Daf Ditty Shabbes 105: Notarikon

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 .‫ ֲאִמי ָרה ְנִﬠיָמה ְכִּתיָבה ְיִהיָבה‬:‫ ַרָבַּנן ָאְמ ִרי‬.‫ ֲאָנא ַנְפִשׁי ְכַּתִבית ְיַהִבית‬:‫ נוָֹט ִריקוֹן‬,‫ ״ָאֹנִכי״‬:‫ַרִבּי יוָֹחָנן ִדּיֵדיהּ ָאַמר‬
‫ ְיִהיָבה ְכִּתיָבה ֶנֱאָמ ִנין ֲאָמ ֶריָה‬:‫ִאיָכּא ְדָּאְמ ִרי ״ָאֹנִכי״ ְלַמְפ ֵרַﬠ‬.

Rabbi Yoḥanan himself said that the word anokhi that begins the Ten Commandments is an
abbreviation for: I myself wrote and gave [ana nafshi ketivat yehavit].

The Rabbis said it is an abbreviation for: A pleasant statement was written and given [amira
ne’ima ketiva yehiva].

Some say the word anokhi can be interpreted backwards: It was written, it was given, its statements
are faithful [yehiva ketiva ne’emanim amareha].

RASHI

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 ‫ נוָֹט ִריקוֹן‬,‫״ָאֹנִכי״‬
Notarikon (Hebrew: ‫ נוטריקון‬is a method of deriving a word, by using each of its initial
(Hebrew: ‫ )ראשי תיבות‬or final letters (‫ )סופי תיבות‬to stand for another, to form a sentence or
idea out of the words.

Another variation uses the first and last letters, or the two middle letters of a word, in order to form
another word.

The word "notarikon" is borrowed from the Greek language (νοταρικόν)), and was derived from
the Latin word "notarius" meaning "shorthand writer."

Notarikon is one of the three ancient methods used by the Kabbalists (the other two
are gematria and temurah) to rearrange words and sentences.

These methods were used in order to derive the esoteric substratum and deeper spiritual meaning
of the words in the Bible. (Notarikon was also used in alchemy. But that is for another Ditty!)1

Rashi uses notarikon seven times in his pirush (‫פירוש‬, "explanation") on Chumash:

• (Genesis) 15:2 "‫ דּוֶֹלה וַּמְשֶׁקה ִמתּוַֹרת ַרבּוֹ ַלֲאֵח ִרים‬,‫"וַּבְגָּמָרא ֶשָׁלּנוּ ָדּ ְרשׁוּ נוְֹט ִריקוֹן‬
•
• (Genesis) 17:2 "‫ ְלשׁוֹן נוְֹט ִריקוֹן ֶשׁל ְשׁמוֹ‬.‫"ִכּי ַאב ֲהמוֹן גּוֹ ִים‬
•
• (Genesis) 30:2 "‫"וִּמְדַרשׁ ַאָגָּדה ֵישׁ ַרִבּים ִבְּלשׁוֹן נוָֹט ִריקוֹן‬
•
• (Genesis) 49:22 "‫ ַיֲﬠֹקב וָּבָניו‬,‘‫ ’ֲאָבָהן וְּב ִנין‬,‫ ְלשׁוֹן נוְֹט ִריקוֹן ָאב וֵּבן‬.‫"ֶאֶבן ִיְשָׂרֵאל‬
•
• (Exodus) 20:12 " ‫ ִמְכָּלל ֵהן‬,‫ ֶשִׁדְּבֵרי תוָֹרה נוְֹט ִריקוֹן ֵהם ִנְדָרִשׁים‬.‫ִאם ְתַּכֵבּד ַיֲא ִריכוּן ָיֶמי• ְוִאם ָלאו ִיְקְצרוּן‬
‫( "ַלאו וִּמְכָּלל ַלאו ֵהן‬The chiddush ("novel teaching") here is that the

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 • word ‫נוטריקון‬in gematria: ‫מכלל הן לאו ומכלל לאו הן‬.)
•
• (Numbers) 11:8 ".‫ ְכִּﬠָסּה ַה ִנּלּוָֹשׁה ְבֶשֶׁמן וְּקטוָּפה ִבְדַבשׁ‬,‫ 'ְלַשׁד' ְלשׁוֹן נוָֹט ִריקוֹן ַל' ִישׁ ֶשׁ'ֶמן ְדּ'ַבשׁ‬,‫"ָדָּבר ַאֵחר‬
•
• (Numbers) 22:32 "‫ ָנְטָתה‬,‫ ָרֲאָתה‬,‫ ָי ְרָאה‬,‫ ַרבּוֵֹתינוּ ַחְכֵמי ַהִמְּשָׁנה ְדָּרשׁוּהוּ נוָֹט ִריקוֹן‬.‫"ִכּי ָיַרט ַהֶדֶּר† ְלֶנְגִדּי‬

