Another Comment on These Are the Names

Another interpretation: "And these are the names" (Exodus 1:1) -- this is what Scripture says: "As is Your name, O God, so is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness" (Psalms 48:11). A king of flesh and blood -- they praise him as mighty, yet he is weak; they praise him as handsome, yet he is ugly; they praise him as merciful, yet he is cruel. But the Holy One, blessed be He, in everything for which they praise Him, He exceeds it: "the great, the mighty, and the awesome God" (Deuteronomy 10:17). David said: "Who can express the mighty acts of the LORD? Who can declare all His praise?" (Psalms 106:2). Job said: "Shall it be told Him that I speak? If a man speaks, surely he will be swallowed up" (Job 37:20). The Men of the Great Assembly came and said: "And let them bless Your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise" (Nehemiah 9:5). Rabbi Yose bar Chanina said: There are people whose names are pleasant but whose deeds are ugly; and there are those whose names are ugly but whose deeds are pleasant; and there are those whose names and deeds are both ugly; and there are those whose names and deeds are both pleasant. Names pleasant and deeds ugly -- Absalom (Avshalom), "father of peace" (av le-shalom), yet he went in to his father's concubines. Esau (Esav), "one who does the will of his Maker" (oseh retzon osav), yet his deeds were evil. Names ugly and deeds pleasant -- these are the Men of the Great Assembly, the children of Barkos, the children of Sisera (Ezra 2:53), and they built the Temple. Names and deeds both ugly -- these are the spies: Nachbi the son of Vophsi (Numbers 13:14). Names and deeds both pleasant -- these are the tribes: Reuben, Simeon, and Levi. "And these are the names." Rabbi Abbahu said: Wherever it says "these," it disqualifies what came before. And wherever it says "and these," it adds praise to what came before. "These are the generations of the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 2:4) disqualified what came before, which was chaos and void; and in this manner you may interpret all of them. And here too, "And these are the names," it added praise to what came before.