ANGELS ON EARTH

Angels on Earth
September 12, 2012

“Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, gave this message of the Lord to the people: ‘I am with you,’ declares the Lord.” — Haggai 1:13

Genelle Guzman-McMillian was the last survivor to be pulled from the rubble of Ground Zero following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. She had been trapped for 27 hours after a hundred stories collapsed on top of her. Genelle remembers being completely covered and wedged between pieces of debris – except for her left hand.

When she reached up to try and grasp something, she was surprised to feel a human hand. The hand belonged to someone named Paul. He said, “Genelle, I got you. I’m not gonna let you go, you’re gonna be fine.” Paul stayed with Genelle until her rescuers came, encouraging her all along.

As Genelle was rushed to the hospital, all she could think about was finding her savior, Paul. But ten years later, even after being on national television and appealing to the public for help, Paul has yet to be found. Genelle has come to a conclusion that Paul was an angel, sent from God to help her withstand her ordeal.

Do you believe in angels? Have you ever seen one? Most people think of angels as winged spiritual beings that fly around heaven. But a closer look at the Bible reveals that, sometimes, angels can be just like humans. An even closer look at God’s word teaches that sometimes humans can be just like angels.

The prophet Haggai has a message from God that he delivers to the Jewish people. “I am with you,” says God. When Haggai delivers this comforting message, he is called a “malach” of God. A malach is a Hebrew word with two meanings. It can either mean messenger, or it can mean angel. It’s no accident that this one word has these two meanings. An angel is a messenger of God. And any messenger of God can also be an angel.

Genelle will probably never know if Paul was really a mere mortal. But the truth is, it doesn’t really matter. To Genelle, and to God, Paul is definitely an angel – even if he is human.

Think angels are confined to heaven? Think again! Angels are all around us and you can be one too. How? Be God’s messenger and feed the hungry. Do His will and clothe the poor. Can you say some comforting words to a sad-looking stranger? Or give a child a hug?

Be somebody’s angel. It doesn’t matter that you are human. In God’s eyes, and to the person that you help, you are just as much an angel as those spirits in the sky.

With prayers for shalom, peace,


Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
President