Clinging to the Name of pure being

במד' ואתה מרום לעולם ה' לעולם ידך בעליונה כו'.

In the Midrash: "And You are exalted forever, Hashem" (Tehillim 92:9) — forever Your hand is uppermost, and so on.

The Midrash on the Shabbos psalm stresses that Hashem's "hand" is always supreme, above every other force.

בין כך ובין כך לך ה' אזמרה ה' נתן ולא נמלך בפמליא וה' לקח הוא ובית דינו כו' ע"ש כל המדרש.

Whether this way or that, "To You, Hashem, I will sing." "Hashem gave" — and He did not consult His heavenly retinue; "and Hashem took" — He and His court; and so on, see the whole Midrash.

The Midrash distinguishes Hashem's giving, done by Him alone, from His taking, done together with His court — yet in both we sing to Him, for His name is present throughout.

דידוע דשם הוי' ב"ה למעלה מכל השמות והוא מורה על הויות המציאות שזה קיום הכל.

For it is known that the Name Havayah (the Tetragrammaton), blessed is He, is above all the Names, and it indicates the very existence of reality, which is the sustenance of everything.

The four-letter Name expresses pure being itself — the existence that underlies and upholds all of creation.

ואח"ז יש כמה בחי' חומריים וצורות פשוטות ומורכבות מד' יסודות כמו שביאר היטב בס' גנת אגוז שער ההוי' ע"ש ותמצא נחת.

And after this there are several aspects of matter, and simple and compound forms made of the four elements, as is well explained in the sefer Ginas Egoz, the "Gate of Existence"; see there and you will find satisfaction.

Below that pure being come the layers of physical matter and form, built up from the elements — a graded descent from simple existence into complexity.

ובבריאת עולם יש ל"ב אלקים שהוא הנהגות הטבע בל"ב נתיבות.

And in the creation of the world there are thirty-two instances of "Elokim," which are the workings of nature through the thirty-two pathways.

The Name Elokim, appearing thirty-two times in the Creation account, represents Hashem's governance through nature — the "thirty-two pathways" of wisdom.

אבל שם הוי' למעלה מזה והוא בחי' השבת ולכן כ' בזוה"ק דכולהו ברכאין בי' תליין ומנא לא חשתכח בי' כו' והוא ממש ענין שם הוי' שהוא המציאות בלי התלבשות וכל המדרגות שלמטה בי' תליין.

But the Name Havayah is above this, and it is the aspect of Shabbos. Therefore the Zohar writes that all blessings depend upon it, yet the manna was not found on it, and so on. And this is precisely the matter of the Name Havayah, which is existence without any garbing, and all the levels below depend upon it.

Shabbos corresponds to the Name Havayah — pure being above nature. All blessing flows from it (no manna fell on Shabbos because the day itself is the source), and every lower level hangs from this unclothed existence.

דאין לך דבר דאין בו כח הוית המציאות אלא שנתוסף עליו חומר או צורה או הרכבה.

For there is nothing that does not contain the power of the existence of reality; it is only that matter, or form, or composition has been added upon it.

Everything that exists carries within it that same pure "being," merely overlaid with layers of matter and form.

אבל הוי' היא הוית המציאות בעצמו בלי התלבשות ותוספות.

But Havayah is the existence of reality itself, without any garbing or addition.

The Name Havayah is that bare existence in its pure state, with no covering whatsoever.

ובנ"י יש להם חלק בזה השם כדכתי' חלק ה' עמו ולכן כתי' קדושים תהיו להיות דבוק בבחי' הוי' למעלה מכל שינוי והתלבשות.

And Bnei Yisrael have a portion in this Name, as it is written, "Hashem's portion is His people" (Devarim 32:9). Therefore it is written, "You shall be holy" — to be attached to the aspect of Havayah, above every change and garbing.

Bnei Yisrael are uniquely bound to the Name of pure being. The call "Kedoshim tihyu" is a call to cling to that unchanging level, above all the garments of nature.

והוא בכח המצות כמ"ש אשר קדשנו במצותיו.

And this is through the power of the mitzvos, as we say, "Who has sanctified us with His mitzvos."

It is the mitzvos that draw a person up to this holiness and connect him to the Name Havayah.

ואיתא בזוה"ק מצוה הוא שם הוי' ואותיות י"ה הם בחילוף אותיות מ"צ.

And it is brought in the Zohar that "mitzvah" is the Name Havayah: the letters mem-tzadi (of mitzvah) are, through letter-substitution, yud-hei.

The very word "mitzvah" conceals the Name Havayah — its first two letters transform into yud-hei, while the last two are already vav-hei — teaching that a mitzvah binds one to the full Name.

ויש לבאר שזה ענין המדרש דתלת קדושות הם ובנ"י יש להם ב' קדושות וקדושה שלישית בראשו של הקב"ה ע"ש.

And one may explain that this is the matter of the Midrash, that there are three holinesses: Bnei Yisrael have two holinesses, and the third holiness is on the "head" of the Holy One, blessed is He; see there.

The threefold "Kadosh" of the kedushah corresponds to three levels of holiness — two attainable by Bnei Yisrael and a third that remains entirely with Hashem.

