This week’s Torah Reading Discussion is the 14th Parshah (aka Torah Portion) of the 3-year Torah Reading Cycle. It is contained in the 17th chapter of Genesis, verses 1 through 27.

 

Now, I’ve been led to title this discussion “El Shaddai-The Mothering Side of our God.”

 

And just so we’re clear about the meaning of this title, we are in no way suggesting or promoting a New Age thinking that somehow our Elohim is associated with Mother Earth or Mother Goddess and other such foolishness. We will see as we delve into our discussion today that indeed, in our Father identifying Himself to Avram as El Shaddai, that He was revealing a side of Himself that is associated with aspects of mothering, nurturing, growing and the like.

 

Our discussion today will be limited to just the first 2-verses of the parshah. And there’s a reason behind my breaking convention here in our weekly discussion.

 

You see, the vast majority of this parshah touches on foundational themes of covenant, obedience and physical circumcision. And given that we’ve recently discussed these themes in great depth, I was led to focus on the essential themes contained in verses 1 and 2. And those themes include, but aren’t of course limited to: The Name of God and its importance to Yah’s people and walking blamelessly before God.

 

As I was preparing this discussion this week, I found myself glued to just these 2-verses, which spoke “volumes to me” (to borrow a phrase often used by my beloved friend in the Faith, Robert Bills).

 

 

And here, in this installment of TMTO, I am happy to share those thoughts with you. We shall not be long in our discussion here today.

 

As in times past, I will be drawing from the Robert Alter English Translation of Torah, verses 1 and 2, and it reads as follows:

 

“(1) And Abram was ninety-nine years old, and the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am El Shaddai. Walk in My presence and be blameless, (2) and I will grant My covenant between Me and you and I will multiply you very greatly.” (Genesis 17)

 

Now, just for the sake of reference, let’s also read these 2 verses from the KJV, which reads as follows:

 

“(1) And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before Me, and be thou perfect. (2) And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.” (Genesis 17)

 

I trust you agree that both translations are pretty much consistent throughout, with the exception of the Name or title by which Father identified Himself to Avram by. In the Alter translation, Father is identified as “El Shaddai,” while in the KJV, He is identified as the “Almighty God.” Consequently, “Almighty God” is used by virtually every major English translation, while El Shaddai is used by niche translations such as Stern’s CJB and  Alter’s translations.

 

Both iterations appear to me more as titles or descriptors than proper names. And the reason I say this is, in great part, that the authorized English translations overwhelmingly went with “Almighty God” as opposed to the Hebrew “El Shaddai”: The English translators chose to define El Shaddai as “God Almighty” as opposed to transcribing it out as El Shaddai. We will find as we delve deeper into our discussion, that the English translators’ choice of “God Almighty” may have been an error, and that they would have been better served to leave El Shaddai in place. But we can pretty much figure out, at least in part, why the English translators didn’t want to use a Hebrew Name or title for Father: that old anti-Semitism has a tendency of creeping in to the text when you least expect it, doesn’t it?

 

Beloved, we’re going to get into some stuff here today. So, let’s look at this thing.

 

 

Yah Revisits His Covenant with Abram some 25-Years Later by a New Assumed Name

 

At the ripe old age of 99, Avram would have biologically timed out in terms of fathering children as the covenant promises stipulated—that being, he would sire an heir and his seed would be as numerous as the stars of the heavens—Gen. 15:4-5). And here in chapter 17, verse 1, we find Abba knocking on Avram’s tent door-metaphorically speaking-to remind him of the covenant promises He’d made with him some 25-years before—when he was a strapping, young 75-years of age.

 

Recall that Abba revealed Himself to Avram back then in a vision. The text does not indicate what Name or title Abba came to Avram by (Gen. 15). And it was just after the battle between the Cities of the Plains and the Assyrian Federation that the Melchizedek blessed Avram using the Name or title “El Elyon,” or “Most High Elohim.” It was Yah as “El Elyon” at that time who promised to be Avram’s protector and shield, as well as his rewarder. And one has to wonder what feats of protection took place in the heavenlies or in the spirit world to ensure Avram’s protections during these intervening 25-years, between Genesis 15 and our reading today in Genesis 17. One can only image, because our Elohim does not waste words or make empty promises. And because He pledges Avram protection, it’s a sure bet Avram was protected in one form or another. How that protection actually manifested, is the wonderment of thoughts and reflections that a Child of Elohim meditates and muses on during a Sabbath Day’s studies.

