Jewish tradition offers us many ways to understand God, and the Hebrew language has over one hundred names for the Divine. Each of us relates to and grapples with God in a different way and uses different names to refer to God, and one way of referring to God might be more meaningful to us at one moment of our life than another.
In this week’s Torah portion, Pinchas, Moses—newly aware that his days will soon reach their end outside of the Promised Land—refers to God as Elohai haruchot l’chol basar, Source of the spirits of all flesh (Numbers 27:16). Moses calls out to the Infinite by this new name, reflecting on the challenging journey he has led his people through in the wilderness and remembering that God has been alongside them every step of the way. By using this specific name for God in this moment, Moses reminds himself that God is the Source of life for all, and God will continue to care for the Israelites even when he cannot. I love this name Moses uses for God, Source of the spirits of all flesh. It’s such a beautiful reminder that we are God’s creation, both flesh and spirit, both sturdy and vulnerable.
Where is God for you right now? What is the name for God that you can connect to most in your own prayers, your life? Perhaps it is Tzur Yisrael, the Rock of Israel, a reminder that God is our constant support in our struggles. Perhaps it is Avinu Malkeinu, Parent and Ruler, a comforting, watchful guardian. Maybe you’re having a hard time referring to or connecting to God at all, a trial that is welcome in our community (after all, to be called Yisrael is to be someone who engages or even struggles with God). Or perhaps, like Moses, you are imagining God as Elohai haruchot l’chol basar, Source of the spirits of all flesh, as God who is with us in our body and our spirit, in our strength and in our vulnerability.
Our tradition creates space for us to be with God as we are—our full, sensitive, changing selves. Moses calls out to God in a way that is meaningful to him. How will you address God today?
— Cantor Emma Lutz