PARASHAT Va'era

This week's Torah Gems were prepared by

Anochi Atoncha


PARASHAT Va'era

"I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob with [the name] El-Shaddai, but [with] My name YHWH, I did not become known to them (Shmot 6:2)"



Can the Everlasting change? Or is it that Hashem remains the same; it is we who change?



Rabbi Hamilton taught us this week that Hashem's words to Moses in our pasuk indicate an evolution in Hashem's relationship to Am Yisroel. This is a liberating event, according to Rabbi Hamilton: Just as Hashem's relationship to us evolves, so can we grow and evolve in our relationship to Hashem. In other words, we needn't feel we ought to 'know' Hashem by the same name now as we did when we were children.



But a change in the relationship between Hashem and Am Yisroel doesn't mean that Hashem changes over time: WE DO.



Our relationship with Hashem may be thought of as a rotating orange. As the orange rotates, it maintains a superficial sameness. On closer inspection, however, we may notice subtle changes at the surface.



As an orange in the hand of the philosopher, so are we in Hashem's Hand. We change, rotate, or evolve, but Hashem remains changeless. As we rotate, our relation with respect to the Unmoving necessitates different perspective, even different names.



In Sefer Shmot, when Am Yisroel emerges as a people, Hashem reveals the attribute of mercy, previously unknown to Am Yisroel, who had until recently lived on the other side of the orange.