 

That was 25-years ago. And since that time, Avram sired a son, Ishma’el, by his surrogate wife, Hagar (Gen. 16). And if you’ve not had the opportunity to either read or listen to our discussion on this content-rich story, I invite you to do so via this link in this post’s transcript—STAR-13.

 

We know that Ishma’el was not the covenant son of Avram. As we discussed in STAR-13 last session, Ishma’el represented, from a spiritual perspective, a “son of the flesh.” It would be Yitzchaq, born of Sarai, who would be, spiritually speaking, “son of promise” who was “born after the Spirit (Gal. 4:28)”

 

This Truth was withheld from Avram and Sarai for 15-years. For Avram saw and treated Ishma’el as the covenant son for 15-years, and it would not be until this time, as recorded in our focus passage today, that Yah would reveal this reality to Avram (Gen. 17). 

 

A Test or Simply the Waiting Out of God’s Timing?

 

 

So I ask you: Is it conceivable that Father would not have spoken to Avram as He had in the past, for 25-years? For if we go by the Genesis accounting of Avram’s history, there was 25-years of silence. Would Father cause Himself to be absent from His friend for so many years?

 

We humans are confined and constrained by time. But Abba is a Being Who defies time, and Who is not constrained by time, as we see so effectively displayed here in our reading.

 

Did Avram long for direct contact with his friend, El Elyon? Did Avram have concerns or doubts during this silent quarter of a century? We don’t know.

 

We do know that Avram took matters in his own hands to fulfill Yah’s covenant promise of an heir by going along with Sarai’s surrogate plan (Gen. 16). And I surmised that maybe Avram suffered a lapse in his trust of Yah. Some might disagree with me on this, and that’s absolutely okay. I’m not certain of this myself. My only point of defense in my thinking of a lapse in trust is that there is no mention of Avram going to his friend Yehovah and getting this issue sorted out. Maybe Avram approached Yah on this issue, and maybe he didn’t. Again, the text is silent on this issue. Regardless, from this misunderstanding or lapse in trust, the “son of the flesh” was born, which opens a whole other kettle of fish that we won’t get into today.

 

 

Nevertheless, I would image we can safely assume that Avram maintained a steadfast life of worshiping Yehovah.

 

But lo and behold, it is at this juncture of history that Yehovah reappears to Avram after (again, presumably) some 25-years of silence. And according to classical Bible Commentator Matthew Henry, Father appears to Avram “in the shechinah, some visible display of God’s immediate glorious presence with him.” And Father appears to Avram to revisit the covenant He made with him 25-years earlier, when Avram was 75-years of age. And now, Avram, at 99-years of age, is being reminded of the original covenant promise that included multiplying his seed exceedingly and possessing the Land of Canaan.

 

 

 

El-A Proper Name or Title?

 

 

So, here in our reading, Yah appears to Avram and identifies Himself as “El Shaddai.” Let’s take a closer look at this Name or title.

 

El, the first half of El Shaddai, is a direct reference to the title “God.” In English, one can safely define or translate or interpret El simply as “God.”

 

Tanach’s first mention or use of El is found in Genesis 14, where the Melchizedek was described as a “cohen of El Elyon,” which is to be understood as “God Most High” (Gen. 14:18-19).

 

Both religious and secular bible scholars are quick to point out that El features prominently in the Canaanite pantheon or collective of demigods, which leads some bible readers to become confused as to the significance of the term. And the reason for the confusion is that “El” has been used as (1) a title, such as our term of “god” or “deity;” and (2) the proper name of a number of ANE demigods. And so, in many publications El is described as the supreme Canaanite, or “sun god,” so to speak, and, oh by the way, it’s also a name or title of the Hebrew God. This dual form or use of the term “El” is referred to in scholarly works as “cognate” forms of the word: that is, it is used throughout the Semitic languages of the ANE. So we, as Truth-seekers, should understand the term from a 30,000 foot views, that of it being the exact equivalent of our English term or title “God.”

