Comentário sobre Êxodo 6:3

וארא AND I APPEARED — to the patriarchs.

בא-ל שדי, a promise concerning the future that I have not yet fulfilled.

וארא, in a vision, a communication by G’d just below that of the level we know as נבואה, prophecy. Genesis 18,1 was one such example of G’d “appearing” to Avraham after his circumcision.

וארא אל אברהם, I used to appear to Abraham, etc. The reason G'd did not lump the three patriarchs together but referred to each one by name is, that G'd's relationship with each one of the patriarchs was based on something unique to the patriarch in question. Abraham was unique in that he recognised his Creator without having had guidance from another human being. If someone had foreknowledge of the existence of G'd and His power, he does not deserve special credit for conducting himself in line with such knowledge. Every intelligent being would choose good over evil once he possessed such knowledge. Abraham did not possess any of these advantages which would have acquainted him with G'd's attributes. We have explained in connection with Isaiah 41,9 that the reason G'd called Abraham "the one who loves Me" was because his faith and morality was the result of his being a "self-starter." He cleaved to his faith in G'd in spite of the most demanding tests G'd subjected him to.

To the fathers. It is merely for brevity that Rashi says “to the fathers” rather than saying, as the verse does, “To Avraham, to Yitzchok, and to Yaakov.” (Re’m)

V. 3. Und diese ganz neue Gottoffenbarung war von dem ersten Anfange der jüdischen Geschichte vorbereitet, alle Gänge derselben führten zu diesem Momente hin. "Ich war schon 'ה, selbst da ich dem Abraham, Isaak und Jakob nur als א׳ ש׳ sichtbar ward und mein beabsichtigtes Walten als ה׳ ihnen in ihrer Lebenserfahrung noch nicht offenbar werden ließ." Ihr wundert euch, dass es bisher immer schlimmer geworden, dass selbst deine Sendung bisher nur ein Mittel war, das Elend eurer Lage bis zum äußersten Extreme zu führen — seht ihr denn nicht, wie eure ganze bisherige Geschichte nur ein abwärts steigender Weg gewesen? Abraham der נשיא אלקים in Mitte der Völker — und Jakob, der arme dienende Knecht, der erst "um sein Weib dienen musste und dann für sein Weib zu dienen" hatte! Ich hätte euch ja in aufsteigender Linie führen können. Statt Abraham im hundertsten Jahre einen Sohn erhalten zu lassen, hätte ich schon von ihm eine Familie im siebenzigsten entstehen lassen, die Nachkommenschaft in glücklichen, günstigen Verhältnissen zu einem Volke auf heimischem Boden heranblühen lassen können. Dann wäre aber eben dieses Volk nicht das Gottesvolk, nicht das עם ד׳, das Gott als ה׳ offenbarende Volk geworden. Dann würde auch dieses Volk wie alle anderen Völker nur in dem Sicht- und Tastbaren wurzeln, würde auch es nur auf materiellem Boden stehen, in materieller Macht und Größe seine Macht und Größe finden, und Geistiges und Sittliches nur insofern anstreben, als das Materielle dafür Raum lässt und es dem Materiellen selber frommt. Und es soll doch im Gegenteil seinen Boden nur in Gott und in der freien sittlichen Erfüllung des göttlichen Willens, und nur von diesem Gott und diesem Streben aus und für dasselbe auch irdischen Halt und Boden gewinnen! Es war ja das Bewusstsein von dem freien, allmächtigen Gott und dem durch diesen Gott freien Menschen geschwunden, es waren ja Menschen und Völker theoretisch und praktisch in die Gebundenheit der Materie versunken! Durch das Auftreten des Abrahamvolkes sollte dieses Bewusstsein wieder geweckt, und die Menschen aus dieser Gebundenheit erlöst werden. Darum musste dieses Volk da anfangen, wo andere Völker aufhören. Es musste, an sich selbst verzweifelnd — בגעל נפשך — in seinem Blute verendend, am Boden liegen (Jecheskel 16, 5) und nur durch Gottes Schöpferruf zum Volke erstehen, und so schon das bloße Dasein dieses Volkes den Völkern verkünden: אני ד׳!