Anochi vs Ani
Notice that the 10 Commandments begin "Anokhi Hashem Elokekha", while Shema ends "Ani,
Hashem Elokeikhem." And how Yaakov says "‫ַויּ ֹאֶמר ַיֲﬠֹקב ֶאל ָאִביו‬, " ‫ָא ֹנִכי ֵﬠָשׂו ְבֹּכֶר• ָﬠִשׂיִתי ַכֲּאֶשׁר ִדַּבּ ְרָתּ‬
‫( ֵאָלי‬Bereishis 27:19) While the real Esav says ‫ֲא ִני ִבּ ְנ• ְבֹכ ְר• ֵﬠָשׂו" ַויּ ֹאֶמר לוֹ ִיְצָחק ָאִביו "ִמי ָאָתּה?" ַויּ ֹאֶמר‬."
(Ibid. v. 32)

The commentators were motivated to look at the difference. But this is in terms of connotation
and derashah, not translation.

Rav SR Hirsch (Shemos 2:20, on the first commandment) says that "ani" refers to the person in
contrast to other people, whereas "anokhi" refers to the person in relation to the listener.

Malbim ( Bereishis 27) and similarly Shadal write that "ani" is the normal word for "I",
whereas "anokhi" is used to emphasize "and not others".

In general, "ani" would mean that the emphasis of the phrase in on the who, whereas "anokhi"
would emphasize what it was that I did or that happened to me.

R' Yochanan makes on Shabbos 105a on the "Anokhi" at the start of the Commandments.

He says Hashem used "Anokhi" as an acronym for "‫ אנא נפשי כתיבת יהבית‬-- I Myself [lit: My Soul]
made this writing." Generalize that to what you think "Anokhi" connotes across the board, and
you have the kinds of ideas we see above.

A better translation of "‫ "אנא נפשי כתיבת יהבית‬is "I placed My soul (meaning G-d's aspect of soul)
in the text." The specific word used here for soul is "Nefesh".

This is referring to the aspect of soul which is capable of interacting with the material, physical
world. In other words, the intention of the Torah is specifically to connect and interact with the
physical world via the commandments.

Additionally, it communicates the concept found in Zohar that "‫"ישראל אוריתא וקב״ה כולא חד‬, that
"Israel, the Torah and the Holy One, blessed be He are all one."

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The crux of Revell's argument is that "‫ אני‬is typically used by status-marked human speakers,
‫ אנכי‬by others."2

He notes also that ‫ אני‬is also used often when someone is volunteering for, requesting or claiming
a position, expressing emotion or care, etc. ‫ אנכי‬is used when describing a "shameful or
distasteful" quality, solidarity with addressee, etc.

God uses ‫ אנכי‬where "speech concerns the addressee on a personal level" or in statements
describing background context. ‫ אני‬is used by G-d "in clauses which do not refer to the
addressee".

In Kabbala

In the Zohar, it says that Hashem's "Ani" refers to the Lower Throne [Malkhus as it is manifest
within creation], and His use of "Anokhi" refers to the Upper Throne [comprised of Binah as
connected to Malkhus].

Rabbeinu Bachaya:

‫אנכי ה' אלהיך‬. ‫זו מצות הלב ואינו ספור כי אם מצות עשה שיודה אדם ויאמין בלבו אמונה שלמה כי יש בורא‬
‫ והאל"ף בראש תורה על היחוד והקדמות‬,‫ וכן מלת אנכי תורה על נמצא‬,‫נמצא אחד קדמון ואין עוד מלבדו‬
‫ ועוד מלת אנכי תעיד‬.‫ ואם כן כל התיבה כלה מעידה על האחדות‬,‫ושאר האותיות כלן עשרות שהן מחלק האחד‬
"The Two Forms of First Person Singular Pronoun in Biblical Hebrew: Redundancy or
Expressive Contrast?" by E. J. Revell, Journal of Semitic Studies 40 (1995), pp. 199–207.
‫אמות נ' מי"ב פשוטות כ"ף מז' כפולות וזה כלל כל האותיות ונחתמה המלה ביו"ד שהיא מן הנעלמות‬.
‫היך‬-‫אנכי ה' אלו‬

, “I am the Lord your God,”

This is a commandment to be carried out by the heart (compare Chovot Halevavot beginning of
the first chapter); it therefore is not counted except as an obligation of the heart to believe with
complete and absolute faith that there is a Creator who preceded any phenomena in the universe
that we are either aware of or will ever become aware of. We must similarly believe that He is
alone, has no partners. (Deut. 4,35).

