34b (ל״ד:ב׳)

And when we resolve this difficulty (וּכְשֶׁנְּתַרֵּץ זוֹ הַקֻּשְׁיָא), you will understand how free will remains in the hand of the man (תָּבִין אֵיךְ הַבְּחִירָה נִשְׁאֶרֶת בְּיַד הָאָדָם), for His will, may He be blessed, is never nullified (שֶׁרְצוֹנוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ אֵינָהּ בְּטֵלָה לְעוֹלָם). And if His will was that the man should rule over all created beings (וְאִם רְצוֹנוֹ הָיָה שֶׁהָאָדָם יִמְשׁוֹל עַל כָּל הַנִּבְרָאִים), then indeed His will has been fulfilled (כְּבָר נִשְׁלְמָה רְצוֹנוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ), for even today a son of man rules over all the celestial princes (שֶׁעוֹד הַיּוֹם מוֹשֵׁל בֶּן אָדָם עַל כָּל שָׂרֵי מַעְלָה), and he is Enoch (וְהוּא חֲנוֹךְ), as it is said in Sefer Heikhalot on the verse (Bereshit 5:24): “And Enoch walked with The Elohim” ("וַיִּתְהַלֵּךְ חֲנוֹךְ אֶת הָאֱלֹהִים).

Rabbi Yishma‘el said (אָמַר רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל): I said to Metatron (אָמַרְתִּי לְמֶטַטְרוֹ"ן): Why are you called by the name of your Creator with seventy names? (מִפְּנֵי מָה אַתָּה נִקְרָא בְּשֵׁם קוֹנְךָ בְּשִׁבְעִים שֵׁמוֹת) And you are greater than all the princes (וְאַתָּה גָּדוֹל מִכָּל הַשָּׂרִים), and higher than all the angels (וְגָבֹהַ מִכָּל הַמַּלְאָכִים), and more beloved than all the ministers (וְחָבִיב מִכָּל הַמְשָׁרְתִים), and more honored than all the hosts (וְנִכְבָּד מִכָּל הַצְּבָאוֹת), and chief over all the mighty ones in greatness and sovereignty and glory (וְרַב עַל כָּל הָאֲדִירִים בְּגְדֻלָּה וּבְמַלְכוּת וּבְכָבוֹד)? He answered and said to me (הֵשִׁיב וְאָמַר לִי): Because I am Enoch ben Yered (מִפְּנֵי שֶׁאֲנִי חֲנוֹךְ בֶּן יֶרֶד).

When the generation of the flood sinned and corrupted their ways (כְּשֶׁחָטְאוּ דּוֹר הַמַּבּוּל וְסָרְחוּ בְּמַעֲשֵׂיהֶם), and they said to God, “Depart from us” (וְאָמְרוּ לָאֵל: סוּר מִמֶּנּוּ), what did the Holy One Blessed Be He do? (מָה עָשָׂה הקב״ה) He took me from among them (נְטַלְנִי מִבֵּינֵיהֶם) to be a witness against them in the heavens above for all the inhabitants of the world (לִהְיוֹת עֵד עֲלֵיהֶם בִּשְׁמֵי מָרוֹם לְכָל בָּאֵי עוֹלָם). And since the Holy One Blessed Be He took me to serve the Throne of Glory (וּכְבָר שֶׁלְּקָחַנִי הקב״ה לְשָׁרֵת כִּסֵּא הַכָּבוֹד), and the wheels of the chariot (וְאֶת גַּלְגַלֵּי הַמֶּרְכָּבָה), and all the needs of the Shekhinah (וְאֶת כָּל צָרְכֵי הַשְּׁכִינָה), immediately my flesh was transformed… (מִיָּד נֶהֶפַךְ בְּשָׂרִי וְגוֹ'). And that which he said, “and all the needs of the Shekhinah” (וּמַה שֶׁאָמַר ״וְאֶת כָּל צָרְכֵי הַשְּׁכִינָה), it is known that the Holy One Blessed Be He has no need of anything (יָדוּעַ הוּא שֶׁאֵין הקב״ה צָרִיךְ שׁוּם דָּבָר).

