Parashah Insights

by

Rabbi Yaakov Hillel

Rosh Yeshivat Ahavat Shalom

Parashat Vaera

Nature and Divine Providence

The Names in Shmot
And Elokim spoke to Moshe and He said to him, I am Hashem. And I appeared to Avraham, to Yitzhak, and to Yaakov with [the Name] E-l Sha-d-ai, and My Name Hashem, I did not make known to them... Therefore, say to the children of Israel, I am Hashem, and I will take you out from under the burdens of Egypt, and I will save you from their enslavement, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments (6:2-6). At the Burning Bush, Hashem had commanded Moshe to confront Pharaoh and order him to free his slaves, the Jewish people. Pharaoh refused, and retaliated by increasing the nations workload. The suffering Jews complained to Moshe that his attempt had only made their lot worse, and Moshe brought their complaint to Hashem (Shmot 3-5). Hashem again promised Moshe that He would soon act miraculously to free the Jews. The promise was followed by rebuke: Hashem had made promises to the Forefathers which they did not see fulfilled in their lifetimes, and yet they had never complained against the Al-mighty, as Moshe was now doing (6:1-9, Rashi, citing Shmot Rabbah 6:4). We can understand these verses on a more profound level as well. As we see, they include three different Names of G-d: Elokim, Hashem, and E-l Sha-d-ai. Clearly, the Torahs use of different Names for the Al-mighty is not merely for literary or poetic purposes, G-d forbid. Every one of Hashems Names represents the revelation of a different Divine Attribute.
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The Name Elokim represents Hashems rule over the world through the forces of nature. So too, the Name E-l Sha-d-ai is also related to Hashems rule through the limited, natural forces of Creation, as alluded to in our Sages teaching that Hashem told His world dai (literally enough), confining Creation to distinct, defined boundaries (see Hagigah 12a and Bereshit Rabbah 5:8). The Name Hashem, on the other hand, written as yud-keh-vav-keh, represents Hashems rule over the world through individual Divine Providence. The concept of Hashems Names appears frequently in the early parshiot of the Book of Shmot, literally The Book of Names. The second Book of the Torah begins with the words, And these are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt. The simple meaning of this verse is obvious: it refers to the actual names of the children and grandchildren of Yaakov who came down to Egypt. However, as we shall explain, Shmot refers also to the profound concept of the revelation of Hashems Names, which began when our people became a nation, as related in this Book of the Torah. Every one of the Names of Hashem mentioned in the Torah represents a specific revelation of His Divine Attributes. From this time onward, the Torah would refer to the Al-mighty by the Name which represents the specific Attribute with which He relates to His people at any given time or in any given situation. For example, when the Torah uses the Name Elokim, it indicates that Hashem is relating to the Jewish people with His Divine Attribute of Strict Judgment. The Torahs use of the Name Hashem (Shem Havayah) indicates that He is relating to us with the Attribute of Lovingkindness. The Arizal teaches that the purpose of Creation was to reveal Hashems Attributes and powers, as expressed by His Names (Etz Hayyim, Shaar Alef, Chapter 1). This happened when the Jews became a nation and Hashem related to them with His various Attributes, which had been concealed until that time. This began the era known as two thousand years of Torah. The entire Torah is composed of the Names of the Al-mighty, revealed in the different Attributes with which He rules the world.1

At the Burning Bush

In recounting Moshes prophetic encounter with the Al-mighty at the Burning Bush, the Torah says, And Hashem saw that he turned to look, and Elokim called to him from within the Bush, and said, Moshe, Moshe, and he said Here I am (Shmot 3:4). As we see, the verse begins with the Name Hashem, then uses the