The word ‫ אנכי‬always refers to a presence and the letter ‫ א‬at the beginning of the word alludes both
to His existence and to His preceding all. The other letters (‫ )נכי‬are all multiples of ten which itself
is a dimension of the number 1, i.e the ‫א‬. The entire word conveys “oneness, unity.” [the letter ‫ י‬is
to multiples of the number 10 what the letter ‫ א‬is to multiples of the number 1 The number 1 spelled
as a word, ‫אחד‬, equals 81 when squared (1x1 plus 8x8 plus 4x4). This is the numerical value of the
letters in the word ‫אנכי‬. Furthermore, the word ‫ אנכי‬alludes to all the letters in the Hebrew alphabet.

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"The Two Forms of First-Person Singular Pronoun in Biblical Hebrew: Redundancy or Expressive Contrast?" by E. J.
Revell, Journal of Semitic Studies 40 (1995), pp. 199–207.

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The ‫ א‬represents the three letters known as ‫ש‬,‫מ‬,‫ ;)אמות )א‬the ‫ נ‬represents the 12 letters known as
‫ק‬,‫צ‬,‫ע‬,‫ס‬,‫נ‬,‫ל‬,‫י‬,‫ט‬,‫ח‬,‫ז‬,‫ו‬,‫ ;)פשוטות )ה‬the letter ‫ כ‬represents the seven letters known as ‫ת‬,‫ר‬,‫פ‬,‫כ‬,‫ד‬,‫ג‬,‫ )ב‬.‫)כפולות‬.
This means all 22 letters are accounted for. The last letter is the ‫ י‬which is one of the so-called
‫( נעלמות‬i.e. the letters ‫י‬-‫ו‬-‫ה‬-‫א‬, letters not usually heard when a word containing them is uttered).

‫ועוד אמרו במדרש כי יש במלת אנכ"י נוטריקון אנא נפשאי כתבית יהבית‬.

An additional comment on the word ‫ אנכי‬found in Shabbat 105 is that the word ‫ אנכי‬is also an
acrostic ‫אנא נפשי כתיבת יהבית‬, “I Myself have written and given” (Aramaic).

It is appropriate to explain why such an acrostic is necessary seeing that immediately after the
word ‫ אנכי‬God spells out the fact that He gave the Torah by referring to Himself as ‫יך‬-‫ה אלוה‬-‫ו‬-‫ה‬-‫י‬.
You are familiar with the fact that Onkelos translates the word ‫ אנכי‬when applied to God as ‫מימרי‬,
except in this instance where he does not translate it but renders it in the original Hebrew. By not
translating the words and simply copying them, Onkelos preserves the fact that God refers to the
attribute of Mercy and the attribute of Justice as having been equally involved in uttering the Ten
Commandments and makes plain that the commandment which demands from us complete faith in
God’s Oneness and being unprecedented extends to both of these attributes of His. By reminding
us of the acrostic concealed in these four letters, the sages reminded us of the fact that the entire
Torah was given by the attribute Hashem.

Our sages (Mechilta Bachodesh section 6) have called this commandment “acceptance of the
Kingdom of heaven.” Both the attribute of Justice and the attribute of Mercy are qualities which
a king of flesh and blood also has to display when judging his nation. Solomon already refers to
this when he says (Proverbs 29,4) “a king sustains the land by justice.” The same Solomon writes
in Proverbs 20,28: “mercy and truth preserve the king; he upholds his throne by loving kindness.”

Fast forward to the 19th century Hassidic masters and how they employ the
hermeneutic interpretation of this ancient notarikon.

In an exploration in three languages spanning texts from three millennia. The

first (Hebrew) word in the Bible’s most famous text is unpacked into a
Talmudic (Aramaic) acronym and is interpreted by a 19th Century East
European commentary.

The Ba’al Shem Tov took the kabbalistic notion of divine revelation to its logical extreme,
proclaiming that God is inherent in all existence. More importantly, he declared that God’s
essence can easily be discovered: All we need to do is to uncover the divine from the numerous
“garments” which obstruct it from view. Put differently, God need not reveal Godself, because
God is always there. We need only open our eyes and watch God being revealed in all God’s
glory.

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Thus, it is not God who changes during revelation, it is we who change. We consummate the
revelation that began with creation and culminated with matan Torah. Humans are bestowed
with the unique gift of being able to pierce through the superficial layers of finite nature and
expose the infinite divine.

Hasidic doctrine maintains that we ought to find traces of the divine in every piece of matter.
What modern science calls laws of nature, Hasidism calls “divine animation”—that is what
keeps the stars shining and the trees growing. But how do we detect the innermost divinity?

