Holy Identification
Everybody remembers how when Hakadosh Baruch Hu spoke to Moshe Rabbeinu at the burning bush and sent him to the Bnei Yisroel in Mitzrayim, Moshe Rabbeinu asked, “When they will ask me, ֹמו¿ּׁ ̆ הַמ, what’s the name of Hashem, ם∆ה≈לֲ‡ רַמֹ‡ הָמ – what shall I say to them? (Shemos 3:13).
Now, Hakadosh Baruch Hu had already introduced himself to Moshe: י≈ ֹ̃ל¡‡ ָיךƒבָ‡ י≈ ֹ̃ל¡‡ יƒכֹנָ‡ בֹ ֲ̃ﬠַי י≈ ֹ̃ל‡≈ו ָ̃ח¿ˆƒי י≈ ֹ̃ל¡‡∆ו םָהָר¿בַ‡ – ‘I’m the G-d of your fathers, Avraham, Yitzchok and Yaakov,’ so to identify Hakadosh Baruch Hu nothing else was necessary. It’s as clear as could be that the Bnei Yisroel all had the knowledge of the experiences from their forefathers. You see from their names which were full of love of Hashem and praise of Hashem and entreating to Hashem that they understood the greatness of the principles that Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov had inculcated into them.
Look at the list of names; all the names of their children included the name of Hashem. It’s a remarkable thing. ל≈‡יƒ ּ̇ו ̃¿י – It means ‘My hope is Hashem’. ל≈‡יƒמּלו¿ׁ ̆ – ‘My welfare is Hashem’. And his father was יָּ„ַׁ ̆יƒרּוˆ – ‘My rock is Hashem’. םָר¿מַﬠ – ‘The people of the Most High One.’ Even the women were named according to Hashem. „∆ב∆כֹיו – Hashem is my glory. And these weren’t names given after some uncle or some grandfather. They were original names; names that breathe ahavas Hashem and yiras Hashem.
Getting to Know Him
So what did Moshe Rabbeinu request? What does it mean, ‘What should I tell them when they ask Who is sending me?’
Now pay attention to something very important: To know Hashem’s name means to know Him and that’s the rock bottom of the Torah. The Chovos Halevavos says that. He makes a statement in Sha’ar Habechinah; he says your service to Hashem and your love to Hashem depend on how much you know about Him. The Rambam also, at the end of Moreh Nevuchim, explains that our perfection is measured by how much we are aware of the attributes of Hashem.
Because just to say words and to think of who knows what, so you’re directing your thoughts to nothing. Deveikus means your mind should cling to Hashem. But you have to know what you're clinging to; as close as you can approximate, you should be able to come close to Hashem in your mind. Otherwise, you’re clinging to nothing. Or maybe you have certain imaginary pictures in your mind and you’re directing your thoughts to something that’s false.
A Puppet God
It’s like Mohammed and his god. Because when we have a look at Mohammed’s god we understand that really Mohammed was holding a big puppet. He had a big ragdoll named Allah and that doll was saying everything Mohammed wanted him to say. Mohammed wasn’t a prophet – he was a ventriloquist; he was just throwing his voice through Allah’s mouth.
The Koran after all, that’s what Allah is supposed to be speaking; Mohammed swore that every word came from Allah but what it really meant is that he was holding a big puppet named Allah on his arm and he’s talking into his mouth. “Mohammed! There’s no prophet like Mohammed,” Allah said. But it’s all imagination and sheker; the ventriloquist was putting words into the mouth of the puppet.
A Mamzer God
Now, because I’m an equal opportunity disparager of false gods so I’ll point out that the other one, the Christian one, the one who supposedly never died is the same story. I don’t want to talk in public about what they say about their god but it’s one of the most shameful things in history.
A child was born from a woman who said, “I admit; it’s not from my husband,” and they make him into a god. It’s worse than a puppet god; it’s a mamzer god.
And so, lehavdil, it’s not enough to say you have a “Hashem”. It depends what you’re thinking. You have to know Him; you have to know Who you’re talking about, Who you’re talking to. You must have certain accurate ideas about Hashem.
More Than Letters
Otherwise, what will you think about? Just the word ‘Hashem’? Yud-kei-vav-kei? So you’ll write it on a piece of paper and hold it in front of your eyes: Yud-kei-vuv-kei. You’ll always picture these words in the air in front of you, Yud-kei-vav-kei. It’s better than nothing but it's not much better.
