English translation — שמות ג

1.

In this week's Torah portion it is told,

that when the Almighty told Moses our teacher that he would be the agent of G-d to take out the Jews from Egypt,

Moses our teacher said to the Almighty: "Behold, I come to the children of Israel and say to them, 'The G-d of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they say to me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say to them?"¹

The Almighty answered him: "I Will Be Who I Will Be ..

Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: 'I Will Be has sent me to you.'

And G-d said further ..

Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: 'The L-rd, the G-d of your fathers, etc., has sent me to you; this is My name forever, and this is My memorial from generation to generation.'*²

Rashi,

in his commentary on the Torah,

comments on the words "this is My name forever* and explains³

: "It lacks a vav to say that it is hidden, so that it should not be read as it is written.

And this is My memorial — teaches how it is to be called.

And likewise⁴

David is

It says<sup>5</sup>

Hashem guards forever; Hashem, Your remembrance is for generation and generation*.

The simple explanation in Rashi is<sup>6</sup>

: Because it says "This

(the Name Havayah that stands at the beginning of the verse)

is My name forever* — "lacking a vav",

one learns from this that — "conceal it"

(le'olam — language of concealment)

Since however the verse immediately continues "וזה זכרי* — that when one "mentions* the name of Havaye — it is understandable from this,

that "העלימהו* does not mean that one should not use the name at all,

but only "שלא יקרא ככתבו*.

And therefore

(says Rashi)

"וזה זכרי — taught him how it is read*

(and as

(also)

a ben chamesh lemikra knows,

that the reading of "Havaye" is "Ado-nai").

B.

One must however understand:

a)

We have already spoken several times⁷,

that in most places Rashi does not stop on a missing or extra [letter],

and from this is a proof,

that the matter of missing or extra [letter] is not a question which has an answer — when one learns Scripture according to its simple meaning;

And in the

(few)

places where Rashi explains a verse according to a missing or extra [letter],

the compulsion for this is

(not from the side of the missing or extra [letter] in themselves,

but)

from the side of another question in the verse.

One must have an explanation in the matter at hand: What is the necessity in the plain meaning of Scripture of "this is My name forever" to interpret that "they concealed it so that it should not be read as it is written"?

b)

And on the contrary — at first glance this explanation is not according to the plain meaning of Scripture: the words "this is My name forever and this is My remembrance for generation to generation" are

(in plainness⁹)

a continuation of the answer to Moses' question "And they will say to me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say to them?"

to which the Most High said to Moses that he should say to the Jews "I Will Be Who I Will Be has sent me to you ..

the Lord God of your fathers etc. has sent me to you" — how does the continuation "this is My name etc." fit in here — to inform the law in what manner it must be the reading of the Name¹⁰?

3)

Furthermore: here itself it says indeed "Hashem, the God of your fathers",

that "the God of your fathers" is "Hashem"; and as we indeed find several times by "your fathers" — Abraham, Isaac and Jacob — that the name Hashem is mentioned¹¹.

So

If one would say,

that when announcing regarding the name Hashem one must warn about the law of "it shall not be read as it is written" — then this should have been warned where the name Hashem appears for the first time,

at least by the very earlier verses¹²?

d)

In the proof that Rashi brings "And likewise David says: Hashem Your name is forever, Hashem Your remembrance is for generation and generation"

(So there are two aspects in the name Havayah,

its writing and "Your remembrance" — its reading¹³)

— what is the practical difference that David said this

("And likewise David says")?

c.

And one can say the point of the explanation in this:

Rashi comes to answer a difficulty in the plain meaning of the verse: to Moshe's question "And they will say to me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say to them?" the Almighty answered him: "I Will Be What I Will Be. And He said: 'Thus shall you say to the children of Israel: I Will Be has sent me to you.'"

Afterwards it is stated in a separate verse: "And God said further to Moshe: 'Thus shall you say to the children of Israel: Hashem, the God of your fathers, etc., has sent me to you; this is My name, etc.'"

It is not understood¹⁴

a)

What is not sufficient in the first statements of the Most High — "And G‑d said, 'I Will Be...

"And G‑d said, 'I Will Be has sent me to you',"

that it should be necessary for another statement,

"And G‑d said further, 'G‑d...'"¹⁵?

b)

Further: the statement is in contradiction to before: earlier the Most High says "Thus shall you say to the children of Israel, 'I Will Be has sent me to you'",

and immediately afterwards — "Thus shall you say to the children of Israel, 'The L-rd, G‑d of your fathers... has sent me to you'?

One must say [this] repeatedly,

that the third statement is merely an additional explanation on the first statements.

D.

H.

That the statements "And He said etc. I Will Be Who I Will Be, and He said: Thus shall you say to the children of Israel: I Will Be has sent me to you" are the answer to the question "And they will say to me: What is His name? What shall I say to them?"; only so that the content of the answer should be understandable and better impress upon Jews,

the Omnipresent added another matter — "And He said further etc. This is My name forever,

and this is an additional explanation on "I Will Be has sent me to you."

