The Jewish People’s Undying Connection to the Land of Israel
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What’s in a name? 13 ways to connect to God on Yom Kippur.
As part of the 10 Days of Teshuva and the services of Yom Kippur, we say we’re sorry. A lot. Selichot, a formal service of regret and apology, affords us many opportunities to reflect on our deeds through poetic language and Biblical reference, but there is one part we say more than any other that’s worth examining. It is the 13 Attributes of God, a combination of names and descriptions that were given to Moses by God as a way of praying for mercy — if ever the people of Israel were in need of forgiveness, they should reach out to God and invoke these names, expressions of God’s mercy.
In Hebrew pronunciation: Ado-nai, Ado-nai, eil rachum v’chanun, erech apayim v’rav chesed ve’emet, notzer chesed la’alafim, noseh avon vafeshah v’chata'ah v’nakeh.
In English: “The Lord, The Lord, mighty, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in love and truth, keeping troth to thousands, forgiving iniquity, and transgression, and sin, clearing.” (Translation: Koren Jerusalem Bible)
What do these all mean and what can we learn from them?
Rashi, the 11th century Torah and Talmud commentator (whose work is so ubiquitous it’s found in most printed Torah books and all standard copies of Talmud), helps us with some definitions of the 13 names. The first name of God is repeated twice. Traditionally this name, known as the Tetragrammaton and referenced as Hashem (literally: The Name), symbolizes Divine mercy. By having it twice, Rashi says, quoting Talmud, the verse shows mercy to the sinner before he sins and after he has sinned and done Teshuva.
Eil is another expression of mercy, as borne out in Psalms, where the Psalmist asks, “My God, My God (Eili, Eili), why have you abandoned me?” While Elohim, the longer form of Eil is classically understood as an expression of harsh judgment, here God offers a purely merciful presence. Otherwise, how could you pleadingly ask the stern judge why he abandoned you? While the High Holidays are a time of judgment and consequences for our actions, this verse offers the chance that God will approach our deeds with His traits of mercy, and not of judgment.
God can be slow to anger. While historically, human rulers have often become irate at the first sign of disloyalty (think, “Off with their heads!”), God will often choose to invoke His attribute of mercy by waiting to become angry and punish. This is with the intention to give sinners time to regret their actions and go through the steps of Teshuva. If you ever find yourself saying, “Well, nobody struck me with a bolt of lightning, so it must be okay,” realize that’s not the case. God doesn’t deliver immediate punishments — if you do something wrong and someone cuts your head off right away, you’ll never get the chance to make amends.
Humans like to keep track of what people have done wrong, who deserves help and who doesn’t. God keeps track of everything, while giving people the leeway to grow properly. As an expression of love, God’s mercy accepts people and their flaws. Even if the pure math of good deeds and bad would suggest that you shouldn’t be given a second chance, God gives you one or two or twelve.
Humans like to keep track of what they do compared to other people. Some might say, “Hey, it’s not fair that these guys who do the wrong thing get so many extra chances, while we’re always doing the right thing!” But God is a God of truth. As Rashi explains it, God says here that He faithfully rewards those who perform His will. Don’t worry — everybody gets their reward.
Troth is an archaic word for “faith or loyalty when pledged in a solemn agreement or undertaking.” The Hebrew word notzeir comes from the same root as otzar, or storage. When a person acts mercifully and follows in the way of God, God in turn stores that mercy (in a manner of speaking), keeping its value for two thousand generations. The idea is consistent with the Jewish philosophy that man has a limited capacity — you do a little, and God will give you a lot.
God offers forgiveness in abundance. He forgives sin. He forgives iniquity (sins committed with premeditation). He forgives transgression (sins committed rebelliously). People act out, sometimes specifically to spite God. And God gives us a path to emulate, showing us how to let go.
The full extent of the rest of the verse reads, “but who will by no means clear the guilty; punishing the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the children’s children, to the third and to the fourth generation.” Why did we cut that part out when we quote the attributes? We’re focusing on the positive without erasing the negative. God says here that He will clear those who do Teshuva. When it comes to punishing iniquity for generations, that’s only for those who don’t do Teshuva. Sometimes, things are better left implied and unsaid. We know what could go wrong if we don’t repent — that’s why we do it.
The 13 Attributes of Mercy are selective. In God’s omnipotence, we only focus on one general area of His being (so to speak). We can make a choice. God can choose how to see you. You can choose how to act. And you can choose how to emulate God and see people through the right lens, no matter how much they might do that you’d rather they didn’t.
Thank you -- I like that you emphasized the fact that emulation of G-d requires us to emulate His attributes of kindness and mercy.
Great article