Ask the Rabbi
- Torah and Jewish Thought
- Emuna - Jewish Thought
- Questions on Hashem
Question
Rabbi Wayne Dosick wrote a book entitle, "The Real Name of G-D". In this book, he uses the analogy that G-D is like a multi-colored beach ball. Each colored panel of the beach ball represents a different aspect of G-D, each one represented by a different name of G-d. So, one colored panel is YHVH, another is Elohim, etc...Then, the Rabbi asks what is the name of the entire beach ball. He comes up with the name "Anochi". What are your thoughts on this?
Answer
A name is an identification tag, and accordingly, the Name or Names of G-d are a way of saying: the attributes or way/s through which He is seen by man or appears in the world. For example, Elohim literally means judges, Adonai literally means that He is master, etc. Rather than a beach-ball, I would suggest the analogy of a prism or rainbow, where the colors harmonize and unite to comprise one unified light, which is the main point. Traditional Judaism and the rabbinical sources teach that God's essence, which man obviously can't understand, is seen through His "real name": Y/H/V/H, which is not used for anything aside from Him, and is halachically on a higher level, so we don't even dare pronounce it. On the other hand, "Anochi" simply means "Me", which you and I can also say about ourselves, and isn't even among the 7 Names which we don't erase (Rambam, Yesodei HaTorah, 6, 2).

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Rabbi Ari Shvat
Lectures at various yeshivot, michlalot and midrashot. Has published many books & Torani articles and is in charge of Rav Kook’s archives.

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