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Terumah — Mystery of the Angels

Adam Kadmon

In rabbinical tradition, Adam Kadmon (the primordial man) is known as the pure Divine Light, possessing no vessels. Adam Kadmon is the manifestation of God after tzimtzum (contraction) to emanate the World of Atzilut and create the three lower worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah.

This rabbinical depiction of Adam Kadmon is the concept of Mashiach revealed in the Book of John (1:9) as the True Light. The first book of Corinthian 15:45-49 reveals another two concepts of Adam, i.e. the first Adam and the final Adam, the sum of the three is 1167:

Adam Kadmon אָדָם קַדְמוֹן 245
Adam Harishon אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן 607
Adam Haacharon אָדָם הָאַחֲרוֹן 315
  1167

1167 is the gematria of וַיִּתְחַפֵּשׂ הַמָּשִׁיחַ, meaning “And Mashiach disguised”.

Since the two final letters of Adam Kadmon have final forms (sofit), the secret is revealed if we apply the gematria of the final forms (600 for Mem and 700 for Nun) to Adam Kadmon (אָדָם קַדְמוֹן) thus revealing the gematria as 1455, which is exactly the gematria of the four worlds, as follows:

Emanation Atzilut אֲצִילוּת 537
Creation Beriah בְּרִיאָה 218
Formation Yetzirah יְצִירָה 315
Action Asiyah עֲשִׂיָה 385
  1455

Mashiach is called “the beginning of God’s creation” in Revelation 3:14, which in Hebrew would be Reshit Beriat Elohim רֵאשִׁית בְּרִיאַת אֱלֹהִים, the gematria is 1610:

The beginning of God’s creation רֵאשִׁית בְּרִיאַת אֱלֹהִים 1610
Mashiach is King, Mashiach was King, Mashiach will be King forever and ever מָּשִׁיחַ מֶלֶךְ מָּשִׁיחַ מָלָךְ מָּשִׁיחַ יִמְלֹךְ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד 1610

The Ark

וְצִפִּיתָ אֹתוֹ זָהָב טָהוֹר, מִבַּיִת וּמִחוּץ תְּצַפֶּנּוּ; וְעָשִׂיתָ עָלָיו זֵר זָהָב סָבִיב And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about. (Ex 25:11)

According to Rashi, there are three layers to the ark:

Bezalel made three arks, two of gold and one of wood. Each one had four walls and a bottom, and they were open on the top. He placed the wooden one inside the golden one and the [other] golden one inside the wooden one. He covered the upper rim with gold, thus it is found that [the wooden one] was overlaid from inside and from outside [with gold]. — [from Yoma 72b, Shek. 16b]

According to Arizal, these three layers of the ark correspond to the three archangels in the three worlds.

Achteriel of Beriah (Creation)

The name Achteriel (אַכְתְּרִיאֵל) is mentioned in rabbinical tradition as the angel that resides in the World of Creation (Beriah) corresponding to the Crown (Keter) in Sefirah as the word literally means: I will be the crown of God, corresponding to the name of God Ehyeh (אֶהְיֶה).

The World of Creation is known as the domain of the souls, which is the first level of descent from the World of Emanation.

The gematria of Achetriel and Ehyeh is 683, which is the mirror image of 386, the gematria of Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ):

Ehyeh אֶהְיֶה 21
Achetriel אַכְתְּרִיאֵל 662
  683

Metatron of Yetzirah (Formation)

Metatron (מֵטַטְרוֹן) is mystically connected to the name YHVH, of the Sefirah of Tiferet (Beauty).

The first letter Yud of YHVH is split into 3 and 7, with 3 being the intellectual attributes and 7 being the emotional attributes of the Sefirot, which numbers are squared to arrive at the gematria of the first three letters of Metatron.

The final three letters are squared to arrive at the gematria of the final three letters of Metatron:

ה ו ה י
16 3 7
256 9 49
רון ט מט

The World of Formation is the domain of angels.

Sandalphon of Asiyah (Action)

Sandalphon (סָנְדַלְפוֹן) is known in rabbinical tradition as the angel of prayer. The name is unique in that it is not suffixed with an El (אֵל), like most angels do, but with an “on” (וֹן), like Metatron (מֵטַטְרוֹן), hence they’re called brothers.

The World of Action would correspond to the Sefirah of Malchut, which in turn would correspond to the name of God known as Adonai.

Since these two angels are called twin brothers, the sum of their gematria plus their two corresponding names of God is 685, exactly that of Sar HaPanim (שַׂר הַפָּנִים), the Prince of the Faces:

YHVH יהוה 26
Metatron מֵטַטְרוֹן 314
Adonai אֲדֹנָי 65
Sandalphon סָנְדַלְפוֹן 280
  685

Sar HaPanim is the title for Metatron, this comes to teach that Metatron is primary, and Sandalphon is secondary.

In summary:

Intellectual – mind Beriah – creation Achteriel אַכְתְּרִיאֵל 662
Emotional – heart Yetzirah – formation Metatron מֵטַטְרוֹן 314
Physical – action Asiyah – action Sandalphon סָנְדַלְפוֹן 280
  1256

The gematria of the three angles add up to 1256, which is exactly the gematria of Ark (אֲרוֹן), if 1000 is counted as the gematria of Alef instead of the normative 1:

1000 א
200 ר
6 ו
50 ן
1256

But the central expression of the three angels is the Angel Metatron who is in the name of God known as Shadai, as they have the same gematria of 314. Based on Rashi, this is the angel of Ex 23:20:

הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי שֹׁלֵחַ מַלְאָךְ, לְפָנֶיךָ לִשְׁמָרְךָ, בַּדָּרֶךְ; וְלַהֲבִיאֲךָ, אֶל הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר הֲכִנֹתִי Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee by the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.

