parsha bit: Shemot

[cellio]

When God speaks to Moshe from the burning bush, he first says "I am Ehyeh asher ehyeh" and later says to tell the Israelites "Ehyeh sent me". Chazal ask why the change in name. Rabbi Yaakov ben Abina said that when God made the first statement, he said to Moshe "I am with your people in their current troubles and I will be with them in their future troubles", and Moshe objected. It's bad enough that they're slaves now, he said; you can't also tell them that there will be times as bad ahead! God agreed, and thus just "Ehyeh" in the second statement -- I will be with them now. (Midrash Rabbah, Sh'mot 3:1)

Comments

Re: Grammar fun with the Weekly Parsha

[cellio]

I think it's a difference between nearer-term and longer-term being. "I will be with them now" makes sense because he's clearly not with them right now but is going to be real real soon. This connotation works in English; I don't have enough fluency yet to know if it works in biblical Hebrew.

Does that make sense?

Thanks for the Rashi.

Re: Grammar fun with the Weekly Parsha

[selucid.livejournal.com]

Essentially what you're saying is that it means "I will be with you in the near future until the end of your current troubles, and I will be with you when new problems crop up."

What is this definition of "being" with them anyway? If G-d is omnipresent then isn't G-d always there? One possibility is the concept of G-dly attention. I remember seeing a concept in Torah represented by 'turning up my eyes', which I believe means a form of ignorance. Could it be that G-d's not 'being' with them indicated an ignorance on account of punishment?

Curious!


- Inkhorn (but with an account that doesn't bear my preferred nickname :( )

Re: Grammar fun with the Weekly Parsha

[cellio]

Welcome to LJ. Sorry your preferred handle was already taken.

Essentially what you're saying is that it means "I will be with you in the near future until the end of your current troubles, and I will be with you when new problems crop up."

Well, "speculating" rather than "saying", but yes. I don't know if it's a correct interpretation; it seems consistent with the midrash.

What is this definition of "being" with them anyway?

A good question. As you point out, God is omipresent, but perhaps the degree of attention varies. Maybe God monitors everything (he can, after all), but whether and how he responds depends on us more than on him? And what he was saying was that the Israelites in Egypt, for whatever reason, have now merited more of his attention? Again, I don't know if it's a reasonable interpretation, but it seems somehow better than the one that has God saying "oh yeah, I knew I was forgetting about somebody... ok guys, I'm here now".