Midrash sobre Isaías 6:7

R. Huna said in the name of R. Hiyya: The mighty ones are the Israelites, who placed doing before hearing, by declaring: All that the Lord hath spoken will we do and obey (Exod. 24:7). This verse teaches us that the righteous are superior to the ministering angels. You know this as well from the following incident: At the moment Isaiah exclaimed: Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips (Isa. 6:5), the Holy One, blessed be He, rebuked him, saying: You may say of yourself A man of unclean lips am I, but you may not say of Israel, In the midst of a people of unclean lips I dwell. They placed doing before hearing, and they declare the Unity of My Name twice daily, yet you would call them a people of unclean lips? What is written there? Then flew unto me one of the seraphim, with a glowing stone in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar (Isa. 6:6). What is meant by ritzpah (“a glowing stone”)? It means “smash the mouth” (rutz peh) of anyone who speaks ill of My people. With tongs. What does this signify? It teaches us that there were two tongs (because the text uses the dual form of the noun). At first the angel attempted to take the glowing stone with his fingers, but he burned himself. Then he took a tong to lift the stone but was burned again. Finally, he took a second tong, which he attached to the first, and with them he took from the altar the glowing stone and touched it to the lips of Isaiah, as is said: He touched my mouth with it, and said: Lo, this hath touched thy lips, and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin expiated (ibid., v. 7). All this occurred because Isaiah had said: In the midst of a people of unclean lips. The Seraph was forced to remove the glowing stone with the tongs because he could not lift it with his hand. Indeed, he was compelled to use two tongs, yet when he touched Isaiah’s lips with it, Isaiah was not burned. Hence, Scripture states: His camp is very great, for he is mighty who executeth his word (Joel 2:11). Who are they who executeth His word? The righteous men.

R. Chisda said in the name of Mar Ukba: "He who prays on the Sabbath eve and says Vayechulu, will be escorted by two ministering angels who will put their hands upon his head and will say to him And thy iniquity is departed, and thy sin is forgiven (Is. 6, 7)." We are taught that R. Jose, the son of R. Juda, says: "Two ministering angels escort every man on the Sabbath eve to his house. One of them is an angel of good and the other an angel of evil. When the man comes home and finds the lamps kindled, the table set and the bed in order, the angel of good says: 'May the coming Sabbath be even as the present,' to which the angel of evil reluctantly is obliged to say Amen! But if all be in disorder, then the angel of evil says: 'May the coming Sabbath be even as the present,' to which the angel of good reluctantly is obliged to say Amen!"