This source sheet is an adaptation of a source sheet by Rabbi Aviva Fellman.
(כד) וַיִּקָּחֵ֔ם וַיַּֽעֲבִרֵ֖ם אֶת־הַנָּ֑חַל וַֽיַּעֲבֵ֖ר אֶת־אֲשֶׁר־לוֹ׃ (כה) וַיִּוָּתֵ֥ר יַעֲקֹ֖ב לְבַדּ֑וֹ וַיֵּאָבֵ֥ק אִישׁ֙ עִמּ֔וֹ עַ֖ד עֲל֥וֹת הַשָּֽׁחַר׃ (כו) וַיַּ֗רְא כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יָכֹל֙ ל֔וֹ וַיִּגַּ֖ע בְּכַף־יְרֵכ֑וֹ וַתֵּ֙קַע֙ כַּף־יֶ֣רֶךְ יַעֲקֹ֔ב בְּהֵֽאָבְק֖וֹ עִמּֽוֹ׃ (כז) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר שַׁלְּחֵ֔נִי כִּ֥י עָלָ֖ה הַשָּׁ֑חַר וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ לֹ֣א אֲשַֽׁלֵּחֲךָ֔ כִּ֖י אִם־בֵּרַכְתָּֽנִי׃ (כח) וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֵלָ֖יו מַה־שְּׁמֶ֑ךָ וַיֹּ֖אמֶר יַעֲקֹֽב׃ (כט) וַיֹּ֗אמֶר לֹ֤א יַעֲקֹב֙ יֵאָמֵ֥ר עוֹד֙ שִׁמְךָ֔ כִּ֖י אִם־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל כִּֽי־שָׂרִ֧יתָ עִם־אֱלֹקִ֛ים וְעִם־אֲנָשִׁ֖ים וַתּוּכָֽל׃ (ל) וַיִּשְׁאַ֣ל יַעֲקֹ֗ב וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ הַגִּֽידָה־נָּ֣א שְׁמֶ֔ךָ וַיֹּ֕אמֶר לָ֥מָּה זֶּ֖ה תִּשְׁאַ֣ל לִשְׁמִ֑י וַיְבָ֥רֶךְ אֹת֖וֹ שָֽׁם׃
Doubt Slip
Most of the time I doubt...
Sometimes I doubt…
Most of the time I am not sure…
Sometimes I am not sure…
I really think that…
Faith Interview:
- If there is a God, how do you picture God?
- Do you talk to God yourself?
- Have you ever felt God talking to you, of have you ever felt God’s presence?
- What are some of your doubts about God?
- If God is good, how can God permit evil in the world?
- Do you know of any differences between the Jewish conceptions of God and Christian conceptions of God?
- Is there anything that makes you angry about God?
- Has God ever answered any of your prayers?
- Why don’t you think or talk to God more than you do?
- Does God still function in the world as described in the Bible?
- What is a miracle? Do you believe in miracles?
- Do you believe in life after death? What form does it look like?
- Do you believe God punishes the sinner and rewards the righteous?
- Do you think that the Jewish people has been chosen for something special? If yes, do you think that they were chosen to receive something or to do something?
- If you were God, what would you do differently?
- Do you pray to God more when you are sick and in trouble? Do you think more about God when someone you love is in trouble or in danger?
- Do you thank God for the good things in your life as well as relating God to the bad things that happen?
(א) בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹקִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ׃
אֱלֹקִים (n-m) heb
- (plural intensive-singular meaning)
- works or special possessions of God
- godlike one
- God
- (plural)
- rulers, judges
- divine ones
- angels
- god
(ז) לֹ֥א תִשָּׂ֛א אֶת־שֵֽׁם־ה' אֱלֹקֶ֖יךָ לַשָּׁ֑וְא כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יְנַקֶּה֙ ה' אֵ֛ת אֲשֶׁר־יִשָּׂ֥א אֶת־שְׁמ֖וֹ לַשָּֽׁוְא׃ (פ)
(7) You shall not swear falsely by the name of YHVH your God; for YHVH will not clear one who swears falsely by God's name.
(ב) אוֹדֶ֣ה ה' בְּכָל־לִבִּ֑י אֲ֝סַפְּרָ֗ה כָּל־נִפְלְאוֹתֶֽיךָ׃ (ג) אֶשְׂמְחָ֣ה וְאֶעֶלְצָ֣ה בָ֑ךְ אֲזַמְּרָ֖ה שִׁמְךָ֣ עֶלְיֽוֹן׃
(2) I will praise You, YHVH, with all my heart; I will tell all Your wonders. (3) I will rejoice and exult in You, singing a hymn to Your name, O Most High.
(1) When Abram was ninety-nine years old, YHVH appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am El Shaddai. Walk in My ways and be blameless.
The Tetragrammaton in Phoenician (1100 BC to AD 300), Aramaic (10th Century BC to 0) and modern Hebrew scripts. This name of God appears 1820 times in the Torah- the Five Books of Moses.
(ז) לֹ֥א תִשָּׂ֛א אֶת־שֵֽׁם־ה' אֱלֹקֶ֖יךָ לַשָּׁ֑וְא כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יְנַקֶּה֙ ה' אֵ֛ת אֲשֶׁר־יִשָּׂ֥א אֶת־שְׁמ֖וֹ לַשָּֽׁוְא׃ (פ)
(7) You shall not swear falsely by the name of YHVH your God; for YHVH will not clear one who swears falsely by God's name.
https://www.cs.mcgill.ca/~rwest/wikispeedia/wpcd/wp/n/Names_of_God_in_Judaism.htm
Nava Tehila, a spiritual prayer and song group based in Jerusalem have taken to using the Kabbalistic "HAVAYAH הויה" as their name for God. It uses the same letters as YHVH.