See Parashah Insights on Bereshit for a fuller discussion of this topic. 2

Name Elokim. The verses which continue the account of the Burning Bush also mention both of these Names of Hashem. After hearing Hashems command, Moshe questioned Him about His Name: And Moshe said to Elokim, Behold, when I go to the children of Israel, and I say to them, the G-d of your fathers sent me to you, and they will say to me, what is His Name, what will I say to them? And Elokim said to Moshe, Eh-heh-yeh Asher Ehheh-yeh sent me to you. So you will say to the children of Israel, Eh-heh-yeh sent me to you (3:13-14). The Name Eh-heh-yeh Asher Eh-heh-yeh, literally translated as I Shall Be As I Shall Be, is the loftiest of Hashems Names (Etz Hayyim, Shaar Mem-bet, Perek Bet, p. 94b). The Mekubalim say that it is a root name. A root is the source of its branches. Everything which blossoms from the tree branches, fruit, leaves, flowers were all initially included in the roots, although these offshoots are not visible until they emerge on their own. So too, the Name Eh-heh-yeh Asher Eh-heh-yeh includes all the Divine Attributes, each with its own specific Name, although they are not yet apparent on their own while still within the root. Each individual Attribute derived from this root is revealed as needed, in accordance with changing circumstances in our world. After that, Elokim said further to Moshe, So will you say to the children of Israel: Hashem, the G-d of your fathers, the G-d of Avraham, the G-d of Yitzhak, and the Gd of Yaakov, sent me to you. This is My Name forever, and this is My remembrance in all generations (Shmot 3:15). Our Sages explain this verse. The Holy One, blessed be He, said, My Name is not pronounced in the same way that it is written. My Name is written with yud-keh (a reference to the Name yud-keh-vav-keh), but My Name is pronounced with alefdalet (meaning the Name alef-dalet-nun-yud). The word lolam, forever, is written in the verse without the letter vav, so that it can be understood as lalam, to be concealed (Pesahim 50a). Yud-keh-vav-keh, the most hallowed of all Hashems Divine Names, may not be pronounced the way it is written, but rather as alef-dalet-nun-yud. The written Name yud-keh-vav-keh is concealed, while the spoken Name alef-dalet-nun-yud is revealed. The Name yud-keh-vav-keh, known as the Shem Havayah, represents the most powerful revelation of the Al-mighty. It is strictly forbidden to pronounce this sacred Name; we may not even say its letters in uninterrupted sequence. In ordinary speech, we read it as Hashem, literally the Name. In blessings and prayer, we say instead the Name alef-dalet-nun-yud, the Name of Adnut. This Name refers to the connection between master and servant Hashem is our King and Master (Adon), and we are His servants. The Shem Havayah, the Attribute of Hashems personal Divine Providence, is on a level beyond human comprehension, so it is hidden, or in our Sages words, lalam. Rather than being openly revealed, it is transmitted
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through the Name of Adnut, the Name that is the link between the Al-mighty and His created beings. We find allusion to this profound concept in the verse, Hashem (the Name yudkeh-vav-keh) is in His sacred Sanctuary (Tehillim 11:4). The Hebrew word hechal (Sanctuary) has the same numerical equivalent (gematriya)2 as the Name alefdalet-nun-yud. We may explain this verse to mean that the Name Havayah is like the soul, and the Name Adnut is like the body encasing it. In other words, the Name yud-keh-vav-keh is revealed through the Name alef-dalet-nun-yud. This is the profound meaning of the Names Havayah and Adnut when written together (yud-alef-keh-dalet-vav-nun-keh-yud), alternating the letters of the two Names (Hakdamat Tikune Zohar, p. 3a).

Confronting Pharaoh
The first time Moshe approached Pharaoh at the Al-mightys command, he said, So said Hashem, the G-d of Israel: Send out My nation and they will celebrate for Me in the desert. Pharaoh answered, Who is Hashem that I should listen to His Voice? I do not know Hashem and I also will not send out Israel. Moshe and Aharon replied, The G-d of the Hebrews called to us. We will go three days journey in the desert and sacrifice to Hashem our G-d, lest He strike us by plague or by the sword (Shmot 5:1-3). At this stage, it appeared that not only had their courageous effort failed, but that it had in fact backfired. Pharaoh refused to even consider their request. Instead, he maliciously cracked down all the harder on his Hebrew slaves, making their already impossible workload truly unbearable. Now they would have to gather their own building materials, while meeting the same quota of finished bricks as they had when the materials were supplied. When Moshe saw the outcome of his mission, he returned to Hashem and said, My Master (alef-dalet-nun-yud), why did You make it worse for this nation? Why is it that You sent me? And from the time that I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your Name, it has gotten worse for this nation, and You did not save Your nation at all (5:22-23). Hashem told Moshe, Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh, for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will chase them out of his land (6:1). This Divine promise was followed by some serious words of rebuke:

