Chasidut sobre Exodo 3:13
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֜ה אֶל־הָֽאֱלֹהִ֗ים הִנֵּ֨ה אָנֹכִ֣י בָא֮ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵל֒ וְאָמַרְתִּ֣י לָהֶ֔ם אֱלֹהֵ֥י אֲבוֹתֵיכֶ֖ם שְׁלָחַ֣נִי אֲלֵיכֶ֑ם וְאָֽמְרוּ־לִ֣י מַה־שְּׁמ֔וֹ מָ֥ה אֹמַ֖ר אֲלֵהֶֽם׃
Y dijo Moisés á Dios: He aquí que llego yo á los hijos de Israel, y les digo, El Dios de vuestros padres me ha enviado á vosotros; si ellos me preguntaren: ¿Cuál es su nombre? ¿qué les responderé?
Kedushat Levi
In explaining this verse we must, of course, assume that Moses told the people what G’d had asked him to tell them. The Torah took it for granted that the reader will understand this. The Torah, however, saw fit to also record some explanatory remarks that Moses made when conveying the law of the sanctity of the firstborn to them. Let us now refer to another verse in our portion (Exodus 3,13) ויאמר משה אל האלוקים הנה אנכי בא וגו', “Moses said to G’d, here when I come to the Children of Israel, etc., (who shall I say has sent me?)” to which G’d replied אהיה אשר אהיה, adding further: ה' אלוקי אבותיכם שלחני אליכם. Surely this would be confusing for the Israelites who were aware that the G’d Who had communicated with the patriarchs was known as הויה and not as אהיה. It appears that the best way to resolve this "confusion" is by reminding the reader that there are two types of redemption. One type of redemption was accompanied by the Israelites receiving the Torah and the good deeds commanded therein, as a result of which the people had become entitled to be redeemed. At that time miracles, i.e. extra terrestrial means, גבורות, were needed to bring about their redemption. When Moses came to Egypt to orchestrate the redemption, the Israelites were very far from such a spiritual level, so that G’d had to resort to other means, known as גבורות, חוזק יד, זרועה נטויה, “heroic deeds, heavy hand, outstretched arm,” in order to accomplish His objective. G’d did not consider the merits that the Jewish people lacked at that time, but He gave them an “advance” on the merits they would acquire as a result of accepting the Torah at Mount Sinai 49 days after the Exodus.
When Moses had enquired what merits the Jews possessed at the time so that they could be entitled to redemption, G’d explained to Moses that they would acquire these merits in the near future, hence He described Himself as the G’d known as: אהיה, i.e. looking toward the future. At this time only G’d can foretell the future, i.e. that this people will accept the Torah at Mount Sinai, the spot that Moses was standing on, and they would accept it enthusiastically. G’d assured Moses that what seemed now like a far off future, would shortly be transformed into a present. There had been a time in the past however, when He had been very much the G’d of the present, i.e. during the lives of the patriarchs. It was because of their past, i.e. their roots, that He was able now to extend credit to them so that He could redeem them before they had really deserved it. The word חזק, although popularly translated as “strong,” is defined as the ability to control powerful urges and not to allow oneself to become overwhelmed by them. In the parlance of the Mishnah in Avot 4,1 איזהו גבור הכובש את יצרו, “who is a true hero? He who controls his biological urges.” When we describe G’d in our prayers as a גואל חזק as a powerful Redeemer, we refer to His suppressing His urges, overcoming His natural reactions by doing something that according to the “Book,” should not be done at that time. Doing something that was supposed to be done does not require ”heroism,” so that anything that involved miracles, supernatural input, must by definition be an expression of “heroism” i.e. חוזק יד. The concept of בעל כרחו, against one’s will, i.e. under “duress,” when applied to G’d is called בעל כרחו. Whenever G’d has redeemed us in the past, He had done so against His will (attribute of Justice) and He has had to invoke the attribute of Mercy after the attribute of Justice had opposed His plan of action. When we described Him as redeeming us למען שמו, “for the sake of His name,” this means that only because of His invoking the attribute of Mercy was G’d able to redeem the Jewish people.
When Moses had enquired what merits the Jews possessed at the time so that they could be entitled to redemption, G’d explained to Moses that they would acquire these merits in the near future, hence He described Himself as the G’d known as: אהיה, i.e. looking toward the future. At this time only G’d can foretell the future, i.e. that this people will accept the Torah at Mount Sinai, the spot that Moses was standing on, and they would accept it enthusiastically. G’d assured Moses that what seemed now like a far off future, would shortly be transformed into a present. There had been a time in the past however, when He had been very much the G’d of the present, i.e. during the lives of the patriarchs. It was because of their past, i.e. their roots, that He was able now to extend credit to them so that He could redeem them before they had really deserved it. The word חזק, although popularly translated as “strong,” is defined as the ability to control powerful urges and not to allow oneself to become overwhelmed by them. In the parlance of the Mishnah in Avot 4,1 איזהו גבור הכובש את יצרו, “who is a true hero? He who controls his biological urges.” When we describe G’d in our prayers as a גואל חזק as a powerful Redeemer, we refer to His suppressing His urges, overcoming His natural reactions by doing something that according to the “Book,” should not be done at that time. Doing something that was supposed to be done does not require ”heroism,” so that anything that involved miracles, supernatural input, must by definition be an expression of “heroism” i.e. חוזק יד. The concept of בעל כרחו, against one’s will, i.e. under “duress,” when applied to G’d is called בעל כרחו. Whenever G’d has redeemed us in the past, He had done so against His will (attribute of Justice) and He has had to invoke the attribute of Mercy after the attribute of Justice had opposed His plan of action. When we described Him as redeeming us למען שמו, “for the sake of His name,” this means that only because of His invoking the attribute of Mercy was G’d able to redeem the Jewish people.
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