Rather, His “needs,” may He be blessed, are to perform His actions in a manner that makes known to all that His actions are just (אֶלָּא צְרָכָיו יִתְבָּרַךְ הֵם לַעֲשׂוֹת פְּעוּלוֹתָיו בְּאֹפֶן שֶׁיְּהֵא נִכָּר לַכֹּל שֶׁפְּעוּלוֹתָיו מִשְׁפָּט). And for this reason the Holy One Blessed Be He took Enoch (וּבִשְׁבִיל זֶה לָקַח הקב״ה אֶת חֲנוֹךְ), for two reasons (לִשְׁתֵּי סִבּוֹת): the first, in order that His will and intention be fulfilled, which was to create the man complete (אַחַת, כְּדֵי שֶׁתֻּשְׁלַם רְצוֹנוֹ וּכְוָנָתוֹ שֶׁהָיְתָה לִבְרוֹא הָאָדָם שָׁלֵם); and the second, because if a man should say and excuse himself, that the cause of his sin is because he was created from the elements (וְהַשֵּׁנִית, לְפִי שֶׁאִם יֹאמַר הָאָדָם וְיִתְנַצֵּל שֶׁסִּבַּת חֲטָאָיו הִיא מִשּׁוּם שֶׁנִּבְרָא מִיְּסוֹדוֹת), the Holy One Blessed Be He says to him: behold Enoch, who did not sin even though he too was created from the elements (אוֹמֵר לוֹ הקב״ה: הֲרֵי חֲנוֹךְ שֶׁלֹּא חָטָא, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁנִּבְרָא מִיְּסוֹדוֹת).

And if he says as well that the cause of his sins was because his generation were wicked (וְאִם יֹאמַר גַּם כֵּן שֶׁסִּבַּת חֲטָאָיו בִּשְׁבִיל שֶׁדוֹרוֹ הָיוּ רְשָׁעִים), also the generation of Enoch were wicked, and nonetheless he did not sin (גַּם כֵּן דּוֹרוֹ שֶׁל חֲנוֹךְ הָיוּ רְשָׁעִים, וְעִם כָּל זֶה לֹא חָטָא), and then he is judged to death and to punishment (וְאָז דּוֹנִין אוֹתוֹ לְמִיתָה וּלְעוֹנֶשׁ). And this is what our Sages of blessed memory said, “This Enoch is the Angel of Death” (וְזֶהוּ שֶׁאָמְרוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה: ״חֲנוֹךְ זֶה מַלְאַךְ הַמָּוֶת), meaning, since the death of man is at his word, if so, he is the Angel of Death (שֶׁהַכַּוָּנָה, כֵּיוָן שֶׁמִּיתַת הָאָדָם הִיא עַל פִּיו, אִם כֵּן הוּא מַלְאַךְ הַמָּוֶת).

For you already know that the witnesses are the ones who cause a man to die (שֶׁכְּבָר יָדַעְתָּ שֶׁהָעֵדִים הֵם הַמְּמִיתִים אֶת הָאָדָם), and for that reason the Torah commanded: “The hand of the witnesses shall be upon him first” (Deuteronomy 17:7) (״יָד הָעֵדִים תִּהְיֶה בּוֹ בָרִאשׁוֹנָה). And since Enoch is the witness, for that purpose the Holy One Blessed Be He took him, as the teaching said (וּמִצַּד שֶׁחֲנוֹךְ הוּא הָעֵד, שֶׁלָּכַחַתּוֹ לְכַךְ הקב״ה כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר הַמַּאֲמָר), therefore the words of our Sages of blessed memory are justified, that he is the Angel of Death (יִצְדַּק אֲמִירָתָם זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה שֶׁהוּא מַלְאַךְ הַמָּוֶת).

If so, the intention of the Holy One Blessed Be He in taking Enoch was only to justify His judgment over His creatures (אִם כֵּן, כַּוָּנָתוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ בְּלָקִיחַת חֲנוֹךְ לֹא הָיְתָה אֶלָּא לְהַצְדִּיק דִּינוֹ עַל בְּרִיּוֹתָיו), so that they not say that Hashem, may He be blessed, is both the claimant and the witness (שֶׁלֹּא יֹאמְרוּ שֶׁה׳ יִתְבָּרַךְ הוּא הַתּוֹבֵעַ וְהָעֵד).

