출애굽기 3:15의 주석

זה שמי לעלם THIS IS MY NAME FOR EVER — The last word is written without ו (so that it may be read לְעַלֵּם and it would mean “this is My Name which is to be concealed”) to suggest: Conceal it (this Divine Name), so that it shall not be read exactly as it is written (but should be read as אדני; cf. Pesachim 50a; Exodus Rabbah 3:7).

AND THIS IS MY MEMORIAL UNTO ALL GENERATIONS. This refers back to the G-d of Abraham, the G-d of Isaac, and the G-d of Jacob, for the covenant [of G-d] with the patriarchs will never be forgotten, and throughout all generations whenever the children of Israel will mention [in prayer], “the G-d of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” G-d shall hear and answer them.²³¹Psalms 55:20. The verse here thus states: “Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel. Whenever you mention Me in prayer say thus: ‘G-d of Abraham, G-d of Isaac…’ This is My memorial unto all generations.”
By way of the Truth, [the mystic lore of the Cabala], this is My name forever refers to the G-d of Abraham, the G-d of Isaac. And this is My memorial refers to the expression, and the G-d of Jacob. This is the reason He added here the letter vav — [v’zeh zichri (‘And’ this is My memorial)].²³²It is to indicate that this is the preponderant Name in the memorial (Bachya). This is the sense of the expression, zichri l’dor dor, [with the words l’dor dor written] defectively, [i.e., without a vav between the dalet and the resh]. The person learned in the mysteries of the Torah will understand.

ויאמר עוד אלוקים, to Moses “it is not fitting that when referring to Me the Israelites should always do so by calling Me by this name (title), just as it is not fitting for people always to refer to their regional king by his most illustrious title. It is good enough for you to refer to Me as אלוקי אבותיכם,ה', “the G’d of your patriarchs, etc.” This name includes within it that G’d is master and king. When one addresses a king of flesh and blood, one does not spell out his full titles, but contents oneself with saying: “long live the King!” (Samuel I 10 24) Or, when referring to an order given by the king, one simply says: “the King commanded me etc.,” without adding the King’s other titles (Samuel I 21,3).

ויאמר עוד אלוקים אל משה כה תאמר אל בני ישראל, the Beney Yisrael that G’d refers to here are the elders of the people. (according to Rashi the people at large would not understand such thoughts.)

ויאמר עוד אלוקים, G'd continued to say, etc. The reason the 4-lettered name of G'd is repeated here once more when G'd could have been content with having the 4-lettered name אהיה is that the latter 4-lettered name of G'd comprises all the holy aspects that are unique to G'd. To begin with, G'd had revealed only a single one of these attributes which G'd ascribes to Himself when intervening at a time when the Jewish people are in difficulties. The attribute אהיה was used to address itself to Israel's current problem.

וזה זכרי לדור דור, “and this is My remembrance from generation to generation.” G’d reverts to His reference as being the G’d of the patriarchs. He assures Moses, and through him the people of Israel, that His covenant with the patriarchs is of an eternal, enduring nature, one that will always be referred to at critical times in Jewish history. He responded to the children of the patriarchs in the past and will continue to do so.

So that it (My Name) not be read as written. The Re”m’s lengthy commentary is expressed in the Gemara (Pesachim 50a), and he [apparently] overlooked it. (Nachalas Yaakov).

V. 15. Es dürfte ein Unterschied sein zwischen כה תאמר אל־ und כה תאמר ל־ Jenes, ל־, brauchte nur für Israel, zu seiner Belehrung, etwa an die זקנים, nicht direkt an Israel gesprochen zu sein, dieses, אל־, bezeichnete die Ansprache an Israel. Das אהי׳ אשר אהי׳ war nur an Mosche ausgesprochen. Zur Belehrung für das Volksbewusstsein genügt: אהי׳, die Belehrung zum Begreifen der Zukunft aus Gott ohne deren Motivierung aus der einzigartigen absoluten Freiheit Gottes. Und dieser von dem Gedanken an die Persönlichkeit Gottes — "ich werde sein" — ausgehende Begriff soll zunächst nur für Israel an dessen Lehrer und Leiter ausgesprochen werden. Die Sendung an Israel knüpft statt an die Persönlichkeit der Zukunft, an die Wirksamkeit der Zukunft an; statt: "ich werde sein": "der alles werden lässt", und auch dieser, dem allgemeinen jüdischen Bewusstsein hinausgegebene Name, verbleibt nur dem stillen Bewusstsein; gedacht und gesprochen wird er nur in seinem unmittelbaren Korrelat für die Menschen- und Volksbestimmung, der wesentlichsten Frucht dieses ganzen Gottesbewusstseins: als "mein Herr", שם אדנות, mit jenem Namen, der ja eben den Menschen mit jedem kommenden Moment seines Seins und Schaffens in den Dienst dieses einzigen Schöpfers und Gestalters der Zukunft stellt. זה dieses, der שם הויה, ist mein Name für die Zukunft, וזה, und dies ist ja in seinem Ergebnis für den Menschen nichts anders als זכרי, als der den Menschen in meinen Dienst stellende שם אדנות, unter welchem Ich gedacht werde von jeglichem Geschlecht.

