The role of ADONAI and ELOHIM in Ki Tavo and Ruth
With our first encounter with Rashi as second graders in a haredi heder, we are taught that God’s two names יהו-ה (ADONAI) and אלהים (ELOHIM) refer to the Almighty’s alternating manifestations as a God of Mercy and a God of Judgment. Mercy and judgment are two aspects of the Divine persona. And because we learn this at such an impressionable age, this notion can remain imprinted in us as an absolute unquestioned truth.
This is unfortunate, unnecessary and quite possibly wrong.
Recently, I have been exposed to some serious Hasidic/mystical thinking which argues that ADONAI is the ultimate Godhead, utterly disconnected from the goings-on in the material universe. By contrast, ELOHIM is the descendant emanation of that ineffable ur-source. It is ELOHIM who interacts directly with earthbound believers on both a communal and individual basis. Hence, one is not commanded to love ADONAI, but rather to love ADONAI ELOHEKHA, your personal ELOHIM.
Indeed, all believers in God, not just Jews, believe in an ADONAI. Where we differ is in in the Divine intermediary with whom we interact. Primitive societies might have idols, but this does not mean they believed those statuettes were actually a god. Rather, such people needed something tangible to spark their devotion, just as a small child needs a doll, because imagination alone is insufficient. But, of course, they knew there was an ultimate God out there, the very same ineffable power with whom even the Jews could not connect.
The great advancement of Avraham was his replacement of tangible, inanimate objects with a Divine presence with whom we can relate, beseech, argue, wrestle, love and, yes, even hate.
וַיֹּ֗אמֶר לֹ֤א יַעֲקֹב֙ יֵאָמֵ֥ר עוֹד֙ שִׁמְךָ֔ כִּ֖י אִם־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל
כִּֽי־שָׂרִ֧יתָ עִם־אֱלֹהִ֛ים וְעִם־אֲנָשִׁ֖ים וַתּוּכָֽל׃
Said he (the one with whom Yaakov wrestled), “Your name shall no longer be Yaakov, but Israel, for you have struggled with ELOHIM and with men, and have prevailed.”
וַיִּקְרָ֧א יַעֲקֹ֛ב שֵׁ֥ם הַמָּק֖וֹם פְּנִיאֵ֑ל כִּֽי־רָאִ֤יתִי אֱלֹהִים֙ פָּנִ֣ים אֶל־פָּנִ֔ים וַתִּנָּצֵ֖ל נַפְשִֽׁי׃
So Yaakov named the place Peniel, meaning, “I have seen ELOHIM face to face, yet my life has been preserved.”
Bereishit 32: 28 and 30
Yaakov’s very “face to face” interaction is not with ADONAI but with ELOHIM. The exceptions are Avraham and Moshe who, as the literal fathers, respectively, of the faith and the nation, occupy a unique space in Jewish cosmology.
Yet even if we are inclined to make ADONAI and ELOHIM represent, respectively, stern justice and compassionate mercy, one would – on the basis of Parshat Ki Tavo – argue that it is precisely the opposite. Indeed, ELOHIM is God the merciful, while ADONAI is God the unyielding judge.
The opening of our parsha, all the way through the blessings on Mt. Grizim, are replete with the variants ofADONAI your ELOHIM. These verses all refer to a very real, imminent connectivity between human and Divine.
The parsha opens with:
וְהָיָה֙ כִּֽי־תָב֣וֹא אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לְךָ֖ נַחֲלָ֑ה וִֽירִשְׁתָּ֖הּ וְיָשַׁ֥בְתָּ בָּֽהּ׃
When you enter the land that ADONAI your ELOHIM is giving you as a heritage, and you possess it and settle in it,
וְלָקַחְתָּ֞ מֵרֵאשִׁ֣ית ׀ כּל־פְּרִ֣י הָאֲדָמָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר תָּבִ֧יא מֵֽאַרְצְךָ֛ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְהֹוָ֧ה אֱלֹהֶ֛יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לָ֖ךְ וְשַׂמְתָּ֣ בַטֶּ֑נֶא וְהָֽלַכְתָּ֙ אֶל־הַמָּק֔וֹם אֲשֶׁ֤ר יִבְחַר֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ לְשַׁכֵּ֥ן שְׁמ֖וֹ שָֽׁם׃
And you shall take some of every first fruit of the soil, which you harvest from the land that ADONAI your ELOHIM is giving you, put it in a basket and go to the place where your God יהוה will choose to establish the divine name.
