and the antimythic. A full understanding of kabbalistic texts requires attention to both mythic and allegorical interpretation. Why is allegory anti-mythical? Because it narrows down the symbolic meaning of a myth to a single, one-dimensional interpretation, while myth increasingly expands its symbolic aura.
Sources:
Sefer ha-Komah, Oxford Ms. 1791, ff. 58-70; Shi’ur Komah; Zohar 2:176b-179a; Zohar 3:127b-145a, Idra Rabbah; Zohar 3:287b-296b, Idra Rabbah.
Studies:
Shi’ur Qomah: Texts and Recensions, edited by M. Cohen.
The Anatomy of God, translated by Roy Rosenberg.
God’s Phallus by Howard Eilberg-Schwartz.
35. GOD’S BACK
Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, let me behold Your presence!” And God answered, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim before you the name Lord, and the grace that I grant and the compassion that I show. But,” He said, “you cannot see My face, for man may not see Me and live.” And the Lord said, “See, there is a place near Me. Station yourself on the rock and, as My Presence passes by, I will put you in a cleft of the rock and shield you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will take My hand away and you will see My back; but My face must not be seen.”
This passage from Exodus establishes the principle that “you cannot see My face, for man may not see Me and live” (Exod. 33:20). Nevertheless, there are many exceptions to this rule, most notably a famous midrash in which Moses ascends on high and speaks to God face to face as God is seated upon His throne. See “The Ascent of Moses,” p. 261.
Especially of note here is the notion of God’s back. The suggestion that God has a face and a back goes far in establishing an anthropomorphic image of God. Of course, there is also a strong hint of allegory in this concept—being able to see only God’s back suggests that much of God’s nature must remain unknowable.
This episode about Moses is largely repeated for Elijah in 1 Kings 19:5-12. See “A Still, Small Voice,” p. 30.
Sources:
Exodus 33:18-23.
Studies:
“Imitatio Hominis: Anthropomorphism and the Character(s) of God in Rabbinic Literature” by David Stern.
“Some Forms of Divine Appearance in Ancient Jewish Thought” by Michael Fishbane.
Essays in Anthropomorphism by Arthur Marmorstein.
“The Body As Image of God in Rabbinic Literature” by Alon Goshen Gottstein.
36. THE GOD OF THE FATHERS
Moses said to God, “When I come to the Israelites and say to them ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?” And God said to Moses, “Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh.” He continued, “Thus shall you say to the Israelites, ‘Ehyeh sent me to you.’” And God said further to Moses, “Thus shall you speak to the Israelites: Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you: this shall be My name forever, this My appellation for all eternity.”
In this important passage God reveals His name to Moses. Actually, God reveals two names in Exodus 3: “Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh,” meaning “I Am That I Am” (or “I Will Be What I Will Be”) and Yahweh (YHVH). This suggests that the priestly editors of Exodus intended to link Yahweh to the God of the patriarchs, although none of them knew God by this name, as directly stated in Exodus 6:2-3: God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as El Shaddai, but I did not make myself known to them by My name YHVH (Exod. 6:2-3). The Samaritan text Memar Markah 1:4 comments about God’s name: “It is a glorious Name that fills the whole of creation. The world is bound together by it. All the covenants of the righteous are bound together.” God is quoted here as saying: “I shall not forget this Covenant as long as the world exists. Since you belong to the Most High of the whole world, I have revealed My Great Name to you.”
God is identified by a series of names in the Bible. The two primary names are YHVH (Yahweh), known as the Tetragrammaton, and Elohim (which is plural, literally meaning “Gods”). God reveals his true name, YHVH, to Moses in Exodus 6:2, while noting that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob knew Him as “El Shaddai.” God also identifies himself to Moses, as noted here, as “I am who I am” (Exod. 3:14). The biblical text seems to suggest a connection between the Name YHVH and the phrase Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh, “I am who I am.” The four-letter Name of God is also known as the Shem ha-Meforash, “The Ineffable Name.”