Havayah is the pronunciation used for God’s essential Name spelled with the four letters י־הוה (yud, hei, vav, hei).
Havayah is the most sacred of the Names of God. Although no name can fully express God’s essence, Havayah refers to God’s essence. For this reason it is sometimes referred to as “the essential Name” (שֵׁם הָעֶצֶם), or “the unique Name” (שֵׁם הַמְיֻחָד), or “the explicit Name” (שֵׁם הַמְפֹרָשׁ).
Due to its great sanctity, this Name may only be pronounced in the Holy Temple, and its correct pronunciation is not known today. For this reason, we refer to this Name by either the word Hashem, which simply means “the Name,” or Havayah (הֲוָיָ־ה), one of the permutations of its letters.
In English, this Name is referred to as the Tetragrammaton, meaning the four-letter Name, because in Hebrew it is spelled with four letters.
(ח) שִׁוִּ֬יתִי ה' לְנֶגְדִּ֣י תָמִ֑יד כִּ֥י מִֽ֝ימִינִ֗י בַּל־אֶמּֽוֹט׃
(8) I am ever mindful of YHVH’s presence; God is at my right hand; I shall never be shaken.
The Names of God
- Adonai. “My Lord”
- King/Ruler
- Lord
- The True God
- The Divinity
- The Fear of Isaac
- Might One of Jacob
- El, The God of (the Patriot) Israel
- Most High
- Everlasting God
- God Almighty
- God of Vision
- God of the Covenant
- Everlasting King, Everlasting Ruler
- Everlasting Rock
- Ancient God
- Everlasting Arms
- Everlasting Life
- YHVH “He Causes To Be”
- I am That I am
- Lord of Hosts
- Creator of Heaven and Earth
- Holy One
- Holy one of Israel
- Shephard of Israel
- The Rock
- King of Israel, Ruler of Israel
- The God of Truth
- Former of All
- Praiseworthy God
- Guardian of Israel
- Shield of Abraham
- Rock of Israel
- King of Kings/ Ruler of Rulers
- The Name
- The Holy One, Praised be He
- Heaven
- Peace
- I
- Judge of Truth
- The Awesome One
- My Rock
- Eternal One of Israel
- Ever-living God
- Lover of His People Israel, Lover of God's People Israel
- The Ransomer
- The Redeemer
- The Guide
- Our God, God of Our Ancestors
- God of Abraham
- God of Isaac
- God of Jacob
- The Mighty One
- The Heroic One
- Acquirer of All
- The Living Lord
- Rescuer
- Reviver of the Dead
- Father of Mercy
- The Merciful One
- The Merciful
- The Holy One
- The Place
- The Might
- The Faithful One
- Lord of the Universe
- He Who Spoke and the Universe Came Into Being
- Our Father in Heaven
- The Infinite
- The Possessor of Will
- Hosts
- King of Compassion and Mercy
- Rock of Our Lives
- The Good One
- He Who is Merciful
- Maker of Peace
- Thankworthy God
- The Holy King
- Master of All
- The Creator
- He Who Caused His Name to Dwell in this House
- Our Father, Our King/ Our Mother, Our Queen
- Our Shephard
- Mighty One of Israel
- Our Healer
- Mentor
- The Living God of Majesty
- Sovereign
- The Compassionate One
- The Patient One
- The Bountiful One
- The One Who is Forgiveness
- The Generous One
- The Eternal
- The First Cause
- World-Soul
- Absolute Spirit
- Absolute Rest
- The Power That Makes for Salvation
- The Power That Makes for the Fulfillment of All Valid Ideals
- Lord, Man of War
- The Lord Who Hides His Face
Any others?
Some Contemporary Ones that I, Susan, love:
Breath of All Life
Weaver of All Life
Source of Loving Oneness
Holy Mystery of Love
Heart of the Universe
Interbreathing Spirit of the Universe
Creative Energy Within Us, Between Us, Among Us, and Beyond Us
א"ר יוסי בר' חנינא ולפי כוחן של כל אחד ואחד היה הדיבר מדבר עמו. ואל תתמה על הדבר הזה, שהיה המן יורד לישראל כל אחד ואחד היה טועמו לפי כוחו, התינוקות לפי כוחן, והבחורים לפי כוחן, הזקנים לפי כוחן. התינוקות לפי כוחן, כשם שהתינוק הזה היונק בשדי אמו כך היה טועמו, שנא' והיה טעמו כטעם לשד השמן (במדבר יא:ח). והבחורים לפי כוחן, שנ' ולחמי אשר נתתי לך לחם ושמן ודבש האכלתיך (יחזקאל טז:יט). והזקנים לפי כוחן, שנ' וטעמו כצפיחית בדבש (שמות טז:לא). ומה אם המן כל אחד ואחד לפי כוחן היה טועם לפיו, בדיבר כל אחד ואחד שומע לפי כוחן.
Rabbi Yossi bat Hanina said: God's speech came to each individual according to their capacity. Do not be surprised at this: When the manna descended for Israel, it tasted differently to everyone.
To the infants, it tasted like their mother's milk, as it says: "It tasted like rich cream [Num. 11:8]."
To the young it tasted differently, as it says: "Bread and oil and honey [Ezekiel 16:19]."
To the elders it tasted differently, as it says: "The taste of it was like wafers made with honey [Ex. 16:31]."
In the same way as the manna tasted in each person's mouth according to their uniqueness, so each individual heard God's speech according to their uniqueness.