Who Talks to Angels?

Who Talks to Angels?

Hiskabdu … mesharsei Elyon…hamtinu li ad she’ekanes v’eitzei… “Please wait here, my honored angels, while I take a short bathroom break.” This is the essence of a tefillah (prayer) that halachah notes should be said before we use the facilities. Later poskim, however, deem it arrogant for an individual to imply that they are on a level that merits having ministering angels at their side at all times, and maintain that we should not say this tefillah nowadays.

However, there are other prayers and practices that imply the continued presence of malachim (angels) in our lives: The expression “v’imru amen” (and you [plural] say, amen) in bentching and davening is referring, according to halachah, to the angels who are in attendance of each person; when we say “Shalom Aleichem” on Friday night we are explicitly greeting angels who escorted us home; according to some interpretations, the reason we greet one another with “Shalom Aleichem” (Peace to you—in the plural form) is on account of the angels that accompany each Jew.

In the case of greeting another, there is no problem of conceit to assume that a fellow Jew has angels at their side at all times. With regard to the tefillos that mention personal malachim, there are different answers presented to the inconsistency: The Rebbe Rashab of Lubavitch explains that Shabbos—when Shalom Aleichem is recited—is an exception to our mundane, weekday manner of conduct; similarly, others posit that davening elevates us, so reference to angels is not out of place as it would otherwise be. The presence of angels that results from doing a mitzvah might be considered the norm, but purporting the constant company of other kinds of angels is extraordinary.

Some simply say that we are enjoined to daven in the original nusach (version of prayers) and say, “v’imru amen” even if we don’t presently possess a personal angel aura. Others maintain that angels are very much present, as always, only it would be presumptuous of us to call attention to it by saying the special tefillah that references malachim when performing an activity unconnected to Torah learning, davening or mitzvos.

https://halacha2go.com?number=742

Practical Halacha: One minute a day. By Horav Yosef Yeshaya Braun, shlita, Mara D'asra and member of the Badatz of Crown Heights.