In the Hebrew alphabet, in addition to the meaning of any given word expressed by the characters read as letters, it also has a numerical equivalent (gematriya) composed of the value of its letters in numbers. 4

And Elokim spoke to Moshe and He said to him, I am Hashem. And I appeared to Avraham, to Yitzhak, and to Yaakov with [the Name] E-l Sha-d-ai, and My Name Hashem, I did not make known to them. Therefore, say to the children of Israel, I am Hashem (6:2-3).

The Attitudes of a Pharaoh

Pharaohs dealings with Moshe made it abundantly clear that he did not believe in Hashem, and did not intend to inconvenience himself over His instructions or His messengers. And yet, the Arizal points out what appears to be an inconsistency in Pharaohs attitude (Shaar HaKavanot, Derushe Pesah, Derush Alef). In an earlier era, it seemed that Pharaoh had acknowledged G-d, as we learn from his first conversation with Yosef. Pharaoh told Yosef, the lowly Hebrew slave, that he had heard of his ability to interpret dreams. Yosef modestly answered, It is not from me. Elokim will answer concerning Pharaohs welfare (Bereshit 41:15-16). Pharaoh did not reply in a royal rage that he had never heard of Elokim. To the contrary, after hearing Yosefs interpretation and his suggestions as to how to meet the crisis of the upcoming famine, he said, Is there another like him, a man who has in him the sprit of Elokim? Since Elokim has informed you of all this... you will be in charge of my palace (ibid. 41:38-40). With Moshe, his response was altogether different: Who is Hashem that I should listen to His Voice to send out Israel? I do not know Hashem. Apparently, the Arizal says, Pharaohs problem was not with the general idea of a ruling force; he did recognize the existence of an Elokim. As Moshe said, the problem was that he had spoken to Pharaoh in Your Name, meaning with the Name Hashem (5:23). The concept implied specifically by the Name Hashem (yud-keh-vav-keh) was something Pharaoh could not accept. It would be this very concept which later hardened Pharaohs heart. What exactly did Pharaoh believe? From the earliest times, the ancient non-Jewish nations had their own theory of G-d. As they see it, when G-d created the world, He set up the sophisticated machinery known as nature to run it, and then stepped back, so to speak. They do not accept the idea of G-ds ongoing individual Divine Providence (hashgahah pratit) in mans affairs: For they said, Hashem does not see us, Hashem has abandoned the earth (Yehezkel 8:12). Once the great work of Creation was completed, they maintain, Hashem no longer troubles Himself with mans petty deeds and concerns (see Commentary of Ramban on Shmot 13:16).

