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THE VOICE OF GOD OVER THE WATER

THE WORSHIP OF THE HOLY NAME

T

surrounding the deliverence of the Israelites from Egypt into a mean- ingless array of random letters, which do not have any semantic mes- sage. When presented in this way, the verses cannot be read as coher- ent linguistic expression, but as a mysterious, intriguing assemblage of units that then can be interpreted by each exegete in any way he wishes. This is a deliberate denial of the biblical verses as including a specific content, and conceiving them as obscure hints of hidden divine secrets, which cannot be expressed by communicative language (it can be described as the transformation of the semantic into the semiotic rep- resentation of divine truth).

The denial of communicative meaning is characteristic of every name. It does not denote anything semantic, but directly points at a per- son, disregarding any possible connection to linguistic message. Girls named Belle are not more or less beautiful than ones called Jane. The names of God denote the divine entity directly, without the mediation of linguistic meaning, and therefore they are conceived as containing the direct flow of divine power. The more mysterious and nonsemantic their structure, the closer they are understood to contain a divine essence, a source of spiritual energy. Magicians may use these names to achieve their earthly purposes, while mystics may use them as avenues for approaching the divine realms.

Kabbalists in the thirteenth century extended the concept of secret, powerful divine names to include scriptures as a whole. The verses in Exod. 14:19–21 are remarkable because of the singular phenomenon of containing an identical number of letters, a fact that was understood as a divine hint at a hidden secret in them. The great Catalonian kab- balist, Rabbi Moshe ben Nahman (known as Nachmanides), went a step further and described the whole Torah as a series of hidden, secret names of God.2Another step was taken by kabbalists who defined the

Torah as a whole as one name of God, indivisible into particular com- ponents. These are all expressions of the denial of the mediation of semantic language and the quest for the direct expression of divine power, in scriptures and in existence as a whole.

Expressions of such reverence to the holy name are found in many Jewish mystical works. The example presented here is taken from one of the most detailed Jewish works dedicated to this subject—Sefer ha-

Worms around 1220. This work, which is one of the few major works in Jewish mysticism and esotericism that has never been printed (it is found in manuscript British Library 737 and several others), is a part of Rabbi Eleazar’s presentation of the central themes of the secret tradi- tions that he received from his forefathers, which he called “the Secrets of Secrets” (Sodey Razaya).3The Book of the Name, a three-hundred-

page treatise, includes commentaries on several names, but mainly on the tetragrammton. It begins with a brief introduction, which describes the secret ceremony in which a rabbi transmits the traditions concern- ing the name to a disciple. This ritual has to be performed when the two participants are immersed in water, and it includes several biblical verses referring to God’s name’s presence in waters and seas.4

Rabbi Eleazar’s work is not the first source that describes such a ceremony. We have a short treatise that is mainly concerned with mag- ical traditions, Sefer ha-Malbush, “The Book of the Garment,” which describes the ritual in a similar way, and adds another that is not found in Rabbi Eleazar’s version: The name is to be worn like a mantle. The treatise includes detailed instructions on how to cut the mantle from the parchment of a deer; it must also include a head cover, but it can be without sleeves. The holy name—given in the work—is to be writ- ten on the mantle and the hat, and after seven days of fasting and self- purification the practioner has to go to a water source and put it on while immersed in the water. The author promises to the wearer of such a name infinite powers and divine protection.5The magical ele-

ment, dominant in Sefer ha-Malbush, is almost completely absent from Rabbi Eleazar’s version, in which the knowledge of divine secrets is the paramount motive.

Reading these texts one cannot avoid the realization that the knowl- edge of the secret divine name was not purely intellectual but included a mystical element of a sense of elevation, excitement, and a feeling of touching, however remotely, the hidden essence of God, which is partly revealed to the adherent by the nonsemantic, mysterious, and complex esoteric name of God. The recital of the biblical verses, all of which have similar phrases, is haunting and hypnotic. All of them include the term “thy name,” and the first series emphasizes his power in and over water, and the second sequence—singing and rejoicing, while praising the name.

YHVH is God’s unique name, it is a dignified and terrible name. We shall explain its meaning inasmuch as it is possible to express and to know the glorious and supernal name of God and its numinosity. May the merciful God forgive us for expounding it. It is known and obvious before Him that I am writing only to make known His glory and worship. The name cannot be transmitted but to humble people who never act out of anger, those who constantly fear and worship God and perform His commandments.