 

But we also must recognize, from a spiritual perspective, that throughout the millennia, the enemy has worked overtime to appropriate that which rightfully belongs to our Elohim, including that of appropriating names and titles. And although some folks love to point out such things as Canaanite god’s possessing the same name and title as the God of Avraham, Yitzchaq and Ya’achov, let us be very much aware as to what the enemy is trying to accomplish in such cases.

 

And so, as far as we should be concerned, Father assumed the title or name “El” as a portion of His identity.

 

El-Shaddai

 

As it relates to El-Shaddai, we are led to consider this a proper Name, one of many, for our Father. The generally accepted meaning is “God Almighty.” Recall that back in Genesis 14:18-19, El Elyon is translated “God Most High.” So, what we are privy to here, is not just the prospect of having two proper Names being assumed here by our Heavenly Father, but more importantly, having revealed to us two distinct aspects of Yah’s character: That of Yah being the One True Elohim; and that of Yah being Omnipotent.

 

Father’s Revealed Name of El Shaddai

 

Yah informed Moshe that He appeared unto Avraham, Yitschaq and Ya’achov as El Shaddai. Beyond this, however, scholars are stumped as to the origin of “Shaddai.”

 

Interestingly, the translating of “Shaddai” into the English term “Almighty” originates from the Vulgate, which is the foremost Latin translation of the Bible.

 

And so, we have here before us, Father, through His exclusive use of the Name or title “El Shaddai,” or God Almighty, if we accept the English translators’ definition of the Name/title, declaring that nothing is impossible for Father Yah. He is undeniably omnipotent. And thus, any concerns that Avram would have as it relates to Him being able to deliver on His covenant promises is without warrant, or without basis.

 

Digging Deeper into the Meaning of El Shaddai

 

J.H. Hertz asserts in his commentary on this verse, specifically as it relates to the term “Shaddai,” that it is derived from  a root word that means “to heap benefits,” and therefore, it could be extrapolated that Father is a “Dispenser of Benefits.” Hertz, however, does not go into any further detail as to how he arrived at such an assertion.

 

 

 

So, I went over to Ancient Hebrew Research Center, where I found Hebrew Scholar Jeff A. Benner’s explanation for “Shaddai.” Benner contends the use of the term “Almighty” to define “Shaddai” was an attempt by English translators to frame Shaddai in such a way that Westerners would understand the term, while maintaining some semblance of the original Hebrew meaning. (This is, by the way, the very heart and soul of translation work, which we, being primarily English readers, are made subject to—the biases; the lack of understanding; etc., of the English translators.)

 

Coming primarily from a paleo-Hebrew perspective, Mr. Benner states that the root word for “Shaddai” is “shad.” The  “sh” portion of the paleo-Hebrew “shad” forms the image of two-front teeth. Thus, it carries with it this underlying image of “chewing” in conjunction with the number “two.” Secondly, the “d” portion of “shad” forms the image of a tent door. Thus, it carries with it this underlying image of that which “hangs” or “dangles” from the top of the tent to form the door or entrance to the tent.

 

Could El Shaddai Reveal that the Creator Possesses a Mothering Aspect to His Sovereignty?

 

Combined, according to Benner, we arrive at the image of a goat’s “teats.” And we know that a goat’s teats provide their kids essential nourishment. The application to be understood here is that Abba Father is the nourisher of His beloved. Abba nourishes His beloved with His essential milk—His eternal Words. In that a mother goat’s milk provides all the essential elements a kid needs to live and grow, our Heavenly Father provides for our every need through His eternal milk.

 

And Benner provides the following scriptural support for his analysis:

 

“And I will come down to snatch them (them being Yisra’el) from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up from that land to a good and wide land to a land flowing with milk and honey” (Exo. 3:8).