:ויאמר עוד אל־הים אל משה: כה תאמר אל בני ישראל, “G-d continued speaking to Moses, saying to him: “thus you shall say to the Children of Israel:” G-d told Moses that it is not appropriate when speaking of G-d to always refer to the name that G-d had just revealed to Moses. This we know already from a mortal king, whom the people applaud when shouting: “long live the king,” without mentioning the king’s name, as this would be discourteous. If a mortal king is not always referred to by his personal name, how much less so is it seemly to refer to the King of Kings on all occasions by His personal name? Whenever anyone will speak to you about the Exodus from Egypt, he will refer to G-d simply as: “Hashem, the G-d of your fathers.” {Mechilta, Pischa, chapter 16)

וזה זכרי AND THIS IS MY MEMORIAL (the word may signify “the mention of Me”) — He taught him how the Divine Name should be read. So, too, did David say, (Psalms 135:13) “O Lord, Thy name is for ever (שמך לעולם), O Lord, Thy memorial is throughout all generations (זכרך לדר ודר).

זה שמי לעולם וזה זכרי לדור ודור, the name אהיה אשר אהיה, “the Eternal” which I told you in verse one (14) is My most illustrious title, a reference to My essence, (the ineffable name) whereas the name(s) I told you in verse two (verse 15) is a description of My being Royalty. [The author continues to remind us that it is in the nature of things that G’d refers to Himself slightly differently from the way His creatures refer to Him even when using the same basic “name.” Whereas G’d refers to Himself in the first person, i.e. starting with the letter א, when His creatures refer to Him by the same “name,” they must commence the spelling of that name with the letter י as one refers to a third person. In addition, by using the alphabet in reverse order i.e. ת-ש ר.ק. G’d would spell His own name אהי'ה as תצמ'ץ, and all the other names of G’d with which we are familiar would similarly appear with the letters based on starting with the letter ת in a descending order. Ed.]

ה' אלוקיכם, this is also the G’d of your patriarchs in addition to being the G’d possessing these virtues just mentioned. He had concluded a covenant with your patriarchs including all their offspring, so that this is part of My definition (name) זה שמי לעולם, forever as well as the name He already was known by previously before this additional attribute through the covenant with the patriarchs.

Another reason why G'd repeated the words כה תאמר "Thus you shall say, etc.," is that G'd realised that Moses had misinterpreted His reluctance to have invoked the 4 lettered name י־ה־ו־ה to mean that He would also not invoke the fact that He was the G'd of the patriarchs at this stage and would content Himself with the Identification: אהיה שלחני אליכם. G'd therefore added mention of His 4-lettered name י־ה־ו־ה- in association with identifying Himself as the G'd of the patriarchs. I believe that by doing so G'd alluded to the fact that His name אהיה which has a numerical value of 21 was also the numerical value of the respective first letters in the names of the patriarchs, א=אברהם, י=יצחק, and י=יעקב, a total of 21.

ה׳ אלוקי אבותיכם אלוקי אברהם, “Hashem the G-d of your fathers, the G-d of Avraham;” this is the source of the benedictions commencing with the words: ברוך אתה ה׳ אלוקינו ואלוקי אבותינו, אלוקי אברהם, אלוקי יצחק, ואלוקי יעקב, “blessed be You, Hashem, our G-d, the G-d of our fathers, the G-d of Avraham, the G-d of Yitzchok’ and the G-d of Yaakov.”

(3) THIS MY APPELLATION. "Adonai," which is mentioned in the second verse, which is an expression of kingship, and in this matter, we mention the kings, and not by their name. And what is written with "Yah," I will explain in AT-BaSH [a substitution code where Alef becomes Tav, Bet becomes Shin, etc.]: [He calls Himself "Ehyeh," but we call Him "Yihyeh" [[should be "Yahveh"]], "vav" in place of "yod," as in (Eccl. 2:22), "What does a man get [mah hoveh la'adam]?"] This is the essential deep plain meaning of these texts, and we do not reveal them except to the discreet.

זכרי לדור ודור, this is what wise men have figured out for themselves already since time immemorial that there must be a prime Cause, an eternal Being, not subject to change, i.e, to aging, weakening.

Verse 15 has yet another message. It is that the G'd now identifying Himself as אהיה is none other than the One who had promised the patriarchs there would be redemption even though this name of His had not appeared in that connection previously. G'd had to introduce this name also because in the future He would reveal legislation attesting to the holiness of His name. The name אהיה was alluded to when G'd said: אנכי, whereas the 4-lettered name י־ה־ו־ה was spelled out directly in order to justify what Moses told the people, i.e. that when G'd would speak to them (at Mount Sinai) He would use the words אנכי י־ה־ו־ה. These considerations suffice to explain the sequence of these verses.

זה שמי, “this is My (personal) Name;” G-d repeats the first אהיה in verse 14; this is also how we spell (in writing) His Name. G-d speaks of how He calls Himself, whereas we mortals, of course do not refer to Him in the first person, but will adjust to the third person either as יהיה, or י־ה־וה. (Compare Rash’bam on the subject. He concludes that details are not to be revealed except to a category of people he terms: צנועים, familiar with Kabbalah.) The spelling with the letter ו instead of the letter י is explained by our author as not as unusual as we might think. For instance we find Yitzchok in his blessing saying to Yaakov as saying: הוה גביר לאחיך, where we would have expected: הוה בר, “be your brother’s superior.” [The letters י and ו possess a degree of interchangeability. Ed.]

וזה זכרי לדור דור, “and this is My Memorial for all generations.” The reference is to the second verse 15, i.e. 'ה אלוקי אבותיכם.