One must understand: with what is the last statement

(not only not contradictory,

but on the contrary)

adding explanation on the first?

4.

This will be understood with the introduction of the explanation in that which Rashi explains¹⁶

"I will be that which I will be* — "I will be with them in this distress which I will be with them in the servitude of the other kingdoms*.

From the plain meaning of Rashi's language it is implied

(as the Ramban explains■)

that "I will be that which I will be..

I will be

(send me)

* is not an ans-

On "What is My name",

a name",

only on "What shall I say to them" — the Almighty answered and transmitted through Moses that the Jews should rely on the Almighty that He will redeem them

(because "I will be with them in this distress etc. in the bondage of other kingdoms").

It is not understood

(at least not smoothly)

: since this comes as an answer to "And they will say to me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say to them" — it would have been more fitting,

according to the simple meaning of the verse,

to teach

(as indeed several simple commentators learn¹⁹)

that "What shall I say to them" means what is "His name" and the answer is that "I will be what I will be" is the name of the Holy One, blessed be He.

elaborate, that the Name Ehyeh indicates the true reality of the Existence of the Above].

But Rashi teaches that,

Ehyeh Asher Ehye<sup>,</sup>

" is

(not a Name,

but an explanation that),

Ehyeh imam b'tzarah zot etc."?

So the explanation in this is:

That which Rashi teaches specifically

(that "I Will Be Who I Will Be" is not a name,

but this means "I will be with them in this distress, etc.")

is because specifically according to this explanation in the words — the question is answered.

"And they will say to me, 'What is His name?'" as it is understood according to the simple meaning of the verse,

as follows.

5.

Learning the verse,

“And they will say to me, ‘What is His name? What shall I say to them?’” immediately raises the question: Did Moses

(and the Jews)

not know the name of the Holy One, blessed be He²¹?

Furthermore: Why should Moses think that the Jews would ask,

“What is His name”?

— The Jews certainly knew the name of the Holy One, blessed be He.

And proof: Moses himself said to the Almighty,

“Behold, I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you’” — that is,

that the Jews knew about the existence of

“the God of your fathers,”

a knowledge that they received from the fathers — just as the fathers transmitted to their children after them about the existence of

“the God of your fathers,”

they certainly also transmitted to the Jews “His name” of the Holy One, blessed be He, which they mentioned in their prayers etc.

And additionally: according to the simple understanding, the Jewish people were confident that the Almighty would redeem them from Egypt.

As is also evident from

the²²

that Joseph adjured his brothers,

“God will surely remember you and bring up my bones from here”²³,

which oath had to be transmitted to their children etc.²⁴

in order to ensure that,

“and bring up my bones”^,

from here.”

It is perplexing: At the time when Moshe will come to announce to the Jews that the Almighty will take them out of the Egyptian exile — why should the Jews ask at all, and specifically "what is His name"?

Commentators learn²⁵,

that the explanation of "what is His name" is — with which "name" the redemption will be.

Because "He, blessed be He, is called according to His actions"²⁶

: according to My deeds I am called).

And this the Jews will ask: with which

"name"

(and consequently)

in what manner — will the Almighty redeem the Jews?

Whether

with the attribute²⁸

of El Shaddai...

which stood by the forefathers

or with the supernal attribute of mercy, through which new signs and wonders will be performed in creation"

— That this interpretation also has a place in the plain meaning

(And to such an extent,

or Rashi does not even need to explain it)

— Because Rashi already explained at the very beginning of his commentary on the Torah

(On ,

"In the beginning God created"<sup>30</sup>),

that the name "Elokim" is the attribute of justice and the name Havayah is the attribute of mercy.

One already knows

(Even the five-year-old studying Scripture)

that every "name" indicates a different conduct.

But the answer is not sufficient.

Because after all — why should one think that the Jews would specifically want to know exactly with which ,

attribute the Almighty will redeem them

(Until Moses said with certainty — "And they will say to me, 'What is His name?'")

— What difference does the manner of redemption make,

as long as one will be redeemed somewhat faster from the hardship of servitude! And the main thing — why should it be for them in the category of a doubt — since it is a matter of redemption it will be from the attribute of mercy<sup>31</sup>

6.

So the explanation in this:

The meaning of "and they will say to me, 'What is His name?'" is not only a question

(from the side of lack of knowledge)

— but rather

(primarily)

a difficulty and contradiction,

that Jews will simply ask when Moshe will convey to them that

"The God of your fathers sent me to you" to take them out of Egypt:

Jews indeed in the Egyptian exile experienced not only the hardship of slavery of hard labor³²,

which lasted for a long period of time³³,

but also the decree of "every son that is born you shall cast into the river"³⁴,

until

(as Rashi brings down³⁵)

that Pharaoh "would slaughter Israelite infants and bathe in their blood" —

So if the situation of the Jews had effected,

that "the God of your fathers" should have mercy on the "children" and redeem them from the exile of Egypt

(see "I have seen the affliction of My people, etc., their cry I have heard, etc., and I will descend to deliver them, etc.")

