This is my G-d
These ideas can be more fully understood through prefacing a deeper explanation on one of the verses stated in the praise of Az Yashir (the Song of the Sea), as the Jewish people crossed the Sea of Reeds.
Text 5 This is my G-d, and I will tell of His beauty (v’anveihu), the G-d of my father, and I will exalt Him. Shemos 15:2
In the commentary of the Shnei Luchos Habris (referred to as the Shala), he explains the language of the verse as follows:
Text 6 When it is “my G-d,” [that is to say] that he is “my G-d” because of my knowledge and understanding, then can be “v’anveyhu,” from the composite word I (ani) and Him (v’hu). Meaning to say, I and Him cling together [to make one word]...However when a person does not have knowledge which comes from understanding and only has tradition that he is the “G-d of my father,” then “I will exalt him,” because he is exalted and transcendent and I am far. Shnei Luchos HaBris, Asara Ma’amaros 40a
In order for a person to be one with G-d, he must have a connection to Him through his own understanding. When an individual has only faith, they relate to G-d in a way that is somewhat removed from themselves. They have belief in G-d, but it isn’t their G-d. Only when an individual intellectually comprehends the Almighty through their own efforts, can the person truly feel connected and be joined to G-d.
This idea is expressed as well in the following verse:
Text 7 Know the G-d of your father and serve him with a full heart. Divrei Hayamim I 28:9
It is not enough to have faith in G-d. In order to have a relationship with G-d, one must know Him as well. To serve G-d properly, one must have both faith and reason.
What remains to be understood, is that according to the above explanation, the verse seems to be in a backwards order. The verse first expressed that a person must discover G-d on their own (“this is my G-d”), and only afterwards did it mention the tradition of faith as it is passed down from the previous generations (“the G-d of my father”). The verse should have first stated, “the G-d of my father and I shall exalt him,” and only afterwards say that He is “my G-d.” What is the reason for this anomaly?
Endless faith
This difficulty can possibly be explained based on the concept that no matter how much a person understands G-dliness, he must nevertheless have a faith that transcends knowledge. G-d is infinite, and no matter how great one’s comprehension, there will always remain levels of understanding the Almighty that cannot be grasped through knowledge and can only be perceived through faith.
It can be suggested that such is the intent of the verse’s chronology in first mentioning “This is my G-d,” and only afterwards stating that this is “the G-d of my father.” The order of the two statements would express that no matter the depth of one’s knowledge, a person must still have faith that follows in order to relate to the infinite G-d.
This though, is not an adequate explanation. For, although it is true that there is a level of faith which comes after knowledge, why does the verse not mention (as well) the faith that comes prior to knowledge, which serves as the premise for a person’s understanding?
This question will be understood through appreciating the general idea of the giving of Torah. Through understanding the intent for which the Torah was given, we can understand why the initial faith that the person has is not mentioned in the Song of the Sea.