The answer is: wherever we see such positive traits as life, generosity, beauty, wisdom etc., we
discern that God is hiding there. And since such traits can be found virtually everywhere, it
follows that God is present everywhere.3

Degel Machaneh Efraim

‫אנכי ה' אלהיך‬. '‫ דהנה ידוע זאת התורה אדם )פ‬,‫ובגמרא )שבת דק"ה ע"א( אנכי אנא נפשאי כתבית יהבית‬
,(‫חקת( כמו שיש באדם רמ"ח איברים ושס"ה גידים כן יש בתורה רמ"ח מצות עשה ושס"ה מצות לא תעשה‬
‫ נמצא מכל התורה בכלל נובע‬,‫ כדי להחיות האבר ההוא ממקור המצוה ההיא‬,‫וכל מצוה שייך לאבר פרטי מהאדם‬
‫ כן יש בתורה הקדושה גופי התורה‬,‫ וכמו שיש באדם חמשה בחינות נפש רוח נשמה חיה יחידה‬,‫חיות לכל האדם‬
‫ וכמו שאמר אדוני אבי זקיני זלה"ה על אנכ"י ]שהוא[ ר"ת אנא נפשי‬,‫ רזין סתימין‬,‫ורוחנייות התורה פרד"ס‬
‫ נפשי היינו התורה וכו‬,‫'כתבית יהבית‬:
(‫)דגל מחנה אפרים פ' האזינו‬.

In the name of his grandfather the Baal Sody.hem Tov,

And citing the gemoro (our Daf) I am written into it, indeed the verse “ this is the torah of man”
just like a person 248 limbs and 360 sinews so too the Torah has 248 positive commandments
and 365 negative commandments and each Mitzva approximates one the limbs of the human
body, in order to vitalize each particular limb (with divine vitality) so that the entire Torah flows
vitality to the complete person.
Now just like a person has 5 levels of soul, so too the Torah has five levels of spirituality,
PARDES (pshat remez, drush and sod) plus Razin Stimin (closed mysteries). As my grandfather
(BESHT) said, on the word “anochi” is the notarikon ‫כתבית יהבית אנא נפשי‬
“Nafshi” meaning the Nefesh of Torah…

The Degel uses classical kabbalistic equivalences of the number of mitzvot with the limbs of the
body. He then claims each limb is vitalized by a particular mitzva. Citing his Grandfather, the
Degel sees the spirit of the body as divided into five levels, one of which is Nefesh, the very
lowest on the kabbalistic parztuf. God Himself writes Himself into this lower level. Suggesting
there can be no split in the divine incarnation rather it manifests all the way down to the nefesh.

Reb Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev likewise insists on the monism of the divine vitality as follows:

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https://www.thetorah.com/article/a-hasidic-matan-torah-the-revelation-of-the-divine-voice-within

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Kedushat Levi, Likutim on Avot 17
Kedushat Levi, Exodus, Yitro 18

Another angle of the words: ‫אנכי ה' אלוקיך‬. Our sages in Shabbat 105 state: “the word ‫ אנכי‬in this
verse is an acronym, i.e. composed of the respective first letters in the statement: ‫אמירה נעימה כתיבה‬
‫יהיבה‬, “a pleasant and benevolent utterance was enshrined in written form.”

We have a rule first postulated by David in psalms 16,8 that a person should at all times consider
himself as facing the Lord, i.e. ‫שויתי ה' לנגדי תמיד‬, “I am ever mindful of the Lord’s presence;” it is
difficult, or even impossible to formulate this rule as an imperative, as it is impossible for mortal
man to constantly live up to such a lofty ideal.

The rule of which we spoke therefore means that when a person serves the Lord in order to
provide the Lord with pleasure and satisfaction, the fact that he has done so awakens in him the
feeling that God is all-present at all times.

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The word ‫ אמירה‬we have quoted from the Talmud in Shabbat 105 is another word for the word
‫דבור‬, speech, word, which by definition is not something that is ongoing without interruption, i.e.
‫תמיד‬. On the other hand, once words have been written down they assume constancy as they are
constantly available to be referred to. This is what the Talmud alluded to when saying: ‫אמירה‬
‫נעימה‬, “the words spoken by people worshipping Hashem are pleasant as they are intended to
cause Him pleasure;” the word ‫ נעימה‬being an alternate for the word ‫תענוג‬. The words ” ‫כתיבה‬
‫ ”יהיבה‬that form the second part of that saying, refer to the constancy of the impression left by
these words being due to their arousing the feeling in the worshipper that God’ is all present at
all times.
Kedushat Levi, Exodus, Yitro 25

Careful analysis of Yitro’s words will show that he spoke of two separate acts of “saving” the
Jewish people. Yitro had heard not only about the physical salvation the Israelites had
experienced but also about the manner in which the spirit of the Jewish people, a people
downtrodden by many years of slavery, had been transformed in a short space of time to being
the most steadfast people, afraid of no human force on earth.

