Kabbalah sa Daniel 10:20: Sha'arei Orah

Now, HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, put all the nations of the world into the hands of the ministering angels, each nation under the dominion of a known angel, as scripture states,⁹⁷Daniel 10:20 “Behold, the ministering angel of Greece comes,” and similarly,⁹⁸Daniel 10:13 “The ministering angel of Persia stood in opposition to me.” Now, Because HaShem-יהו"ה chose them, [the angel] Michael the High Priest (Kohen Gadol), whose banner is HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He,⁹⁹See Ginat Egoz of Rabbi Yosef Gikatilla, translated as HaShem Is One, Vol. 1, The Gate of His Title (Shaar HaKinuy); Vol. 2 (The Letters of Creation, Part 2), The Three Letters Yod-Hey-Vav-יו״ד ה״א וא״ו (towards the end of the section). gave his banner over to the Jewish people. However, all the other seventy ministering angels, who are outside the inner sanctum, have no portion it. Each of the seventy ministers is apportioned to a known nation and given rule over that nation and its land. Now, throughout the year, HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, wanted each minister that He appointed over his specific land, to judge his nation according to the authority granted him by HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He. Therefore, since the ministering angel presides in judgment over that nation, he too is called by the title Elohi”m-אלהי״ם, and if the nation he presides over is sinful, HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, judges their angelic minister, smiting and punishing him. Contemplate this and understand that the nations and their ministers are judged in the Court of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, the True God-Elohi”m Emet-אלהי״ם אמת. This is meaning of the verse,¹⁰⁰Deuteronomy 10:17 “For HaShem-יהו״ה your God – is the God of the gods-Elohei HaElohim-אלה״י האלהים.”

Now, if you ask, “What is the meaning of the words, ‘upon Your city and upon Your people’?” Know that the ministering angels above have two aspects below. One aspect is in the earth itself, meaning, in that place on earth that is under the dominion of that minister. The other aspect is in the nation, meaning, in the nation that dwells in that land. We thus find that each of the seventy ministering angels has a known portion on earth, and a known portion in the nations. This is the mystery of the seventy families of the descendants of Noach that are listed toward the end of the Torah portion of Noach, concluding with the verse,¹⁶⁹Genesis 10:32 “These are the families of Noach’s descendants according to their generations, by their nations; and from these, the nations were separated on the earth after the Flood.” The word “separated-Nifredoo-נפרדו” here, refers to their dispersion. For, at the time of the dispersion, all the nations were separated to their languages and lands, as it states,¹⁷⁰Genesis 11:9 “From there HaShem-יהו״ה scattered them over the face of the whole earth.” And at the time of the dispersion, each nation was separated to its specific ministering angel, as it states,¹⁷¹Daniel 10:20 “Now I will return to do battle with the minister of Persia; then I will depart. But behold – the minister of Greece approaches.” At that time, each ministering angel took its portion of the earth and its portion of the nations. HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, also took His portion. From the earth, He took Jerusalem as His portion, and from mankind He took the children of Israel as His portion, as it states,¹⁷²Deuteronomy 32:8 “When the Supreme One gave the nations their inheritance, when He separated the children of man,” and then continues,¹⁷³Deuteronomy 32:9 “For HaShem’s-יהו״ה portion is His people.” Thus, since HaShem’s-יהו״ה portion of the earth is Jerusalem, and His portion in the nations are the Jewish people, the Name HaShem-יהו״ה is thus proclaimed upon Jerusalem and upon the Jewish people. This is the secret of the verse,¹⁷⁴Daniel 9:19 “For Your Name is proclaimed upon Your city and upon Your people.”

According to this principle, HaShem-יהו"ה told Israel that He gave Mount Seir to Esav as an inheritance. The reason is because Mount Seir is impure, in that the goat demons-Seirim-שעירים that they stray after, live there, as it says,²⁵¹Isaiah 34:14 “and the goat demon-Seir-שעיר calls out to his fellow.” The Seir-שעיר is as the verse states,²⁵²Genesis 27:11 “My brother Esav is a hairy-Seir-שעיר man.” Opposite them is the goat that is sent into the desert (on Yom Kippur). Also opposite them is the verse,²⁵³Leviticus 17:7 “They shall no longer sacrifice their sacrifices to the goat-demons that they stray after etc.” Know that Esav took his portion from the lowly goats-Seirim-שעירים that are close to earth, as it states,²⁵⁴Genesis 36:20 “These are the children of Seir-שעיר, the Horite who dwell in the earth.” It therefore states about Esav,²⁵⁵Ibid 36:6 “Esav went to a (different) land than his brother Yaakov.” This is the matter about which it states about Esav,²⁵⁶Obadiah 1:2 “Behold, I have made you small amongst the nations, you are very despised.” The reason is because the other nations have high ministering angels, as scripture states,²⁵⁷Daniel 10:20 “Now I will return to battle with the ministering angel of Persia, and when I depart, behold, the ministering angel of Greece comes.” The same applies to all seventy nations. Similarly, Yishmael has twelve ministers to their nations. However, the portion and inheritance of Esav are the goat-demons, which are the lowest of creatures. Esav is therefore called Seir-שעיר, and it says,²⁵⁸Joshua 24:4 “I gave Esav the Mountain of goats-Se’irim-שעירים as an inheritance.”