Therefore He took Enoch to testify against them (לְפִיכָךְ לָקַח לְחֲנוֹךְ שֶׁיָּעִיד עֲלֵיהֶם). And the reason he is called Sar HaPanim (וְטַעַם הֱיוֹתוֹ נִקְרָא שַׂר הַפָּנִים), is because he has two faces (לְפִי שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ שְׁנֵי פָּנִים): a face of mercy and a face of wrath (פָּנִים שֶׁל רַחֲמִים, פָּנִים שֶׁל זַעַם), for he also testifies regarding the righteous just as he testifies regarding the wicked (שֶׁגַּם כֵּן הוּא מֵעִיד עַל הַצַּדִּיקִים כְּמוֹ שֶׁהוּא מֵעִיד עַל הָרְשָׁעִים).

And that which we say, “May Hashem shine His face upon you and be gracious to you” (Numbers 6:25) (״יָאֵר ה׳ פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וִיחֻנֶּךָ), the intention is: that He should act with us as He acted with Enoch (הַכַּוָּנָה – שֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה עִמָּנוּ כְּמוֹ שֶׁעָשָׂה עִם חֲנוֹךְ), for the word “and be gracious to you” has the same numerical value in mispar katan as Enoch, when calculated together with the word Enoch itself (שֶׁהַמִּלָּה ״וִיחֻנֶּךָ״ עוֹלָה בְּמִסְפָּר קָטָן לְחֶשְׁבּוֹן ״חֲנוֹךְ״ עִם תֵּיבַת ״חֲנוֹךְ״ עַצְמָהּ). And for this reason it says immediately after: “and He shall place upon you peace” (וְלָזֶה אָמַר אַחַר זֶה: ״וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם), meaning, that He should give us peace and eternity, just as He gave to Enoch (יִרְצֶה – שֶׁיִּתֵּן לָנוּ הַשָּׁלוֹם וְהַנִּצְחִיּוּת כְּמוֹ שֶׁנָּתַן לְחֲנוֹךְ). And why is he called Metatron? (וְלָמָּה נִקְרָא מֶטַטְרוֹ״ן)

Because it comes from the word 'Mishmeret' [Charge/Guard/Watch] (שֶׁהוּא מִלְּשׁוֹן ״מִשְׁמֶרֶת), For the [Aramaic] translation of 'Mishmeret' (Guard/Charge) is 'Matarta' (Target/Prison/Guard) (שֶׁתַּרְגּוּם ״מִשְׁמֶרֶת״ ״מְטַרְתָּ), and he is assigned as a guard to observe those who enter the World to Come and to judge them according to their deeds (וְהוּא נָתוּן לְמִשְׁמֶרֶת לִרְאוֹת אוֹתָם שֶׁנִּכְנָסִים לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא וְלָדוּן אוֹתָם כְּמַעֲשֵׂיהֶם). If so, it appears that even though the Holy One Blessed Be He knows the future (אִם כֵּן, נִרְאֶה שֶׁאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהקב״ה יוֹדֵעַ הָעֲתִידוֹת), nonetheless free will remains in the man, as we have said (עִם כָּל זֶה, הַבְּחִירָה נִשְׁאֶרֶת בָּאָדָם כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַרְנוּ).

If so, let it not arise in the heart of any person that the man is compelled in his actions (אִם כֵּן, לֹא יַעֲלֶה עַל לֵב אִישׁ שֶׁהָאָדָם הוּא מֻכְרָח בְּמַעֲשָׂיו), for His knowledge, may He be blessed, is not like our knowledge (שֶׁאֵין יְדִיעָתוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ כִּידִיעָתֵנוּ), as the verse says: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8) ("כִּי לֹא מַחְשְׁבוֹתַי מַחְשְׁבוֹתֵיכֶם) etc (וְגוֹ). And “All His ways are justice” (Deuteronomy 32:4) ("כָּל דְּרָכָיו מִשְׁפָּט), even though in our eyes they may seem to have no reason (אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁבְּעֵינֵינוּ נִרְאֶה שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם טַעַם), nonetheless before Him, may He be blessed, they are justice and they have a reason (עִם כָּל זֶה אֶצְלוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ הֵם מִשְׁפָּט וְיֵשׁ לָהֶם טַעַם), as the verse says: “For it is a statute for Yisrael, a judgment for the God of Ya'akov” (Psalms 81:5) (״כִּי חֹק לְיִשְׂרָאֵל הוּא מִשְׁפָּט לֵאלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב).