Is that to say that gracious and compassionate are sacred names? The Gemara raises a contradiction from a baraita: There are names of God that may be erased and there are names of God that may not be erased due to their inherent sanctity. These are names that may not be erased: For example, several variations of the name God [Elohim]: El, Elohekha with a second person singular suffix, Elohim, Eloheikhem with a second person plural suffix; I Shall Be As I Shall Be, alef dalet, yod heh, Almighty [Shaddai], Lord of Hosts [Tzevaot], these names may not be erased.

R. Simeon further said that the “Moon”-the Shekinah-was then in her fulness and perfection, manifesting both attributes and representing in herself seventy-two holy Names according to the threefold order. In virtue of the first order of letters, she clothed herself with the garment of Grace, shining with the resplendence of the light which the Supernal Father caused to shine for her;

in virtue of the second she adorned herself with the implements of war, expressing Severity, and sixty “whips” of fire, emanating from the Supernal Mother.

The third order of the letters represents Her in garments of purple, the adornment of the Holy Supernal Father, designated “Beauty” (Tiphereth), which is communicated to the Holy Son (i.e. the letter Vau in the Tetragrammaton) in seventy crowns from the side of the Father (Yod) and of the Mother (He,).

We have been taught that from the side of Grace there are seventy-two witnesses; from the side of Severity, seventy-two scribes; from the side of Beauty, seventy-two colours of glory.

In the transcendent sphere they are all linked one to the other, forming the Holy Name, the mystery of the Divine Chariot. Here (in the three verses, Ex. 14, 19-21) are inscribed the patriarchs in unison, forming the Holy Name of seventy-two letters

the second verse (20) is to be written backward, for all its second letters are found in Geburah; in this way Judgement may be roused, with all those powers that emanate from the left side.

of the three verses. And this is the order of their combination: the first verse (16) is to be written straight, for all its initial letters are found in Hesed;

The letters of the third verse when written out show forth the colours which crown the Holy King; and all these letters are united in Him, and He is crowned with His diadems in the proper manner, like a king fully crowned.

Here is the Holy Name engraved in seventy-two letters, which are crowned with the Fathers who are the supernal Holy Chariot. Should the question arise, why the third group is not to be written partly straightforward and partly backwards, so as to be in touch with both sides (as Tifereth is in touch with both Hesed and Geburah),

In this way the Holy Name is engraved in the format of the letters in the Higher Holy Chariot that are the diadem of the Forefathers. The proofreaders said: here we found written the verse "and traveled" in the order, every letters in one square, with this explanation, up to here we fixed columns in their order in the secret of Chesed with no deviation to right or left. After that we found the verse "and came" out of order, but similarly every letter was in one square, with this explanation, until here we fixed columns in the opposite order, in the secret of Gevurah, all of the left included in the right. After that we found the verse "and extended" in its order, so too every letter in one squarewith this explanation, up to here the columns of the Holy Name in Tiferet, after the Forefathers join together and serve the Holy Name. And after that we found seventy-two names that come from these three verses, in squares, every name with three letters, coming from these verses, straight order, opposite order, straight order, and the mnemonic is Yh"y (there will be) light, and in this explanation the Holy Name is engraved in the format of the letters in the Holy Higher Chariot, the diadem of the Forefathers. And we did not publish it here due to the preciousness of the beauty of His greatness. (and it is printed at the end of the book)

In this way the Holy Name is engraved in the format of the letters in the Higher Holy Chariot that are the diadem of the Forefathers. The proofreaders said: here we found written the verse "and traveled" in the order, every letters in one square, with this explanation, up to here we fixed columns in their order in the secret of Chesed with no deviation to right or left. After that we found the verse "and came" out of order, but similarly every letter was in one square, with this explanation, until here we fixed columns in the opposite order, in the secret of Gevurah, all of the left included in the right. After that we found the verse "and extended" in its order, so too every letter in one squarewith this explanation, up to here the columns of the Holy Name in Tiferet, after the Forefathers join together and serve the Holy Name. And after that we found seventy-two names that come from these three verses, in squares, every name with three letters, coming from these verses, straight order, opposite order, straight order, and the mnemonic is Yh"y (there will be) light, and in this explanation the Holy Name is engraved in the format of the letters in the Holy Higher Chariot, the diadem of the Forefathers. And we did not publish it here due to the preciousness of the beauty of His greatness. (and it is printed at the end of the book)

Said R. Jose: ‘Moses would certainly have been punished for the boldness of his language had he not been “steward of the household” and man of God. He was like a man who had married the king’s daughter, and having some contention with her, spoke harshly to her. She was about to answer him, when her father, the king, appeared. Seeing him, she stopped and he took up the word. He said to the husband: “Knowest thou not that I am the king, and the harsh words thou speakest against my daughter, thou speakest as it were against me?” So Moses complained against Adonai (the Shekinah) and was answered by Elohim (the King).

