Parashat Va'era, Exodus 6:2-9:35

What’s in a name?

In the famous balcony scene from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet the heroine declares: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."(Romeo and Juliet, Act 2 scene 2). After all, it is their family names that are the lovers' biggest obstacles. While poets and artists would agree with this Shakespearean sentiment on nomenclature, some scientists would not.

Foremost among those concerned with names would be Carl Linnaeus, the "Father of Taxonomy." This 18th century scientist developed the system of binomial nomenclature, the genus and species names of a plant or animal, such as Homo sapiens, now familiar to any high school biology student. Linnaeus thought that by identifying and naming all life forms, he could uncover God's grand design. Others before him also believed that scientific study would bring them closer to a knowledge of God. These included such luminaries as Thomas Aquinas and our very own Moses Maimonides, aka Rambam. Where Linnaeus differed was in his insistence on naming and categorizing: "Without names, our knowledge of things would also perish."

Naming establishes context and relationship. It is no accident that the human is asked to name the animals in Genesis 2:20, thereby discovering that it was without a partner. Naming becomes quite a challenge when it comes to a relationship with God. How do you refer to God? Do you have the chutzpah to name God? Hagar did (Genesis 16:13), but she was unusual in that regard.

The dilemma is that we want to say a great deal about God. At the same time, we want to preserve that transcendent quality that makes Him inaccessible to ordinary language. The alternatives are to remain silent or to reduce God to merely human or natural terms, which is idolatry, the cardinal theological sin.

Neil Gillman, Sacred Fragments: Recovering Theology for the Modern Jew

Normally, it is God who identifies the Divine self in a relationship with us. This week's parasha, Va'era, continues this long-standing tradition: God spoke to Moses and said to him, "I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as El Shaddai, but I did not make Myself known to them by My name YHVH." (Exodus 6:2-3)

Yet having just completed the book of Genesis, we are all aware that throughout the Torah, God is referred to by the ineffable name, the Tetragrammaton, the four-letter Hebrew Divine name normally pronounced Adonai and usually translated as "Lord." In fact, calling God by name goes back to the days of Adam and Eve's grandson: And to Seth, in turn, a son was born, and he named him Enosh. It was then that men began to invoke the Lord by name (Genesis 4:26). So what are we to make of the statement that God was known to the Patriarchs as El Shaddai?

Commentators explain that God's relationship with the patriarchs was different than the one with Moses and the different Divine names symbolize these relationships. Ramban points out that God appeared to the patriarchs in visions at night but dealt with Moses face to face. He further says that the patriarchs saw God acting in nature whereas in this new relationship there would be supernatural acts.

Rashi takes a different view, saying the Divine name reveals an aspect not made known to the patriarchs, which is God's "complete truthfulness and reliability which is represented by the Tetragrammaton. For I made them promises but did not fulfill them." (These promises will be fulfilled for their descendants.) Sforno adds that this name must become known to the children of Israel so "they can become My people and be redeemed." Adding to our confusion is the fact that in last week's portion God has already revealed a different name to Moses. (This theophany at the burning bush has been discussed in a previous commentary.)

One midrash provides some insight:

According to Rabbi Abba bar Mamal, the Holy Blessed One said to Moses: You want to know My Name. I am called by My deeds, El Shaddai, Tsevaot, Elohim, Adonai. When I judge creatures, I am called Elohim (God). When I wage war against the wicked, I am called Tsevaot (Hosts). When I suspend judgment of a person’s sins, I am called El Shaddai (Almighty). And when I have mercy on My world, I am called Adonai.

Exodus Rabbah 3:6

Back to Juliet's question: What’s in a name? The midrash gives us some insight into God's names. The poet Zelda helps us understand our own:

Each of us has a name
given by God
and given by our parents

Each of us has a name
given by our stature and our smile
and given by what we wear

Each of us has a name
given by the mountains
and given by our walls

Each of us has a name
given by the stars
and given by our neighbors

Each of us has a name
given by our sins
and given by our longing

Each of us has a name
given by our enemies
and given by our love

Each of us has a name
given by our celebrations
and given by our work

Each of us has a name
given by the seasons
and given by our blindness

Each of us has a name
given by the sea
and given by
our death.

Zelda, Each of Us has a Name (translation: Marcia Falk)

Kohelet teaches that a good name is better than fragrant oil (Ecclesiastes 7:1). May our deeds be such that they earn us a fine name and that most precious of God's blessings:
The Lord bless you and protect you!
The Lord deal kindly and graciously with you!
The Lord bestow His favor upon you and grant you peace!
Thus they shall link My name with the people of Israel, and I will bless them.
Numbers 6:24-27

Shabbat shalom,
MS