ANGELS AMONG US — Can Angels Make Mistakes? And Who Were the
Mysterious Nephilim? 

We
speak about angels every day. We welcome them into our homes on Friday night,
mention them in our prayers, and encounter them throughout the Torah. But what
exactly is an angel? Can angels take human form? Do they eat? Do they have free
will? And can an angel actually make a mistake and be punished? In this
Thursday morning’s Breakfast & a Class,
we begin with the three mysterious visitors who appeared at Avraham Avinu’s
tent in Parashat Vayera. Drawing upon the extraordinary teachings of the
Ramban, Ohr HaChayim, Ben Ish Chai, and our Sages, we explore the hidden world
of the malachim,
their different missions, and the astonishing Midrash describing angels who
were punished for 138 years because of the way they spoke about the destruction
of Sedom. 

But
perhaps the greatest mystery takes us back to the opening chapters of
Bereishit, where the Torah describes the Benei HaElohim
and the mysterious Nephilim. Were these powerful human rulers, or were they
actually angels who descended from Heaven and became involved with the
daughters of mankind? What does the Ramban say about this remarkable Midrash,
and why does he suggest that its deeper meaning belongs to the hidden wisdom of
Torah? Join us for a fascinating journey through the Torah, Midrash, and
Kabbalah as we separate familiar assumptions from the teachings of our Ḥakhamim—and
discover not only what makes angels extraordinary, but what makes human beings
even more remarkable.