 

Now, such an image would, in many cases, be offensive to our Western sensitivities, on a number of levels. The greatest level of offense would be Yah being viewed from the perspective of a “mother,” as opposed to the long held perspective of Yah being a “father.” We have all been firmly indoctrinated to view Abba Yah strictly from a fatherly perspective. And so, for some, it becomes impossible to view Him from the perspective of a mother. But when you are able to step back and objectively look at such things, certainly Abba is a nurturing, mothering God, just as He is a providing, head of the house, fathering God. He is indeed, all-in-all.

 

Messianic writer, teacher and commentator Timothy Hegg mentions the possibility of El Shaddai being derived from the Hebrew Root of “shad,” making special note that “all of the places in Genesis where El Shaddai occurs are when the birth of children is the primary concern, especially when women are barren (28:3; 35:11; 43:14; 48:3).” This interesting assertion by Hegg leads him to suggest that Father, in revealing Himself to the patriarchs as El Shaddai, “He is making Himself known as the “God who gives children,” which would most certainly fit the context of our reading here today.

 

Ancient Rabbinic sage Rashi asserts that El Shaddai means “I am He Whose Godliness suffices for every creature. I am sufficient. Therefore, walk before Me, and I will be your God and your Protector, and where El Shaddai appears in Scripture, it means “His sufficiency.” Rashi’s understanding of El Shaddai seems to be somewhat consistent with the thinking that Father Yah serves a mothering or a nurturing role in the life of His people (Gen. Rabbah 46:3).

 

 

The Confusion Over Genesis 17:1 and Exodus 6:3

 

Now, some confusion exists as it relates to Moshe’s recording of “El Shaddai and YHVH” throughout Torah. The confusion specifically is founded on YHVH being recorded multiple times in Torah between Genesis 1, up through Exodus 6:3.

 

This proliferation of YHVH throughout the text, spanning from the time of the Creation, to Yah revealing Himself to Moshe from the “burning bush” on Mount Horeb, strongly suggests that the patriarchs knew Abba by the Name of Yehovah/Yahweh/Yahuah. However, Exodus 6:3 records Yah emphatically stating to Moshe: “I appeared to Avraham, Yitz’chak and Ya’akov as El Shaddai, although I did not make myself known to them by My Name, YHVH.”

 

And so, we have before us a conundrum of sorts. The biblical text seems to suggest that Avraham, Yitschaq and Ya’achov knew Father by a number of Names and titles, including El Shaddai and Yehovah/Yahweh/Yahuah, while Abba states that the patriarchs only knew Him as El Shaddai. What’s the correct understanding here?

 

I only bring this up because we are eventually going to run right into this Exodus passage in future discussions, and I wanted to somehow clear the air on this issue before moving forward.

 

Yah Didn’t Mean What He Said About Him Revealing Himself Exclusively as El Shaddai to the Patriarchs

 

Popular Hebrew scholar, lecturer and author Nehemiah Gordon asserts that the Exodus 6:3 passage is to be understood from the perspective of Father posing a rhetorical question to Moshe. The question as Nehemia sees it is something to the effective of: I [the Creator] appeared to Avraham, Yitz’chaq and Ya’achov as El Shaddai, but was I not known to them by the Name of YHVH as well?”

 

 

The problem with Nehemia’s perspective here is that it (1) completely defies how every single English translation—including those endorsed by the Jews such as the JPS and LEE–frames the verse, which is in the form of a definitive statement on the part of Abba: that He appeared to the patriarchs as El Shaddai, not as Yehovah/Yahweh/Yahuah. The second problem with Nehemia’s perspective is that he’s completely overlooking the main point of Father Yah’s statement, which involves the timing and meaning of His Name throughout history.

 

What I mean by this is that in verse 1 of Exodus 6, Abba tells Moshe that He was about to do a historic work that would cause the Egyptians to drive the nation of Yisra’el from their land of Mitzrayim. And it is based upon this premise that Father identifies Himself to Moshe as Yehovah. And Father Yah identifies Himself in context with what He was about to do for and to the nation of Yisra’el, which He lays out to Moshe in verse 6: “I am Yehovah. I will free you from the forced labor of the Egyptians, rescue you from their oppression, and redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.”

