Vayishlach | How God Introduces Himself

From time to time in our daily lives we are faced with the situation of introducing ourselves. This usually happens when we come into initial contact with people who did not know us previously. We make their "acquaintance," which is meant to pave the way for the development of a relationship in the future. The content of the information provided in these cases is usually brief. But it is precisely because of this brevity that it must be on the mark regarding the nature of the relationship that we seek to develop with the party before us.

 

The wording of the Ten Commandments attests to the importance of this matter. Inasmuch as these are His first words addressed directly to the people of Israel, God sees fit to introduce Himself:

 

 

The content of the information through which God sought to become known to His people drew the attention of our Sages:

 

 

The Ibn Ezra offers his own answer. R. Yehuda Ha-Levi himself notes the importance of this point:

 

 

In this shiur, we will examine the various occasions, across the book of Bereishit, at which God introduces Himself to the patriarchs, one such occasion being found in our parasha.

 

 

With regard to Avraham, we encounter this phenomenon in two places:

 

 

The most striking point is that God introduces Himself late. One might have expected that just as God introduces Himself in His opening words to the people of Israel, He would similarly introduce Himself in his first words to Avraham. But there, in fact, He does not bother to introduce Himself:

 

Now the Lord said to Avram, “Get you out of your country, and from your kindred, and from your father's house, to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and be you a blessing. And I will bless them that bless you, and him that curses you will I curse; and in you shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” (12:1-3)

 

In addition to this point, which requires explanation in and of itself, we must relate to the way in which, despite the lateness, God in fact introduces Himself. God identifies Himself as the one who brought Avraham out of Ur Kasdim. This characterization seems to derive from the context of the continuation of the verse:

 

 

God mentions His having uprooted Avraham from Ur Kasdmim in order to demonstrate His commitment to end the process that He had begun and give Avraham the land to which he is destined.

 

Now let us move on to the second time that God "introduces" Himself to Avraham:

 

 

It seems that here God presents himself independently.[2] This assertion as well follows from the context of the verse. Since God wants to make a covenant with Avraham, He identifies Himself, being one of the parties. This understanding brings us back to the previous time that God introduced Himself. From a broad perspective, it seems that this identification as well was made for the purpose of making the covenant between Him and Avram that is described in the continuation, i.e., in the Covenant of the Pieces:

 

 

We can summarize that God identifies Himself to Avraham for the purpose of making a covenant, which requires a clarification of the identity of the parties. But the question of the timing remains open.

 

 

God introduces Himself to Yitzchak only once, at a surprising and almost marginal time. In the course of the conflict surrounding the digging of the wells, we read:

 

 

Here, too, we find that God introduces Himself late, and not immediately after Avraham's death, at which point He contented Himself with a blessing:

 

 

Here, too, let us set this fact aside, and try to understand the nature of God's identification here as "the God of Avraham your father." If we take a broad view of the context, it is easy to find the meaning of this identification. Yitzchak arrives in Gerar at God's command:

 

 

Yitzchak was, however, expelled from there at the king's command, and he was then forced to build his life anew:

 

 

It is evident that God relates to Yitzchak as Avraham's successor; even Yitzchak himself seeks to repeat his father's actions, but reality gets in his way. In the end, he finds a little peace in the form of a well that he digs and that remains undisputed. At this point, God wishes to give him a reassuring message. He identifies himself as the "God of Avraham," in order to emphasize His commitment to the promises that He had made to Avraham, even though Yitzchak has difficulty realizing them.

 

 

In relation to Yaakov, we find the greatest number and variety of such phenomena:

 

 

 

 

 

For the first time in the annals of the patriarchs, God introduces Himself in the manner that would be expected on such an occasion – the first time that He communicates directly with Yaakov. But it is not only in this respect that Yaakov is different than his ancestors. We see that these opportunities repeat themselves in regard to him much more often, and God introduces Himself with different identities.

 

It is easy to see that these opportunities always occur in circumstances of travel and movement – when he leaves for Charan, when he returns from there to Canaan, and when he is about to go back to Egypt. The exception to this rule is God's introducing Himself during Yaakov's stay in Charan, though there too it relates to a journey, for in that framework God commands Yaakov to return to Canaan.

 

After having focused on the details, let us try to understand the implications of the overall picture.

