×

WISE wk 2: Names of God

Save "WISE wk 2: Names of God"
WISE wk 2: Names of God
User Profile Picture
ByRabbi Aviva Fellman
Rabbi Aviva Fellman
[email protected]
בראשית ל״ב:כ״ד-ל׳

(כד) וַיִּקָּחֵ֔ם וַיַּֽעֲבִרֵ֖ם אֶת־הַנָּ֑חַל וַֽיַּעֲבֵ֖ר אֶת־אֲשֶׁר־לוֹ׃ (כה) וַיִּוָּתֵ֥ר יַעֲקֹ֖ב לְבַדּ֑וֹ וַיֵּאָבֵ֥ק אִישׁ֙ עִמּ֔וֹ עַ֖ד עֲל֥וֹת הַשָּֽׁחַר׃ (כו) וַיַּ֗רְא כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יָכֹל֙ ל֔וֹ וַיִּגַּ֖ע בְּכַף־יְרֵכ֑וֹ וַתֵּ֙קַע֙ כַּף־יֶ֣רֶךְ יַעֲקֹ֔ב בְּהֵֽאָבְק֖וֹ עִמּֽוֹ׃ (כז) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר שַׁלְּחֵ֔נִי כִּ֥י עָלָ֖ה הַשָּׁ֑חַר וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ לֹ֣א אֲשַֽׁלֵּחֲךָ֔ כִּ֖י אִם־בֵּרַכְתָּֽנִי׃ (כח) וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֵלָ֖יו מַה־שְּׁמֶ֑ךָ וַיֹּ֖אמֶר יַעֲקֹֽב׃ (כט) וַיֹּ֗אמֶר לֹ֤א יַעֲקֹב֙ יֵאָמֵ֥ר עוֹד֙ שִׁמְךָ֔ כִּ֖י אִם־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל כִּֽי־שָׂרִ֧יתָ עִם־אֱלֹקִ֛ים וְעִם־אֲנָשִׁ֖ים וַתּוּכָֽל׃ (ל) וַיִּשְׁאַ֣ל יַעֲקֹ֗ב וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ הַגִּֽידָה־נָּ֣א שְׁמֶ֔ךָ וַיֹּ֕אמֶר לָ֥מָּה זֶּ֖ה תִּשְׁאַ֣ל לִשְׁמִ֑י וַיְבָ֥רֶךְ אֹת֖וֹ שָֽׁם׃

Genesis 32:24-30
(24) After taking them across the stream, he sent across all his possessions. (25) Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the break of dawn. (26) When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he wrenched Jacob’s hip at its socket, so that the socket of his hip was strained as he wrestled with him. (27) Then he said, “Let me go, for dawn is breaking.” But he answered, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.” (28) Said the other, “What is your name?” He replied, “Jacob.” (29) Said he, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with beings divine and human, and have prevailed.” (30) Jacob asked, “Pray tell me your name.” But he said, “You must not ask my name!” And he took leave of him there.
Doubt Slip
Most of the time I doubt...
Sometimes I doubt…
Most of the time I am not sure…
Sometimes I am not sure…
I really think that…
I Believe:
  1. I believe that God created the world and directs the happenings in it.
  2. I believe that God has no power to interfere in the affairs of people.
  3. I believe that the world came into being by accident.
  4. I believe that God is aware of what I do.
  5. I believe that God can answer prayer.
  6. I believe that God punishes evil.
  7. I believe that God intended us never to understand certain things about the world.
  8. I believe that my concepts about God differ from the Bible’s concept of God.
  9. I believe that even if there were no people, God would still exist.
  10. I believe that God decided what is good and what is evil.
  11. I believe that God gets involved in human affairs when He wants to.
  12. I believe that God rewards good.
  13. I believe that God exists independently of, and outside of people.
  14. I believe that prayer is an attempt to talk to God.
  15. I believe that the Bible is the word of God.
  16. I believe that God listens to prayer.
  17. I believe that “God” is a term that people use to describe their best hopes for humanity.
  18. I believe that God exists only inside of people.
  19. I believe that praying can benefit the person who prays, even if God doesn’t listen/answer.
  20. I believe that “God” is an idea people use to describe those things beyond human understanding.
  21. I believe that prayer can have an effect on people’s lives regardless of what they think about God.
What else do you believe about God?
Faith Interview:
  1. If there is a God, how do you picture God?
  2. Do you talk to God yourself?
  3. Have you ever felt God talking to you, of have you ever felt God’s presence?
  4. What are some of your doubts about God?
  5. If God is good, how can God permit evil in the world?
  6. Do you know of any differences between the Jewish conceptions of God and Christian conceptions of God?
  7. Is there anything that makes you angry about God?
  8. Has God ever answered any of your prayers?
  9. Why don’t you think or talk to God more than you do?
  10. Does God still function in the world as described in the Bible?
  11. What is a miracle? Do you believe in miracles?
  12. Do you believe in life after death? What form does it look like?
  13. Do you believe God punishes the sinner and rewards the righteous?
  14. Do you think that the Jewish people has been chosen for something special? If yes, do you think that they were chosen to receive something or to do something?
  15. If you were God, what would you do differently?
  16. Do you pray to God more when you are sick and in trouble? Do you think more about God when someone you love is in trouble or in danger?
  17. Do you thank God for the good things in your life as well as relating God to the bad things that happen?
בראשית א׳:א׳

