“Come in Peace” to the Shabbat Angels Descending Below, and “Go in Peace” to the Weekday Angels Ascending Above?

“Come in Peace” to the Shabbat Angels Descending Below, and “Go in Peace” to the Weekday Angels Ascending Above?

The twilight of Friday afternoon arrives. The wind moving through the trees whispers an ancient secret as the anxiety of weekday life recedes and a wondrous mantle of holiness slowly descends upon the world. The earth, covered for six days with toil and sweat, now seems to breathe a deep breath of heavenly rest. Inside the room, illuminated by flickering candles, a person prepares to welcome Shabbat the Queen. As his lips sing the ancient and uplifting words of Shalom Aleichem, a great question pierces the heart. The holy angels have only now entered the home; they have only now filled it with purity and blessing. Why, before they have even accompanied us to the Shabbat table, do we already say “Tzeitchem leshalom—go in peace” and apparently send them away? Would it not be more fitting to ask them to remain throughout Shabbat and continue to bestow their blessing and holiness? What secret lies in this passage between sacred and ordinary time, and how is it connected to Jacob’s ladder, set upon the earth with its top reaching heaven?

The Torah opens the path for us: “He dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set upon the earth, and its top reached heaven; and behold, angels of God were ascending and descending upon it” (Genesis 28:12).

The ladder and the angels are not merely a spectacular external scene. They portray the inner spiritual movement of the worlds, both in space and in time. Just as Jacob’s movement from one geographic realm to another involved an exchange of angels, so every transition into Shabbat involves a change in the spiritual forces appointed over the hour.

Rashi (Genesis 28:12) explains why the verse first says the angels were ascending and only afterward descending. The angels who had accompanied Jacob in the Land of Israel could not leave the Land; they ascended to heaven, and angels of outside the Land descended to accompany him. Every spiritual realm has its own messengers. When a person passes from one domain to another, the previous escorts complete their task and new angels take over.

Rabbi Abraham Ibn Ezra explains that the ladder alludes to human thought and the angels to Divine decrees that ascend and descend in the world. Every time and circumstance has messengers appropriate to its particular Divine governance.

Ramban explains that God showed Jacob in prophecy that all events in this world are conducted through angels appointed over them. The exchange of angels therefore signifies a change in providential mode, place, and time.

Radak writes that the angels first ascend and then descend because the ladder represents the governance of the lower worlds through the upper. When the condition of the lower realm changes, the influence coming from above changes with it.

Ralbag explains that the vision informed Jacob that Divine providence was attached to him. The ascending and descending angels are the agents through whom decrees and providential actions are carried out in each place according to its spiritual level.

Hizkuni similarly explains that the angels of the Land of Israel first ascended, after which angels of outside the Land descended to accompany Jacob. The spiritual messengers assigned to different realms do not simply intermingle without boundary.

Sforno explains that the angels ascend from earth to heaven to receive the Divine decree and descend from heaven to earth to carry it out.

Targum Onkelos likewise presents the angels’ ascent and descent as the movement of heavenly messengers. Targum Yonatan adds that the angels who had accompanied Jacob ascended to report his righteousness above, while other angels descended to escort him on the next stage of his journey.

Kli Yakar develops the contrast between the spiritual level of the Land of Israel and that of lands outside it. The Land of Israel possesses a unique sanctity; therefore angels whose mission belongs to another domain cannot exercise their role there. The same principle applies to every genuine movement from one level of holiness to another.

Rabbi Israel Meir HaKohen explains that every person receives spiritual escorts according to his level and the nature of his service. When a person rises spiritually or enters a sanctified period, the angels accompanying him change accordingly.

The Baal Shem Tov takes the image inward. The ascending and descending angels also symbolize forces within the human soul. At every time and stage, different powers accompany a person according to the spiritual quality of that hour.

The Talmud gives the central source regarding the Shabbat angels. Shabbat 119b teaches in the name of Rabbi Yose bar Yehudah that two ministering angels accompany a person from the synagogue to his home on Friday night, one good and one adverse. If they find the lamp lit, the table set, and the bed prepared, the good angel says: “May it be so next Shabbat,” and the other angel answers amen against his will. If the house is not prepared, the reverse occurs. Thus the arrival of Shabbat brings special heavenly escorts whose task is connected to the holiness, peace, and blessing of the home.

Rashi explains that Shabbat is a day of rest and holiness and therefore a person receives exceptional protection and heavenly accompaniment as he returns home.

Tosafot add that although a person has spiritual escorts during the weekdays as well, Shabbat brings an additional accompaniment of greater holiness and angels specifically associated with the sacred day.

Hullin 91b discusses the angels in Jacob’s vision: they ascended and gazed upon his likeness above and descended and gazed upon his likeness below. Their movement expresses the profound link between the upper worlds and the earthly reality embodied by Jacob.

Rashi there again identifies the ascending angels as those of the Land of Israel and the descending angels as those of outside the Land. At a change of spiritual station, one set of angels completes its task and another assumes responsibility.

