Vaera 5783 Shabbat Afternoon Learning

God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am יהוה. I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as El Shaddai, but I did not make Myself known to them by My name יהוה.

וארא אל אברהם, I used to appear to Abraham, etc. The reason G'd did not lump the three patriarchs together but referred to each one by name is, that G'd's relationship with each one of the patriarchs was based on something unique to the patriarch in question. Abraham was unique in that he recognised his Creator without having had guidance from another human being. If someone had foreknowledge of the existence of G'd and His power, he does not deserve special credit for conducting himself in line with such knowledge. Every intelligent being would choose good over evil once he possessed such knowledge. Abraham did not possess any of these advantages which would have acquainted him with G'd's attributes. We have explained in connection with Isaiah 41,9 that the reason G'd called Abraham "the one who loves Me" was because his faith and morality was the result of his being a "self-starter." He cleaved to his faith in G'd in spite of the most demanding tests G'd subjected him to.

ושמי ה' לא נודעתי להם, the letter ב in the expression בא-ל שדי applies to the word ושמי. In effect what G’d is saying is that He has not made a point of becoming familiar to the patriarchs by His attribute Hashem when appearing to them, such as in the example mentioned. This was because He never experienced the need to change the laws of nature on their behalf. Seeing that the patriarchs could not have passed on knowledge about Me which I had not revealed to them, they in turn had not been able to pass on such knowledge to their children. I have to do this now in order to ensure that I can preserve the Children of Israel as My people.

אלו-הי אברהם, אלו-הי יצחק, ואלו-הי יעקב שלחני אליכם זה שמי לעולם וזה זכרי לדור דור, “the G’d of Avraham, the G’d of Yitzchak, and the G’d of Yaakov has sent me to you (with the message) ‘this is My Name forever and this is My remembrance from generation to generation.’” According to the plain meaning of the text G’d informed Moses that the name He mentioned now was the one He wanted to be known by amongst mankind, and this was the name by which He would be remembered throughout the generations. When Jews speak about G’d in their prayers they refer to Him as the G’d of Avraham, the G’d of Yitzchak, etc. The additional letter ו in front of the words ואלו-הי יעקב is something that is customary whenever you enumerate a list of names. We find other examples of this in the sequence of the gem stones in the breastplate of the High Priest, i.e. נופך, ספיר, ויהלום (Exodus 25,18). Another example of such a construction is found in Micah 6,4 ואשלח לפניך את משה, אהרון, ומרים. “I did send before you Moses, Aaron and Miriam.”

A Midrashic approach based on Pessachim 3 on the words “this is My name, etc.” G’d explained to Moses that contrary to usual practice G’d’s name is not spelled the way it is spoken. Although His name may be spelled with the letters י-ה it would be pronounced as if it had been spelled with א-ד. It is a well known fact that the Ineffable Name was pronounced in accordance with its spelling only in the Holy Temple not outside its precincts (Sotah 38).

[ALMIGHTY.] It is difficult to explain the word Shaddai (Almighty). Saadiah Gaon says that the shin of Shaddai is a preposition, like the shin prefixed to she-attah (that it is thou) in that it is thou that talkest with me (Jud. 6:17). The meaning of Shaddai is: Who said to the world, enough. However, I cannot see any meaning in this interpretation. How can God be called by the name “Who is enough?” Shaddai therefore can only be taken as an adjective, like the words tov (good) and sallach (ready to pardon) in good, and ready to pardon (Ps. 86:5) and davvai (faint) in My heart is faint within me (Jer. 8:18). Now Rabbi Samuel the Nagid explains Shaddai with the Arabic word al kahar, which means victorious and mighty. He further notes that the yod in Shaddai is in place of the double letter, like the yod in dalyu (hang limp) in The legs hang limp from the lame (Prov. 26:7) and the alef in baze’u (divide) in Whose land the rivers divide (Is. 18:2). Shaddai (mighty) in like a mighty voice (Ezek. 1:24) and Shaddai (mighty) in And mighty shall he thy silver (Job 22:25) are similar. The Nagid explained it well.