Lesson 3: Two Names of God — Two Stories, One Soul

What this lesson is about

In chapter 1 God is called only Elokim. In chapter 2 a second name joins it. Rashi’s very first comment on the Torah explains why — and it changes how we see the whole world.

The texts

4Text 4Classical Commentary · Summary

Justice, then mercy

Rashi on Bereishit 1:1

At first it arose in God’s thought to create the world with the attribute of strict justice. He saw that the world could not endure, so He put the attribute of mercy first and joined it with justice — as it says, “on the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven.”

Step by step

The two names. Elokim is the name of power, order and justice. The four-letter name, which we say as “Hashem,” is the name of mercy and closeness.
Rashi’s question. Why does the first verse say only “God (Elokim) created”? Read Rashi’s comment in full below.
His answer. A world of pure justice could not survive. So mercy was joined to justice — and the proof is Genesis 2:4, where both names appear together: “the Lord God.”
What to take from it. Chapter 1 is the perfect blueprint. Chapter 2 is the world we can actually live in, because mercy has entered it.

A full Name over a full world — Derash

The Midrash (Bereishit Rabbah 13:3; exact citation requires verification) puts it this way: once the world was complete, it received God’s complete Name. Three schools — the Midrash, Rashi and the Kabbalah — all point to one idea: chapter 2 is where God’s closeness enters the world.

Think it through

Why would the Torah wait until chapter 2 — the garden and the lonely man — to bring in the name of mercy?Think about it first — then tap for discussion notes

Because chapter 2 is the first time we meet a human being up close, with needs, limits and a choice to make. Mercy enters where the human enters. A creature who can fail cannot survive in a world of justice alone.

Key takeaways

Elokim = justice and order; Hashem = mercy and closeness.
A world of pure justice could not endure (Rashi on 1:1).
From Genesis 2:4, the two names stand together.

Up next · Lesson 4 · HintsThe Extra LetterOne small spelling detail in Genesis 2:7 holds a whole theory of the human being: why you can argue with yourself, and an animal cannot.

← Lesson 2: Not Good to Be Alone

Justice, then mercy

One Torah idea. One mitzvah. One moment of connection.