 

And of course, this was not the first time that Father declared His Name to Moshe. Back in chapter 3 of Exodus, at the “burning bush” incident, when Moshe asked Father to tell him what Name He would identify Him by to the captive Yisra’elites, Abba instructed Moshe to introduce Him to the Yisra’elites as:

 

“Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh [I was—I am—I will be]…YHVH, the God of Avraham, the God of Yitz’chaq and the God of Ya’akov.” And Abba declared further that this was His Name forever; this would be how He was to be remembered generation after generation” (vss. 14-15; CJB).

 

 

Prior to Moshe and the Exodus, Father was known to the patriarchs, according to Father, as recorded in Exodus 6:3 as El Shaddai. As El Shaddai, Abba confirmed His covenant promises to Avraham, Yitschaq and Ya’achov, which involves the receiving of the Land of Promise that flowed with milk and honey, and a multitudinous line of descendants. Clearly, associated with the Name El Shaddai, within context of these covenant promises, El Shaddai carries with it this sense of Father being a nurturing, sustaining, growing, mothering Elohim to His chosen ones.

 

We know from Genesis 15 that Abba was known to the Melchizedek as El Elyon. And for all intents and purposes, El Elyon, at least in my opinion, is not so much a proper Name, as much as it is a distinct identifier and title for Abba at that time in history. And thus, the Melchizedek worshiped and was the administrator or priest of El Elyon, translated to be, “The Most High Elohim.”

 

This is a significant title when we consider that in the Land of Canaan, and likely over in Babylon, there was a pantheon or collective of gods that the citizens of that region worshiped. The gods of the Canaanite and Babylonian collective/pantheon, were likely fallen mal’akhim—fallen messengers or angels—who wickedly took advantage of the power and authority that Father invested in them as His agents, and they, through various means, ruled over the blind people of that age and region. These demigods, if you will, will face certain judgment for their spiritual and carnal crimes (Psa. 8:6-7).

 

But El Elyon is used some 7 or so times in the Tanach (Gen. 14:18, 19, 20, 22; Psa. 78:35, 56; Dan. 3:26). The Biblical writers’ use of the title El Elyon differentiating the Creator of the Universe from all other participants of that region’s and peoples’ pantheon of gods. Let us not be so jaded as to think that the pagans were completely ignorant of the existence of the true Creator of the Universe. Yah has always made His existence known to His human creation. Rav Shaul wrote of this to the Messianics in Rome: Romans 1:19-2:1. We discussed this in detail in our series on Being Under the Law. If you’ve not had the opportunity to listen to or read the transcript of that discussion, I would humbly encourage you to do so by clicking the link to that post in this post’s transcript.

 

Yah is not a liar. I believe Yah when He told Moshe that He did not reveal Himself to the patriarchs as Yehovah in Exodus 6:3. So then, what are we to make of all those YHVH mentions found in various contexts from Genesis 1 through Exodus 6:3? I personally interpret them, within context as Master or Lord, having direct reference to the Creator of the Universe. And thus, Father chose, in accordance with His Will and perfect timing, to reveal Himself to Avram, Yitzchaq and Ya’achov, using the personal Name and Title of El Shaddai, while those same patriarchs would from time to time refer to Father Yah as Lord and Master and so forth. But to settle the matter, the patriarchs did not know Abba as Yehovah.

 

 

The Linking or Linking of the Revealed Name to the Covenant

 

And so, Yah’s Name of El Shaddai is intricately, inextricably and intimately linked and signed to the covenant that Abba establishes with Avram. That covenant is mentioned in detail throughout the remaining 25 verses of this chapter. Featured prominently in this covenant is the sign or mark of physical circumcision, which we addressed in detail in our A Question of One’s Jewishness Series, Part 3 and Part 4.

 

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Yehovah is reverentially pronounced by religious Jews as Adonai, the meaning of which is “My Lord.” Translation-wise, YHVH is rendered as “HaShem,” which means “The Name.”