Devarim/Deuteronomy 26:1-2
There is no judgment here. What we see is a profound interaction of benevolence and gratitude between a personal God and his appreciative People.
The net result of such a powerful, personal relationship is:
וְהָיָ֗ה אִם־שָׁמ֤וֹעַ תִּשְׁמַע֙ בְּקוֹל֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ לִשְׁמֹ֤ר לַעֲשׂוֹת֙ אֶת־כּל־מִצְותָ֔יו
אֲשֶׁ֛ר אָנֹכִ֥י מְצַוְּךָ֖ הַיּ֑וֹם וּנְתָ֨נְךָ֜ יְהֹוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ עֶלְי֔וֹן עַ֖ל כּל־גּוֹיֵ֥י הָאָֽרֶץ׃
Now, if you listen to the voice of ADONAI your ELOHIM, to observe faithfully all of His commandments which I enjoin upon you this day,
ADONAI your ELOHIM will set you high above all
the nations of the earth.
וּבָ֧אוּ עָלֶ֛יךָ כּל־הַבְּרָכ֥וֹת הָאֵ֖לֶּה וְהִשִּׂיגֻ֑ךָ כִּ֣י תִשְׁמַ֔ע בְּק֖וֹל יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ׃
And all these blessings shall come upon you and take effect, if you will but heed the word of ADONAI your ELOHIM
Devarim 28:1-2
Now look at how the wording changes toward the end of the parsha, should the Israelites disobey:
יִתֵּ֨ן יְהֹוָ֤ה אֶת־אֹיְבֶ֙יךָ֙ הַקָּמִ֣ים עָלֶ֔יךָ נִגָּפִ֖ים לְפָנֶ֑יךָ בְּדֶ֤רֶךְ אֶחָד֙ יֵצְא֣וּ אֵלֶ֔יךָ וּבְשִׁבְעָ֥ה דְרָכִ֖ים יָנ֥וּסוּ לְפָנֶֽיךָ׃
ADONAI will put to rout before [your army] the enemies who attack you; they will march out against you by a single road, but flee from you by many roads.
28:7
Suddenly it is ADONAI without the ELOHIM. Why? Because the Israelites shall have rejected Him and severed all ties. Under such circumstances there is no space for ELOHIM. The love is unrequited.
וּבָ֨אוּ עָלֶ֜יךָ כּל־הַקְּלָל֣וֹת הָאֵ֗לֶּה וּרְדָפ֙וּךָ֙ וְהִשִּׂיג֔וּךָ עַ֖ד הִשָּׁמְדָ֑ךְ כִּי־לֹ֣א שָׁמַ֗עְתָּ בְּקוֹל֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ לִשְׁמֹ֛ר מִצְותָ֥יו וְחֻקֹּתָ֖יו אֲשֶׁ֥ר צִוָּֽךְ׃
All these curses shall befall you; they shall pursue you and overtake you, until you are wiped out, because you did not heed ADONAI your ELOHIM and keep the commandments and laws that were enjoined upon you.
Devarim 28:45
All misfortunes will befall the Israelite nation because they have abandoned ADONAI your ELOHIM. Once they have removed ELOHIM from their lives, they have canceled their active relationship with the Divine. All the action is now one-way, with ADONAI executing harsh, unmitigated judgment.
Now let us look at a very interesting verse at the beginning of Ki Tavo which, in a way, ties all this together.
וּבָאתָ֙ אֶל־הַכֹּהֵ֔ן אֲשֶׁ֥ר יִהְיֶ֖ה בַּיָּמִ֣ים הָהֵ֑ם וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֵלָ֗יו הִגַּ֤דְתִּי הַיּוֹם֙ לַיהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ כִּי־בָ֙אתִי֙ אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֨ר נִשְׁבַּ֧ע יְהֹוָ֛ה לַאֲבֹתֵ֖ינוּ לָ֥תֶת לָֽנוּ׃
You shall go to the priest in charge at that time and say to him, “I acknowledge this day before ADONAI your ELOHIM that I have entered the land that ADONAI swore to our fathers to assign us.”
Devarim/Deuteronomy 26: 3
Clearly the Israelite who is bringing his first fruits to the kohen has a very active, personal relationship with ELOHIM. Otherwise he would not be bringing this offering in the first place. However, the kohen “at that time” might be in need of a reminder. As a hereditary priest, even a spiritually alienated kohen is entitled to the perks of his status. But if he is derelict, it is the responsibility of the ordinary Israelite to prod him back to awareness.