This brings us to another nuance in the exegesis in Shabbat 105 according to which the word ‫אנכי‬
is an acronym for the words ‫אנא נפשי כתבית יהבית‬, “I Myself have written it and handed it over.”

We know that another meaning of the word ‫ נפש‬is ‫רצון‬, will, desire, as in Genesis 23,8: ‫אם יש את‬
‫נפשכם‬, “if it is your desire, etc.” The word ‫ אנכי‬accordingly sums up God’s message that by
committing the Torah to writing, He had expressed His will, and desire. By handing over this
document to the Jewish people, He had authorized them to interpret it and to guide their lives by
means of these interpretations.

In this radical claim the Berditcher is giving human beings the divine license to interpret the
sacred canon and guide their lives according to that very hermeneutical interpretation as
exampled by the word anochi. He is aware of the radical implication so qualifies himself:

Upon hearing this daring exegesis some people might consider that God had taken a great
chance that His people would exploit this authority to pervert the Torah by “being victorious”
over Him. The reverse is true, however. God is pleased when as a result of our delving more
deeply into the hidden parts of the Torah we discover heretofore unknown aspects of it.

We have it on the authority of Baba Metzia 59 where in a halachic discussion among the various
sages one of them called upon God to demonstrate that his opinion was the correct one, and he
wanted the wall to collapse to prove this and the wall really began to bend, that the opposing
scholar quoted Deuteronomy 30,12 where the Torah is described as not being a possession of
heaven, i.e. ‫לא בשמים היא‬, to stop the wall from falling. A heavenly voice was heard by the people
present exclaiming that ‫נצחוני בני מצחוני‬, “My children have triumphed over Me, My children.”

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Coming back to why God did not introduce the Ten Commandments with reminding the listeners
that He was the Creator and therefore had preceded every other phenomenon in the universe,
but stressing that He had taken the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt,

God did so because he wanted to be on record concerning His love for His people. He was
certain that by doing this He would reinforce the people’s enthusiasm to serve Him rather than
any other so-called deities. By using a play on words our author considers the whole episode
between slavery-physical redemption, and now spiritual redemption of the Jewish people, as
turning ‫ צרה‬into ‫רצה‬, “suffering and distress into joy and happiness.”

Reb Nachman (of course) takes this all to a new level, a personal intrapsychic spiritual
journey of the revelation of anochi, not as written into the text, rather the relationship
between the Zaddik and his writings:

Likutei Mehoran 173:1

‫א׳‬:‫קע״ג‬
‫שׁ ֶרשׁ ָהֱאמוָּנה ֶשׁלּוֹ‬ ֶ ‫ַﬠל ְיֵדי ַהְכָּתב ָיכוֹל ַהַצִּדּיק ָהֱאֶמת ְלַהִכּיר ַהֶנֶּפשׁ וְּפ ִניִמיּוּת ַהֶנֶּפשׁ‬.
ֹ ‫ ְוָהֱאמוָּנה ְו‬,‫שׁל ַהכּוֵֹתב‬

Through the handwriting, the true tzaddik is able to discern the soul and the innerness of the soul
of the writer, as well as his faith and the root of his faith.

,‫ ֶשִׁמָּשּׁם ִנְלָקח ָהֱאמוָּנה‬,‫ ְדַּה ְינוּ ֶשֵׁיּשׁ עוָֹלם ֱאמוָּנה‬,‫שׁ ֶרשׁ‬

ֹ ‫ ִכּי ָהֱאמוָּנה ְבַּﬠְצָמהּ ֵישׁ ָלהּ ִחיוּת ְו‬,‫שׁ ֶרשׁ ָהֱאמוָּנה‬
ֹ ‫ִכּי ֵישׁ ְבִּחיַנת‬
‫ ֶשִׁהיא ְבִּחיַנת ְפּ ִניִמיּוּת ָהֱאמוָּנה‬,‫שׁ ֶרשׁ ָהֱאמוָּנה‬
ֹ ‫ ְוֶזה ְבִּחיַנת‬,•‫ ְועוַֹלם ָהֱאמוָּנה ֵישׁ לוֹ ַגּם־ֵכּן ֱאמוָּנה ְבַּהֵשּׁם ִיְתָבּ ַר‬,

There is an aspect [known as] the root of faith, for faith itself has vitality and a root. That is, there
is a World of Faith from where faith is derived. And the World of Faith also has faith in God—this
being the root of faith, the inner aspect of faith.

‫ ְכּמוֹ ֶשָׁכּתוּב‬,‫ ִכּי ַהֶנֶּפשׁ ְוָהֱאמוָּנה ֵהם ְבִּחיָנה ַאַחת‬,‫ט׳( ְוִהיא ְבִּחיַנת ְפּ ִניִמיּוּת ַהֶנֶּפשׁ‬-‫ח׳‬:‫)ישעיהו כ״ו‬: —‫ַנְפִשׁי ִא ִוּיִתי‬
‫ וְּכִתיב‬,‫)תהלים צב( ַבַּלּ ְיָלה‬: ‫ֶוֱאמוָּנְת— ַבֵּלּילוֹת‬.