The Jerusalem Talmud, Berakhot 5:1, teaches that angels accompany a person when he sets out on a journey, for a human being does not walk entirely alone; heavenly messengers guard him along the way. Penei Moshe explains that the nature of the escorts varies according to place, time, and the task in which the person is engaged.

Rabbeinu Hananel (Shabbat 119b) explains that the two angels who accompany a person on Friday night are appointed over his Shabbat conduct, and through them blessing and influence extend from Shabbat to the weekdays.

From the words of the Sages we move to the Rishonim, who illuminate the nature of these angels and the meaning of their departure.

Rabbi Shlomo Ibn Gabirol, in Mivhar HaPeninim (Gate of Angels, sec. 12), describes the angels of Shabbat as holy forces that descend to illuminate a person with a light not of the ordinary world. When the sacred time passes and weekday reality returns, these angels cannot remain in the same manner within the weekday realm. Saying “go in peace” is therefore not an act of rejection. It acknowledges that every spiritual level has its appointed time, and that just as their coming is blessing, their return to their source is also peace.

Derashat Torat Hashem Temimah (p. 44) explains that the Shabbat angels awaken the additional soul within a person. When Shabbat rises and weekday light returns, they ascend to their place because the hour is no longer suited to their special influence. Their departure therefore reflects ordered spiritual transition rather than contempt.

Rabbi Yitzhak Ibn Dorbal, in Tosafot HaShabbat (siman 28), explains that the worlds change from moment to moment. The Shabbat angels, whose task is to quiet the soul and refine materiality, eventually ascend in order to make room for the angels of the working days, who accompany a person in business and weekday burdens. Their departure is the beginning of renewed engagement with the world of action, while the blessing they left in the home continues to accompany the person afterward.

Rabbi Menachem Recanati, Ta’amei HaMitzvot on Vayetze, teaches that the ladder of Jacob is spiritually opened every Shabbat. The Shabbat angels ascend and descend through it. At the conclusion of Shabbat they ascend together with the sanctity of the day to their upper source and transfer the conduct of the coming week to the weekday angels. This is not abandonment but an ordered changing of the guard within the Creator’s world.

The Yaavetz, Rabbi Yaakov Emden, in his Siddur (Friday-night order), asks the famous question with full force: why do we send the angels away? Would it not be better if they remained longer, rejoiced in the properly prepared meal, and added their blessing? If their presence is so precious, we would wish they could remain forever.

The answer becomes especially striking in the teaching attributed here to the Gerrer Rebbe Rabbi Avraham Mordechai Alter on Vayetze. Every place has angels particular to it, and time too has its own spiritual messengers: Shabbat angels and weekday angels. Accordingly, “Tzeitchem leshalom” need not be addressed to the Shabbat angels who have just arrived. It can be understood as a farewell to the weekday angels who are now ascending, while “Boachem leshalom—come in peace” welcomes the Shabbat angels descending from above. When the higher angels descend, the lower escorts ascend; when one spiritual order enters, the previous order withdraws. This parallels Jacob’s change of angels and the Zoharic teaching that with the arrival of Shabbat certain souls descend while others ascend.

According to this explanation, the apparent contradiction disappears. We are not telling the Shabbat angels to leave just after welcoming them. We first welcome the angels of Shabbat and then respectfully release the weekday escorts who served us during the six days of labor. Their ascent creates space for the higher Shabbat accompaniment.

Rabbi Yosef Hayyim, Ben Ish Hai (year 2, Vayishlah, sec. 1), explains that every sacred period has angels appointed over its particular mode of Divine governance. When Shabbat enters, the entire spiritual administration changes, and the weekday angels transfer their task to the holy angels of Shabbat. Every movement of holiness follows a precise order; the ascent of the weekday angels allows the Shabbat angels to descend.

Rabbi Yehiel Michel Epstein, Arukh HaShulhan (Orah Hayyim 262:2), writes that the wording of “Tzeitchem leshalom” rests upon Kabbalistic teaching and ancient custom. The angels accompanying a person change between weekday and Shabbat, and there is blessing in the fact that every messenger performs the mission assigned to him at its appropriate time. The verses of Shalom Aleichem therefore do not contradict one another; they reflect the ordered structure of spiritual time.

The Rishon LeZion, Maran Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, Hazon Ovadia, Shabbat, vol. 1, p. 18, writes that the custom of Israel is Torah. There is no difficulty in reciting “Tzeitchem leshalom,” because the weekday angels who have accompanied a person now transfer his protection to the higher angels of Shabbat. The farewell is directed toward the weekday angels ascending above. Peace in the Jewish home comes through correct order and hierarchy, with every spiritual force acting within the domain and time assigned by the Creator.

My teacher Rabbi Asher Weiss, in Minhat Asher on Genesis, explains that every transition between sacred and ordinary time and between ordinary and sacred time produces a particular elevation throughout creation. The angels reflect the spiritual level of the person. When he enters Shabbat, even the weekday angels who accompanied him rise with him. Their departure is not distance; it is itself part of the ascent of all the worlds toward Shabbat.