The multiplicity of God’s names is itself a mystery. Why is a monotheistic God known by multiple names? Some of these names, such as “Almighty One,” or “the Holy One, blessed be He” may simply function as attributes of God. But this does not explain the remarkable array of God’s names. One possibility is that in the earliest stages of Judaism the names of some of the gods of the surrounding cultures were attributed to the God of Israel as part of the transformation from polytheism to monotheism. This is an example of what might be termed mythic absorption. This may have established the belief that God had many names. In The Old Rabbinic Doctrine of God, A. Marmorstein lists ninety-one rabbinic synonyms for God (pp. 54-107). These include well-known names such as Elohim (“God” and “gods”), Ruah ha-Kadesh (“the Holy Spirit”), Shekhinah (“Divine Presence”), Yotzer Olamim (“Creator of the Worlds”), ha-Makom (“the Place”), Tzur Olamim (“Rock of the Worlds”), Shomer Olamim (“Guardian of the Worlds”) and ha-Shem (“the Name”).
It is YHVH that remains the preeminent name for God in rabbinic and kabbalistic lore. Moses was the first and last to hear the Name pronounced by God and the Name was said to be inscribed on the staff with which Moses divided the waters of the Red Sea. After that, the tradition holds, the true pronunciation of the Name is only known by one great sage in every generation. The Maharal (Rabbi Judah Loew of Prague, 1525-1609), as well as the Ba’al Shem Tov, were said to know it. Having knowledge of this true pronunciation of the Name was regarded as bestowing secret, magic powers, including mastery of angels, spirits, and demons. Some sources identify the power of the Name as limitless.
Note that masculine and feminine elements are perfectly balanced in the Tetragrammaton. The yod has a masculine meaning, the he a feminine one, and the vav a masculine character. Thus the name follows the progression of masculine-feminine-masculine-feminine.
Sources:
Exodus 3:13-15
Studies:
Canaanite Myth and Hebrew Epic by Frank Moore Cross, pp. 3-12.
“Philo and the Rabbis on the Names of God” by N. A. Dahl and Alan F. Segal.
The Name of God and the Angel of the Lord by Jarl E. Fossum.
The Old Rabbinic Doctrine of God by A. Marmorstein, pp. 54-107.
“Defining Kabbalah: The Kabbalah of the Divine Names” by Moshe Idel.
37. THE TETRAGRAMMATON
All of creation emanates from God’s holy Name, YHVH. In the beginning God revealed His holy Name within the empty hollow that was created when God contracted Himself. Then He radiated the first emanation, which became the source of all subsequent creation.
YHVH, the four-letter Name of God, is known as the Tetragrammaton. It is one of the two most important biblical names of God, along with Elohim. Rabbinic tradition considers the Tetragrammaton the essential Name of God. The true pronunciation of the Name is believed to have been lost. When the Temple in Jerusalem was still standing, the High Priest would go into the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur and pronounce the Name. This was the only time it was pronounced. After the destruction of the Temple, knowledge of how to pronounce the Name was carefully guarded. One tradition holds that only one great sage in each generation knows the true pronunciation. This righteous man is known as the Tzaddik ha-Dor, the greatest sage of his generation. Among those who were said to have known how to pronounce the Name was the legendary Rabbi Adam, as well as Rabbi Judah Loew (the Maharal) and the Ba’al Shem Tov.
In Jewish folklore the Name is sometimes used to bring the dead to li
fe, as in Ma’aseh Buch no. 171, where a dead man is brought to life by a rabbi in order to confess his crime. See “The Dead Man’s Accusation” in Lilith’s Cave, pp. 109-110. A similar use of the Name is found in Megillat Ahimaaz, where a young man who has died has the Tetragrammaton, written on a piece of parchment, sewn into his arm, making him a kind of living dead. See “A Young Man Without a Soul” in Gabriel’s Palace, pp. 145-148. More often, the Tetragrammaton is pronounced in order to accomplish a miracle. For example, there is an oral tale collected in the Balkans about Rabbi Shimon ben Duran (1361-1444), who is said to have drawn a picture of a ship on a cell wall, and then brought the ship to life by pronouncing the Name. See “Rabbi Shimon’s Escape” in Gabriel’s Palace, pp. 126-127. See “The God of the Fathers,” p. 25.
