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Home , El Shaddai, Exodus Rabbah

Ramah NE 2012 8 Magshimim: [ is…] Class #1: And now introducing…

Take-away: We create our own understandings of God based on internal and external experience.

Activities:  Q of the D: o What is a Deity? o What are some of the ?  Text study/Movement o Student Testimonials o God in your own words o Images of God Key texts: [Exodus] Rabbah 3:6 “When they say to me: What is His name? What shall I them?” (Exod. 3:13) At that time Moshe was asking the Holy One, blessed be He, make known to him His great Name. “And God said to Moshe: [Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh] ‘I am that which I am’ (Exod. 3:14) According to R. Abba bar Mammal, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moshe” You wish to know my Name, I am variously called, according to My deeds, Shaddai, Tzevaot, , Adonai [YHVH]. When I judge created beings, I am called Elohim, “God.” When I wage war against the wicked, I am called Tzevaot, “Hosts.” When [while waiting for a man to repent] I suspend [judgment] of a man’s sins, I am El Shaddai. And when I have mercy on My world, I am called Adonai. Hence, “I am what that which I am” I am called in keeping with My deeds.”

Walking with God. Edited by Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson and Deborah Silver p25 The most important of God's Names is the four-letter Name represented by the Hebrew letters Yod-Heh- Vav-Heh (YHVH). It is often referred to as the Ineffable Name, the Unutterable Name or the Distinctive Name. Linguistically, it is related to the Hebrew root Heh-Yod-Heh (to be), and reflects the idea that God's existence is eternal. In scripture, this Name is used when discussing God's relation with human beings, and when emphasizing his qualities of loving-kindness and mercy. It is frequently shortened to Yah (Yod-Heh), Yahu or Yeho (Yod-Heh-Vav), especially when used in combination with names or phrases, as in Yehoshua (Joshua, meaning the is Salvation), Eliyahu (Elijah, meaning my God is the LORD), and Halleluyah (praise the LORD). The first Name used for God in scripture is Elohim. In form, the word is a masculine plural. The same word (or, according to Maimonides, a homonym of it) is used to refer to princes, judges, other , and other powerful beings. This Name is used in scripture when emphasizing God's might, His creative power, and his attributes of justice and rulership. Variations on this name include El, Eloah, Elohai (my God), and Eloheynu (our God). God is also known as El Shaddai. This Name is usually translated as "God Almighty", however, the derivation of the word "Shaddai" is not known. According to some views, it is derived from the root meaning to heap benefits. According to a , it means, "The One who said 'dai'" ("dai" meaning enough or sufficient) and comes from the idea that when God created the universe, it expanded until He said "DAI!" The name Shaddai is the one written on the scroll. Some note that Shaddai is an acronym of Shomer Daltot Yisrael, Guardian of the Doors of Israel. Another significant Name of God is YHVH Tzva'ot. This Name is normally translated as LORD of Hosts. The word "tzva'ot" means hosts in the sense of a military grouping or an organized array. The Name refers to God's leadership and sovereignty. Interestingly, this Name is rarely used in scripture. It never appears in the (i.e., the first five books). It appears primarily in the prophetic books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, as well as many times in the .

“SHEKHINAH” “Shekhinah”… actually exists in a place somewhere between a name and a concept. The word “Shekhinah” comes from the root s,kh,n, meaning to rest or dwell, and thus designates the manifestation of God’s spirit and presence in the world. “Shekhinah” points to God’s nearness to and intimacy with human beings at a given moment and/or in a given place. To have the Shekhinah rest directly on a particular person is to receive prophecy: extent of sharing in the pain of the suffering person ( Sanhedrin 6:5), watching over those who are ill (Shabbat 12b), and even accompanying the people into exile (Megillah 29a). On the other hand, rabbinic sources suggest that human beings, through their actions, can bring the Shekhinah near or drive it away: it is present when Jews study, pray, or sit together as a court (Berakhot 6a), while those who are arrogant or sin in secret “push against the feet of the Shekhinah (Berakhot 43b, Hagigah 16a, Kiddushin 31a).” Hillel the elder had eighty disciples; thirty of them were worthy like our teacher to have the Shekhinah rest upon them (Sukkah 28a; see also Sotah 48b, Mo’ed Katan 25a). The places where the Shekhinah appears can be variable and multiple; it can be manifest in many places at once, just as the sun can shine on many places at once (Sanhedrin 39a; see also Bava Batra 25a). Moreover, although the Shekhinah once rested on the Temple (at least the first, if not also the second) in Jerusalem, God also causes His Shekhinah to rest in humble places like the burning thorn bush of Moses’ first prophetic experience, or on a low mountain like Sinai (Shabbat 67a and Sotah 5a, respectively4). The Shekhinah represents God’s closeness to human beings and the people of Israel.

“HA-KADOSH BARUKH HU” The Holy One, Blessed be He. Less frequently, one may encounter the Aramaic phrase “Kudsha, B’rikh Hu,” which has a slightly different meaning: “The Holiness, Blessed be He.” After the mishnaic period, this became one of the dominant names for God in . The root k,d,sh in Hebrew includes the sense of something set apart, and thus this name invokes God’s nature as apart from and beyond the scope of the world, let alone human comprehension. This name also carries echoes of Isaiah’s famous vision, in which the heavenly seraphim praise God with the words (which we now use multiple places in our liturgy): “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory (Isaiah 6:3)”. In several places, a longer form, “The King of Kings, the Holy One Blessed be He,” appears (for example, Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5; Berakhot 28b, Shabbat 74b, Yoma 47a). Perhaps for these reasons, “HaKadosh Barukh Hu” is used as a title when speaking about God, and not as a form of direct address to God.

“RIBBONO SHEL OLAM” This name means “Master of the World.” It is used to open a direct address to God, sometimes as a complement to HaKadosh Barukh Hu, as in the phrase: “So-and-So said before HaKadosh Barukh Hu, ‘Ribbono Shel Olam…(in Berakhot alone, see 4a, 9b, 20b, 31b, and 32b)”. Both human beings and the lesser divine beings (angels and the heavenly hosts) are said to use this title when speaking to God. The one addressing God in this way is usually making a request, expressing a concern, or pressing a claim; thus s/he begins by acknowledging God’s ultimate authority and expressing submission to it. Names of God: 1. YHVH/Adonai 2. Elohim 3. El Shaddai 4. Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh 5. Tzevaot

6. Hashem 7. 8. Kudsha Brikh Hu 9. Shekhinah 10. Ribono Shel Olam 11. HaMakom