How God Becomes "One"

(א) הִנֵּ֥ה יֽוֹם־בָּ֖א לַֽה' וְחֻלַּ֥ק שְׁלָלֵ֖ךְ בְּקִרְבֵּֽךְ׃

(ב) וְאָסַפְתִּ֨י אֶת־כָּל־הַגּוֹיִ֥ם ׀ אֶֽל־יְרוּשָׁלִַם֮ לַמִּלְחָמָה֒ וְנִלְכְּדָ֣ה הָעִ֗יר וְנָשַׁ֙סּוּ֙ הַבָּ֣תִּ֔ים וְהַנָּשִׁ֖ים תשגלנה [תִּשָּׁכַ֑בְנָה] וְיָצָ֞א חֲצִ֤י הָעִיר֙ בַּגּוֹלָ֔ה וְיֶ֣תֶר הָעָ֔ם לֹ֥א יִכָּרֵ֖ת מִן־הָעִֽיר׃

(ג) וְיָצָ֣א ה' וְנִלְחַ֖ם בַּגּוֹיִ֣ם הָהֵ֑ם כְּי֥וֹם הִֽלָּחֲמ֖ו בְּי֥וֹם קְרָֽב׃

(ד) וְעָמְד֣וּ רַגְלָ֣יו בַּיּוֹם־הַ֠הוּא עַל־הַ֨ר הַזֵּתִ֜ים אֲשֶׁ֨ר עַל־פְּנֵ֥י יְרוּשָׁלִַם֮ מִקֶּדֶם֒ וְנִבְקַע֩ הַ֨ר הַזֵּיתִ֤ים מֵֽחֶצְיוֹ֙ מִזְרָ֣חָה וָיָ֔מָּה גֵּ֖יא גְּדוֹלָ֣ה מְאֹ֑ד וּמָ֨שׁ חֲצִ֥י הָהָ֛ר צָפ֖וֹנָה וְחֶצְיוֹ־נֶֽגְבָּה׃

(ה) וְנַסְתֶּ֣ם גֵּֽיא־הָרַ֗י כִּֽי־יַגִּ֣יעַ גֵּי־הָרִים֮ אֶל־אָצַל֒ וְנַסְתֶּ֗ם כַּאֲשֶׁ֤ר נַסְתֶּם֙ מִפְּנֵ֣י הָרַ֔עַשׁ בִּימֵ֖י עֻזִּיָּ֣ה מֶֽלֶךְ־יְהוּדָ֑ה וּבָא֙ ה' אֱלֹהַ֔י כָּל־קְדֹשִׁ֖ים עִמָּֽךְ׃

(ו) וְהָיָ֖ה בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֑וּא לֹֽא־יִהְיֶ֣ה א֔וֹר יְקָר֖וֹת יקפאון [וְקִפָּאֽוֹן׃]

(ז) וְהָיָ֣ה יוֹם־אֶחָ֗ד ה֛וּא יִוָּדַ֥ע לַֽה' לֹא־י֣וֹם וְלֹא־לָ֑יְלָה וְהָיָ֥ה לְעֵֽת־עֶ֖רֶב יִֽהְיֶה־אֽוֹר׃

(ח) וְהָיָ֣ה ׀ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֗וּא יֵצְא֤וּ מַֽיִם־חַיִּים֙ מִיר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם חֶצְיָ֗ם אֶל־הַיָּם֙ הַקַּדְמוֹנִ֔י וְחֶצְיָ֖ם אֶל־הַיָּ֣ם הָאַחֲר֑וֹן בַּקַּ֥יִץ וּבָחֹ֖רֶף יִֽהְיֶֽה׃

(ט) וְהָיָ֧ה ה' לְמֶ֖לֶךְ עַל־כָּל־הָאָ֑רֶץ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֗וּא יִהְיֶ֧ה ה' אֶחָ֖ד וּשְׁמ֥וֹ אֶחָֽד׃

Zechariah 14:1-9

(1) Behold, the day of the LORD comes, and the plunder taken from you shall be divided in your midst.

(2) For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken and the houses rifled, and the women raped; and half of the city shall go into exile, and the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city.

(3) Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.

(4)And his feet shall stand on that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in its midst toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall be moved toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

(5) And you shall flee to the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal; yes, you shall flee, like you fled from thearquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah; and the LORD my God shall come,a nd all the holy ones with you.

(6) And it shall come to pass on that day, that there shall not be bright light nor thick darkness;

(7) But t shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night; but it shall come to pass that at evening time there shall be light.

(8) And it shall be on that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the eastern sea, and half of them toward the western sea; in summer and in winter shall it be.

(9) And the LORD shall be king over all the earth, on that day the LORD shall be one, and His name one.

