"And G-d spoke to Moshe and said, 'I am Hashem.'"
Okay, fair enough. But why, ask chazal, does Hashem say this phrase ("I am Hashem.") only to Moshe, and not to any of the Avot (forefathers)?
The Sforno comments: "I am Hashem" - who not only creates, but continually maintains all existence. Nothing in the Universe has an iota of substance without Hashem's continuous, careful supervision.
There are philosophers who subscribe to the "watchmaker" theory of G-d. They agree that G-d created the world - but then He just let it be, rolling along under its own momentum, governed by the forces of nature. He wound the watch, and now it keeps ticking unto eternity.
Says Sforno: Fuhgedaboudit! Hashem pays constant, vigilant attention to the slightest details of our world and guides it with a sure, strong, steady hand ("G-d says to the leaf: 'Grow, grow!'"). Yes, He may let Nature "take its course;" but He can - and does - intervene in personal or collective history at will.
This is implied in the name "Hashem" - YHVH - which connotes G-d's presence in the past, present and future. In using this specific name to Moshe, Hashem is saying that He will now demonstrate - in dramatic, undeniable fashion - that events in the world occur because He so ordains, not because things "just happen" that way. No slave ever escaped Pharaoh's bondage, and Israel would not, could not, be liberated if history functioned "normally".
Those who say G-d concerns Himself with the "big" issues in life, and doesn't bother with the "details", miss the boat. There are no "small" issues. (I always say that, in our marriage, I handle the "big" issues and Susie the "small" ones. I worry about global warming, the ozone layer, the demise of culture, etc.; she decides what to spend our money on, where to live, what schools the children go to - all the minor stuff.)
The Geulah (Redemption) - and our entrance to Eretz Yisrael - so defied the odds, so went against the natural flow of society, that Hashem's glory was revealed for all to see. Every norm of nature was turned on its head: water flowed sideways, it rained ice and fire together; sticks turned into snakes. G-d showed Nature who was boss.
And the "watchmaker" theorists? Well, let's say that the events in Egypt proved they just don't know what makes G-d tick.
Okay, fair enough. But why, ask chazal, does Hashem say this phrase ("I am Hashem.") only to Moshe, and not to any of the Avot (forefathers)?
The Sforno comments: "I am Hashem" - who not only creates, but continually maintains all existence. Nothing in the Universe has an iota of substance without Hashem's continuous, careful supervision.
There are philosophers who subscribe to the "watchmaker" theory of G-d. They agree that G-d created the world - but then He just let it be, rolling along under its own momentum, governed by the forces of nature. He wound the watch, and now it keeps ticking unto eternity.
Says Sforno: Fuhgedaboudit! Hashem pays constant, vigilant attention to the slightest details of our world and guides it with a sure, strong, steady hand ("G-d says to the leaf: 'Grow, grow!'"). Yes, He may let Nature "take its course;" but He can - and does - intervene in personal or collective history at will.
This is implied in the name "Hashem" - YHVH - which connotes G-d's presence in the past, present and future. In using this specific name to Moshe, Hashem is saying that He will now demonstrate - in dramatic, undeniable fashion - that events in the world occur because He so ordains, not because things "just happen" that way. No slave ever escaped Pharaoh's bondage, and Israel would not, could not, be liberated if history functioned "normally".
Those who say G-d concerns Himself with the "big" issues in life, and doesn't bother with the "details", miss the boat. There are no "small" issues. (I always say that, in our marriage, I handle the "big" issues and Susie the "small" ones. I worry about global warming, the ozone layer, the demise of culture, etc.; she decides what to spend our money on, where to live, what schools the children go to - all the minor stuff.)
The Geulah (Redemption) - and our entrance to Eretz Yisrael - so defied the odds, so went against the natural flow of society, that Hashem's glory was revealed for all to see. Every norm of nature was turned on its head: water flowed sideways, it rained ice and fire together; sticks turned into snakes. G-d showed Nature who was boss.
And the "watchmaker" theorists? Well, let's say that the events in Egypt proved they just don't know what makes G-d tick.