Vayigash: May [the Word of] God Be With You (Rough Draft)

I intended to write about a specific pasuk in this week's parashah, but ended up writing all the background info and concepts without getting to the main topic. Oh well. I hope you learn something!

Dec 22, 2023

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Artwork: Adobe Firefly 2.0’s response to the prompt, “painting of an Israelite male youth in Biblical garb with an aura of glowing Hebrew letters around his head; oil paint, photo manipulation”

Note: I’m calling this a “rough draft” because my writing didn’t go as planned and I didn’t end up writing about what I intend to write about, but instead, just wrote all the background info. For a fuller explanation, listen to my the end of the audio.

Vayigash: May [the Word of] God Be With You

“God be with you” is a sentiment expressed in many languages and cultures. The words “adios,” “adieu,” “addio,” and even “goodbye” all derive from “God be with you.” The phrase “God was with so-and-so” and its variants show up numerous times in the Chumash, the bulk of which can be found in Sefer Bereishis. For example:

“God was with the youth and he grew up; he dwelt in the desert and became an accomplished archer” (Bereishis 21:20)
“Avimelech and Phichol, general of his legion, said to Avraham, ‘God is with you in all that you do’” (ibid. 21:22)
“Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and bless you” (ibid. 26:2)
“Yaakov took a vow, saying, ‘If God will be with me and guard me, etc.’” (ibid. 28:20)
“Hashem was with Yosef” (ibid. 39:2,3,22,23)
“Yisrael said to Yosef, ‘I am dying, but God will be with you and will return you to the land of your fathers’” (ibid. 48:21)

The question is: How can the Torah say this? On an emotional level, this is a pleasant and comforting thought. However, a reader who is sensitive to the fundamentals of Torah will be troubled by such a notion. Hashem is non-physical and has no physical qualities. He cannot be “in” a particular place or “with” a particular person.

Enter Onkelos (1^st century CE), author of the Aramaic Targum (translation) of the Chumash. Historically, the Targum served the critical function of helping the average Aramaic-speaking Jew to understand the Torah in his native tongue. But the Targum also had a philosophical mission, as the Rambam (Moreh ha'Nevuchim 1:27) writes:

Onkelos the Proselyte was an expert in the Hebrew and Aramaic languages. He directed his effort toward the abolition of [the belief in] God’s corporeality. Thus, every description utilized in Scripture which inclines a person towards [belief in Divine] corporeality is explained [in a non-literal fashion by Onkelos] in accordance with its [true] meaning.

Wherever the Torah says, “Hashem was with so-and-so,” Onkelos renders it: “the word of Hashem supported so-and-so.” Here is the Targum’s translation of the instances cited above:

“the word of God supported the youth and he grew up” (Bereishis 21:20)
“[they] said to Avraham, ‘the word of Hashem is your support in all that you do’” (ibid. 21:22)
“Sojourn in this land, and My word will be your support and I will bless you” (ibid. 26:2)
“Yaakov took a vow, saying, ‘If the word of Hashem will be my support and guard me etc.’” (ibid. 28:20)
“the word of Hashem was Yosef’s support” (ibid. 39:2,3,22,23)
“I am dying, but the word of Hashem will be your support and return you to the land of your fathers’” (ibid. 48:21)

To my knowledge, Rambam doesn’t explain why Onkelos deviates from the literal translation of these phrases. Based on all the Rambam’s writings, it is reasonable to assume he maintains that Onkelos is avoiding the spatial and temporal – and therefore, corporeal – implications in the notion of God being “with” someone.

Others have a more moderate view of Onkelos’s agenda in these cases. Shadal (Ohev Ger, Nesiv 19) writes:

[Onkelos] adds words while preserving the meaning for the sake of God’s Glory (li’chvod Maalah) – to “fix” the [Divine] attributes, actions, and affections, and all expressions that are said in relation to God that would not be respectful and glorious in the eyes of the masses … Likewise, [Onkelos translates] “God was with the youth and he grew up” as “the word of Hashem supported the youth.” He added the word “support” to clarify the intent [of the verse] while distancing the notion of proximity between man and God.