 

These intentional, misleading pronunciations of YHVH were, according to the rabbis, inserted to dissuade people from pronouncing the true Name of YHVH, which if uttered by an individual, is blasphemous. This false assertion, according to the so-called sages, hearkens back to Yah commanding his people to not take His Name in vain (Exo. 20:7), and not blaspheme His Name (Lev. 24:16). However, Father Himself instructed us in His Torah to: fear Him [Yehovah], serve Him and swear by (or in) His Name (Deu. 6:13; 10:20). And it would seem quite evident to me that our forefathers did not hesitate to declare and pronounce Father’s Name—YHVH. Yet the rabbis in order to enforce their ban or prohibition against Yah’s people uttering and declaring Yah’s Name, put forth these misleading reference points in scripture. So, instead of simply teaching the people the proper way to treat Yah’s true Name, the rabbis took it upon themselves to erect a fence around Yah’s Name, YHVH, by misleading the people as to what the true pronunciation of His Name was. This served to completely eviscerate, not just YHVH’s true pronunciation, but most importantly, the power, authority and meaning undergirding Yah’s Name.

 

That’s why it’s so important that we break those evil bands of restraint that inhibit our personal, covenant relationship with the Almighty, YHVH. Regardless of whether we pronounce His Name as Yehovah (as I do), or as my dear friends in the Faith, Yahweh, and others Yahuah, when we make the heartfelt attempt to declare His Name—and not default to referring to Him by a title, we return unto Him the glory and honor He so justly deserves. Indeed, we may differ as it relates to the exact pronunciation of YHVH we use, but as long as we declare His Name according to our best understanding, and as long as our hearts are proper when using it, we show forth our reverence and love to Abba, our Elohim; we separate Him from and elevate Him above entities that fancy themselves as being equal to Him.

 

The rabbinic sages who created this prohibition against Yah’s people saying and declaring Father’s Name, are of  the devil as Master declared them to be (Joh. 8:44), and this prohibition of theirs is from the very pit of hell itself. The so-called “Ineffable Name of God” paradigm that has overtaken the original Hebrew Faith is nothing short of a bold-face lie. The Father never forbid His people from declaring His Name. Father instead encouraged and instructed His people to declare His Name in their oaths, worship, praise, fellowships, meditations and prayers.

 

As Yah’s elect, we are compelled to declare His set-apart Name as best we understand it to be. Don’t you dare tell me I’m not permitted to say His Name. I don’t answer to you, nor do I answer to any rabbi, pope or any other religious leader that is out there who is working overtime to snuff out any utterance of Father’s Name by Yah’s set-apart people. I—We–answer to the God of Avraham, Yitchaq, Ya’achov, who is the Daddy of my Master Yahoshua Messiah. Just shut up. I don’t want to hear it.

 

The Psalmist wrote:

 

“I will declare thy Name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise Thee” (Psa. 22:22; KJV).

 

Walking Blamelessly in the Creator’s Presence

 

Avram possessed a historic level of trusting faith in Yah, despite what we’ve previously discussed as a couple incidents of lapses in that trusting faith over the course of his walk with the Eternal. Those lapses in trust reveal to us just how real Avram was. In many ways, Avram was just like us. His walk/halachah is founded on his  trusting faith in the Person and Words of Yah. Yet, from time-to-time, life circumstances enter into our halachah, and we for whatever reason, take our eyes off the Eternal, with the thinking that we have everything under control. And more times than not, after those life circumstances play out on the backs of our taking control of those situations, we’re tragically reminded that we have absolutely no control over anything in this life, apart from control over our thoughts and behaviors.

 

Sometimes Abba allows us to learn such life lessons in the hope that we will learn, next time, to trust Him and Him alone. Sometimes Abba allows such life circumstances to enter into our halachah for purposes of testing the mettle or integrity of our trusting faith. And it is our response to those life circumstances that define the strength of our faith and the level of covenant relationship we enjoy with Yehovah. And what we see happening in this week’s parshah is Yah revisiting Avram 15-years after the birth of Ishma’el, and Yah reframing; redefining; re-enforcing the covenant He established with Avram 25-years ago.

