If you pay careful attention to television advertisements in the opening days of 2008, you will surely notice an over-abundance of diet plans, health clubs and exercise equipment. The not-so-subtle implication of these messages is that, because of the holidays, most Americans have over-indulged their appetites and are in desperate need of a transformation. It is all about change. Whether we make our resolutions for change on Rosh Hashana or on Jan. 1, we all seem to need a target moment to begin. This week’s Torah portion, Va’era, raises the possibility that even God might adjust God’s essential identity, at a crucial moment in time.

As the previous Sidra concludes, Moses expresses frustration at his inability to motivate Pharaoh to release the Israelites, or the Israelites to accept the fact of their impending liberation. “O Lord, why did You bring harm upon this people? Why did you send me? Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has dealt worse with this people; and still You have not delivered Your people.” (Exodus 5:22-23) In what I would call a very revealing statement, God informs Moses that the people actually knew God by a different name. “God spoke to Moses and said to him, ‘I am YHVH.'” (Exodus 6:2) These four letters represent the Hebrew letters of God’s name. Our tradition uses a number of circumlocutions to avoid pronouncing this name, but each one of them diverts our attention from the fact that, in this instance, the actual name matters very much. God is not here stating the obvious, “I am the Lord.” Rather, God is revealing something of the divine essence by announcing the divine name.

Moreover, God reveals that the Israelites knew God by a different name. “I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as El Shaddai, but I did not make myself known to them by my name YHVH.” (Exodus 6:3) God wants Moses to make sure that the Israelites know the name of the God who will be responsible for their freedom. It is not some anonymous “Lord.” Their liberating God has a name. Making this name known to the Israelites was so important that it is the essence of the First Commandment. “I am YHVH your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” (Exodus 20:2). The sages of our tradition understood this dynamic. They asked, “Why do the Ten commandments begin with a description of God as the one who brought them out of Egypt? So that the Israelites understand that their deliverance from bondage is why they are now bound to observe God’s commandments.”

The rabbinic understanding of the two most common biblical words used to name God reveals another dimension to this Torah portion. The rabbis said that whenever Elohim is used, it denotes God acting in the attribute of Divine Justice. When YHVH is used it denotes God in the attribute of Divine Mercy. In our Sidra this week, God says, “I have heard the moaning of the Israelites…” It will be in the attribute of Divine Mercy — YHVH, that God will liberate the Israelites.

In a world where there is so much injustice, it is much simpler to seek solutions based on absolute justice. Destroy that which offends and start all over. Our Sidra reminds us that we are to emulate God and hear the groaning of the oppressed and in mercy work for their liberation.

Rabbi Mark L. Shook of Temple Israel is a member of the St. Louis Rabbinical Association.