Rabbi Yishmael and the Angel

SSGYAL, officer of the Inner Chamber, spoke to me saying, "My friend, sit in my bosom and I will tell you what will be with Israel."

So I sat in his bosom and as he stared at me, he was crying. Tears fell from his eyes and poured onto my face. I said to him, "My glorious glowing one, why do you cry?" And he answered me, "My friend, come and I will bring you within, and I will show you what is in store for Israel, the holy nation."

He took me by the hand and brought me into a chamber within chambers; a hidden place within hidden places, where many records were stored. He opened them and he showed me written documents. In them were written all forms of troubles.

I asked him, "For whom are these troubles?"

He replied, "They are for Israel."

"And will they be able to withstand them?"

And he said, "Come tomorrow and I will show you troubles even beyond these."

So the next day he brought me within those chambers hidden within hidden chambers, and he showed me troubles even beyond those I had seen before— those destined for death, those by sword and those by captivity.… And I said to him, "My glorious one! Has Israel sinned so? And have they alone sinned?"

And he replied to me, "Know that every day new decrees are formed against them, each day harsher than the day before. But the people of Israel gather in their synagogues and places of study and they respond, 'Amen! Yehay shmay rabba...'. And when they do this, then we do not permit these decrees to leave the inner chambers and take effect.

Pirkei Heichalot of Rabbi Yishmael Kohen Gadol