AND I APPEARED, ETC. God was here like a king who had an unmarried daughter, and also had a personal friend. When he wanted to say something to the friend, he used to send his daughter to him to speak for him. Then the daughter was married, and on the day of her marriage the king proclaimed: “Call my daughter from now ‘the Mistress, the Matrona’,” and to her he said: “Until now I was wont to speak through thee to those who desired audience with me, but now I shall speak directly to thy husband, and he will transmit my messages.” One day the husband spoke harshly to the princess in the king’s presence, and before she could answer him the king took up the word. He said: “Am I not the king, with whom no one dared to speak but through my daughter, and have I not given my daughter to thee, and spoken with thee directly, a privilege not granted to any other?”

Similarly God said to Moses: “Before the Shekinah was espoused I appeared to the Patriarchs as El Shaddai, and they could not speak directly with Me, only through My Daughter the Shekinah, and thou wast the first one to whom I spoke face to face, and now at the very outset thou darest in My Presence to speak to My Daughter in such a fashion!”

According to another explanation, the words “And God spake and said unto him, I am TETRAGRAMMATON” mean that the manifestation was in both attributes, in Justice and Mercy, both fitly framed and joined together. R. Simeon said that they were manifested not unitedly but successively, as is indicated by the expression, “And Elohim spake… and said unto him, I am TETRAGRAMMATON”: stage after stage.

Said R. Jose: ‘Moses would certainly have been punished for the boldness of his language had he not been “steward of the household” and man of God. He was like a man who had married the king’s daughter, and having some contention with her, spoke harshly to her. She was about to answer him, when her father, the king, appeared. Seeing him, she stopped and he took up the word. He said to the husband: “Knowest thou not that I am the king, and the harsh words thou speakest against my daughter, thou speakest as it were against me?” So Moses complained against Adonai (the Shekinah) and was answered by Elohim (the King).

AND I APPEARED UNTO ABRAHAM, UNTO ISAAC, AND (V) UNTO JAC0B. The letter Vau in connection with Jacob is, according to R. Hiya, symbolic of the superiority of the Divine manifestation to Jacob over that which was vouchsafed to the other two: his is the unifying, harmonizing, grade; and yet he was not worthy to use it as Moses did.

“By El Shaddai”, that is to say, through the “non-luminous mirror” not the “luminous”. This, however, does not mean that they were conversant with the “Female” only and no higher grade, for it continues: “And I have also established my Covenant with them”, indicating that the Covenant was united with the Female in their perception.

R. Hiya says that this is to show that they did not change their customs nor intermarry with the natives. But according to R. Aha, the purpose is to introduce Moses and Aaron and to show that they were worthy to bring forth the people and to act as spokesmen before Pharaoh, for among the heads of the tribal families there were none like them.

The use of the form lebabeka instead of libka suggests a plural, “hearts”; and what Moses meant was this: “If thou desirest to know that TETRAGRAMMATON and ELOHIM are one within the other and both are one, consider thine own ‘hearts’, i.e. thy two inclinations, the good and the evil, which are fused one with the other and form a unity”.’

R. Abba expounded in a similar way the verse: “Thou shalt love TETRAGRAMMATON thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy strength” (Deut. 6, 5). ‘The holy unification’, he said, ‘is intimated here, and an earnest appeal is made to man to declare the unity of the Holy Name with a supreme love; viz. “with all thy heart” (lebabka, as above), i.e. with the right and the left, with the good and the evil inclinations; “and with all thy soul”, with the soul of David, which is placed between them; “and with all thy strength”, i.e. to unite in mind the two Names (TETRAGRAMMATON and ELOHIM) in the transcendental sphere which passes all understanding. This is a perfect unification through the true love of God.

Twenty-Two Letters of Foundation—Three Mothers, Seven Pairs, and Twelve Simple Letters. Three Mothers, Alef-Mem-Shin: Their foundation is the palm of innocence and the palm of guilt, and the tongue of edict decides between them.