Abravanel (Commentary on the Moreh ha’Nevuchim 1:27) takes a similar stance:

The phrase “Behold! I am with you” [is translated by Onkelos as] “My word is your support” because he considered it sacrilegious to say that God would be with Yaakov. Regarding matters such as this, the Sages used euphemisms … Likewise, what was said about Moshe, “for I will be with you” [Onkelos translates as] “My word will be your support” and he translates “I will be with your mouth” as “My word will be with your mouth,” and “I will be with your mouth and with his mouth” as “My word will be with your mouth and with his mouth.” He did not say this to reject corporeality but rather to distance from God the things that would indicate degradation and disgrace, that Hashem would be with Moshe and with his mouth – as if God (exalted is He) were serving him. This is why he said “My word” for all of them.

The greatest opposition to the Rambam’s take on Onkelos is voiced by the Ramban (Bereishis 46:1). After launching a full-scale counterattack on the Rambam’s view of Onkelos, in which he identifies numerous problems and inconsistencies with the Rambam’s theory, he concludes: “Rather, Onkelos and Yonasan ben Uzziel possessed certain received principles and their esoteric secrets are known by those who find favor (i.e. Kabbalists).”

Regardless of why Onkelos substituted the phrase “God was with so-and-so” with “the word of Hashem was with so-and-so,” the question is: What does this phrase mean? The Akeidas Yitzchak (Vayigash: Shaar 31) provides a clear explanation. He begins by acknowledging the plurality of valid reasons for Onkelos’s substitution:

It seems to me that Onkelos did not confine himself in these expressions to any single principle but had a variety of modes in mind: sometimes to avoid corporeality, sometimes to avoid actions, sometimes by way of kavod, and sometimes for the consistency and unity of the subject matter.

Next, he tactfully sidesteps the Ramban’s claim that Onkelos was alluding to esoteric secrets:

I say that if [the Ramban] received a tradition about what [Onkelos] alludes to in [his substitutions,] we will accept it, and not deviate to the right or to the left, even though a man like me cannot understand it. But if we have permission to speak about these topics on the basis of rationality, then we are able to give a response in accordance with sound reasoning and knowledge without deviating from rationality. When we contemplate the three expressions that [Onkelos] is frequently accustomed to use – which the Rambam mentions are “the glory of Hashem,” “the word of Hashem,” and “the indwelling of Hashem” – their meanings are well-known based on the roots and usage of the Hebrew without attributing them to great and wondrous esoteric secrets …

The Akeidas Yitzchak then explains the meaning of “the word of Hashem was with so-and-so”:

When describing Divine hashgachah (supervision), the Targum uses the “the word of Hashem.” He singles this phrase out because it is through speech that the supervisor supervises, as it is said about David: “The king said to the woman, ‘Go home, and I will issue a command concerning you’” (II Shmuel 14:8), and it is said: “with the word of Hashem the heavens were made and the breath of His mouth all their array” (Tehilim 33:6).

He cites numerous examples of how “the word of Hashem” clearly means hashgachah in the Targum. For example, Onkelos translates, “Your complains are not against us, but against Hashem” (Shemos 16:8) as “against the word of Hashem,” and the Akeidas Yitzchak explains: “they were complaining about His governance.” Likewise, Yaakov’s statement, “God is witness between me and you” (Bereishis 31:50) is translated by Onkelos as “the word of Hashem is witness between me and you,” which the Akeidas Yitzchak explains to mean: “His hashgachah and His attention are on him, and He is a trustworthy witness to give each man according to what he deserves.”

According to the Akeidas Yitzchak, this is the meaning of “the word of Hashem was with so-and-so” – that the hasghachah of Hashem was with that person. If you align yourself with Hashem’s will and wisdom, then you will be under Hashem’s supervision. What are the implications of this concept? That is a topic for another time.

Do you have an alternative explanation for what Onkelos means when he translates “God was with so-and-so” as “the word of God supported so-and-so” or any thoughts about the ideas suggested in this article? If so, I’d love to hear!

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