There are so many concepts, true concepts, that are included in knowing Hashem, in knowing His name, and the more you know, the more perfect you become. The name becomes your migdal oz, your fortress of strength.
Now, we must know that Moshe, our great master, wanted to create a perfect people. He was oheiv Yisroel and with all of his heart he desired the benefit of the Am Yisroel. And so he wasn't merely satisfied that they should increase and multiply and go out to freedom and enter their own land. That’s wonderful but Moshe Rabbeinu wanted them to become as great as he could make them.
Moshe our Teacher
And don't think it's exaggerated because doesn't a father or even a mother from good families intend to make the child the best that they can? So Moshe Rabbeinu who was a father of the Am Yisroel, he loved them with all of his heart and he intended to elevate them to the very highest levels. That was his life ambition.
And so whatever knowledge Moshe Rabbeinu gained from Hakadosh Baruch Hu there’s no question that he taught it to the Bnei Yisroel; it’s not for nothing he’s ‘Moshe our Teacher’. For forty years in the wilderness, he did nothing but teach. And it wasn’t only forty years; it continued after that too. They taught it to their children and they to theirs. To this day the teachings of Moshe Rabbeinu are in our blood.
Even ma’amarei Chazal, you have to know, came from Moshe Rabbeinu. Mishlei surely came from Moshe Rabbeinu. Only that the ideas and the words weren’t formalized in a sefer. Later there came a great man, great men, who put them into certain words. But all the teachings and doctrines that our nation possess – and we have a lot of doctrines; if anybody has doctrines, it’s the Am Yisrael. We’re a nation of teachings – all the philosophy of the mind is found by us – and it all came from our great Teacher, Moshe Rabbeinu, who taught our nation all the Torah ideals and principles.
Describe Yourself
And so, when Hakadosh Baruch Hu broached the subject of redeeming the Am Yisroel and Moshe Rabbeinu asked Hashem for His name to tell the people, he wasn’t looking for Hashem’s name so he could look Him up in a phone book; he didn’t want to know the name in order to use it for something or other. What he wanted was to know how he could approach the Bnei Yisroel now and introduce the subject of Hashem to them in such a manner that they should attain a higher understanding of Hashem. He wanted to know what he could tell them about Hashem that will direct their thoughts towards Him more closely and accurately.
And therefore Moshe Rabbeinu said, “How can I describe You? Mah shemo? Shemo doesn't mean merely a name; a name means a description. “How can I describe You to them?”
ה∆ׁ ֹ̆מ ל∆‡ יםƒ ֹ̃ל¡‡ ר∆מ‡ֹּיַו - And Hashem said to Moshe, “Here’s what you should say: ר∆ׁ ֲ̆‡ ה-∆י¿ה∆‡ ה-∆י¿ה∆‡ – I shall be what I shall be. That’s My name.”
Now, there is very much depth in those words, in that name. Very very much! And when Moshe Rabbeinu gained this great knowledge that was said in these words he didn't keep it to himself; he gave it over to the people. And he didn't just say the words like a ba’al korei reads the words in the beis hakenesses; Moshe Rabbeinu explained it to them. He taught it to the Bnei Yisroel.
Deep Simplicity
Now, Moshe Rabbeinu's peirush was al pi peshuto. He didn't invent ideas – some people do that; they don't know what the possuk really means so they think up thoughts and say drashos. Moshe Rabbeinu was telling them the omek hapshat, deeper and deeper; and the people studied this for forty years in the wilderness and they came closer and closer to Hashem thereby. They lived with these thoughts for the forty years in the wilderness and from those ideas that are included in the name, ה-∆י¿ה∆‡ ר∆ׁ ֲ̆‡ ה-∆י¿ה∆‡, our nation became imbued with all the idealism that lives with us today.
Of course, if we’re going to make an attempt to study this name, the number one thing to know is that I’m just saying things like a beginner says. But we are fortunate to have our traditions, the ideas, the peirushim, that came down to us all the way back from those forty years. And so we must attempt therefore in an ofan pashut – without going into imaginary peirushim – to understand in the most simple manner what they understood: What does this name signify? And the more you know, the more you can spend your life in the migdal oz, the strong fortress, of the sheim Hashem, of Hashem’s name.
