Erelim (, ''ʾErʾellīm''; sing. אֶרְאֵל, ''ʾErʾēl''; "valiant ones"), is a class of angel whose existence is derived from a verse in the book of Isaiah regarding the impending invasion of

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

Sennacherib Sennacherib ( or , meaning "Sin (mythology), Sîn has replaced the brothers") was the king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire from 705BC until his assassination in 681BC. The second king of the Sargonid dynasty, Sennacherib is one of the most famous A ...

during the reign of

King Hezekiah Hezekiah (; ), or Ezekias (born , sole ruler ), was the son of Ahaz and the thirteenth king of Judah according to the Hebrew Bible. Harris, Stephen L., ''Understanding the Bible''. Palo Alto: Mayfield. 1985. "Glossary", pp. 367–432 In the Bi ...

. While the erelim are ascribed numerous functions in Jewish and

Kabbalistic Kabbalah or Qabalah ( ; , ; ) is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism. It forms the foundation of mystical religious interpretations within Judaism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal (). Jewi ...

texts and literature, they most often appear to be associated with moments of death and national tragedy. They appear in multiple angelic hierarchies, ranking first among the ten orders of angels in the

Berit Menuchah ''Berit Menuchah'' (; also ''Berit Menuḥa'', ''Berith Menuḥa'', or ''Brit Menucha'') is a practical Kabbalah work written in the 14th century by Abraham ben Isaac of Granada. It consists of a system of theurgy which uses the names of God in J ...

, second in the

Zohar The ''Zohar'' (, ''Zōhar'', lit. "Splendor" or "Radiance") is a foundational work of Kabbalistic literature. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah and scriptural interpretations as well as material o ...

, third by

Maimonides Moses ben Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (, ) and also referred to by the Hebrew acronym Rambam (), was a Sephardic rabbi and Jewish philosophy, philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah schola ...

,{{Cite web, last=Maimon, first=Salomon, title=Yesodei haTorah, url=https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/904962/jewish/Yesodei-haTorah-Chapter-Two.htm, website=Chabad and tenth in the Maseket Azilut.

References

External links

Dictionary of Angels
Angels in Judaism Classes of angels

See also

References

External links