The Meaning and Purpose of the Hebrew Name of God
How can human language define the Infinite? As soon as we give a name to the Infinite we have failed. The Jewish solution to this dilemma is to give the Infinite a name that is a verb, Being itself, limitless, dynamic, and ever-changing.
The Hebrew letters of the Divine Name – Yud-Hay-Vav-Hay – point us to the deepest truth of our existence: we are manifestations of Life Unfolding, and Judaism desires us to serve this dynamic and ineffable God. And because Life Unfolding is without end, Jewish tradition teaches that we do not pronounce the Name, in order to remind us that it is not static and cannot be captured in language.
For centuries Jews have utilized this paradoxical Divine Name as a vehicle for visualization and meditation, in an effort to see the entire world as a manifestation of Spirit, and to practice gratitude and compassion to all. As part of our exploration we will learn and practice some meditation practices using the Divine Name.
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