This is also the inner aspect of the soul, for the soul and faith are one concept. As it is written
(Isaiah 26:9), “With my soul I longed for You in the night”; and it is written (Psalms 92:3),
“Your faith in the nights.”

‫שָׁאְמרוּ‬ ֶ ,‫ ָאֹנִכי‬:‫ ִבְּבִחיַנת‬,‫ ֶשִׁהיא ְבִּחיַנת ְפּ ִניִמיּוּת ָהֱאמוָּנה ַכַּנּ"ל‬,‫ְוַﬠל־ ְיֵדי ַהְכָּתב ֶאְפָשׁר ְלַהִכּיר ַהֶנֶּפשׁ וְּפ ִניִמיּוּת ַהֶנֶּפשׁ‬
‫)שבת קה( ָחָכֵמינוּ ִזְכרוָֹנם ִלְב ָרָכה‬: ‫ ְוַגם ְפּ ִניִמיּוּת‬,‫ ַה ְינוּ ֶשַׁהכּוֵֹתב נוֵֹתן ַנְפשׁוֹ ְבּתוֹ• ַהְכָּתב‬,‫ֲאָנא ַנְפִשׁי ְכַּתִבית ְיַהִבית‬
‫ ָאֹנִכי – ָדּא ְשִׁכי ְנָתּא‬,‫ ֲאָנא ַנְפִשׁי ְיַהִבית – ָדּא ְשִׁכי ְנָתּא ִחיצוֹ ִניּוּת‬:‫ ֲא ִני – נוְֹט ִריקוֹן‬:‫ ִכּי ִאיָתא ַבֹּזַּהר ַהָקּדוֹשׁ‬,‫ַנְפשׁוֹ‬
‫ ֶשַׁהכ' ְמ ַרֵמּז ַﬠל ְבִּחיַנת ְשִׁכי ְנָתּא ְפּ ִניִמיּוּת‬,‫ ִנְמָצא‬.‫ְפּ ִניִמיּוּת‬.

11
Moreover, through the handwriting it is possible to discern the soul and the innerness of the soul
which, as mentioned, corresponds to the inner aspect of faith. This is in the aspect of ANoKhiY, as
our Sages teach (Shabbat 105a): Ana Naphshi Ktavit Y’havit—i.e., the writer puts his soul into the
writing. And also, the innerness of his soul, as is found in the Holy Zohar: ANiY—an acrostic for
Ana Naphshi Y’havit—refers to the Outer Shekhinah; ANoKhiY refers to the Inner Shekhinah. We
find therefore that Kaf alludes to the aspect of the Inner Shekhinah.

‫ ַכּמּוָּבא‬,‫ ְוַהכ' ִהיא ְבִּחיַנת ֶכֶּתר‬,‫ ֶשַׁהֶכֶּתר ִהיא ְפּ ִניִמיּוּת ַהֶנֶּפשׁ‬,‫ְוֵכן ִאיָתא ְבּ"ֵﬠץ־ַח ִיּים" ְלִﬠ ְנַין ִהְתַלְבּשׁוּת ָהעוָֹלמוֹת‬
‫ ַכָּיּדוַּﬠ‬,‫ ִכּי ַהְשִּׁכיָנה ִהיא ְבִּחיַנת ֶנֶפשׁ‬,‫ְלֵﬠיל‬,

Similarly, it is found in the Etz Chaim (1:4) regarding the enclothing of the worlds, that Keter is
the innerness of the soul. And, as was taught earlier, the Kaf corresponds to Keter, for the
Shekhinah is an aspect of soul, as is known.

‫ ַכַּנּ"ל‬,‫ ְפּ ִניִמיּוּת ָהֱאמוָּנה‬,‫ ִנְתַגֶּלּה ְו ִנ ְרֶאה ְבִּחיַנת ְפּ ִניִמיּוּת ַהֶנֶּפשׁ‬,'‫ ֶשׁהוּא ְבִּחיַנת כ‬,‫ ֶשַׁﬠל־ ְיֵדי ַהְכָּתב‬,‫ ִנְמָצא‬:

We find therefore that through the K’tav (handwriting), which is an aspect of Kaf, the inner aspect
of the soul—the innerness of faith—is revealed and seen.