He made the letter Alef reign over Wind, and He bound to it a crown. He combined them, this one with that one. With them He sealed the Wind in the world, and satiation in the Year, and the chest in the Person—male with Alef-Mem-Shin and female with Alef-Shin-Mem.

Seven Pairs, Begad-Kafrat (pronounced with two tongues)—their foundation is Life, Peace, Wisdom, Wealth, Beauty, Fertility, and Dominion, pronounced with two tongues: Vet-Bet, Ghimel-Gimel, Dhalet-Dalet, Khaf-Kaf, Feh-Peh, Resh-Rresh, Taw-Thaw. A soft and hard structure, a strong and weak structure. Pairs, for they are opposites—The opposite of Life is Death; the opposite of Peace is Evil; the opposite of Wisdom is Folly; the opposite of Wealth is Poverty; the opposite of Beauty is Ugliness; the opposite of Fertility is Barrenness; the opposite of Dominion is Servitude.

[ALMIGHTY.] It is difficult to explain the word Shaddai (Almighty). Saadiah Gaon says that the shin of Shaddai is a preposition, like the shin prefixed to she-attah (that it is thou) in that it is thou that talkest with me (Jud. 6:17). The meaning of Shaddai is: Who said to the world, enough. However, I cannot see any meaning in this interpretation. How can God be called by the name “Who is enough?” Shaddai therefore can only be taken as an adjective, like the words tov (good) and sallach (ready to pardon) in good, and ready to pardon (Ps. 86:5) and davvai (faint) in My heart is faint within me (Jer. 8:18). Now Rabbi Samuel the Nagid explains Shaddai with the Arabic word al kahar, which means victorious and mighty. He further notes that the yod in Shaddai is in place of the double letter, like the yod in dalyu (hang limp) in The legs hang limp from the lame (Prov. 26:7) and the alef in baze’u (divide) in Whose land the rivers divide (Is. 18:2). Shaddai (mighty) in like a mighty voice (Ezek. 1:24) and Shaddai (mighty) in And mighty shall he thy silver (Job 22:25) are similar. The Nagid explained it well.

“AND I APPEARED UNTO ABRAHAM, etc., BY THE NAME ‘E-IL SHA-DAI’ (G-D ALMIGHTY). I made many promises to him, and in all cases I said to him, I am G-d Almighty. BUT BY MY NAME, THE ETERNAL, WAS I NOT KNOWN UNTO THEM.” It was not written here, [“But My Name, the Eternal], I did not make known to them.” Rather, it is written, [But by My Name, the Eternal], was I not known unto them, meaning: “I was not recognized by them in My attribute of keeping faith, by reason of which My Name is called Eternal, which denotes that I am certain to fulfill the words [of My promise]. Indeed I made promises to the patriarchs but did not fulfill them [during their lifetime].”
All these are the words of Rashi. His intent is to explain that the fulfillment of His promise [to the patriarchs] had not taken place. Even though the time for the fulfillment had not arrived [in their lifetime, and consequently the absence of such fulfillment was no indication of a lack of His “keeping faith” since the time had not arrived], yet He was not known to the patriarchs in the fulfillment of His promise.
But with all this interpretation, Rashi has not properly explained the language of the text. [According to his interpretation], it should be said, lo hodati [“and My Name, the Eternal, ‘I did not make known’ to them,” instead of lo nodati (I was not made known), as the text reads]. Or it should have said, “and My Name, the Eternal, lo noda (was not known) to them.” Perhaps according to Rashi’s opinion, the sense of the verse is: “and My Name is the Eternal, v’lonodati lahem,” meaning that “I was not made known to them by that Name.”

ושמי יהוה לא נודעתי להם, the letter ב in the expression בא-ל שדי applies to the word ושמי. In effect what G’d is saying is that He has not made a point of becoming familiar to the patriarchs by His attribute Hashem when appearing to them, such as in the example mentioned. This was because He never experienced the need to change the laws of nature on their behalf. Seeing that the patriarchs could not have passed on knowledge about Me which I had not revealed to them, they in turn had not been able to pass on such knowledge to their children. I have to do this now in order to ensure that I can preserve the Children of Israel as My people.

בא-ל שדי, by the attribute which demonstrates that I have created existence as such, as was pointed out in Genesis 17,1.