And Moshe (Moses) said unto God: "Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them: The G-d of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me: What is His name? What shall I say unto them?" And G-d said unto Moses:"Ehyeh asher Ehyeh," and He said: "Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel :Ehyeh hath sent me unto you." (Exodus 13:13 -14)


Most English translations translate the words Ehyeh asher Ehyeh in the following way: "I Am That I Am." And that translation is generally incorrect. In Hebrew, the word hayah means "existed" or "was," but the word ehyeh is the first person singular present-future

People collapsing under the yoke of hatred and oppression do not have the ability to look up to the heavens.

form. That means that Ehyeh asher Ehyeh means, "I Shall Be What I Shall Be."


This is similar to the translation we see in the book of Zechariah (8:8): "And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be My people, and I shall be [Ehyeh] their God, in truth and in righteousness."


The impact of such a variance in understanding is powerful and deeply significant. The statement "I Am That I Am" bespeaks an Eternal G-d that has always been and always will be. That is a true statement, but in fact may not be the concept G-d was trying to transmit at this juncture in history. There is no point in transmitting to the Israelites suffering under the burden of slavery that the G-d that was is the G-d that always is. People collapsing under the yoke of hatred and oppression do not have the ability to look up to the heavens, let alone see the infinite and powerful G-d for what He is.


But Moshe was being taught several lessons at this burning bush, and the Name is but one of those lessons.


The young Moshe had ventured out of Pharaoh's palace to explore the state of his people. He sees a Hebrew slave being beaten almost to death. After looking around and seeing that "there was no man around" (Exodus 2:12), he intervenes and kills the assailant. He saw that there was no one around who was still a man and had not simply deteriorated into a slave. There was no one who could stand up for a brother who was being beaten. Moshe became greatly disappointed in these people. They had lost the courage to be a people. This disappointment deepened when he then encounters two Hebrew slaves fighting each other. As he tries again to intervene, he is chastised by one of them As a result, Moshe escapes to Midyan when he realizes that "the thing is known." (Exodus 2:14)


Our sages explain that "the thing" that became known was not just the fact of the dead Egyptian, but also an answer to a question that was perplexing Moshe for a very long time. How low had this people sunk? Were they incapable of raising themselves to achieve liberation? After seeing that there was no man who would be "man enough" to stop the murderous beating of a fellow Hebrew, and that two Hebrew men would refuse to be reconciled, he began to believe that this people was beyond salvage. So, Moshe escapes to Midyan and he is not heard from for over sixty years. In his despondency, he escapes into anonymity.


It is only after the age of eighty, sixty years later, that he is confronted with the burning bush on the mountain of G-d. Moshe receives a clear message that just as this small burning bush was not to be consumed, the people of Israel, his people, were not to be consumed by the fires of slavery, either. Moshe is clearly being told not to lose faith in his people.


Then, he is also told the name of G-d he is to use with them. The names of G-d do not describe the character of G-d; these names actually define the relationships that man is to have with G-d. The differing seventy names of G-d simply define all the various forms and styles of such Divine relationships.


When Moshe asks G-d, "...and they shall say to me: What is His name?" he is actually

The differing seventy names of G-d simply define all the various forms and styles of such Divine relationships.

asking how are these people meant to relate to You. G-d answers, "I Shall Be What I Shall Be.".


Rabbi Yehuda HaLevy, author of the theological text The Kuzari, explains that this use of the future tense describes G-d not as much as the G-d of being, but rather as the G-d of becoming. The Jewish people are beginning an endless journey of discovery with their G-d. All the events that they will experience and endure will be experienced as both a challenge and a lesson in developing deeper insight into their relationship with Him as a people.


Rashi, the great commentator, writes on the verse the following: "I shall be as I shall be, I shall be with them in this trouble, just as I shall be with them during their subjugation in future exiles (Berakhot 9b)." They will experience Him in the times of trouble just like they will experience Him in the days of joy and redemption. "I Shall Be What I Shall Be" indicates an unfolding knowledge and understanding of this people’s relationship with G-d. This relationship will be in a constant process of unfolding.


That is the way this people need to confront and struggle with all the tests being laid at their doorstep, in our days, as well. The pressure from the West to deny Jerusalem and the threats from the East to destroy her are all part of this journey. A proper focus on the purpose of this journey will empower, uplift and give direction to a people seemingly beset at all sides.