Commento su Genesi 33:20

ויקרא לו אל אלהי ישראל AND HE CALLED IT EL-ELOHE ISRAEL — It does not mean that the altar was named “The God of Israel” thus bearing a Divine Name, but because the Holy One blessed be He, had been with him and delivered him he called the name of the altar by a term that had an allusion to the miracle, so that the praise of God might be mentioned when people called it by its name. Thus it would mean: He who is El, God — viz, the Holy One, blessed be He — is the God of me whose name is Israel. We find something similar in the case of Moses (Exodus 17:15): “And he called its (the altar’s) name Adonai-Nissi. Not that the altar was called by the Divine Name Adonai, but he named the altar thus, to mention the praise of the Holy One, blessed be He: “The Lord — He is my banner!" Our Rabbis, of blessed memory, expounded it thus: that the Holy One, blessed be He, called Jacob by the name El. The verse therefore should be translated “and the God of Israel called him (Jacob) El” (Megillah 18a). And in reference to all these different explanations it may be said that the words of the Torah — just as a hammer splits the rock into many different pieces (Shabbat 88b) — may be given many different explanations. I however make it my aim to give the plain sense of Scripture.

AND HE CALLED ‘LO’ (IT) E-IL-ELOKEI-ISRAEL. It does not mean that the altar was called “The G-d of Israel,” but because the Holy One, blessed be He, had been with him to deliver him, he named the altar in honor of the miracle so that the praise of the Holy One, blessed be He, would be recalled when people referred to the altar. Thus it would mean, “He Who is E-il is the G-d of me whose name is Israel.” Similarly we find in the case of Moses: And he called its [the altar’s] name Adonai-nissi.¹⁰⁸Exodus 17:15. It is not that the altar was called by the Divine Name Adonai but rather that he named the altar in honor of the miracle so that the praise of the Holy One, blessed be He, might be mentioned: “G-d — He is my banner.” Our Rabbis expounded that the Holy One, blessed be He, called Jacob eil (a great and mighty man). [According to this, the verse should be interpreted as follows: “And the G-d of Israel called Jacob eil].” The words of the Torah are thus as a hammer splitting the rock into many different pieces, admitting many different explanations. I, however, make it my aim to render the plain sense of Scripture. All of this is the language of Rashi.
Now the words of the Rabbi [Rashi] are correct as regards the plain sense of Scripture. And the meaning of the word lo will then be [not “it,” which would refer to the altar, but “him,” which refers to Jacob], just as is the meaning of the same word in the verses: And his father called ‘lo’ (him) Benjamin;¹⁰⁹Genesis, 35:18. ‘Vekarei lecha’ (and thou shalt be called) The repairer of the breach.¹¹⁰Isaiah 58:12.
Know that it was the custom in Israel that names be called which are indicative of the praises of G-d, such as Zuriel¹¹¹Numbers 3:35. (G-d is my rock), Zurishaddai¹¹²Ibid., 7:36. (The Almighty is my rock), for the one who calls that name declares that G-d is his rock and the Almighty is his rock. Likewise, Immanuel¹¹³Isaiah 7:14. (G-d is with us). And so also the name of the Messiah, who will be called, The Eternal is our righteousness,¹¹⁴Jeremiah 23:6. and the name of Jerusalem will be, The Eternal is there.¹¹⁵Ezekiel 48:35. And so did they do with the names of the angels: Gabriel¹¹⁶Daniel 8:16. (G-d is my strength), Michael¹¹⁷Ibid., 10:13. (Who is like unto G-d?), for because of their great power they proclaim with their very name that the strength belongs to G-d and who is like unto Him!
Onkelos however said: “And he worshipped on it before G-d, the G-d of Israel.” In that case the meaning of the word lo will be as bo (“in it” or “on it”), in the same manner as: That thou hast chosen ‘l’ben’ (the son) of Jesse;¹¹⁸I Samuel 20:30. And he took hold ‘lo’ (of him);¹¹⁹II Samuel 15:5. ‘L’mei’ (In the waters) of Meribah.¹²⁰Numbers 20:24. It may be that Scripture is saying, “And he called Him G-d, the G-d of Israel,” and the meaning of the word lo is similar to the usage in these verses: I will get me unto the great men;¹²¹Jeremiah 5:5. Get thee out of thy country.¹²²Above, 12:1.
And by way of the Truth, [that is, the mystic lore of the Cabala, the verse is to be understood] as being in accord with the Midrash which the Rabbis have expounded in Tractate Megillah:¹²³18a. “Whence do we know that the Holy One, blessed be He, called Jacob eil? It is said, And He — the G-d of Israel — called him ‘eil.’ “ There is in this matter a great secret, which the Sages have additionally mentioned in Bereshith Rabbah¹²⁴79:10. in another way: “Jacob said to G-d, ‘Thou art the G-d of those on high, and I am the master of those down below.’” The Sages thereby alluded to that which they constantly say: the likeness of Jacob is engraved in the Heavenly Throne.¹²⁵Tanchuma Numbers 19. The intent [of Jacob’s statement quoted in the Midrash — “I am the master of those down below”] — is that the Divine Glory rests in the Land of Israel. The student learned in the mystic lore of the Cabala will understand.

א-ל אלו-הי ישראל, Who has saved me from Lavan as well as from Esau. The wording means that the same G’d Who had been the G’d of someone called Yaakov, continued in His role as the G’d of Yisrael. Just as people who are called Eliezer (G’s is my help) are also called Immanuel, seeing that the meaning is identical, so also the comparison between the G’d of Yaakov and the G’d of Yisrael. I believe this is the plain meaning of our verse.