A Little Faith (Emunah) Wouldn’t Hurt
God’s opening proclamation in Parshat Vaera has always seemed anomalous:
And God spoke to Moshe and said to him: ‘I am the Lord. And I appeared to Avraham, to Yitzhak, and to Yaakov as E-l Shaddai, but in My name, the Lord (the four lettered name of God), I was not known to them. (Exodus 6:1-3)
As Robert Alter points out:
There is no indication that the ‘name’ was withheld from the patriarchs, and the Primeval History reports the invocation of this name goes back to the time of Enosh son the Shet. (Note on Exodus 6:3)
The midrashic tradition, in an attempt to explain this discrepancy, forged a significant religious message summarized by Rashi:
but in My name, the Lord, I was not known to them – It is not written here: ‘[My name Lord], I did not make known to them’, but rather:’ [by My name, Lord], I was not known to them’, [namely], I was not recognized by them in My true attribute for which I am called Lord – trustworthy to fulfill my words, for, indeed, I made promises to them but did not fulfill them [during their lifetime].
Rashi contends that the Torah is not talking here about knowing God’s name, which the patriarchs surely knew; but rather the four-letter name of God represents God’s reliability, namely, that God keeps his promises and since God had yet to fulfill the promises He had made to the patriarch, this aspect of God’s character was still unrealized by them.
Rashi’s explanation raises a significant religious question. How is it that the patriarchs put their trust in God if they did not see His promises fulfilled? A beautiful midrash attempts to fill this void by comparing the patriarchs to Moshe:
If a man should dare say to a person more important than himself, “Why did you treat me so badly?” he would be held guilty of a serious offense, yet Moshe said: “Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has dealt worse with this people (Exodus 5:23). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moshe: Woe, for those who have perished and are not to be found! I revealed myself numerous times to Avraham, Yitzhak, and Yaakov as the E-l Shadai, but did not reveal Myself to them that My name the Lord, as I did to you, yet they never criticized My ways, [namely, I made promised and had yet to fulfill them].
To Avraham I said: “Arise, walk about the land through its length and its breadth” (Genesis 13:17), yet though he searched for a place to bury Sarah, he was unable to attain one until he paid four hundred shekels of silver for it, still, he did not disparage My ways. I told Yitzhak: “Reside in this land …for to you, and your heirs, I will give all these lands” (ibid. 26:3), but even when he sought water to drink, he was unable to find any, as it says: “And the herdsman of Gerar strove with Yitzhak’s herdsmen, saying: “The water is ours” (ibid., v. 20), yet, he did not criticize My ways. I told Yaakov: The ground on which you are lying, I will give to you and your offspring” (ibid. 28:13), yet when he sought a place to pitch his tent, and could not obtain any land until he purchased it with a hundred lambs, yet, he found no fault with My words.
However, you, Moshe, at the beginning of my very first mission, you asked Me, “What is your name etc.?” and now you say: “Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has dealt worse, etc.” (Exodus 5:23) Therefore, “You shall soon see what I will do to Pharaoh (Exodus 6:1). That is, you will participate in the struggle with Pharaoh, but you will not witness the war against the thirty-one kings, that Joshua, your disciple, will wage in vengeance against them. (adapted from Tanhuma Vaera 1)
This midrash contrasts Moshe’s trust and faith in God unfavorably with that of the patriarchs: Avraham, Yitzhak and Yaakov. The patriarchs had “pure” faith and trust in God despite never living to see God’s promises fulfilled. They worked and toiled to fulfill divine promises without challenging God. Moshe, however, is portrayed as constantly questioning and challenging God, seemingly insecure in his faith and trust. In the end, Moshe, the foil for the pure faith of the patriarchs, pays a severe price for his lack of “pure faith”. For this midrash, it is for this quality that he was prevented from entering the promised land.
This account is somewhat disturbing. The patriarchs are presented as paradigms of ideal faith. Yet, it is Moshe’s sort of faith which for us seems much more realistic. We, even the most pious amongst us, are forever questioning, challenging and uncertain in our faith.
What are the pitfalls of Moshe’s type of faith and the advantages of the faith of the patriarchs? I think that more than a fear that Moshe’s faith might be considered a challenge to God’s sovereignty, there is a fear that it might lead to religious despair and an incapacity to meet the challenges the world puts in front of us. The faith of the patriarchs abounds in the optimism to face down life’s obstacles. It has the potential to inspire in us the strength and willpower to pursue the mission of creating the world that God intended.
Of course, we should never abandon the critical sense of Moshe’s faith that is so quintessentially Jewish but combining it with the simple and pure faith of the patriarchs might go a long way in helping us in challenging times.