Studies Page

  Shalom
  to you,

Wellsprings of Torah,  www.TorahWellsprings.org
Rick Wills - Messianic Elder,  Mishareth@TorahWellsprings.org

Invoke
by Rick Wills

    In the Sidra of Exodus 34, Moshe (Moses) was told the Holy Name. I have always contended that the Name was not the Tetragrammaton of YHWH. Rather the entire listing of verses 6 and 7 after the repetition of the Tetragrammaton was the Holy Name.

    When I was in Shul (Synagogue), Rabbi Yossi would always say, "The Tetragrammaton was a handle that we could grab, and thereby draw ourselves near to the Name." Recently I saw what he was saying very clearly. The Tetragrammaton was said twice in repetition. This is a Hebrew grammar convention for showing exclamation and emphasis. We hear Yeshua (Jesus) doing the same when he wants everyone’s attention... "Truly, truly, I say to you," repeating the word "truly". So the Tetragrammaton was an invocation... or grabbing the handle to pull the Name close to Moshe (Moses), while protecting him with His hand at the same time. For Moshe (Moses) was hidden in the rocks as Hashem was carefully passing before him.

    And the Name that was proclaimed by Hashem (with Moshe being protected by concealment) was both enticing and demanding. What followed the initial invocation was... "Merciful and gracious Elohim (God), slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth, keeping loving kindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and disobedience and sin -- but clearing and not clearing, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and children's children, on the thirties and the forties" ...and these words are the body of Hashem.

    Then I noticed that directly afterward (Exo 34:13), He said his Name is “Qano”, meaning Jealousy. Jealousy is the enticing/demanding emotion of intimate affection. So Hashem (The Lord) was invoking the Name, and the Name was directly proclaimed... then afterward He named the Name for Moshe (Moses).

    So we are seeing the practice of concealing the Name, even upon the first demonstration of the Name to Moshe (Moses). The Name was to be referred to by another Name, Qano (the jealousy). And the Tetragrammaton (Adonoi) was not the Name, but was used as the invocation of the Name, and Qano is how you should remember and speak of the Name.

    This made me very comfortable with how Yeshua (Jesus) always referred to the Name as “Father,” or more literally as Abba. Abba is how it reads in the Greek, and it is how it was actually said in the Aramaic language. So this is not as much a Hebraism... as it is an Aramaism, and it parallels both Qano and the Tetragrammaton. Moreover, in the Peshitta (the Aramaic) New Testament, the Holy Name is always guarded by writing Maron or Mariyo, in order to provide a name for the Name. So, if Maron is a name for the Name, what does it mean? On its highest level it means "lord or master", but on its lowest level it means "striver or contender". Therefore it is an appropriate parallel to the Hebrew Qano, Jealousy.

    The Peshitta (P'shitto) is important to us because it was composed at the same time as the Greek Testament was assembled, and Aramaic was the native language of the Talmidim (Disciples). As such, the Peshitta represents the Semitic mindset of the Talmidim (Disciples). So the references to YHWH (Adonoi/Hashem) that appear to be in the Greek New Testament, are not really there. For as it is demonstrated in the Peshitta, every reference is dressed with a name of the Name, as was the prevailing Jewish practice (and is still their practice today).

    But this is what has suddenly opened up to me... In Romans 8:23, Rav Shaul (Apostle Paul) explains, “And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Ruach (Holy Spirit), even we ourselves groan inwardly, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, and the redemption of our body.”

    We are groaning inside ourselves, because the Ruach (Holy Spirit) is stirring within us, and is calling out to Hashem in our behalf. As it says in Rom 8:15, “...you have received the Ruach of adoption as sons by which we cry out, Father-Father” The actual pronunciation by the Ruach in this text is, Abba-Abba.

    This is the Aramaic equivalent to the invocation of "Adonai-Adonoi," which is the Tetragrammaton (YHWH-YHWH) as it was used to invoke the Holy Name to Moshe (Moshe)... the Qano, the Jealousy (the tender-demanding affections of Hashem).

    And after this Name was invoked to Moshe (Moses), he was told (Exo 34:21) to keep the Shabboth (Sabbath) in all situations... when planting, and when harvesting. So when the Ruach (Holy Spirit) invokes that Name again for you and me, calling out Abba-Abba (as Adonai-Adonoi), the end is that we would realize that we are as the “first-born” (Exo 34:20b and Rom 8:23) who must be redeemed, having the “first-fruits” of the Ruach within us, and that our redemption to full adoption is evidenced with our keeping His Shabboth (of which, He is jealous).

    Moreover, and this is the important part, I don’t invoke the Name. I couldn’t if I wanted to, because I don’t know how to pronounce the invocation. But the Ruach (Holy Spirit) does know how, and where we read that He says Abba-Abba, it is to let us know that he performs that invocation. I, on the other hand (the left side, that Yeshua said, ‘does not know’), refer to that Name with deference... He is the Jealousy, the Qano, and I will jealously keep His Shabboth (Sabbath).

    In support of this argument of who invokes the Name, you need only take note of who had invoked the Name with Moshe (Moses). It was not Moshe, but Hashem had cried out in his behalf... Adonai-Adonoi. And it is doing Shabboth (Sabbath) that needs to be your primary concern, and not pronouncing the Invocation. Because after the Name was invoked, that is what Hashem asked Moshe to always do... Shabboth (Sabbath). And Moshe's face began to shine, and it was still shining as he told Yisrael (Israel) what they must do.

    Baruch Hashem.