 

 

So, this go-round, in revisiting and unraveling more details of the covenant He was making with Avram, Yah commands Avram to do the hardest thing a friend or child of the Most High is ever instructed to do: To continue to walk in his trusting faith without wavering. He required Avram to continue to trust Him that He would deliver that heir and great lineage of children He promised him 25-years ago.

 

But wait, you already delivered on this promise of an heir through the birth of Ishma’el, didn’t you Abba? Father is so cool and wise. He doesn’t come out and beat Avram over the head for invoking a fleshly work-around to the covenant promise. Instead,, Abba allows Avram to see for himself that Yah is not only in charge, but also that He was going to do a work in Avram’s life that would leave no question in anyone’s mind at that time, or at any time thereafter, that He—El Shaddai—will bring to fruition the promises of the covenant through His established means; and not through the means of any man or woman.

 

The sense of Father instructing Avram to walk in His Presence and be blameless is that of Avram being exclusively devoted to His service.

 

The JPS words this section of the verse as “walk before Me and be thou wholehearted,” which carries the same sentiment of being devoted to Yah, while the KJV, ESV HCSB, ASV, NAB, etc. word the passage as “walk before Me and be blameless/perfect.”

 

Rashi’s take on Yah instructing Avram to “walk before Me” is that of Avram serving Yah and cleaving to His service. And his take on instructing Avram to be perfect is part of a succession of commandments to Avram. Here the thinking is that of Avram walking before Yah with faith and honesty and to behave perfectly in every testing that Yah would put Avram through. To me, this is a very reasonable analysis of this verse.

 

But then, Rashi continues his analysis of this commandment by asserting Yah’s requirement of Avram that He be perfect, coming directly from the standpoint of physical circumcision. In other words, as long as Avram remained uncircumcised—and this applied to Avram’s progeny—you are imperfect. It’s not until you, Avram, and your house, receive physical circumcision (within the framework of the covenant) that you become perfect (Gen. Rabbah 46:1). This to me is pure rabbinic jibberish, which for now, doesn’t warrant any further comment. 

 

Now, prior to this study, I’d always favored the rendering of “blameless” in this verse. The blameless being that of one walking in Yah’s Ways without deviation or compromise. I don’t necessarily have a change of heart on my understanding of this verse, using the term “blameless.”

 

However, the use of the term “wholehearted” in this verse brings to the verse a slightly different flavor: That of one engaging in a trusting relationship with the Almighty. And that relationship, according to Rabbinic thinking, is certified or linked to the mark or token of circumcision that will be introduced to Avram shortly in this narrative.

 

This same exhortation of walking blamelessly in Yah’s presence will be extended to Yah’s people just prior to their conquest of Canaan:

 

“Thou (Yisra’el) shalt be perfect (or wholehearted/blameless) before Yehovah thy God” (Deu. 18:13).

 

Similarly, Master Yahoshua instructed His disciples to:

 

“…be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Mat. 5:48; CJB).

 

The implications of this instruction, which is entirely Torah-based, is that His disciples were required to be entirely committed to the covenant relationship they were in. No wavering. No compromise. No foolishness. And this thinking of wholeheartedness blends so beautifully with the context of this parshah.

 

“Listen Avram, you don’t have to fend for yourself out there in the world. I am more than capable to fulfill every aspect of the covenant promises I made with you 25-years ago. I, El Shaddai, will take care of you; I will nurture you; I will provide for your every need. You don’t have to worry about a thing. All I need you to do is to stay committed to Me. Trust Me. Obey Me.”

 

Practical Halachah

 

We must never overlook the significance of Yah’s Eternal Name(s) to the Covenant Relationship we enjoy with Abba. In each iteration of the ever unfolding covenant between Yah and His people, He always signed/attached His Name to it.