However, it is a fundamental of Jewish faith that Hashem continues to supervise the affairs of mankind at all times, and is involved in every aspect of our lives and deeds. This difference of opinion is expressed in Tehillim (113:4-6). The other nations say, Hashem is elevated over all the nations, His honor is above the Heavens (Tehillim 113:4). They view G-d as high above it all, and believe that it is His Honor to be exclusively above the Heavens, far away and high beyond surely He is too great and too lofty to be concerned with anything as lowly as man. Our reply to this contention is found in the verses which follow. Yes, it is true that Hashem is high above all the nations, His honor is in the Heavens. However, we say, Who is like Hashem, our G-d, Who sits on high, Who looks down on the Heaven and the earth. Even though His Throne is in Heaven, high above us, He constantly looks down to supervise all that happens below. He is actively involved in our affairs, as evidenced by the fact that He lifts the poor man from the dust, and elevates the pauper from the rubbish (113:5-7; see Malbim). It is the belief in personal Divine Providence that sets the Jewish people apart. As we explained, the Name Elokim, which was tolerable to Pharaoh, can be understood as referring to the forces of nature empowered by G-d to run the world and maintain its ongoing existence after He separated Himself from Creation. Significantly, the word Elokim has the same numerical equivalent as the word hateva, the forces of nature. In Pharaohs opinion, the Creator Himself should not be called Elokim. It was the forces of nature themselves that he perceived as Elokim. The Name Hashem, used as a reference to G-d, represents the G-d Who alone rules personally and directly through individual Divine Providence. It was this idea which infuriated Pharaoh. Now we can understand Pharaohs problem. As he saw it, the concept of a Deity was limited (G-d forbid) to the name Elokim, or in other words, to the forces of nature in a general sense. When Yosef mentioned Elokim, Pharaoh could accept the idea and even respond in kind. Anything more than that contradicted his perception of life and the world, so that when Moshe addressed him in the Name of Hashem, with all that implies, he burst out in a fury. He said, I do not know Hashem, meaning I refuse to recognize the concept of a G-d Who rules the world directly through personal Divine Providence. He added, And I also will not send Israel, meaning I do not accept that Hashem created the world for a purpose namely, for Israel to receive and fulfill the Torah (Rashi on Bereshit 1:1). According to the Zohar, it was the use of the Name Hashem which hardened Pharaohs heart, and not any Divine manipulation of his Free Will: Hashem sent me to you (Shmot 7:16); Come to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart... so that you may know that I am Hashem (10:1-2); And Hashem hardened Pharaohs heart

(10:27); Hashem hardened Pharaohs heart, and he did not send the People of Israel from his land (Shmot 11:10). As Pharaoh understood the world, man and his doings are no more meaningful than ants scurrying about on their anthill. In fact, in his opinion it would actually be insulting to insinuate that the Creator deals personally with something so petty as sustaining and running our lowly world (see Nefesh HaHayyim, Shaar Yud-gimel, Chapter 11, note). The very suggestion of the concept of hashgahah pratit implied by the Name Hashem was enough to anger Pharaoh, making him stubborn and intractable and hardening his heart (Zohar, vol. I, p.195a). With this in mind, we can understand why the first words Hashem spoke to the Jewish people at the Giving of the Torah were, I am Hashem your G-d, Who took you out of the land of Egypt (Shmot 20:2), rather than the more obvious I am Hashem your G-d, Who created Heaven and earth. Even the ancient nations of the world accepted G-d as Creator, as expressed in the Name Elokim; that is not the belief which distinguishes our people. However, the Exodus was accompanied by a series of open, unmistakable miracles, among them the Plagues and the Splitting of the Sea, clearly wrought by G-d for the benefit of His nation. It began a new era of awareness of Hashem not only as the worlds Creator, but also as its fully involved Ruler, Who supervises and directs all events and circumstances, big and small, guiding the world He created to its ultimate purpose. Until the Exodus, Hashem ruled the world through the powers of nature. He revealed Himself to individuals, among them our saintly Forefathers, but not with an open, miraculous display of special Divine Providence which blatantly overturned nature, such as that seen in Egypt (see Ramban on Shmot 6:2 and Malbim on Tehillim 14:1). This is why our Sages call the first two thousand years before the Giving of the Torah two thousand years of desolation (Sanhedrin 97a). During these years, Hashem concealed His open involvement in mans affairs. In His rebuke to Moshe, He reminded him that the Forefathers had not been granted this high level of revelation; their descendents, the Jewish nation, would be the ones to be granted this privilege. The Forefathers only saw Hashem as E-l Sha-d-ai, Who ruled through the limited, natural forces of Creation. And yet, they never doubted Him.