My teacher Rabbi Shmuel HaLevi Wosner, Responsa Shevet HaLevi (vol. 8, no. 42), explains that every angelic existence in this world is a defined mission. When the mission of the working days ends, the mission of the Shabbat angels begins. We certainly desire the angels’ blessing, but complete blessing exists precisely when every spiritual force functions in its correct time.

The Rishon LeZion Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, Yalkut Yosef (Shabbat, vol. 1, 262:4), explains that singing Shalom Aleichem on returning from the synagogue is an ancient and holy custom. “Tzeitchem leshalom” rests upon foundations of Kabbalah and halakhic custom: it releases the bundle of weekday forces and installs the light and holiness of Shabbat in the home.

Several practical consequences emerge from this understanding.

First, when saying “Tzeitchem leshalom,” a person can intend to thank and respectfully release the weekday escorts and forces that accompanied him throughout the six days of work. By doing so, he clears his heart and mind to welcome the sacred angels of Shabbat.

Second, the home should be prepared before Shabbat. Since the Talmud describes the angels looking for a lit lamp, a set table, and a prepared bed, one should make a special effort to have the home organized and ready before the sacred day arrives, so that the Shabbat angels encounter an atmosphere fit for blessing.

Third, Shabbat requires release from weekday worries and business thoughts. Just as the weekday angels ascend and do not continue to dominate the home on Shabbat, a person must place his commercial anxieties and weekday calculations behind him and enter Shabbat as though all his work were completed.

Fourth, the arrival of Shabbat should be accompanied by joy and peace. Because the Shabbat angels bring blessing and look for honor of the day, one should make a special effort to avoid anger, irritation, and harshness on Friday night and instead welcome Shabbat with song, warmth, and a bright face toward the members of the household.

The deeper idea revealed by the exchange of angels is that the spiritual and physical worlds are not frozen realities. Creation is a dynamic system moving continuously through ascent and descent, sanctification and renewal. Different forms of influence have different times and boundaries. One level does not simply swallow another; each has its proper task.

The weekdays are not empty or inferior days. They are the arena in which weekday angels accompany a person through action, labor, business, and the refinement of the material world. Shabbat, by contrast, is a time of ascent when the gates of heaven open and sacred angels descend to bring rest, holiness, and the additional soul. To receive a new and higher light, the person must make room. He must loosen his grip on the previous mode and know how to say farewell in peace to the forces that served him until now.

The farewell to the weekday angels is therefore not rejection. It is recognition that everything in the world has its own hour and rhythm. Wholeness comes when a person knows how to move forward and open himself to the holiness that is now arriving.

On the inner plane, Jacob’s ladder and the exchange of angels reflect the path of the human soul itself. The soul is also a ladder set upon the earth whose top reaches heaven. Within a human being dwell both weekday forces and sacred forces, periods of practical earthly action and periods of higher attachment. A great human tragedy occurs when a person tries to hold both ends at once, or when he clings to a previous state and refuses to let it pass.

A person fears leaving what is familiar. He may cling to the weekday angels—the habits, worries, ambitions, and patterns that accompanied him through the week—and by doing so prevent his soul from receiving the new angels of holiness. “Tzeitchem leshalom” teaches the spiritual art of release and trust.

Every level, every period, and every emotional state has forces that accompany it. When a time of ascent arrives, a time of Shabbat and additional soul, a person should look backward with gratitude toward the powers that helped him build his world, bless them in peace, and then empty the heart sufficiently to receive new light. This is a profound form of humility and faith: recognition that God conducts the world and the human soul through changing times and levels, and that every transition can lift the soul toward greater attachment.

A moral compass emerges from this teaching. A person must cultivate two qualities that sometimes seem opposite: gratitude and the ability to let go. It is morally right to appreciate every person, force, and stage that helped us along the way. But gratitude must not turn a means into an ultimate goal. Weekday work is not an unfortunate evil; it is a Divine mission for six days. Yet when sacred time arrives, purity demands that we not turn holy into ordinary or blur the proper boundaries between domains.

The person standing before the Shabbat candles learns that true inner strength is not the accumulation and jealous preservation of everything that has been. It is the ability to release, to thank the past, and to become genuinely available for the future light.

The Main Point:

The entire world and the human soul are built upon an ongoing journey of ascents and descents, changing times, and the wondrous meeting of sacred and ordinary reality. Once a person understands that every time has its angels, forces, and unique mission, he stops fighting the changes of life and learns to receive each new level with blessing.

The farewell to the weekday angels in “Tzeitchem leshalom” is not rejection or distance. According to the explanation brought by the later masters, it is a respectful elevation that allows the heavenly light of Shabbat and its angels to enter the home and fill the soul with peace and purity.

Two life-changing insights emerge. First, the ability to release one’s grip on weekday worries and say “go in peace” with calm faith is what opens the heart to receive sacred blessing and heavenly tranquility. Second, holiness is not measured by canceling weekday life, but by knowing how to place every force within its proper boundary and transform the transitions of time into a ladder of continual ascent toward Heaven.