flame-angels (Seraphim) with which to proudlywrap, and flashes of light tostrengthenfrom, and atevery gate to prepare for Him a seat when he is sitting on his chair [besides the presence] of theglory of my (God’s) chair, of the glory of my honor in honor and respect to increase my honor inheavens in its height in all the highs is 70,000parasangs and I increased his honor from the glory

of my honor, and theradiance of his eyes is as the brightness of the chair of honor (the Divine“Throne”).

The crownof his kingdom, 500 by 500parasangs, and I (God) granted him (Metatron) from myglory and my splendor, from my honor which is on the chair of honor, and I called him in myname “little God,” head of angels and knower of secrets, and each and every secret I told him asbeloved-one, and each and every secret I informed him, when I set him to sit at the entrance ofhis hall as ajudgeof all myentouragein heaven. And every minster I put in front of him, to getpermission to do his (the minister’s) will.

70names I (God) took frommine, and called him (Metatron) by them to increase his honor andrespect. And 70 ministers I gave to his command at any language. To degrade superiors to earthand to lift up despisers to heaven, and to strike kings and to beat counts, and to rise kings andcounts. “And he changeth the times and the seasons: removeth kings, and setteth up kings”(Daniel 2, 21), to give wisdom to every world-wise, and sense and knowledge to every knowing,and I appointed him to reveal secrets and to teach the laws. “So shall my word be that goeth forthout of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which Ipleased…”(Isaiah, 55, 11). I did not [say] “was said” but “accomplished” , to teach that each andevery thing and each and every word that came out of God’s mouth, Metatron, head of angels,steps forwards and performs it, and maintains the commands oftheHoly One, Blessed be He.

And each and everyday Metatron sits [for] three hours in heaven and writes down (records) allthe souls of fetuses who died in their mothers’ intestine(sic), and of thesesucking breasts whodied on their mothers’ breasts, and of schoolchildrenwho died on theTorah, and he brings themunder the chair of honor, and seats them by classes-classes, bands-bands, group-group aroundhim, and teaches them Torah and wisdom, Aggadas (A type of Rabbinic literature, lit.legends)and rumors and completes their book of studies, as it says (Ibid. 28, 9): “Whom shall he teachknowledge? And whom shall he make to understand doctrine? Them that are weaned from themilk and drawn from the breasts.”

And 70names has Metatron, faithful youngster, little God, and he called Zganzgael (contains

theconsonants and sounds of - gnazim- Hebrew forhoards, and - el- Hebrew for God)since all thetreasures of wisdomare given to him, and all of them were open to Moses,may herest in peace,in Mount Sinai, until he studied them in 40 days, when Metatron studies Torah in70 aspects of 70 languages,Prophetsin 70 aspects of 7 languages, [the]Writingsin 70 aspects of 7languages, [and] since [after the] 40 days were over, he (Moses) forgot all at once, God calledhim (Metatron), thegorgeousminister of Torah (Metatron), and gave him all of them (that heforgot) as a present, like it was before, as it says (Deuteronomy, 10, 4) :”… and the Lord gavethem unto me.” And after that was valid what was said (Malachi, 3, 24):” Remember ye the lawof Moses my servant…”

Said RabbiIshmael: Metatron, head of the angels, told me: out of lots of love and great mercy,God loved me more than all heaven’s-members, he (God) wrote with his finger, with a flame-penand tied to my head-crown letters in which [the] heaven and earth were created”15”, letters inwhich seas and rivers were created, letters in which stars and zodiac-signs were created,andlightningand winds, andthunder-snow, andhail storm and tempest, letters in which all thevalues of the world and all the laws of nature were created and each and every letterisflyingoccasionallylike the sight of lightning,occasionallylike the sight of thetorches,occasionallylike the sight of the fire-flames,occasionallylike the sight of the rise of thesun in its glory, and the moon and the stars.

Said RabbiIshmael: Metatron, head of the angels, told me: whenthe Holy One, Blessed beHe,tied this crown to my head, moved all the ministers-of-soldiers that are in the upper plains,

and all heaven, and even ministers-of-gods and ministers-of-angels, and ministers-of-emissariesthat are greater than all the ministering angels who are serving the honored chair, [even they]were moved and are shivered by me when they see [me], and even minister Samael, head of allAccusers, who is greater than the ministers of all heaven’s-kingdoms fears me and is outraged byme. And even the angels of fire, and the angels of hail, and the angels of wind, and the angels offury, and the angel of rage, and the angels of noise, and the angels of snow the hail and the rain,and the angel of the day, and the angel of the night, and the angel of the moon, and the angel ofthe sun, and the angel of the stars, and the angel of the zodiac-signs which rule the world undertheir hands (the signs), [all of these] are moving, and are outraging and are frightened by me, seeme and are falling on their faces, and cannot look at mebecause of [the] glory and splendor andbrightness andradianceandbeautyandgleamof the light of my crown-of-honor that is on my head.