The Names of Creation

We find allusion to this understanding of the Divine Names in the first verse of the Torah, in the account of Creation: In the beginning, Elokim created the Heavens and the earth (Bereshit 1:1). The Name Elokim refers to G-ds Creation of the
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world with a built-in mechanism for continuing existence and orderly operation (see Responsa Hacham Tzvi 18). By so doing, He left room for error: one can choose to believe that Hashem disconnected Himself from the world He created, leaving nature to take over. However, our Sages teach that this first verse carries a message of Divine Providence as well. [Bereshit, for reshit, means] for the Torah which is called reshit darko (the beginning of His way) (Mishle 8:22), and for Israel, who are called reshit tevuato (the first of His crop) (Yirmiyahu 2:3) (Rashi, Bereshit 1:1, citing the Sages; see Bate Midrashot Part 1, Bereshit 5). Hashem did not create the world and leave it to function on its own, moving on to other matters. He had a distinct purpose in Creation, directly related to His Divine Providence and ongoing involvement in the affairs of man the Torah, and the people of Israel who would fulfill it. We can gain insight into this concept from a teaching of the Rosh (Orhot Hayyim 1:26). He instructs us to trust in Hashem with all your heart, and believe in His personal Divine intervention, and you will thereby fulfill in your heart the complete Unification, by believing in Him, that His Eyes range the entire world, and His Eyes are on all of mans ways, and He examines the heart and searches the kidneys. For one who does not believe in Who took you out of the land of Egypt also does not believe in I am Hashem your G-d (Elokim), and this is not the complete Unification. For this is the uniqueness of Israel over all the nations, and this is the foundation of the entire Torah. The Zohar teaches that the name of G-d considered to be the complete Unification is the combining of the Name Havayah and the Name Elokim (Zohar, vol. II, Parashat Pekude, p. 256b). When we say Hashem Elokim, we acknowledge that He is both Creator and Ruler, as evident in the miracles of Exodus. These words of the Rosh relate to an essential difference between our belief and that of the non-Jewish world. It is the foundation of the entire Torah that we must believe in G-d not only as the Creator (Elokim), but also as Hashem, Who runs the world through ongoing Divine intervention. If we lack this fundamental belief, our faith is not complete Unification.

One G-d, Many Names

The Book of Shmot begins with the words, And these are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt with Yaakov, a man and his household, they came. As we explained, on a profound level, these words allude to the fact that the revelation of Hashems Names began at the time when the Jews went down to Egypt. The Book of Shmot discusses the Al-mightys relationship with the Jewish people. It was their existence as a nation which realized the revelation of Hashems Divine Names in His dealings with our people. This could be one explanation of why
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this book of the Torah is called Shmot, Names. From this time on, the Names of the Al-mighty were all revealed. We know that Hashem is One and His Name is One (Zechariah 14:9). How can it be that He Who is One is called by many different Names? Moshe asked this question at the Burning Bush, when the Names Hashem and Elokim were both used: And they will say to me, What is His Name? What will I say to them? Hashems answer was, And G-d said to Moshe, Eh-heh-yeh Asher Eh-heh-yeh, literally translated as I Shall Be As I Shall Be. The question, and the answer, involved more than a request for a familiar name which the people would recognize and accept. As we explained, each Name of Hashem represents a different Divine Attribute. Moshes question was, which of these Attributes should he present to the people or in other words, how would Hashem lead them? Would it be with the Name Hashem, symbolic of Divine Lovingkindness? Or would it be with Elokim, symbolic of Strict Judgment? The Mekubalim teach that Eh-heh-yeh (I Shall Be), Hashems most exalted Name, includes all the Attributes which the exile and Exodus might call to the fore (Zohar, vol. III p. 11a; Shaare Orah, Shaar Alef, Sefirah HaRishonah). Therefore Moshe was to give the people this Name, to inform them that the Al-mighty would lead them with any or all of His Attributes as the need arose. When Moshe asked about Hashems Name, He answered that His Name depends on the Attribute He reveals at a given time.