 

 

Over the generations, our Sages have noted an interesting fact. In contrast to Noach, whom the Torah introduces as "a righteous and whole-hearted man," the Torah does not explain why Avraham was chosen. It skips this stage, and informs us of a fait accompli – that God has already turned to him and commanded him to leave the land of his forefathers.[3] Based on the data that we have pointed to in this study, we wish to propose the following:

 

 

 

Now God introduces Himself as the God who took him out of Ur Kasdim in order to give him the land of Canaan. Only now, after the process has been successfully completed, does God see fit to formally introduce Himself to Avraham, presenting Himself as the one who accompanied the process from the very beginning.[4]

 

Later, when God initiates a covenant between Himself and Avraham, He identifies Himself for the purpose of the covenant with the name that He had chosen for Himself during the period of the patriarchs:

 

 

 

We have already seen that Yitzchak made great efforts to follow in his father's path. It is precisely for this reason that it occurred to him to go down to Egypt during the famine, but God prevented him from doing so, and so he arrived in Gerar:

 

 

However, when he encounters difficulties as he is following in his father's footsteps, God appears to him as "the God of his father" in order to reassure him that he would overcome the difficulties and to confirm his path as following the path of his father. It is precisely because Yitzchak identifies himself in his actions as his father's successor that there is no need for a re-introduction on the part of God, or for a new covenant. This will become clearer below, as we relate to such phenomena in relation to Yaakov.

 

 

We noted that Yaakov was the first of the patriarchs to whom God introduces Himself immediately at the beginning when He first speaks with him, as is the customary practice among people. Now let us try to understand the meaning of the fact that the behavior that would be expected in such situations became, in our case, the exception. In addition, we noted that the multiple instances in which God introduces himself to Yaakov occurs in the context of his journeys. We will now see that these two points are intertwined.

 

It seems that the change in God's conduct in relation to Yaakov is precisely because he dared to "go wild" and abandon the land that had been promised to the descendants of Avraham and Yitzchak, his forefathers. God did not explicitly instruct Yaakov not to leave the land, but it was evident from the command that He had given his father that God was pleased that the patriarchs remained in the land promised to them, since they came to it at His command. Now, when Yaakov abandons it and even takes the opposite route, from Canaan to Charan, he, as it were, violates the covenant and resets the connection between God and his forefathers.

 

In order to refute this possibility, God appears to him immediately as he leaves the land, since it is necessary to renew the connection that in certain respects has been severed. Yaakov asked his father for permission to set out to Charan, but he did not seek permission from the God of his father, and so it seems that the traditional connection of our forefathers to the Promised Land according to God's command is cut off. To re-create it, God reveals Himself as "the God of Avraham and Yitzchak" and confirms His move. However, Yaakov understands the special need to reestablish relations in light of the exceptional significance of his action, which undermined the actions of his forefathers, which established their natural place in the Promised Land. To this end, he needs a vow to strengthen the connection between him and his God. God accompanies him, but not "for free." He remembers and reminds him of his obligation to prove his devotion to the path of his ancestors and to fulfill his vow. This proves to us that although the vow was ostensibly Yaakov's initiative, it was not created in a vacuum, but was expected by the fact that God revealed Himself to him, thereby "commenting" to him about the exceptional nature of the course of action that he had undertaken. Accordingly, God takes care to bring it to completion, identifying himself as the one who approved the process, and thereby enjoins its conclusion:

 

 

 

Upon his return to the land of Canaan, matters return to the way they had been, and Yaakov once again fills his role as heir to his forefathers in the Promised Land. Now, as God seeks to re-establish a permanent relationship with him directed toward the future, a new chapter opens in their relationship, and He identifies Himself with His own name, as He had revealed Himself to Avraham in their "official introduction ceremony." It is easy to discern the similarity between the two events, which indicates that the second is but a repeat of the first. Regarding Avraham it is stated:

 

 

In the case of Yaakov, the renewal of the "acquaintance" between them takes place in an amazingly similar manner:

 

 

 

In light of the close accompaniment that Yaakov experienced the last time he dared to leave the country, we completely understand his fears as he makes his way to Egypt. Precisely because of the significance of leaving the country as a "breach of the covenant" or as an expression of slackness in the belief in its realization, a clarification of the relationship between God and Yaakov is necessary:

 

 

The meaning of this is as follows: Since the Covenant of the Pieces when God first introduced His people, a decree has been hovering over the heads of Avraham's descendants:

 

 

The last time Yaakov left the country on his own initiative, and he had to make a vow and strengthen his connection to God while he would be in a foreign land. What is needed now is a revelation that will regulate the relationship, but this time its content is that in truth it is not really necessary. God wants to clarify that this time there is no exception; he is still "the God of your father," since this is a deliberate Divine decree, and the course was determined from the outset.

 

Our comprehensive examination of the "introduction ceremonies" that from time to time God conducted with the patriarchs emphasizes the strong connection that God sought to create with them, and the covenant that He made with them in giving them the land. Whenever this connection underwent a jolt, a new introduction was conducted, sometimes to declare God's commitment to His promise, and sometimes to point to the patriarchs' commitment to it.

 

(Translated by David Strauss)