‫ וִּמתּוֹ• ַהְפֻּﬠָלּה‬,‫ ִכּי ַהְכָּתב ֵאינוֹ ַרק ְפֻּﬠַלּת ַהֶנֶּפשׁ‬,‫ הוּא ְבַּמֲﬠָלה ְגּדוָֹלה ֵמַהְכָּתב‬,‫ְוַהִדּבּוּר ֶשְׁמַּדֵבּר ִﬠם ַהַצִּדּיק ָהֲאִמִתּי‬
‫ ְכּמוֹ ֶשָׁכּתוּב‬,‫ ְוַהִדּבּוּר הוּא ַהֶנֶּפשׁ ְבַּﬠְצמוֹ‬,‫ו׳( ָיכוֹל ַהַצִּדּיק ְלָהִבין ַמהוּת ַהֶנֶּפשׁ‬:‫)שיר השירים ה׳‬: ‫ַנְפִשׁי ָיְצָאה ְבַדְבּרוֹ‬,

Yet, the conversation which a person has with the true tzaddik is on a higher level than the writing.
This is because writing is no more than the soul’s functioning, and from the functioning the tzaddik
is able to understand the soul’s essence. But speech is the soul itself. As it is written (Song of Songs
5:6), “My soul came forth when he spoke.”

Rabbi Yohanan said: How do we know the Torah ‫ מניין ללשון נוטריקון מן‬...:‫אמר רבי יוחנן‬
contains hidden acronyms? ‫? התורה‬
For it says: “I am the Lord your God” - “ ’‫ָאֹנִכי ה‬ —‫" שנאמר "ָאֹנִכי ה’ ֱא¡ֶהי‬
—‫”ֱא¡ֶהי‬ – ‫אנא נפשי כתיבת יהבית‬
‫ָאֹנִכי‬- A’NoKI stands ‫תלמוד בבלי מסכת שבת דף קה‬.
for Ana Nafshi Ktivat Yahavit, I My-self Wrote
and Delivered.

In the hands of Rabbi Yohanan the opening word of the Ten Commandments is discovered
to contain a hidden Aramaic acronym, which becomes the Talmud’s shortest poem:
‫ אנא נפשי כתיבת יהבית‬- ‫ָאֹנִכי‬
Anokhi - Ana Nafshi Ktivat Yahavit
I My-self Wrote and Delivered

In Rabbi Yohanan’s midrashic world, if you open up the words of the text, you’ll hear the ars-
poetic voice of the author.

12
The author of the Torah is offering here a most personal preface: These words you are about to
hear, this entire book perhaps, - “I Myself Wrote and Delivered” it.4 True to the Lithuanian school
of rationalism.

Torah Temima, Rabbi Baruch Epstein, offers the following interpretation:

"‫יש לומר על דרך לשון בני אדם שאומרים שמכירים תכונת איש פלוני או מדת – "אנא נפשי כתיבת יהבית‬
‫ דמהות הקב"ה כביכול דהיינו רצונו וכבודו וגדולתו וענותנותו‬,‫ ואמר בזה‬,‫וערך חכמתו מתוך כתביו וספריו‬
‫ כתיבת יהבית – נתתי לדעת ולהכיר מתוך‬,‫ וזהו עניין אנא נפשי – ר"ל תכונת נפשי‬...‫נראים ונכרים מתורתו‬
‫ דהיינו מתורתי‬,‫כתבי‬. )

‫א‬:‫תורה תמימה על שמות כ‬

Reb Mishael Zion writes:

“I My-self Wrote and Delivered” - it as the popular wisdom goes that one knows the personality
of a person, or the value and depth of their wisdom, from their writings.

The poem claims that the very essence of the Holy Blessed One – the will, dignity, magnitude and
humility – can be observed and understood from the Torah. And this is the meaning of “I my-self”
– my deepest self, my essence – “has been written and Delivered” - I have ensconced my deepest
self in this text, allowing a pathway to know and perceive Me through my writings, through my
Torah.

“My deepest self – I have written and delivered” – here is an image of God painstakingly
fashioning his deepest self into a text, pouring his “self” into his writings, seeking (desperately?)
to be known, to be perceived, by us – the addressee of this package. The God who “delivered from
Egypt” is now being delivered by his readers.

“My deepest self – I have written and delivered” – and it is accessible every day of the year,
through the study of Torah. In the hands of the Torah Temima, heir to the Lithuanian tradition of
intellectual Torah scholarship, the endeavor of learning Torah becomes an experience of firsthand
revelation.

As the midrash claims: “The voice goes forth from Sinai every day” – and the place to encounter
it is in the study of God’s writings. How does one evoke this experience from the text?

Perhaps it involves the magic of Hevruta – the dialogic experience of Self-Text-Other. Perhaps it
is encountered when creating hiddushim – intellectual novelties which evoke Divine sparks of
creativity.

4
Rabbi Mishael Zion http://bronfman.org/node/251

13
For some it is in only possible in the constancy of a daily communion with the text, for others in
the mystical mumbling of mantric words.

