Komentarz do Wyjścia 17:15

ויקרא שמו AND HE CALLED HIS (or its) NAME — the name of the altar,

ויקרא שמו, he called the name of G’d in his prayer ה' ניסי. The matter is similar to the prophet Jeremiah saying in Lamentations 3,25: קראתי שמך ה'. Surely, there was nothing new in Jeremiah knowing the name of G’d. The point is that he addressed this attribute of G’d in that prayer. Moses addressed the attribute of G’d as the flag-bearer in Israel’s wars.

הי נס, the staff of G’d [in Moses’ hand Ed.] had become a miracle or equivalent to a flag, (an inspiration) on the hill on which Moses was positioned. Moses prayed that G’d would also use it in this manner in the future in order to conduct the war against Amalek, because G’d had already now given the commandment and assurance that He would completely wipe out even the memory of Amalek [this being the inspiration of the anti God forces on earth. Ed.] This is also what is spelled out in verse 16. 'ויאמר כי יד על כס י-ה וגו, this is why I call the altar ה' נסי, “G’d is my banner, my flag.” This is the same as when a father calls his son Eliezer, which means the same thing in Hebrew. (compare Exodus 18,4 where the reason for Moses calling his son by that name is explained.) Also the name Emanuel means the same, i.e. two words עמנו א-ל, “G’d is with us.” (Isaiah 7,14) G’d raised His hand in an oath, swearing by His throne that He would conduct ongoingמלחמה לה' בעמלק מדר דר, war against Amalek throughout the generations until he would be wiped out completely. Invoking the word יד here in connection with G’d’s utterance (as opposed to visible action) is the same as the line כי אשא אל שמים ידי, “I raise My hand to heaven” in Deuteronomy 32,40 it clearly is the formula for G’d swearing an oath. This is the plain meaning of these words. There are some who explain that when a king will sit on the throne of Israel, such as King Sha-ul, the time will have come to wipe out Amalek completely. I cannot accept this interpretation at all, as if it were correct, the Torah should have written כי תהיה יד אל כס י-ה “when the throne of Israel will be occupied by a real powerful king, representing G’d on earth.” The meaning of the words כי יד על כס י-ה is: “whenever a deliberate threat is posed against the kingdom of G’d on earth, etc.”

(Exodus 17:15) "And Moses built an altar and he called its name 'the L rd is my miracle.'" Moses (hereby) said: The miracle that the L rd wrought (for me) — He wrought it for Himself (i.e., for the sanctification of His name.) And thus do you find: Whenever a miracle is performed for Israel, that miracle, as it were, is before Him — "The L rd is my miracle." (Isaiah 63:9) "In all of their afflictions, He was afflicted." Joy to Israel — Joy to Him. (I Samuel 2:1) "I rejoice in Your salvation!"

V. 15. ויבן משה מזבח. Wie Jakob, nachdem er im nächtlichen Kampfe mit Amaleks Genius den Namen Israel errungen, im Bewusstsein dieses Namens einen "Altar zum Denkmal" baute ויצב שם מזבה. (Bamidbar 33, 20 siehe das.) und sich damit den Zuruf verewigte: אל אלקי ישראל: so baut auch hier Mosche nach dem ersten Siege über Amalek und nach der ihm offenbar gewordenen Bedeutung dieses Sieges einen "Altar zum Denkmal". Amaleks Größe ist "Zerstörung": Israels Sendung heißt "Bauen", und zwar der friedliche, menschliche Aufbau alles Irdischen zu Gott. Dieser Altarbau, diese endliche Erhebung der ganzen Erde zu einem Gottesaltare ist der Gegensatz zu Amaleks Schwert (vergl. Kap. 20, 22). Dieser Moschealtar in der Wüste beginnt den Kampf mit Amalek; darum nannte er ihn: ד׳ נסי, Gott ruft mich in den Kampf, und zeigt mir, wo ich kämpfen soll. נס ist keine Waffe und kein Schutz, נס ist das hoch emporgehaltene Zeichen, das dem Kämpfer Richtung und Ort des zu bestehenden Kampfes zeigt. Das Werk, das Gott durch Mosche beginnen und begründen ließ, hat nicht nur die Konstituierung Israels nach Innen zum Ziele. Der göttliche Aufbau alles Menschlichen in Israel hat die Bekämpfung und Überwindung alles Ungöttlichen und Unmenschlichen auf Erden zum Ziele. Dieser Bau greift nicht an, aber er wird angegriffen, wie von Amalek hier, und in dem Kampfe seiner Verteidigung geht Amalek zu Grunde.

ויבן שם מזבח, “he built an altar there; Moses built the altar at the bottom of Mount Chorev.

ה׳ נסי (lit., the Lord is my banner or my miracle) — The Holy One, blessed be He, here performed a miracle for us. It does not mean that the altar was named ה׳, “the Lord, my banner”, but the reason for so calling it was that anyone mentioning the altar’s name would thereby remember the miracle which the Omni-present had performed, since he would be saying: the Lord, He is our Miracle (cf. Rashi on Genesis 33:20).

ה' נסי, “G’d is my exaltation.” The meaning is similar to Psalms 60,6 נתת ליראיך נס להתנוסס מפני קשט סלה, “You have given a banner to them that fear You, to raise themselves to its height before the might of wisdom.” In other words, the psalmist says that G’d will lend him the strength to cope with anyone trying to attack him and to overcome him. The same thought is expressed in Psalms 44,6 בשמך נבוס קמינו, “with the help of Your name we will vanquish those who rise up against us.”

ויקרא את שמר: ה' נסי, “he named it: “Hashem is My banner.” According to Rabbi Eliezer hamoda-i, the subject of the words “he named it” was the Lord Himself. Rashi points out that we know of something similar from Genesis 33,20: In that verse we read that Yaakov, after being the first Jew to be able to buy a piece of land in the Holy Land (apart from the tomb of Sarah) built an altar and when the Torah reports that that altar was called: א-ל אלוקי ישראל, that was the name given to this altar by Hashem.