Sources:
Sha’ar ha-Gilgulim.
Studies:
The Name of God, A Study in Rabbinic Theology by Samuel S. Cohon.
“Philo and the Rabbis on the Names of God” by N. A. Dahl and Alan F. Segal.
38. THE LORD OF HOSTS
Once, when Rabbi Ishmael ben Elisha, the High Priest, went into the Holy of Holies of the Temple to offer incense, he looked up and saw Akatriel Yah, the Lord of Hosts, seated on a high and exalted throne. And the Lord spoke to him and said: “Ishmael, My son, bless me.” And Rabbi Ishmael raised his hands in a blessing, and said: “May it be Your will that Your mercy overcomes Your justice, and may Your children be blessed with Your compassion.” And when Rabbi Ishmael raised his eyes, the Lord inclined His head toward him.
This tale is a talmudic reworking of a biblical incident, exemplifying the pattern of retellings that continues through postbiblical Jewish literature. Here the biblical account of Moses speaking with God inside the Tent of Meeting is reworked into a tale of the High Priest having a vision of God in the Holy of Holies. This extends the link to the divine for another generation. In the biblical version, Moses does not see God, but speaks to him: When Moses went into the Tent of Meeting to speak with him, he would hear the Voice addressing him from above the cover that was on top of the Ark of the Covenant between the two cherubim; thus He spoke to him (Num. 7:89).
At the same time, Rabbi Ishmael’s vision is strikingly parallel to that of Isaiah: I beheld Yahweh seated on a high and lofty throne; and the skirts of His robe filled the temple (Isa. 6:1). This indicates how talmudic myths and legends emerge from the cauldron of biblical archetypes. See “Isaiah’s Vision,” p. 3.
This talmudic tale grows out of traditions linked to the Temple in Jerusalem. No one was permitted to enter the Holy of Holies in the Temple except for the High Priest, and then only on Yom Kippur. This talmudic legend recounts how Rabbi Ishmael, the High Priest, had a vision of God inside the Holy of Holies. The name he attributes to God, Akatriel Yah, the Lord of Hosts (Yahweh Tzevaot) is a very strange one, leaving open the possibility that this might be the name of an angelic figure. However, the traditional readings of this tale have always identified Akatriel Yah as one of the many names of God. Most remarkable is God’s request to Rabbi Ishmael—that Ishmael bless God, rather than the reverse. This makes it one of the primary examples of the rabbinic tradition by which God is portrayed as dependent, in some ways, on His creation. See “The Rabbis Overrule God,” p. 67. Rabbi Ishmael does bless Akatriel Yah, and in return the Lord of Hosts nods his approval.
At the root of this myth is the belief, of primitive origin, that there is a kind of interdependence between man and God. This is best represented by the nature of sacrifices that were made to God. An offering was burned, the smoke of the sacrifice ascended on high, and if the offering was received, fire descended from heaven and consumed the burnt offering (2 Chron. 7:3). Other evidence of this tradition is found in the legend of the angel Sandalphon, who is said to weave the prayers of Israel into crowns of prayers for the Holy One to wear on his Throne of Glory (B. Hagigah 13b). Here, however, the tradition has been modified to the extent that God wears the crowns of prayer not because he needs to in order to be complete, but out of a great love that He holds for the prayers of Israel.
There is considerable debate over the identity of Akatriel Yah, who is identified as “The Lord of Hosts,” Yahweh Tzevaot. Ancient readers saw this as a name for God Himself. Later commentators identified Akatriel Yah as an angel like Michael or Gabriel. This suggests that there were different, or at least evolving, traditions about Akatriel. It is also said that Akatriel’s name is inscribed on God’s throne, suggesting that according to one tradition, it was this name rather than that of the Tetragrammaton that was God’s primary secret name.
