By Rabbi Dovid Markel
The Mishna in Pirkei Avot states (4:11): “Rabbi Eliezer the son of Yaakov would say: ‘He who fulfills one mitzvah, acquires for himself one angel-advocate; he who commits one transgression, acquires against himself one angel-accuser. Repentance and good deeds are as a shield against retribution.’”
Whatever action we do is performed with intent and consciousness. That consciousness becomes the soul of the created angel and the act itself becomes its body[1]. Being that the angel is a reflection of our cognizance, the identity of the angel is directly correlated with the manner in which we do mitzvos or, G-d forbid, sin.
When we fulfill a mitzvah through love, the angel that is its byproduct is expressive of love. When we do a mitzvah from fear, the angel expresses fear of G-d. We have the ability to make the angel’s soul shine bright and be strong or alternatively, be dim and weak.
While concerning our mitzvos, it is constructive for our angels to be robust in body and soul, concerning sin, the opposite is the case.
When a person transgresses, they are not fully present in the sin, as they essentially regret their action in the very moment of transgression. They thus create a weakened angel, which cannot be completely accusatory towards the sinner.
It is because of the above that Rabbi Zusye of Annipolli made the following observation concerning the accusatory-angels of the Jewish People[2]:
“[I] have never seen an undamaged angel created from sin of a Jew that believes in G-d. There are those that are missing their heads and those that are missing their hands. For a Jew, even in the act of sinning, in pained in his heart and sighs in remorse. From this the limbs of the angel are broken.”
Naturally, a Jew loves mitzvos and hates sin. Therefore, healthy, complete angels are only extant as a byproduct of our positive actions and not of our negative ones.
May we create positive angels that are complete in both body and soul, and that shine brightly with the intent of our mitzvos! Let these angels go before G-d Almighty, supplicate before Him and demand the redemption of His people!
[1] See Talmud, Shabbos 32a. Maharsha ibid. Ohr HaTorah, Razal, Pg. 53ff.
[2] Rav Tov, Parshas Balak, Pg. 137a.