— how does it come that He allowed from the outset that they should go through such a terrible exile,

and over the course of many years?

And this was the question of Moses: "Behold, I come to the children of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you'

(this must evoke)

and they will say to me, 'What is His name?'" — Jews will immediately ask: what kind of a "name" and conduct is this,

that allows such a terrible state of exile and over many years,

and only after thousands and thousands of Jewish children have perished,

may it not be said,

does the announcement come of "their cry I have heard, etc., and I will descend to deliver"?

And Moses adds and emphasizes that this is

Also comes with a question-cry — "What shall I say to them"?

To this was the answer from the Most High "I Will Be Who I Will Be",

Rashi explains "I will be with them in this distress etc.":

It is not, heaven forbid, that during the time of the exile, the Almighty "looks away" from the troubles of the bitter exile,

but on the contrary — "I will be with them in this distress,"

the Almighty is together with the Jews "in this distress."

And this emphasizes,

that the Almighty is with the Jews not only in the same place,

but He is, as it were, in the distress,

and as it is written<sup>37</sup>

"In all their distress, He is distressed" — when Jews are in a distress,

it becomes from this,

as it were,

the Almighty's distress.

7.

Although with this answer "I will be what I will be" the Almighty warned the main claim of the Jews

(that they should not think that the Almighty thinks

(feels)

not, heaven forbid, their sufferings in exile)

— but an explanation is required: how do the two matters fit,

that the Almighty is with the Jews "in distress"

(and in a manner of "He is distressed"),

and together with this He allows that the distress should continue?

Upon this came,

was added the statement — "And God said further to Moses: Thus shall you say to the children of Israel: The Lord, the God of your fathers, has sent me to you; this is My name

forever" — "lacking a vav..

he concealed it so that it should not be read as it is written":

"God of your fathers

(which)

sent me to you" is His name Havayah,

the attribute of mercy — and Havayah is together with Jews in the distress of their exile.

How does He allow the hardship of servitude of exile — it is

(not that during the exile, heaven forbid, the mercy of the Above is absent,

but)

the mercy is in a manner of concealment³⁸,

"He concealed it".

But also on this there can be a claim: since the mercy is as if in concealment,

then what is the benefit from it that "I will be with them in distress"?

On this the verse continues — "וזה זכרי לדור דור" — "learn how it is called": although the name Havayah is in a manner of "conceal it",

there is and it is called,

the "זכרי" of Havayah — Jews remember and mention and call Him out,

only the calling

(of Havayah)

is with the letters Ado-nai.

That

is

when Jews say Ado-nai this is

(not only the name

(and conduct of)

Ado-nai,

but this is)

the calling of Havayah

(only as Havayah

(mercy)

is called

(and revealed)³⁹

through the letters of Ado-nai)⁴⁰.

"Your remembrance for generation and generation": In this verse comes

(to)

the emphasis,

that in both manners — both .

Your name forever• and both ,

Your remembrance for generation and generation• — are both connected with the name of Havayah; also ,

Your remembrance•

(the name that one mentions and one reads)

is "Havayah Your remembrance etc."⁴⁰].

And this is the answer to the question "What is His name" — from which "name" comes the conduct from above: it is "the Lord God of your fathers" — a conduct of mercy,

only as "Havayah"

(mercy)

is in a manner of ,

This is My name

(ah)

forever and this is My remembrance for generation and generation"; the mercy acts,

but — in a concealed manner⁴¹.

8.

acc. to all the above

“This is My name forever etc.” is a continuation and explanation of,

“I will be what I will be,” “I will be with them in this trouble”*]

but a doubt can arise

(in it — a mistake)

whether the halachah which emerges from this, that

“This is My name forever”* — “He concealed it so that it should not be read as it is written”* — is connected specifically

from the situation of exile; but not in the time of exile

(when the mercies of the Most High are revealed)

the reading is as it is written.

— Rashi emphasizes with this precision — ,

And thus David says, etc. "Hashem, Your remembrance for generation and generation"* —

(even)

In the days of David,

When there was not a situation of exile,

Oh, the halacha — a difference between the writing of the Name Hashem and "Your remembrance" — the manner of its reading.

And as Rashi brings down later in his commentary⁴²,

that ,

It is not permitted to mention the explicit Name except in a place where the Shechinah comes there, and that is the Chosen House*.

And in the future to come,

when ,

And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh together shall see that the mouth of the Lord has spoken"⁴¹,

there will be the reading of the Name as it is written⁴⁴

in every place,

In the true and complete redemption through our righteous Messiah,

speedily in our days, literally.

<b>And from the sicha of Shabbos Parshas Shemos 5743)</b>