This is based on the Hebrew phrase “my name is in him” (שְׁמִי בְּקִרְבּוֹ), which name is understood by Rashi as Shadai (שַׁדַי).

When the name of Shadai is spelled out progressively and regressively, the sum of the gematria is exactly 1256, the sum of the three angels:

1256 ש שד שדי שדי די י

 

Three Groups of Angels

According to the rabbis, the three worlds are the domains of three groups of angels known as:

Beriah – creation Seraphim – fiery angels הַשְּׂרָפִים 635
Yetzirah – formation Chayot – living creatures הַחַיּוֹת 429
Asiyah – action Ophanim – wheels הָאוֹפַנִּים 192
  1256

Astonishingly, the sum of the three groups of angels in gematria is 1256, which is exactly the sum of the three archangels, and the ark!

Seraphim are the burning angels in Isaiah’s vision (6:1), there are two Seraphim. Two denotes duality, which is only possible in the World of Beriah (creation). On the other hand, burning annihilates self-centeredness, thus forming unity with God.

Chayot are living creatures and Ophanim are the wheels in Ezekiel’s vision (1:15-16), “for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels” (Ezk 1:20), from this it is derived that Chayot give life force from the World of Formation to the Ophanim in the World of Action.

At the collective level, the living creatures are also called the Cherubim:

וְאַרְבָּעָה פָנִים, לְאֶחָד: פְּנֵי הָאֶחָד פְּנֵי הַכְּרוּב, וּפְנֵי הַשֵּׁנִי פְּנֵי אָדָם, וְהַשְּׁלִישִׁי פְּנֵי אַרְיֵה, וְהָרְבִיעִי פְּנֵי-נָשֶׁר And every one had four faces: the first face was the face of the cherub, and the second face was the face of a man, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle. (Eze 10:14)

According to Master Kabbalist Abulafia, Metatron is the “prince of the faces” juxtaposing Sandalphon the “prince of the back”, the relationship is revealed as follows:

Sandalphon Prince of the Back סָנְדַלְפוֹן שַׂר הָאָחוֹר 1000
That are being bound שֶׁנִקְשַׁרִים 1000
Metatron the Face and Sandalphon the Back מְטָּטְרוֹן הַפָּנִים וְסָנְדַלְפוֹן אָחוֹר 1000
Bind the faces and back קֶשֶׁר הַפָּנִים אָחוֹר 1000
Bind the soul קֶשֶׁר הַנְּשָׁמָה 1000

The four faces of the four living creatures in Ezekiel’s vision are:

Face of the cherub פְּנֵי הַכְּרוּב 373
Face of a man פְּנֵי אָדָם 185
Face of a lion פְּנֵי אַרְיֵה 356
Face of an eagle פְּנֵי נָשֶׁר 690
  1604

The average number of the four faces is 1604 / 4 = 401, which is exactly the sum of the four faces of Mashiach as discussed at length before:

lion king מֶלֶךְ 90
ox slave עֶבֶד 76
man man of God בֶּן אָדָם 97
eagle son of God בֵּן אֱלֹהִים 138
  401

According to Arzial, the three layers of ark denote 3 levels of judgment corresponding to the name Elohim:

Elohim אֱלֹהִים 86
Elohim אֱלֹהִים 86
Elohim אֱלֹהִים 86
  258

At the time of favor, however, the name of judgment Elohim is transformed to the name of mercy, which is YHVH, as follows:

26 יְהוָה
45 יוד הא ואו הא
52 יוד הה וו הה
63 יוד הי ואו הי
72 יוד הי ויו הי
258

The Cherubim

The Cherubim is understood rabbinically as having the innocent faces of babies, denoting the pre-Edenic sinless state of being.

Cherubim also represent the borderline between faith in God and idolatry. At one hand, making any form of gold is idolatry, and on the other hand, Cherubim are forms of angel made in gold and placed in the most holy place of worship.

Cherubim are called the throne of God, as it is written:

יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, יֹשֵׁב הַכְּרֻבִים, אַתָּה-הוּא הָאֱלֹהִים לְבַדְּךָ, לְכֹל מַמְלְכוֹת הָאָרֶץ; אַתָּה עָשִׂיתָ, אֶת-הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת-הָאָרֶץ

 

O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, that sittest upon the cherubim, Thou art the God, even Thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; Thou hast made heaven and earth. (Isaiah 37:16)

“Throne” in Hebrew is Kise (כִּסֵּא), the gematria of Cherubim and Throne is exactly 358, the gematria of Mashiach:

Cherubim הַכְּרֻבִים 277
Throne כִּסֵּא 81
  358

This comes to teach us that the Cherubim also symbolizes Mashiach, and since the word Cherubim is plural, and there are indeed two cherubim beaten out of the same lump of gold, this comes to teach us that the two Cherubim represent Mashiach and his Bride.

Astonishingly, when the gematria of Bride (כַּלָּה) is taken out from Cherubim, the revealed gematria is 222, exactly that of the first-born son (בְּכֹר), i.e. Mashiach the Bridegroom:

Cherubim הַכְּרֻבִים 277
Bride כַּלָּה (55)
  222

This accords with the rabbinical tradition that when Israel was in obedience, the Cherubim in the Temple would lovingly turned their faces toward each other and embraced like a loving couple, alluding to the Prince of the Faces; and when Israel was in disobedience, the same Cherubim would turn away from each other with back to back, alluding to the Prince of the Back.

This sheds light on the concept of Mashiach, with his myriad revelations in the Bible, is in fact a concept that borderlines on idolatry and faith.

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