(א) בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹקִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ׃

Genesis 1:1
(1) When God began to create heaven and earth—
אֱלֹקִים (n-m) heb
  1. (plural intensive-singular meaning)
    • works or special possessions of God
    • godlike one
    • God
  2. (plural)
    • rulers, judges
    • divine ones
    • angels
    • god
שמות כ׳:ז׳

(ז) לֹ֥א תִשָּׂ֛א אֶת־שֵֽׁם־ה' אֱלֹקֶ֖יךָ לַשָּׁ֑וְא כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יְנַקֶּה֙ ה' אֵ֛ת אֲשֶׁר־יִשָּׂ֥א אֶת־שְׁמ֖וֹ לַשָּֽׁוְא׃ (פ)

Exodus 20:7
(7) You shall not swear falsely by the name of the LORD your God; for the LORD will not clear one who swears falsely by His name.
תהילים ט׳:ב׳-ג׳

(ב) אוֹדֶ֣ה ה' בְּכָל־לִבִּ֑י אֲ֝סַפְּרָ֗ה כָּל־נִפְלְאוֹתֶֽיךָ׃ (ג) אֶשְׂמְחָ֣ה וְאֶעֶלְצָ֣ה בָ֑ךְ אֲזַמְּרָ֖ה שִׁמְךָ֣ עֶלְיֽוֹן׃

Psalms 9:2-3
(2) I will praise You, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell all Your wonders. (3) I will rejoice and exult in You, singing a hymn to Your name, O Most High.
תהילים פ״ג:י״ז-י״ט

(יז) מַלֵּ֣א פְנֵיהֶ֣ם קָל֑וֹן וִֽיבַקְשׁ֖וּ שִׁמְךָ֣ ה'׃ (יח) יֵבֹ֖שׁוּ וְיִבָּהֲל֥וּ עֲדֵי־עַ֗ד וְֽיַחְפְּר֥וּ וְיֹאבֵֽדוּ׃ (יט) וְֽיֵדְע֗וּ כִּֽי־אַתָּ֬ה שִׁמְךָ֣ ה' לְבַדֶּ֑ךָ עֶ֝לְי֗וֹן עַל־כָּל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃

Psalms 83:17-19

(17) Cover their faces with shame so that they seek Your name, O LORD. (18) May they be frustrated and terrified, disgraced and doomed forever. (19) May they know that Your name, Yours alone, is the LORD, supreme over all the earth.

בראשית י״ז:א׳
(א) וַיְהִ֣י אַבְרָ֔ם בֶּן־תִּשְׁעִ֥ים שָׁנָ֖ה וְתֵ֣שַׁע שָׁנִ֑ים וַיֵּרָ֨א ה' אֶל־אַבְרָ֗ם וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֵלָיו֙ אֲנִי־אֵ֣ל שַׁדַּ֔י הִתְהַלֵּ֥ךְ לְפָנַ֖י וֶהְיֵ֥ה תָמִֽים׃
Genesis 17:1

(1) When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am El Shaddai. Walk in My ways and be blameless.

The Tetragrammaton in Phoenician (1100 BC to AD 300), Aramaic (10th Century BC to 0) and modern Hebrew scripts. This name of God appears 1820 times in the Torah- the Five Books of Moses.

שמות כ׳:ז׳

(ז) לֹ֥א תִשָּׂ֛א אֶת־שֵֽׁם־ה' אֱלֹקֶ֖יךָ לַשָּׁ֑וְא כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יְנַקֶּה֙ ה' אֵ֛ת אֲשֶׁר־יִשָּׂ֥א אֶת־שְׁמ֖וֹ לַשָּֽׁוְא׃ (פ)

Exodus 20:7
(7) You shall not swear falsely by the name of the LORD your God; for the LORD will not clear one who swears falsely by His name.

https://www.cs.mcgill.ca/~rwest/wikispeedia/wpcd/wp/n/Names_of_God_in_Judaism.htm

Nava Tehila, a spiritual prayer and song group based in Jerusalem have taken to using the Kabbalistic "HAVAYAH הויה" as their name for God. It uses the same letters as YHVH.

Havayah is the pronunciation used for God’s essential Name spelled with the four letters י־הוה (yud, hei, vav, hei).

Havayah is the most sacred of the Names of God. Although no name can fully express God’s essence, Havayah refers to God’s essence. For this reason it is sometimes referred to as “the essential Name” (שֵׁם הָעֶצֶם), or “the unique Name” (שֵׁם הַמְיֻחָד), or “the explicit Name” (שֵׁם הַמְפֹרָשׁ).

Due to its great sanctity, this Name may only be pronounced in the Holy Temple, and its correct pronunciation is not known today. For this reason, we refer to this Name by either the word Hashem, which simply means “the Name,” or Havayah (הֲוָיָ־ה), one of the permutations of its letters.