רש"י על זכריה י״ד:ט׳:א׳

(א) יהיה ה' אחד . שכל האומות שאין להם תורה האמתית יעזבו הבליהם ויודו לו שהוא אחד ואין עמו אל נכר :

Rashi on Zechariah 14:9:1

And God will be One -- That all of the nations that don't have the True Torah will leave their vanities and acknowledge that God is One and there is no foreign god...

רש"י על זכריה י״ד:ט׳:ב׳

(ב) ושמו אחד . שיהא שמו נזכר בפי כולם :

Rashi on Zechariah 14:9:2

And His Name is One -- That [God’s] name is mentioned in the mouth of all...

אבן עזרא על זכריה י״ד:ט׳:ב׳

(ב) ושמו אחד - הוא השם הנכבד הנודע על יד משה עבדו, ויקרא בפי כל ככתבו.

Ibn Ezra on Zechariah 14:9:2

And His Name is One -- This is the honored and known name given by way of Moses His servant, and [God’s name] is pronounced just as it is written...

And His Name is One -- This is the honored and known name [of God] according to God’s servant Moses, and [God’s name] is pronounced by all who write it...

פסחים נ׳ א:ט״ז-כ״א

״וְהָיָה ה׳ לְמֶלֶךְ עַל כׇּל הָאָרֶץ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִהְיֶה ה׳ אֶחָד וּשְׁמוֹ אֶחָד״. אַטּוּ הָאִידָּנָא לָאו אֶחָד הוּא? אָמַר רַבִּי אַחָא בַּר חֲנִינָא: לֹא כָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא. הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה, עַל בְּשׂוֹרוֹת טוֹבוֹת אוֹמֵר: ״בָּרוּךְ הַטּוֹב וְהַמֵּטִיב״, וְעַל בְּשׂוֹרוֹת רָעוֹת אוֹמֵר: ״בָּרוּךְ דַּיַּין הָאֱמֶת״. לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא, כּוּלּוֹ ״הַטּוֹב וְהַמֵּטִיב״. ״וּשְׁמוֹ אֶחָד״. מַאי ״אֶחָד״? אַטּוּ הָאִידָּנָא לָאו שְׁמוֹ אֶחָד הוּא? אָמַר רַב נַחְמָן בַּר יִצְחָק: לֹא כָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא. הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה, נִכְתַּב בְּיוֹד הֵי וְנִקְרָא בְּאָלֶף דָּלֶת. אֲבָל לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא כּוּלּוֹ אֶחָד, נִקְרָא בְּיוֹד הֵי וְנִכְתַּב בְּיוֹד הֵי. סְבַר רָבָא לְמִדְרְשַׁהּ בְּפִירְקָא, אֲמַר לֵיהּ הָהוּא סָבָא: ״לְעַלֵּם״ כְּתִיב. רַבִּי אֲבִינָא רָמֵי: כְּתִיב ״זֶה שְּׁמִי לְעֹלָם״ — ״וְזֶה זִכְרִי לְדוֹר דּוֹר״. אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא: לֹא כְּשֶׁאֲנִי נִכְתָּב, אֲנִי נִקְרָא. נִכְתָּב אֲנִי בְּיוֹד הֵא, וְנִקְרָא אֲנִי בְּאָלֶף דָּלֶת.

Pesachim 50a:16-21

The Gemara cites another verse from the prophecy at the end of the book of Zechariah: “And the Lord shall be King over all the earth, on that day shall the Lord be one and His name one” (Zechariah 14:9). The Gemara asks: Is that to say that now He is not one? Rabbi Aḥa bar Ḥanina said: The World-to-Come is not like this world. In this world, upon good tidings one recites: Blessed…Who is good and does good, and over bad tidings one recites: Blessed…the true Judge. In the World-to-Come one will always recite: Blessed…Who is good and does good. There will be only one mode of blessing God for tidings. The verse states: “On that day shall the Lord be one and His name one.” The Gemara asks: What is the meaning of the word one in this context? Is that to say that now His name is not one? Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: The World-to-Come is not like this world. In this world, God’s name that is written with the letters yod and heh is read as Adonai, which begins with the letters alef and dalet. God’s name is not pronounced in the same way as it is written. However, in the World-to-Come it will all be one, as God’s name will be both read with the letters yod and heh and written with the letters yod and heh. Rava thought to expound upon the correct punctuation and enunciation of the name of God during his public lecture before one of the Festivals. A certain old man said to him: The word forever is written in the verse: “This is My name forever [le’olam]” (Exodus 3:15) without the letter vav, such that it can be read le’alem, to conceal, meaning that the name should be concealed. Rabbi Avina raised a contradiction: It is written in the verse: “This is My name forever,” implying a requirement to conceal the name of God, and in the very next phrase it states: “And this is My memorial unto all generations” (Exodus 3:15), which indicates that the name of God is to be publicized and remembered by all. Rather, the Holy One, Blessed be He, said: I, i.e., My name, is not read as I am written. I am written with the letters yod and heh, and I am read with the letters alef and dalet.