 

Understanding the importance of Yah’s Name is vital to our covenant relationship with Yehovah. For we learn from His Name that our Elohim is our everlasting portion; He is our source; He is our nurturer; He is our provider; He is our all and all (I.e., as He was known as El Shaddai to the patriarchs). He is our protector; our shield; our strong tower; a very present help in the time of trouble (I.e., He was known as El Elyon or the Most High Elohim to the ancients). He is the author and finisher of our faith; He is our redeemer; He is a miracle worker; He is our deliverer; He is our Father; He is the establisher of covenants; He has always been, continues to be, and will always be the sovereign Elohim over all; He is the Creator of all; He is the Alpha and Omega; the Beginning and the End; the Alef and Tav.

 

When we embrace His Holy and Righteous Name for everything that it means, we better understand our place/our role in the covenant relationship have with Father Yah. So, let us not hesitate to honor His Name in every conceivable Way, so that we may image and glorify Him in all the earth.

 

Father’s Name reveals His intentions towards us as well as what He aims to complete in and through us. When we understand Him—Abba—and His Name, we begin to understand aspects of the covenant relationship that exists between us and Him that would otherwise not be readily understood by us. And when we understand as much of the covenant relationship we are in with Yah, our walk is better; our trust in Him increases; and our work in the gospel has more meaning and purpose.

 

As we discussed a couple sessions ago, Abba wants a true and substantive relationship with us. And He wants us to know Him, not simply to know about and of Him. He wants to have a yada—intimate-relationship with us.

 

And so, one of the ways He’s promoted that intimate relationship is through the revealing of His Name throughout history. Let us, therefore, embrace and love and declare and praise and magnify His Name at every opportunity available to us. Look, I’m not talking about wearing thin His Name or diminishing His Name through over-or inappropriate use. But rather, I’m talking about declaring and walking in His Name in our prayers, our praises, our times of worship in Spirit and in Truth; and our intimate discussions with Him. For we can certainly proclaim His Name and be reverent in our interactions with Him.

 

In that embracing of the Name of the Eternal, we are required to continue to walk unwaveringly and blamelessly in our faith. This is one of the hardest things we as children of the Most High are required of Yah to do. To trust Him, especially trust Him in the midst of turmoil, seemingly impossible situations, unanswered prayers and so forth. And this, for those of you who’ve been following our many discussions over the last several weeks, this critical issue of trusting faith and the child and friend of Yah walking out their trusting Faith in Yah seems to manifest in one form or another in every event. Trusting faith transcends our basic keeping of Yah’s instructions in righteousness. Trusting faith involves dying to self; giving the steering wheel of our lives over to Yehovah, and letting Him drive. Trusting faith involves sometime being quiet; stopping our interference, and letting Yah do what He intends or purposes to do—be El Elyon; be El Shaddai; be Yehovah. For Yah knows what He’s doing. And as comforting as it may feel to us in those trying times, Yah doesn’t need us telling Him how to do His job. He’s got this. And all He’s asking us to do is to trust Him by staying the course and walking in our Faith; and then be ready to act when He gives us the cue to act—to obey.

 

Are we willing to do these things? Are we willing to let Yah be our mother. Can we trust Him to provide for us as a baby trusts his/her mother to care for him/her. You know, this children line of thinking is so appropriate to our reading and the Creator’s Name of El Shaddai. For Yah has always required us to be, in some way or another, as little children.

 

Children are pure of heart. They are trusting and innocent. And this is the level of being that Yah desires of His beloved and elect ones. Master also required His disciples to be as children. He told His disciples:

 

“…”I tell you that unless you change and become like little children, you won’t even enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Mat. 18:3; CJB).

 

So, what does this say to us? It says that unless we’re willing to trust Yah for everything, we won’t be eligible to be His child, to receive His covenant promises, nor to enter His Kingdom.

 

Let us let Yah be our mother, as much as He is also our Father; such that we implicitly trust Him to succor us and fulfill His covenant promises in our lives: As He has in the past; as He is doing today; and as He will do throughout the rest of eternity.

 

So then, is Yehovah our mother or father? He most certainly is both. And it’s time we embrace both aspects of His love, caring and provision.

 

And so, until next time beloved, may you be most blessed, fellow saints in training. Shabbat Shalom; Shavu’tov; take care.

 

Reference Introduction: How to Observe the Month of the Aviv