Din and Hesed

After Moshes unsuccessful encounter with Pharaoh and its painful outcome, he told Hashem, And from the time that I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your Name, it has gotten worse for this nation, and You did not save Your nation at all (Shmot 5:23). The response to this complaint was, And Elokim said to Moshe, I am Hashem (6:2). Hashem is pure spirituality, with no limitations He is En Sof, Infinity. Man is a material being with limited material perceptions. We cannot comprehend G-d. We can only know Him, so to speak, through the way His Attributes are revealed in the lower worlds. In Kabbalistic teachings, the Name Elokim represents the Divine Attribute of Strict Judgment, and the Name Hashem represents Divine Lovingkindness. Even what we may perceive as harsh Judgment (Elokim), is actually Lovingkindness (Hashem). At the Covenant between the Parts, the time decreed for the Jews exile in Egypt was four hundred years (Bereshit 15:13). Now, by intensifying the misery and suffering of their servitude, this period would be reduced by almost half, to two
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hundred and ten years, enabling the Jews to leave Egypt in the near future. The increased workload appeared to be a manifestation of Elokim, but really, it was the Lovingkindness of Hashem. We can find an analogy to this concept in Moshes prophetic vision at the Burning Bush, which expressed both these Divine Names: The bush was burning in the fire, but the bush was not consumed (Shmot 3:2). The fire was symbolic of Gevurah (the Attribute of Might-Strict Judgment), and the bush itself was symbolic of Israel, who are caught up in the fire but are not destroyed by it. The bush, the Jewish nation, was seared and scorched by the heightened slavery in Egypt. Even so, they were not consumed, because it was precisely those hardships which brought their redemption closer. The numerical equivalent of the word Gevurah is two hundred and sixteen. This is three times seventy-two, the numerical equivalent of the word hesed. What we view as harsh manifestations of Gevurah are actually triple-fold hesed. However, the suffering is bitter and after all, its purpose is concealed from us, making it painfully difficult to bear. This is why we request, Show us, Hashem, Your lovingkindness (Tehillim 85:8). We ask Hashem to do hesed with us that we can recognize and appreciate, and not hidden hesed which in our superficial view appears to be suffering, although on a deeper level, it is in fact for our ultimate good. The verse We imagined, Elokim, Your kindness is in the midst of Your Sanctuary (Tehillim 48:10) provides a further allusion. As we said earlier, the Hebrew word Hechal (Sanctuary) has the same numerical equivalent as the Name alef-dalet-nun-yud, which implies Hashems Strict Judgment. The letters alef-daletnun-yud can also be arranged to spell din alef, an allusion to the Al-mightys Attribute of Din. Hashem is Alef, number one, so to speak, the First Cause. He, Alef, is the Source of the Din that comes down to the world from His Sanctuary. However, although we cannot see it, Hashem (the Name yud-keh-vav-keh) is in His sacred Sanctuary (Tehillim 11:4). What appears from the outside to be Strict Judgment is in reality Hashems lovingkindness. We are only human we do not have the higher perspective from inside Hashems Hechal. There it is clear that everything which happens is hesed. Our viewpoint from below is hazy and blurred. We see suffering and we are sure that it emanates from Elokim, Strict Judgment. But that is only what we imagined, because we do not see the situation from above from the Sanctuary of the Heavens. If we could see the world from Hashems Sanctuary, we would realize that this is not so. There, with Hashems omniscient knowledge of past, present, and future, it is apparent that all His deeds are hesed, intended only for our good.

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Revealing His Name

Hashem created our world in order for us to earn eternal reward through our Free Will. If the truth of His existence were to be openly revealed to man, Free Will would be impossible; if our knowledge and awareness of G-d, His Will, and His Might were tangible and unmistakable, we would never sin. Lacking the element of struggle to overcome the temptation to transgress, our mitzvot would be automatic, robot-like functions, hardly deserving of reward. This is why the Al-mighty is called E-l Mistater, the G-d Who conceals Himself. He hides Himself from mankind, so to speak, to enable us to earn reward. When we fulfill Hashems Will through His Torah and mitzvot, we help to eliminate the spiritual barriers which conceal His Divine light, revealing His Names and Attributes to the world. When that happens, all mankind will know that Hashem is One (Zechariah 14:9) and that There is none other than Him (Devarim 4:35). This process of revelation began with our ancestors exile in Egypt and the manifest miracles surrounding the Exodus. With Hashems help, may we all be worthy of helping to bring about the complete revelation of His sacred Names and with it, our complete Redemption, speedily in our times.

This essay contains divre Torah. Please treat it with proper respect.

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