שב' אותיות השם מתפרשין במצוה בלי התלבשות אבל בשם י' ה' א"י להתדבק בלי חילוף אתוון שהוא למעלה מקדושתנו.

For two letters of the Name are expressed in "mitzvah" without garbing, but to the Name yud-hei one cannot attach oneself without a substitution of letters, for it is above our holiness.

Two letters (vav-hei) we can reach directly through mitzvos, but the higher yud-hei is accessible only indirectly, through the hidden letter-transformation — it transcends our level of kedushah.

ומטעם זה יתכן לומר דשם י"ה נהגה באותיותיו. ושם הוי' אין נהגה.

And for this reason it is fitting to say that the Name yud-hei is pronounced as its letters, while the Name Havayah is not pronounced.

This explains why the Name yud-hei may be read as written, whereas the full four-letter Name is never pronounced as it is spelled.

משום דבכח אדם לעורר השם ונתפעל ע"י ההגיון לכן אסור להגות באותיותיו רק במקדש אבל שם י"ה אינו מתפעל שהוא למעלה מהשגתנו לכן רשאין להגות אותו באותיותיו.

Because it is within man's power to arouse the Name Havayah, and it is "affected" through pronunciation, therefore it is forbidden to pronounce it as its letters except in the Mikdash. But the Name yud-hei is not "affected," for it is above our comprehension; therefore one is permitted to pronounce it as its letters.

The Name Havayah is bound up with reality that man can "stir," so uttering it has real effect and is restricted to the Mikdash. The Name yud-hei, being entirely beyond us, is unaffected by our speech and so may be pronounced as written.

וזה שכ' במד' על שם הוי' לעולם ידך בעליונה שהוא גבוה מכל השמות והוא מתערב בתוך כל השמות כנ"ל.

And this is what the Midrash says regarding the Name Havayah, "forever Your hand is uppermost" — for it is higher than all the Names, yet it mingles within all the Names, as above.

The Name Havayah is supreme over all the other Names, yet its "being" is present within each of them, since nothing exists without it.

ולכן כ' הודו לה' כי לעולם חסדו.

Therefore it is written, "Give thanks to Hashem, for His kindness is forever" (Tehillim 136:1).

Because the Name Havayah underlies all, His chesed truly extends through everything, "forever."

וזה שם הוי' שהוא החסד והרחמים כמ"ש ה' נתן ברחמים.

And this is the Name Havayah, which is chesed and rachamim, as it says, "Hashem gave" — with mercy.

The Name Havayah is associated with kindness and compassion; thus Hashem's "giving" flows from mercy.

וה' לקח שהוא במדה"ד אעפ"כ משתתף בו כח הוי' כי בכ"מ יש שורש הויות המציאות כמ"ש רק שנתוסף עליו מדרגות ושמות אחרים.

"And Hashem took" — which is through the attribute of strict justice — nevertheless the power of Havayah is joined within it, for in every place there is the root of the existence of reality, as above; it is only that further levels and other Names have been added upon it.

Even when Hashem "takes" through judgment, the merciful being of Havayah is present beneath it, for that pure existence underlies even din — only overlaid with the garment of justice.

ועל זה הוסד כל המזמור שיר ליום השבת טוב להודות לה' ואתה מרום כו' שבשבת יש גילוי שם הוי' ולכן ניתן רק לבנ"י חלק ה' עמו ושבת סהדותא איקרי וכמו כן בנ"י כ' אתם עדי נאום ה'.

And upon this the whole psalm is founded: "A song for the Shabbos day, it is good to give thanks to Hashem… And You are exalted…" — for on Shabbos there is a revelation of the Name Havayah, and therefore it was given only to Bnei Yisrael, "Hashem's portion is His people." And Shabbos is called "a testimony," and likewise of Bnei Yisrael it is written, "You are My witnesses, says Hashem."

The Shabbos psalm celebrates the revelation of pure being that Shabbos brings. Both Shabbos and Bnei Yisrael, who share in the Name Havayah, serve as witnesses to this hidden existence.

פי' כי הכל לכבודו ברא.

The explanation: for everything He created for His glory.

All of creation exists to give honor to Hashem.

והבריאה כולה עדות על בחי' אלקים ובריאת העולם.

And all of creation is testimony to the aspect of Elokim and the creation of the world.

Nature as a whole testifies to Hashem as Elokim — the Creator who governs through the natural order.

ובנ"י והשבת עדות על בחי' שם הוי' ז"ש נאום ה':

And Bnei Yisrael and Shabbos are testimony to the aspect of the Name Havayah — this is the meaning of "says Hashem (Havayah)."

While nature testifies to Elokim, Bnei Yisrael and Shabbos bear witness to the higher Name of pure being, Havayah — as signaled by the very wording "says Havayah."

Summary: The Name Havayah expresses pure existence itself, the unclothed being that underlies all of reality and stands above the Name Elokim of nature. Shabbos and Bnei Yisrael share uniquely in this Name — hence "Kedoshim tihyu," the call to cling, through mitzvos, to that unchanging level above all the garments of creation. While nature testifies to Elokim, Shabbos and Bnei Yisrael are the witnesses to the supreme Name Havayah.