Kabbalah Library

283. “And the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were good, and took them women from whoever they chose.” “And the sons of the gods” are Aza and Azael, who were two angels who complained to their Master about the creation of the man. The Creator dropped them from the holy place above, and when they came down, they were embodied in the air, acquiring a human cocoon, from the words, “Your eyes saw my cocoon,” and they became as people.

284. Among all the angels, there are none who mingle among people like those angels who are called “men,” and like those sons of God, Aza and Azael, who are called “the sons of God.” Once the Creator dropped them, they became embodied from all the elements that are in people and clothed in them.

285. Other angels, when they come down and are destined to return to their place, they become embodied in the air of the world, take the form of people with them, and not more. For this reason, they are seen temporarily, and not more: once or twice a day, or on each day once or twice, and then they fly in the air and expand from the air and return to their place.

286. It is written, “Who makes His angels into spirits, His servants, a blazing fire.” There are angels who are from wind [also spirit], and there are angels who are from fire, and each gives of his own to his neighbor, since there is peace among them. Hence, those angels who descend, descend from those two elements, water and fire. When they come down to this world, they clothe more, clothing in the air of this world, which is the element of spirit, and become embodied.

287. These angels that mingle in this world, clothe in the elements of this world, and cannot fly and return to their place, and are detained here in this world. Once they are detained here for seven consecutive years, they can no longer return there.

288. Hence, “And the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were good,” that their beauty was shining like the upper light.

289. Once they bore children, the Creator took them and placed them in mountains of darkness, which are called the “mountains of the east.” He tied them with iron chains, and these chains are immersed down to the great deep, and there they teach people spells.

290. Balaam took his spells from the mountains of darkness, and learned from Aza and Azael in these mountains, as it is written, “Balak the king of Moab has brought me from Aram, from the mountains of the east,” and all those who know spells in the world were crowned from there.

291. Since they complained against their Master in the beginning of the creation of Adam, and to this day, they are so belligerent toward their Master with those spells that deny the company of above, and this is why they were shackled in iron chains. Were it not for these chains that are immersed in the great deep, which hold them very forcefully, they would destroy the world, and the world would not be able to tolerate.

292. There, in those mountains of darkness, they suckle from the north side, since all the wicked kinds awaken in the world from that side.

293. Naamah was at that time, and the whole world was lured after her. She was the mother of all the demons, and when the sons of God saw her, they were lured after her.

294. Afterwards, they saw the daughters of men walking naked and came to them, and they gave birth from them, as it is written, “And also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, who bore children to them, those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.” “Men of renown” are the fallen ones, who learned a name in every thing in the world, to complete their spells.

Truly men of renown, as it is written, “sixty mighty men around her,” who are around Malchut, who is called “name.” The fallen ones are from those sixty mighty men. This is why they are called “men of renown.” Conversely, it is written about the sixty, “from the mighty one in Israel,” and those fallen ones were not from the children of Israel.