Metatronis a minister upon all ministers and stands ahead of anyone who were [to be] raised[up] by God, and he (Metatron) enters under the chair of honor, and he has a greatseatof light up(in heaven) and he brings asilentfire and makes theears of animals not to hear the voice ofspeech.

WhenMoses rose to heaven and suffered 121Taaniths (lit.fasts) until the springs of flashes wereopened to him, and he saw that his heart is like the heart of a lion, and saw hosts-sects therearound him to burn him, and [when] Moses asked for mercy for Israel and [then] later askedmercy for himself, and [the one]who is in charge of thecarriage(Merkabah) opened the windowsabove the heads of thecherubs and 1800advocates of Israel went out, and Metatron head ofangels with them, they received Moses’prayer and set it at the head of God,“Hear O Israel theLord our God Lord is One” (Shema Yisrael), [they]rejoiced and were happy from the face of theDivine spirit (Shechina), and she (the Divine spirit) told to Metatron: who are these and to whomdo they give all this honor and respect, as it says (Nahum, 2,3) in thegreatnessof Israel God is

alive. At that time Akatriel Y”H H’ ( ) turned and said to Metatron head of angels:whoever asks for God, do not deny hisrequest, hear hisprayerand fill his needs, be them (theneeds) many or few.Promptly said Metatron to Moses son of Amram: do not fear,demand yourneeds proudly andbravely, since the skin of your face shines from the end of the world to its end;said Moses,could it be thatI am guilty? Said Metatron head of angels to Moses: receive thisoaththat is not a breaking of a treaty; and his name called Metatron that became a metator (Greek orLatin: the one who sits on the chair of honor), shows what God wanted for his angels that he willbe ahead [of them], and he Metatron is a Rabbi and a teacher of the good children, it is Metatronthe matron of the evil that is not Benai (sons of) Osna”t Mshga”ch (

) that are mentioned in Masechet Nedarim. And why [is itthat] he made Metatron a governor of all heaven’s-members? Because when saw (Metatron asEnoch) the Flood generation sin, he built a house extant to his place (i.e., a place for him to gointo physical isolation), and there was the place where he prayed and where he studied, and hewas not walking inside the world, and Enoch (Metatron) was worshiping God and dismissedhim

in a great shout, rose God in a shout with the Divine spirit H’ ( ) in a shofar-voice (Psalm47,6)to inform that [the]piousare prior to [the] ministering angels, “to this time it shall be said toJacob and Israel: What hath God wrought!” (Numbers, 23, 23). And so found Kilar these will befrom within, etc.

END NOTES

1

Also could be “Youth” or “Lad”. page 8

2

I.e., God. page 8

3

These are the “fallen angels” spoken of in I Enoch. page 8

4

Alternatively, “Desires.” page 8

5

The Shechina, or Divine Presence. page 8

6

Compare to the Holy Ark, where the same dwelled between two Cherubim (Keruvim)on the cover of the Ark (the “Mercy Seat”). Generally, the two Cherubim there arethought to be or represent Metatron and Sandalphon. page 8

7

Alternatively, “Uses.” page 8

8

A deeper meaning here could be that they were collecting these things for occultpurposes and use. page 8

9

Acts of sorcery. page 8

10

“Chayot” - a class of Angels seen in Ezekiel’s vision. page 10

11

“Seraphim”, or “burning” Angels, ibid. page 10

12

“Little Ha-Shem” (Yod Hey Vav Hey). Confusion by Acher, who ascended with RabbiAkiva to Shmaim (Pardes), led him to wrongfully conclude that there were two powers inHeaven (this is one explanation of what Acher’s “Apostasy” was). See, Hagiga at 14b,and NB,infra. page 11

13

Note that Jews are obligated to pray three times per day by Torah Law. page 12

14

See Note 12, supra. page 13

15

See the Sefer Yetzirah. page 15

NB: Hagiga, amud 14b does not explicitly mention Metatron. it merely says “Acherkitzetz bantiot” (Acher chopped down saplings [in Pardes]). This is interpreted to be anallusion to apostasy - the meaning is not explicit, i.e., any precise events.