In English, this Name is referred to as the Tetragrammaton, meaning the four-letter Name, because in Hebrew it is spelled with four letters.

תהילים ט״ז:ח׳

(ח) שִׁוִּ֬יתִי ה' לְנֶגְדִּ֣י תָמִ֑יד כִּ֥י מִֽ֝ימִינִ֗י בַּל־אֶמּֽוֹט׃

Psalms 16:8
(8) I am ever mindful of the LORD’s presence; He is at my right hand; I shall never be shaken.
The Names of God
  1. Adonai. “My Lord”
  2. King
  3. Lord
  4. The True God
  5. The Divinity
  6. The Fear of Isaac
  7. Might One of Jacob
  8. El, The God of (the Patriot) Israel
  9. Most High
  10. Everlasting God
  11. God Almighty
  12. God of Vision
  13. God of the Covenant
  14. Everlasting King
  15. Everlasting Rock
  16. Ancient God
  17. Everlasting Arms
  18. Everlasting Life
  19. YHVH “He Causes To Be”
  20. I am That I am
  21. Lord of Hosts
  22. Creator of Heaven and Earth
  23. Holy One
  24. Holy one of Israel
  25. Shephard of Israel
  26. The Rock
  27. King of Israel
  28. The God of Truth
  29. Former of All
  30. Praiseworthy God
  31. Guardian of Israel
  32. Shield of Abraham
  33. Rock of Israel
  34. King of Kings
  35. The Name
  36. The Holy One, Praised be He
  37. Heaven
  38. Peace
  39. I
  40. Judge of Truth
  41. The Awesome One
  42. My Rock
  43. Eternal One of Israel
  44. Ever-living God
  45. Lover of His People Israel
  46. The Ransomer
  47. The Redeemer
  48. The Guide
  49. Our God, God of Our Ancestors
  50. God of Abraham
  51. God of Isaac
  52. God of Jacob
  53. The Mighty One
  54. The Heroic One
  55. Acquirer of All
  56. The Living Lord
  57. Rescuer
  58. Reviver of the Dead
  59. Father of Mercy
  60. The Merciful One
  61. The Merciful
  62. The Holy One
  63. The Place
  64. The Might
  65. The Faithful One
  66. Lord of the Universe
  67. He Who Spoke and the Universe Came Into Being
  68. Our Father in Heaven
  69. The Infinite
  70. The Possessor of Will
  71. Hosts
  72. King of Compassion and Mercy
  73. Rock of Our Lives
  74. The Good One
  75. He Who is Merciful
  76. Maker of Peace
  77. Thankworthy God
  78. The Holy King
  79. Master of All
  80. The Creator
  81. He Who Caused His Name to Dwell in this House
  82. Our Father, Our King
  83. Our Shephard
  84. Mighty One of Israel
  85. Our Healer
  86. Mentor
  87. The Living God of Majesty
  88. Sovereign
  89. The Compassionate One
  90. The Patient One
  91. The Bountiful One
  92. The One Who is Forgiveness
  93. The Generous One
  94. The Eternal
  95. The First Cause
  96. World-Soul
  97. Absolute Spirit
  98. Absolute Rest
  99. The Power That Makes for Salvation
  100. The Power That Makes for the Fulfillment of All Valid Ideals
  101. Lord, Man of War
  102. The Lord Who Hides His Face
Any others?
פסיקתא דרב כהנא י״ב:כ״ה

א"ר יוסי בר' חנינא ולפי כוחן של כל אחד ואחד היה הדיבר מדבר עמו. ואל תתמה על הדבר הזה, שהיה המן יורד לישראל כל אחד ואחד היה טועמו לפי כוחו, התינוקות לפי כוחן, והבחורים לפי כוחן, הזקנים לפי כוחן. התינוקות לפי כוחן, כשם שהתינוק הזה היונק בשדי אמו כך היה טועמו, שנא' והיה טעמו כטעם לשד השמן (במדבר יא:ח). והבחורים לפי כוחן, שנ' ולחמי אשר נתתי לך לחם ושמן ודבש האכלתיך (יחזקאל טז:יט). והזקנים לפי כוחן, שנ' וטעמו כצפיחית בדבש (שמות טז:לא). ומה אם המן כל אחד ואחד לפי כוחן היה טועם לפיו, בדיבר כל אחד ואחד שומע לפי כוחן.

Pesikta DeRav Kahana 12:25

Rabbi Yossi bat Hanina said: God's speech came to each individual according to their capacity. Do not be surprised at this: When the manna descended for Israel, it tasted differently to everyone.

To the infants, it tasted like their mother's milk, as it says: "It tasted like rich cream [Num. 11:8]."

To the young it tasted differently, as it says: "Bread and oil and honey [Ezekiel 16:19]."

To the elders it tasted differently, as it says: "The taste of it was like wafers made with honey [Ex. 16:31]."

In the same way as the manna tasted in each person's mouth according to their uniqueness, so each individual heard God's speech according to their uniqueness.