In The Mystery of Sandalphon, Akatriel Yah is described as sitting at the entrance of Paradise, with 120 angels surrounding him. Here it is Akatriel rather than Metatron that Elisha ben Abuyah sees seated in Paradise. However, since Akatriel is described as being at the entrance of Paradise, this implies that his position is inferior to that of Metatron, who is found in the highest heavens in B. Hagigah 14b. See “A Vision of Metatron,” p. 174.
The blessing that Rabbi Ishmael gives to God is identical to what is described as God’s prayer earlier in B. Berakhot 7a. See “God’s Prayer,” p. 35.
Sources:
B. Berakhot 7a; Hekhalot Rabbati 6.
Studies:
The Old Rabbinic Doctrine of God by A. Marmorstein, p. 50 ff.
Jewish Gnosticism, Merkabah Mysticism, and Talmudic Tradition by Gershom Scholem, pp. 43-55.
“From Divine Shape to Angelic Being: The Career of Akatriel in Jewish Literature” by Daniel Abrams.
39. GOD’S ROBE OF GLORY
Some say that God’s robe of glory is engraved inside and outside, and entirely covered with God’s holy Name, YHVH. No eyes are able to behold it, not eyes of flesh and blood, nor even the eyes of the angels. Whoever beholds it, whoever glimpses it, is consumed in fire.
Others say that God’s robe of glory is inscribed with all the words of the Torah, and that God wrapped himself in this magnificent garment at the time of the singing of the Song of the Sea.
Here the prohibition against seeing God is extended to seeing God’s garment, His robe of glory. Covered entirely with the Tetragrammaton, this robe is also described as having the characteristics of God: “a quality of holiness, a quality of power, a quality of awe, a quality of terror.” This description of God’s garment comes from one of the hymns of Hekhalot Rabbati, known as “The Greater Hekhalot.”
In Razi Li, God is said to have wrapped Himself in a garment inscribed with all the words of the Torah at the time of the singing of the Song of the Sea (Exod. 15). This tradition is attributed to Rabbi Akiba.
Another tradition holds that God’s garment is made of light. See “God’s Garment of Light,” p. 82.
Sources:
Hekhalot Rabbati; Razi Li.
Studies:
Jewish Gnosticism, Merkabah Mysticism, and Talmudic Tradition by Gershom Scholem, pp. 56-64.
40. THE WARRIOR GOD
Yahweh is a mighty warrior who defeated Pharaoh at the Red Sea. It is said that God smote them with His finger, as it is said, And the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God” (Exod. 8:15).
Others say that God appeared to Pharaoh as a mighty warrior, carrying a fiery bow, with a sword of lightning, traveling through the heavens in a chariot. When Pharaoh shot arrows at Israel, God shot fiery arrows back. When Pharaoh’s army cast rocks, God brought hail. And when Pharaoh shot fiery arrows from a catapult, God deluged them with burning coals. Finally Pharaoh exhausted his entire armory. Then God took a cherub from His Throne of Glory and rode upon it, waging war against Pharaoh and Egypt, as it is said, He mounted a cherub and flew (Ps. 18:11). Leaping from one wing to another, God taunted Pharaoh, “O evil one, do you have a cherub? Can you do this?”
When the angels saw that God was waging war against the Egyptians on the sea, they came to His aid. Some came carrying swords and others carrying bows or lances. God said to them, “I do not need your aid, for when I go
out to battle, I go alone.” That is why it is said that Yahweh is a man of war (Exod. 15:3).
The intensely mythic description of God riding upon a cherub is found in Psalms 18:11, He rode upon a cherub and did fly. This image was embellished in later rabbinic texts. Confirming the image of God as a great warrior traveling through the heavens in a chariot, Exodus Rabbah 5:14 states that God’s bow was fire, His arms flame, His spear a torch, the clouds His shield, and His sword, lightning. The parallels to Zeus and the warrior gods of the Near East are clear. Note that the fiery portrayal of God strongly resembles the sun, and may well be a remnant of sun worship that survives
in Judaism. A parallel kind of sun worship can also be seen in the myths surrounding Enoch’s transformation into Metatron. One of the angels listed in Sefer ha-Razim is Helios, the Greek sun god. This also indicates a possible remnant of sun worship in Judaism.
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