Hence this extremely unusual deployment of ADONAI your (the kohen’s) ELOHIM. One would expect the Israelite to tell the kohen:
וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֵלָ֗יו הִגַּ֤דְתִּי הַיּוֹם֙ לַיהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יָ כִּי־בָ֙אתִי֙ אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֨ר נִשְׁבַּ֧ע יְהֹוָ֛ה לַאֲבֹתֵ֖ינוּ לָ֥תֶת לָֽנו
I acknowledge this day before your ADONAI MY ELOHIM that I have entered the land that יהוה swore to our fathers.
By reminding the kohen that he, too, has an ELOHIM, the Israelite is giving the priest an opportunity to set himself straight.
Indeed, this is what we see in the story of Naomi and Ruth.
It is convenient to believe that Ruth was inspired by a spiritual mother-in-law, and was therefore adamant about going to Israel. Yet clearly this was hardly the case.
Naomi was no saint. She, along with her husband and son had abandoned Israel for the Beverly Hills or Miami Beach of Moab to seek their fortune in utter alienation from their People.
As it happened, the entire effort went belly up, leaving Naomi penniless and with no option but to return to her People, hat in hand, and hope for a free handout. Had Naomi’s family succeeded in Moab, she would have remained there fat and happy, enjoying the material comforts and dying alienated from her people on alien soil.
Ruth is something else entirely. She is like Avraham, a sui generis believer who feels driven to abandon her land, her birthplace, and the household of her father purely for the sake of fulfilling herself through a connection to ELOHIM
Look at the text. Clearly Naomi has zero awareness of ELOHIM and no relationship with Him. She can only refer to ADONAI, the universal God:
ותָּ֤קם הִיא֙ וְכַלֹּתֶ֔יהָ וַתָּ֖שׁב מִשְּׂדֵ֣י מוֹאָ֑ב כִּ֤י שָֽׁמְעָה֙ בִּשְׂדֵ֣ה מוֹאָ֔ב כִּֽי־פָקַ֤ד יְהֹוָה֙ אֶת־עַמּ֔וֹ לָתֵ֥ת לָהֶ֖ם לָֽחֶם׃
She started out with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab; for in the country of Moab she had heard that ADONAI had taken note of His people and given them food.
Ruth 1:6
וַתֹּ֤אמֶר נעֳמִי֙ לִשְׁתֵּ֣י כַלֹּתֶ֔יהָ לֵ֣כְנָה שֹּׁ֔בְנָה אִשָּׁ֖ה לְבֵ֣ית אִמָּ֑הּ (יעשה) [יַ֣עַשׂ] יְהֹוָ֤ה עִמָּכֶם֙ חֶ֔סֶד כַּאֲשֶׁ֧ר עֲשִׂיתֶ֛ם עִם־הַמֵּתִ֖ים וְעִמָּדִֽי׃
But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Turn back, each of you to her mother’s house. May ADONAI deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me!
יִתֵּ֤ן יְהֹוָה֙ לָכֶ֔ם וּמְצֶ֣אןָ מְנוּחָ֔ה אִשָּׁ֖ה בֵּ֣ית
May ADONAI grant that each of you find security in
the house of a husband!”
Ruth 1: 8,9
Naomi refers only to ADONAI, and to the Israelites as His people. They are no longer her people.
Now listen to how Ruth expresses herself to Naomi:
וַתֹּ֤אמֶר רוּת֙ אַל־תִּפְגְּעִי־בִ֔י לְעזְבֵ֖ךְ לָשׁ֣וּב מֵאַחֲרָ֑יִךְ כִּ֠י אֶל־אֲשֶׁ֨ר תֵּלְכִ֜י אֵלֵ֗ךְ וּבַאֲשֶׁ֤ר תָּלִ֙ינִי֙ אָלִ֔ין עַמֵּ֣ךְ עַמִּ֔י וֵאלֹהַ֖יִךְ אֱלֹהָֽי׃
But Ruth replied, “Do not urge me to leave you, to turn back and not follow you. For wherever you go, I will go; wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your ELOHIM is my ELOHIM.
Ruth 1:16
Like the Israelite bringing his first fruits to an alienated kohen, Ruth is prodding her alienated mother-in-law that her ELOHIM is also Naomi’s ELOHIM. She, unlike her mother-in-law, recognizes the People of Israel as Naomi’s people. At most, a spiritually alienated Naomi is useful to Ruth in order to show the way to Israel. However, unlike Naomi whose only goal is to get herself fed, Ruth’s purpose is to go to her spiritual home. This is something she could not possibly have learned from her husband, father-in-law or mother-in-law, clearly the worst possible role models in Jewish history.
