The role of Lucifer

The role of Lucifer / Satan / The Dark Principle

The angelics preceded Adam. The Archangels are the birds which inhabit the airy World of Creation whilst the Angels are the fish of the sea who exist in the watery World of Formation. Lucifer - the highest archangel and "Bearer of Light" (=Träger des Lichtes) - was affronted (=beleidigt, erzürnt) by the arrival of Adam on the Sixt Day. How could a latecomer like Adam could take precedence over Lucifer, the head of all angelics? The Creator, anticipating Luzifers reaction, arranged a contest between Adam and Lucifer in front of the whole Heavenly Host in order to decide who had the greater power. Both contestants were asked to give a name to every species that was to appear on  Earth (in the World of Action). For that contest, the Creator allowed each angelic to choose who they would support, meaning on that Day the angelics were allowed to go beyond their 'usual' cosmic function and exercise free will.

Lucifer proudly believed he could easily outwit this human contender Adam for the prime position in the universe. During the contest, Adam had no problem giving names to the animals as only humanity - the most complete image of God - had the gift of creativity. Lucifer did not have this creativity, which revealed that Lucifer was no more than a brilliant cosmic civil servant who knew all the rules but had no imagination. Lucifer was humiliated (=erniedrgt, gedemütigt) before the whole celestial company and those angelics who supported Lucifer were outranged. As result a third of the Heavenly Host rebelled and departed Heaven with Lucifer as their leader, railing against God as they retreated into the depths and extreme edges of Existence, becoming the host of demons by their own choice. The Holy One - like a wise parent designing a plot in which the children will produce an inevitable result - set up this situation because a cosmic destructive factor was needed to destroy corruption, degradation and waste within Existence. The role of Lucifer, now called Satan the Tester,  was to oppose humanity so as to test their integrity. Without resistance, challenges and opposition, Adam and Eve (humanity) could not find out what they were and were not meant to do. This is the reason for evil. Satan is the Dark principle that can arise within an individual or community.

(Z'ev ben Shimon Halevi, Introduction to The World of Kabbalah)