First Day Sukkot: Unifying the Divine - Hashem's Timeless Name
וְהָיָ֧ה ה’ לְמֶ֖לֶךְ עַל־כָּל־הָאָ֑רֶץ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֗וּא יִהְיֶ֧ה ה’ אֶחָ֖ד וּשְׁמ֥וֹ אֶחָֽד׃
And the L-RD shall be king over all the earth; in that day there shall be one L-RD with one name.
Zechariah 14:9
The posuk in our Haftorah is one that is both beloved and well-said. We recited it as part of the Yamim Noraim davening as well as multiple times daily at the end of Aleinu prayer. וְהָיָ֧ה ה’ לְמֶ֖לֶךְ עַל־כָּל־הָאָ֑רֶץ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֗וּא יִהְיֶ֧ה ה’ אֶחָ֖ד וּשְׁמ֥וֹ אֶחָֽד׃, And the L-RD shall be king over all the earth; in that day there shall be one L-RD with one name. The Gemara (Pesachim 50a) asks, what is the meaning of the word “one” in this context? Are we suggesting that currently Hashem’s name is not one? Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak offers an answer to the question. In this world, G-d’s name that is written with the letters yod and heh is read as Ad-nai, which begins with the letters alef and dalet. G-d’s name is not pronounced in the same way as it is written. However, in the World-to-Come it will all be one, as G-d’s name will be both read with the letters yod and heh and written with the letters yod and heh.
Today we don’t articulate the name of Hashem in the way it is written but rather with the name of Adonut. We recognize Hashem’s rulership, as servants who relate to a master. Our comprehension of this world is limited and we must have faith in our Master of the world. The navi Zecharia speaks of a future time when Hashem’s greatness and reach will be manifest. We along with the nations of the world will embrace the totality of Hashem’s reign, of His overarching timelessness. We pray for a world where we can openly articulate the holy name that connotes Hashem’s presence in the past, present and future.
During challenging times, people may find themselves asking where is G-d’s presence. We ask ourselves how we can make Hashem’s name of timelessness manifest - how can we make the Divine Name more palpable in our world. Every act of chessed we do, every word of Torah we study makes a difference. These actions allow us to create a G-dly past, a Divine present and a spiritually oriented future thus capturing Hashem’s timeless name. Let us commit ourselves to increasing our Torah and chessed as a way of making Hashem’s name more known in the world.