Sefer Hekhalot §10: Metatron Gets a Job

Text

אמר ר׳ ישמעאל אמר לי מטטרון מלאך שר הפנים כשלקהני ה׳ב׳ה׳ מן בני דור המבול העלני בכנפי רוח שכינה לרקיע העליון והכניסני לתוך פלטרין גדולים שברום ערבות רקיע ששם כסא הכבוד של שכינה ומרכבה. גדודים של זעם. וחיילים של זעף. ושנאנים של אש. וכרובים של לפיד. ואופנים של גחל ומשרתים של להט. וחשמלים של בזק. ושרפים של ברק. והעמידני לשמש בכל יום ויום את כסא הכבוד.

Textual Notes: No major variations.

Translation

R. Ishmael said the angel Metatron, prince of the presence, said to me: “When the Holy One Blessed Be He took me from the children of the generation of the flood and lifted me up on the windy wings of the Sh’khinah to the expanse on high and he brought me in the midst of the great palaces* in the height of the expanse, Arabot, where there is placed the throne of glory of the Sh’khinah, and the chariot, regiments of fury, and armies of anger, fiery shinanim**, and cherubim of torches, and smoldering ofanim, and flaming servants, and flashing hashmallim, and serafim of lightning. And he stood me there to serve each and every day the throne of glory. 

Translation Notes

*using Latin loanword paltorin from Latin praetorium (or mixed with the Latin palatium).  

**no known referent.  

Discussion 

Now we learn that God didn’t just sneak Metatron into heaven at the same time as the Sh’khinah, but rode on the wings of the Sh’khinah, which contrasts the previous section in which he rode a fiery chariot.  He is placed in a fairly frightening position among fiery, smoldering, angry, furious, flaming, flashing entities in the midst of the throne, the chariot, and the Sh’khinah.  God gives Metatron a job: he is to serve the throne of glory each and every day.