ושמי ה' לא נודעתי להם, Rashi explains this as follows; “and My attribute (name) of Hashem I have not let them be familiar with.” It is significant that G-d did not use the active causative mode of הודעתי here. In answering the question why He had not done so, what comes to mind is first: “they did not bother to ask Me about it.” [They should have asked as I revealed Myself to Avraham as such already at the covenant between the pieces in Genesis 15,7, where G-d told Avraham that He had saved him miraculously in order to give him (his descendants) that land in which He appeared to him. G-d reminds Moses that neither Avraham nor Yitzchok or Yaakov, to all of whom He had spoken far less that He had to Moses, ever questioned what they could have questioned about G-d’s judgments. To quote just one such example: when after having been told by G-d that his descendants would inherit the land of Canaan, and it came to burying his wife Sarah there, he could not even do this without paying a minor fortune for a cave, he surely might have asked Me about this. They believed Me on My word alone, without the need for any miracles or proof. They could not have known me by My real name, as I had made promises and had not yet kept them. My true name is based not only on My ability to promise but on My ability beyond question to also keep My promises. Now, G-d says, “I will explain to you why I did not reveal Myself to the patriarchs as the attribute of Hashem. The promises I made to them referred to a distant future.” They would not live to see their fulfilment. The promises I made to you and through you to My people, will be fulfilled within the immediate future. As this occurs, the past partially passive mode of the root ידע will be appropriate, i.e. “I will have become known as Hashem.” Seeing that this is so, the people should not have asked: “what is His name?” Who asks about something that he knows and is familiar with? Rashi also explains why the conjunctive letter ו in וגם in verse 4 is appropriate. The word: הקימותי is not to be confused with “I have kept (a promise),” but is to be understood as the promises made to the patriarchs still being in effect, and the fact that they had not yet been fulfilled is due to their having been made by G-d in His capacity as שדי, “the G-d whose promises are meaningful because He is able to fulfill them and no one can stop Him from doing so.” The reason that the time for fulfilling them has arrived is because the Children of Israel’s outcry on account of their suffering is justified.

באל שדי BY THE NAME OF GOD ALMIGHTY — I made certain promises to them and in the case of all of these I said unto them, “I am God Almighty”.

'ושמי ה, we have to explain the sequence as follows: “Although I have revealed Myself to the patriarchs as the attribute of Shaddai, My principal name, the one that represents My essence, etc.” We are faced with a repetition here, hence לא נודעתי להם, “I did not reveal Myself to the patriarchs as My principal attribute but only as My attribute Shaddai. But to you, Moses, I have revealed My principal attribute which I described as אהיה and זכרי ה'. In your lifetime I plan to fulfill My promise.”

בא-ל שדי, by the attribute which demonstrates that I have created existence as such, as was pointed out in Genesis 17,1.

I was not recognized by them by My attribute of keeping trust. . . Rashi is answering the question: In Parshas Lech Lecha (Bereishis 9:7) it is written אני יהוה וגו ’ (“I am Adonoy who took you out from Ur Casdim”). [If so, why does our verse imply that the fathers did not know the Name of Adonoy?] Therefore Rashi explains: “ לא הודעתי is not written here. . .”

Isaac possessed another unique characteristic; he had submitted without question to his father's request made in the name of G'd to give his life for that G'd. He did not even ask for an explanation of why he had to give his life.

Darum war die Herbeiführung dieses, die Offenbarung Gottes als ה׳ bedingenden Momentes, in welchem die Hilflosigkeit der Nachkommen Abrahams gipfelte, von vornherein der Gottesplan, als er die Geschicke der Väter abwärts führte und sich ihnen nur als den "Allgenügenden" zeigte, an dessen Hand man siegreich allen Wechsel des Lebens durchmache. —

ושמי ה׳ לא נודעתי להם BUT BY MY NAME THE LORD WAS I NOT KNOWN TO THEM — It is not written here לא הודעתי [My name the Lord] I did not make known to them, but לא נודעתי [by My name, the Lord], was I not known [unto them] — i. e. I was not recognised by them in My attribute of “keeping faith”, by reason of which My name is called ה׳, which denotes that I am certain to substantiate My promise, for, indeed, I made promises to them but did not fulfill them [during their lifetime].

לתת להם את ארץ כנען, to give the people the land of Canaan. The words ושמי ה' are connected to what was written at the beginning of the verse as I explained already. If the Torah had written הודעתי להם instead of נודעתי להם, the words ושמי ה' would have belonged to the statement לא הודעתי.

ושמי ה' לא נודעתי להם, the letter ב in the expression בא-ל שדי applies to the word ושמי. In effect what G’d is saying is that He has not made a point of becoming familiar to the patriarchs by His attribute Hashem when appearing to them, such as in the example mentioned. This was because He never experienced the need to change the laws of nature on their behalf. Seeing that the patriarchs could not have passed on knowledge about Me which I had not revealed to them, they in turn had not been able to pass on such knowledge to their children. I have to do this now in order to ensure that I can preserve the Children of Israel as My people.

