It all starts with that pivotal moment when Moses encounters God at the burning bush. Remember the verse? "God said to Moses, 'I will be what I will be,' and He said, 'So shall you say to the children of Israel: I will be has sent me to you'" (Exodus 3:14). It sounds simple enough, right? But the rabbis saw layers upon layers of meaning hidden within those words.
Rabbi Abba bar Mamal offers a striking interpretation: God is saying, in essence, "You want to know my name? I am named according to my actions." Think about that for a moment. God isn't defined by a single, static label. Instead, God's name changes depending on how God is interacting with the world.
The text goes on to explain this further. "When I judge My creatures, I am called Elohim." When God acts as the ultimate judge, dispensing justice, that's the name we use. "When I wage war against the wicked, I am called Tzevaot," often translated as "Lord of Hosts," evoking images of divine armies battling against evil. "When I abide a person’s sins, I am called El Shaddai" – often understood as God Almighty, emphasizing God's power to endure and sustain even in the face of human failings. And finally, "When I have mercy on My world I am called Y-H-V-H" – the Tetragrammaton, the ineffable name, often pronounced Adonai. The Rabbah emphasizes that Y-H-V-H is associated with the attribute of mercy, citing Exodus 34:6, "Y-H-V-H, Y-H-V-H, merciful and gracious God."
So, “I will be what I will be,” God is saying, "I am named based on My actions." God is not just one thing, but a dynamic force constantly interacting with creation in different ways.
Rabbi Yitzḥak offers another powerful reading. "Say to them: It is I who have been with you in the past, and it is I now, and it is I in the future." That’s why, he suggests, “I will be” is written three times – a subtle hint to God’s eternal presence through all of time.
But here's where it gets even more interesting. Rabbi Yaakov son of Rabbi Avina, quoting Rabbi Huna of Tzipporin, brings in a difficult truth. God says to Moses, "In this servitude I will be with them and into servitude they are going and I will be with them." In other words, God is acknowledging that the Israelites' suffering isn't over.
Moses, understandably, is hesitant. "Is that what I should say to them? The present trouble is sufficient!" He doesn’t want to burden them with the knowledge of future hardship. And God replies, "No, 'so shall you say to the children of Israel: I will be has sent me to you.' I am informing you, but I am not informing them."
It's a fascinatingly complex moment. God is sharing a deeper truth with Moses, a truth about the ongoing nature of suffering and redemption, but shielding the people from its full weight. It's a delicate balance between honesty and compassion.
Rabbi Yitzḥak, again quoting Rabbi Ammi, offers a similar interpretation, linking the "I will be [ehyeh]" to the Israelites' labor with "mortar and bricks," and even drawing a connection to Daniel's suffering, using the word "niyeti" (stricken) from Daniel 8:27, which shares the same root as ehyeh. Again, Moses questions whether he should tell the people about future pain, and God instructs him to only convey the message of present help.
Rabbi Yoḥanan adds another layer: "I will be for whom I will be for individuals; but for the masses, even against their will, not for their well-being, while breaking their teeth, I will rule over them." It’s a stark reminder that God's relationship with individuals can be different from God's relationship with a collective. Sometimes, even when it's painful, God's will prevails.
Finally, Rabbi Ananiel ben Rabbi Sason brings it all home with a series of vivid images showcasing God's power and presence in the world. "When I wish, one of the angels, who is one-third the size of the world, extends his hand from the heavens and touches the earth," referencing Ezekiel 8:3. And yet, "when I wished, I made three of them sit under a tree," referring to the story of Abraham in Genesis 18:4. God can be both immense and intimate, all-encompassing and deeply personal. "Don’t I fill the heavens and the earth? – the utterance of the Lord" (Jeremiah 23:24). And yet, God can speak to Job from the whirlwind (Job 38:1), or even from the midst of a burning bush.
So, what does it all mean? Perhaps it’s this: God is not a fixed entity, but a dynamic presence, constantly acting and interacting with the world in multifaceted ways. God's names reflect those actions, and our understanding of God deepens as we witness them. And even in the face of suffering, God remains present, offering both comfort and a challenging call to growth.