The Name may not be transmitted but over water, as it is said: The

voice of the Lord is upon the waters (Ps. 29:3). Before the Rabbi teaches

his disciple [these secrets], they should bathe in the water and immerse themselves in the ritual bath of forty measures,6and then they should

put on white garments. On the day of the transmission they should fast, and then they should stand in the water, the water reaching to their ankles. Then the Rabbi should open his mouth and recite with deep devotion and say:

Blessed art thou, our God, the king of the universe, the Lord God of Israel. Thou art one and thy name is one. You have commanded us to keep your name hidden, because it is so terrifying. Blessed art thou and blessed is your glorious name forever, the numinous name of the Lord our God. The voice of the Lord is upon the waters. Blessed art thou our Lord who reveals His secret to those who worship him, the One who knows all secrets.

The Rabbi and the disciple should then look at the water and should say: The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up

their voice, the floods lift up their roaring. The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, than the mighty waves of the sea (Ps.

93:3–4). The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; the God of glory thun-

ders, the Lord is upon many waters (Ps. 29:3–4). The waters saw thee O God, the waters saw thee, they were afraid, the depth also trembled (Ps.

77:17). Thy way was in the sea, and thy path in the great waters and thy

footsteps were not known (Ps. 77:20). Then they should go to a place

where there is water, either in the synagogue or in the house of Torah study, and they shall have [before them] water in a pure container, and the Rabbi should say:

Blessed art thou the Lord our God the king of the universe, who sanctified us by his commandments and gave us his orders, and sepa-

rated us from all the nations and handed us his mysteries and gave us the understanding of his great and awesome name. Blessed art thou Lord who reveals his secrets to Israel. They then should say, in pleasant voice and fear and deep intention: Look upon me and be gracious unto

me, as is thy wont towards those who love thy name (Ps. 119:132); There- fore will I give thanks to thee, O Lord, among the nations and sing praises to thy name (Ps. 18:50). I will praise the Lord according to his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord most high (Ps.

7:18). I will be glad and rejoice in thee, I will sing to thy name (Ps. 9:3).

So will I sing praise to thy name for ever, as I perform my vows day by day

(Ps. 61:9). Sing to the glory of his name, make his praise glorious (Ps. 66:2). All the earth will worship thee, and shall sing to thee, they shall

sing to thy name, sela. (Ps. 61:4). Sing to God, sing praises to his name, extol him who rides upon the clouds, Ya is his name, and rejoice before him (Ps. 68:5). It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praise to thy name, O most high (Ps. 92:2). Haleluya for the Lord is good, sing praises for his name for it is pleasant (Ps. 135:4). Blessed is

the glorious name of his kingship forever and ever. Blessed be the name

of the Lord from this time forth and forever more (Ps. 113:2). Blessed is

he analysis of the writings of Rabbi Eleazar ben Judah of Worms (c. 1160–c. 1230) points clearly to the irrele- vance of the term mysticism when applied to Jewish writ- ers of esoterical and spiritual works. A very good case can be presented to justify designating him as a mystic, while other characteristics of his religious works place him in opposition to some of the most important mystical trends of his time. He wrote one of the most important strictly esoteric works of medieval Jewish spirituality—Sefer ha-

Shem, “The Book of the Holy Name” (a portion of his

introduction to this work is presented in the following section in this anthology), and at the same time he did more to popularize the secret traditions of the Kalonymus family, the most important group of mystics, esoterics, and pietists in medieval Germany.

Rabbi Eleazar was the son of one of the great schol- ars of this family, Rabbi Judah ben Kalonymus, from whom he received the traditions of the Rhineland Jewry in the realms of law, poetry, pietism, and esoteric theol- ogy. He was also the most prominent disciple of the major spiritual leader of the time, Rabbi Judah ben Samuel, “the pious.” Some of the theological treatises written by Rabbi Eleazar are summaries and paraphrases of Rabbi Judah’s works. The great collection of theolog- ical works that Rabbi Eleazar authored, the five-volume

Sodey Razaya (“Secrets of Secrets”), was written after

the death of Rabbi Judah (in 1217), and intended to pre- serve for future generations the teachings of his rabbi.1

Eleazar was loyal to his teacher’s views concerning many theological subjects, but in others he was in complete