For I made promises but have not fulfilled them. Rashi is explaining the difference between יהוה and אל שדי . He therefore explains: “For I made promises but have not [as yet] fulfilled them” — in other words, “I did not yet fulfill My promise because they were not worthy of it.” If so, there is indeed a difference between [the two Names]. For a promise in the Name of יהוה is unconditional, [and it is fulfilled] even if they were to sin.

Jacob was unique in not wasting a single drop of semen by producing offspring which was not worthy of him. All his children remained loyal to his teachings.

לא נודעתי להם. Wir finden freilich den Namen ה׳ bereits in der Geschichte und im Munde der Väter. Allein es ist hier durchaus nicht von einer bloßen Kenntnis des Namens die Rede. דעת שם ד׳ ist ein viel Tieferes, das in seiner Vollendung vielleicht erst am Ende aller geschichtlichen Erfahrung unser Erbteil wird. So Jesaias 52, 6 von dieser letzten Ge'ula: לכן ידע עמי שמי. Es heißt überhaupt: Verstehen, welche Gotteswaltung dieser Name bedeutet. Ein Verständnis, das vollständig erst aus der Erfahrung aller Zeiten reift, und die Väter standen erst am Anfang der Zeiten! ושמי ד׳ לא נודעתי להם, wie: נודע ד׳ משפט עשה Ps. 9, 17: als derjenige, dessen Name ד׳ ist, bin ich ihnen nicht zur Erkenntnis geworden.

G'd explained to Moses that He had not revealed His attribute of the four-lettered name י־ה־ו־ה which He had revealed to Moses to any of these three patrirachs, but had revealed to them only His attribute שדי. G'd now told Moses that in view of the revelations He had already made to him, he had displayed ingratitude by speaking to Him in an inappropriate, critical manner.

While it is true that in the Torah's report of G'd's communications with Abraham (Genesis 18,1) we find such an expression as וירא ה׳ אל אברהם, which seems to suggest that G'd revealed this aspect (the tetragram) of His attributes to Abraham, this is misleading. G'd may have dealt with him on that basis, but He had not confided that fact to Abraham, i.e. Abraham remained unaware of the difference between G'd in His capacity as אל שדי and G'd in His capacity as י־ה־ו־ה. This is what G'd meant when He said ושמי ה׳ לא נודעתי להם, "they were not informed of My name י־ה־ו־ה.

G'd also meant that the patriarchs were not aware of the unique simultaneous effectiveness of both of G'd's attributes, as we mentioned in connection with verse two. The mystical dimension of this is recorded in Kings I 18,39 when the assembled people realised this after Eliyahu's demonstration on Mount Carmel. The prophet Zachariah also makes reference to this phenomenon in Zachariah 14,9 when he describes that in the futre והיה ה׳ אחד ושמו אחד, people will realise that in spite of G'd's many attributes these are all part of the same Essence. G'd's name and G'd's Essence will be perceived as an indivisible unit, unlike all creatures whose names do not necessarily reflect anything about their essence. It was inappropriate for G'd to say לא הודעתי, "I have not made known," since it was G'd's "name" who was speaking. This is why the Torah had to write: לא נודעתי "I have not become known."

G'd may also have answered Moses' question why He had sent him on this mission before the time designated for the redemption. He explained that G'd's timetable is not absolute. When He had spoken to Abraham about a period of 400 years after which the Israelites would leave their exile and bondage with great wealth (Genesis 15,14), that timetable had been based on G'd having revealed His attribute אל שדי to Abraham. That attribute is one which is inflexible. It reflects the fact that G'd has set absolute limits to certain developments. However, that attribute is part of the overall attribute אלוקים, an attribute which governs G'd's manifestations in nature. G'd had not taught Abraham that by appealing to His attribute of רחמים, Mercy, the limitations which are part of the אל שדי syndrome can become more flexible. Since the prayers of the whole Jewish nation had reached His attribute of Mercy this is why He decided to respond before the time which had originally been designated for the redemption. G'd began by saying that he was י־ה־ו־ה in order to teach Moses that when one "knocks on the door of Mercy," such knocks are apt to evoke a response on the other side of that door.

There may be yet another nuance in G'd's saying "I have appeared to Abraham." The implied message is G'd's rhetorical question: "How could I turn a deaf ear to a nation who are the offspring of My most beloved Patriarchs, to each of whom I made a point of revealing Myself separately at the appropriate time. The Torah made a point of not writing אברהם,יצחק,יעקב, but of interposing the word אל each time. This underlines that each one of the patriarchs merited a revelation in his own right. In spite of all this, G'd continues, I still did not reveal the aspect of the attribute of Mercy to these patriarchs. One of the reasons I could not do this was because I had not yet demonstrated how this Mercy is expressed in practice, such as now when I am about to change My timetable for the redemption.