Metatron Comes Out as Trans, Part 3: Angelic Trans/Anthropo/Phobia in Sefer Hekhalot §6

Text, Translation, and Discussion of §6

Text (V228; M40 adapted from Schaefer, Synopse zur Hekhalot):

עוזה עזה ועזאל והיו מסטינין* עלי בשמי מרום ממלאכי השרת ואמרו לפני ה׳ב׳ה׳ רבונו של העולם לא יפה אמרו ראשונים לפניך** לא תברא אדם.

עוד משיב ה׳ב׳ה׳ ואמרו להם אני עשיתי ואני אשא אני אסבול ואמלט. 

וכיון שראו אותי אמרו לפניו רבונו של עולם מה טיבו של זה שעולה למרום מרומים לא מבני בניהם של הללו שאבדו*** בימי המבול הוא מה טיבו ברקיע. 

עוד משיב ה׳ב׳ה׳ אומר להם מה טבכם שאתה נכנסים לדברי שאני****  חפצתי בזה יותר מכולכם להיות לשר ולנגיד עליכם בשמי מרום. 

מיד עמדו כולם ויצאו לקראתי והשתחוו לפני ואמרו לי אשריך ואמרי הוריך שרצה בך***** קונך 

המתוך שאני קטן בתוכם ונער ביניהם בימים ובחדשים ובשנים לפיכך היו קורין אותי נער. 

Translation:

Uzzah, Azzah, and Azael, made accusations against me in the heavenly heights among the ministering angels. They said before the Holy One Blessed Be He, “Master of the World, were the first ones not right who said before you, “Do not make a human.”

Again the Holy One Blessed Be He answered and said to them, “I did make and I will make, I will bear and I will rescue.” 

Since they say me they said before him, “Master of the World, what is the nature of this one that he rises to the height of heights? Is he not from the sons of those who perished in the waters of the flood? What is his nature in the expanse?”

Again the Holy One Blessed Be He answered and said to them, “What is your nature that you enter to speak to me? That I have desired this one more than all of you to be a prince and a chief over you in the heavenly heights?” 

Immediately they stood, all of them went out to call me and they bowed down before me and they said to me, “Happy are you and your parents that your Maker wanted you.”

Because I am small between them and a youth among them in days and in months and in yeast therefore they call me “Youth.”  

Textual variants: Text only found in V228 is italicized; text only found in M40 is bold.

*M40 has מכטינין

**M40 has לפיכך

*** M40 has שנאבד

**** M40 has אשר

*****m40 has בהם

Translation Notes: Nothing major to report.

Discussion:

In Metatron’s explanation of why he has the nickname “Youth,” we meet three angels – Uzzah, Azzah, and Azael, who are trans/anthropo/phobic gatekeepers. They challenge Metatron’s initial elevation to the heavenly heights.  They bring their complaint – literally accusation! – against Metatron directly to God.  The use of the root סטן in the midst of a heavenly complaint is probably not taken lightly – resembling the accuser in the prologue of Job. We learn in the next session that these three angels will go down to earth to sabotage humans by teaching them sorcery.  This trio challenges Metatron’s worthiness to transition.  Isn’t he just a man? He doesn’t belong among us angels.  They argue that someone who was assigned human at birth should not be allowed into angelic spaces, in the heavenly expanse! Interesting they went with the spatial issue, like sex segregated spaces in our world, such as bathrooms, locker rooms, etc., where they try to keep trans women out. They start with the segregated spaces first in their trans/anthropo/phobia. They want to keep men from their spaces.  Angelic objection to humans in the heavenly realm resound across Hekhalot texts. Most other texts – and in the very beginning of Sefer Hekhalot – angels threaten violence against humans in their spaces. Their accusation, however, ends up being hypocritical, since they were trying to sabotage humans all along.  

God responds to these three with interesting language: God allows Metatron’s transition, allowing one assigned human at birth to come into angelic spaces, because he desires and wants him. It is a grace, but ultimately another kind of gatekeeping – allowing a select few to pass while keeping out others.  

What do I mean?  In the second half of the twentieth century doctors would allow trans women to transition if they personally felt attracted to them. That is, they had to “pass” as women and “pass” as attractive women. One had to be conventionally and even stereotypically feminine to get to transition.  God, here, strikingly uses language that, yes, can be translated as “chose” but also has a current of desire. God chose Metatron because God desired him, God wanted him and will subsequently give him the affirming care needed to jumpstart Metatron’s “angelic puberty.” Will God desire others so they can transition?