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Rabbi Stewart Weiss
                                                         ONE

                                                      'ה י ִ כֹנ ָ א

                                        G-d is Watching









             he   first  Commandment,       took us out of Egypt, indicating that   Numerous  commentators    have
             it would seem, is hardly a     G-d accompanies us throughout his-   addressed   this  question.  Rabbi
      Tcommandment at all! Unlike           tory, and intervenes if and when the   Shimon bar Yochai says that  Anochi
       all the other commandments – which   occasion is called for. Had He stated   connotes love; i.e. all of the  dibrot
       contain either a Do or a Don’t –     it was He who created the universe,   are for the benefit of Am Yisrael and
       Anochi Hashem Elokecha is a blunt    we might have mistakenly thought     demonstrate G-d’s unending affection
       statement of fact: I, Hashem, am your   that nature and history were set into   for His people. Rav Nechemia, how-
       G-d.                                 motion at the beginning of time and   ever, states that Anochi is a statement
       An essential truth is being presented   left on their own to play out, in a   of power and authority, as in Isaiah
                                                                                 45:12: “I, Anochi, made the Earth and
       here, even before the enumeration of   sense leaving humanity to its own   placed Mankind upon it, My hands
       the Do’s  and Don’ts: All the  mitzvot   devices. Instead, we are  assured  that   spread  out  the  Heavens  and brought
       which follow – not just the other nine   human events are inextricably inter-  the planets into existence.” Others see
       in this list, but every one of the 613   woven  with the Divine will, vigilant   Anochi in terms of fear and trepida-
       mitzvot, which, by tradition, are con-  and transcendent, activated at the   tion, citing the story of the bechora,
       tained within the  Aseret HaDibrot –   Almighty’s discretion.             the birthright, wherein Ya’akov – dis-
       emanate from a Supreme and Divine    All this is embodied within the name   guised as Eisav and fearful of being
       source,  G-d, who has the power to                                        found out – says, “Anochi Eisav becho-
       both dictate and enforce them. With-  Anochi, and illustrated with a dra-  recha,” whereas Eisav merely states,
       out this ‘preamble,’ we might mistak-  matic Midrash.                     “Ani Eisav.”  Lekach Tov connects
       enly consider these rules as the “10   When Kayin kills Hevel, he is con-  Anochi to G-d’s ability to forgive us
       Suggestions,” rather than immutable,   fronted by G-d and castigated for   when  we  err  and  comfort  us  when
                                                                                          1
       eternal, mandatory foundation-stones   his crime. Hevel, however, plea-bar-  we suffer,   as well as assuring us of
       of our belief system.                gains.  “HaShomer achi Anochi,” he   Divine assistance, as in Bereishit 46:4:
                                            says. Though usually understood as   “Anochi will descend with you to Egypt
                                                                                 and Anochi will bring you back up.”
       “”        All the mitzvot which      a question, it can also be interpreted   Lekach Tov sums up all this when
                                            as a statement. “The guardian of my
                 follow – not just the
                                                                                 he quotes Jeremiah 29:23: “I, Anochi,
                 other nine in this list,   brother – and indeed, of all life – is   am the One who knows, and I bear
                                            Anochi!” argued Kayin. “If Hevel is
                                                                                 witness.”
                 but every one of the       dead, then clearly You,  Anochi, the
                 613 mitzvot, emanate       arbiter of all Creation, wanted it to be   In short, G-d is watching.
                                            that way!”
                 from a Supreme
                 and Divine source          Of course, though  G-d-Anochi does   1   “Anochi, Anochi hu menachemchem,” Isaiah
                                            indeed have sway over life and death,    51:12.
                                            He also grants freedom of choice to
       It is, leHavdil, akin to the policeman   humanity, a freedom which Kayin
       who first shows his badge and estab-  abused, and ultimately must atone for.
       lishes his credentials prior to stating                                   Rabbis Stewart Weiss is director of the
       or administering the law.            But why the somewhat unusual term,   Jewish Outreach Center of Ra'anana and
                                            Anochi? Would not  Ani have served   the father of Staff Sgt. Ari Weiss z"l, who
       This truth is reinforced and amplified   the same purpose? What does this   fell in a fire-fight with Hamas terrorists in
       by  the  adjoining  statement  that  G-d   particular name imply?         2002



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