Why would praying to an angel even be a mistake — if the angel is real and actually does things in this world? Rabbi Ari Klapper tackles the fifth principle of faith: we pray only to Hashem. He explains that Hashem genuinely does run the world through messengers — malachim, stars, and natural forces are all real shlichim that carry Hashem's shefa into creation. So why not pray to them? Because they're the mailman, not the sender. You might thank the mailman, but the package came from the One Who sent it. Avodah Zarah throughout history wasn't worship of nothing — people looked at the stars and saw real spiritual koichus flowing through them. They just made the mistake of stopping at the pipeline instead of tracing it back to the Source.

The episode brings it home with Avraham Avinu: he looked in the stars and saw, according to natural channels, that he wouldn't have children. He turned to Hashem and said, essentially, "You've already decided this through the stars." And Hashem said: I can override the pipeline. I put the koichus in the stars, but I'm not limited by them. That's the point. All the spiritual channels, all the malachim, all the forces of nature — they're wires running from the power plant. You can see the electrical line outside your window, but that's not where the electricity comes from. Practical takeaway: today, when something good happens — something arrives, something works out — take five seconds to trace it back: "That came from Hashem."

Hosted by Rabbi Ari Klapper and produced by Eli Podcast Productions, this episode is part of the Real Judaism series, available on RealJudaism.org. Don't forget to subscribe and share to stay connected with our daily lessons and timeless Torah insights!