Sefer Hekhalot §16: God’s Intense Love for Metatron and God Decorates Metatron’s Tiara

Text

אמר ר׳ ישמעאל אמר לי מטטרון מלאך שר הפנים הדר מרום כל מתוך אהבה רבה וחמלה גדולה שאהבני וחבבני* ה׳ב׳ה׳ יותר מכל בני מרומים כתב באצבעו בעט שלהבת על כתר שבראשי אותיות שנבראו בהן שמים ובארץ. אותיות שנבראו בהן ימים ונהרות. אותיות שנבראו בהן הרים וגבעות. אותיות שנבראו בהן כוכבים ומזלות ברקים רוחות ורעמים קולות שלג וברד סופה וסערה. אותיות שנבראו בהן כל צרכי עולם וכל סדרי** בראשית כולם וכל אות ואות מפריחות פעם בפעם כמראה ברקים. פעם בפעם מראה לפידים.  פעם בפעם כמראה להבת אש. פעם בפעם כמראה צאת השמש ולבנה וכוכבים.

Textual Notes: italics indicate only in V228; bold only in M40

*M40 has וחכמני

**M40 has סתרי

Translation

R. Ismael said, Metatron, angel of the prince of the presence, the majesty on all-high, said to me, “From the midst of great love and abundant compassion that the Holy One Blessed Be He loved me and embraced me* more than all of the children of the heights. He wrote with his finger as with a flaming pen upon the tiara on my head letters by which heavens and earth were created, letters by which the seas and rivers were created, letters by which mountains and hills were created, letters by which stars and constellations, lightening, winds, and thunder claps, snow and hail, storm and tempest were created. The letters by which the needs of the world and all the orders of all of creation.**  And each and every letter blooms instant by instant of the appearance of lightnings, instant by instant of the appearance of torches, instant by instant of the appearance of flaming fire, instant by instant of the appearance of the sun going forth and the moon and the stars. 

Translation Notes

* Both words translated here as “love” and “embrace” mean “love.” The first is a generic word meaning love. The second is more intense or a deeper love, so could be translated as cherish, embrace, even kindled with love.  

**literally this is the first word of Genesis, usually translated as “in the beginning,” but more likely “when began.”  ‘

Discussion 

Two things are emphasized in this passage: God’s uniquely intense love for Metatron and the additional decorations of Metatron’s tiara.  Firstly, various words for love are repeated in the first couple lines.  God has “great love” and “abundant compassion.”  The words are the generic word for “love” (אהבה) and the more specific word “compassion.” Both are “great” using words רבה and גדולה. One could translate one as “abundant,” and their doubling suggests to me something of great intensity.  This intense love comes out in verb form when God generically “loved” (אהב) and, more intensely, cherished, embraced, or even was kindled for (חבב) Metatron.  

Secondly, we learn more about Metatron’s tiara.  It is already pretty fancy from the previous descriptions of it Sefer Hekhalot §15, but now it has inscribed in it the letters God spoke at creation to create the cosmic and meteorological elements – the things of the created realm that elicit fear and awe.