This mystical mumbling takes on existential meaning in the very word anochi, and specifically in
the first vowel aleph.

Taking the notion of divine manifestation in human language and the possibility for discourse

The word anochi is broken down into syllable and the first vowel. Aleph.

Some Hasidic masters take it a step further, amplifying the human role in matan Torah.

R. Naftali Tzvi Horowitz of Ropshicz (1760-1827) quotes his teacher, R. Menachem

Mendel of Rimanov (1745-1815), to the effect that God only pronounced the
first aleph of anochi.

He then explains that the letter aleph represents the name of God, Yahweh, because the
‫ א‬is written as a combination of two yods and one vav, which is the numeral equivalent
of ‫הוה‬-‫י‬.

The human face also represents the same numeral equivalent: the two eyes stand for the
two yods, and the nose stands for the vav.

This indicates that humans are a reflection of the divine.

During matan Torah, God only uttered the letter aleph. As if to say, “you want to see me?
Here I am, literally right under your nose.”

14
 Zera Kodesh Shavuot p40

This, the Zera Kodesh claims, threw the Israelites into such a phenomenal ecstasy, that they suddenly
realized that God is their own essence and the life of all being. They found themselves engulfed by the
dazzling radiance of the divine, and they broke out in a choir, their voices united in a heavenly
symphony with the entirety of creation to exclaim their inner divinity:

,‫ יצירה‬,‫ בריאה‬,‫ אצילות‬:‫ שנתעורר חלק אלקותו בכל העולם‬,‫לכן נראה לי שזה היה עיקר מתן תורה הקדושה‬
‫ וכ ול ם ה ר גי ש ו ונ ת ח זק א צ ל ם‬. ‫ ע פ ר‬, ‫ מ י ם‬, ‫ ר וח‬, ‫ א ש‬: ‫ ו ב כ ל ה י ס ו ד ו ת‬. ‫ מ ד ב ר‬, ‫ ח י‬, ‫ צ ו מ ח‬, ‫ ד ו מ ם‬: ‫ ו ב כ ל נ ב ר א‬. ‫ע ש י ה‬
‫ וי צ א ה ח ל ק‬. ‫ ב ד ב ר ה ’ ש מ י ם נ ע ש ו ו ב ר וח פ יו כ ל צ ב א ם‬: ‫ ע ל ד ר ך‬, ’ ‫ ה ח ל ק א ש ר ה א צ יל מ כ ב ו ד ו י ת‬, ’ ‫ה כ ח ה ק‬
‫ ונ ת ג ל ה‬, ‫ כ א ש ר זכ ינ ו ל גיל וי א ל ק ו ת ו י ת ’ ש ט מ יר ונ ע ל ם‬, ‫ ו ב פ ר ט ע ם ק ד ו ש ו א נ ו‬, ‫ה ק ד ו ש ה ז ה מ ה ע ל ם א ל ה גיל וי‬

15
‫ וצווחו מתוך גרונם‬,‫ שנתעוררו נשמות ישראל ונתעורר קדושתם‬,‫ אמרו אנכי ה’ אלקיך‬,‫עלינו בנועם צוף ידיד‬
… ‫ ש ה ח ל ק נ מ ש ך א ח ר ש ור ש ו‬, ‫א נכ י ה ’ א ל ק י ך‬

It seems to me that this was the main element of matan Torah, that the divine part was awakened in

the entire universe… and in every creature: in matter, in flora, in animals, and in humans, as well as

in all foundations of the universe: in fire, in wind, in water, and in the ground. All things felt this and

it strengthened the divine part in them—the part that God caused to emanate from His glory… The

souls of Israel awakened and their inner holiness awakened, and they yelled at the top of their lungs:

‘I am the LORD, your God!’ For the [divine] part extends out from its source…

‫ ובכל‬.‫ עשיה‬,‫ יצירה‬,‫ בריאה‬,‫ אצילות‬:‫ שנתעורר חלק אלקותו בכל העולם‬,‫לכן נראה לי שזה היה עיקר מתן תורה הקדושה‬

‫ החלק אשר‬,’‫ וכולם הרגישו ונתחזק אצלם הכח הק‬.‫ עפר‬,‫ מים‬,‫ רוח‬,‫ אש‬:‫ ובכל היסודות‬.‫ מדבר‬,‫ חי‬,‫ צומח‬,‫ דומם‬:‫נברא‬

‫ ובפרט‬,‫ ויצא החלק הקדוש הזה מהעלם אל הגילוי‬.‫ בדבר ה’ שמים נעשו וברוח פיו כל צבאם‬:‫ על דרך‬,’‫האציל מכבודו ית‬

,‫ אמרו אנכי ה’ אלקיך‬,‫ ונתגלה עלינו בנועם צוף ידיד‬,‫ כאשר זכינו לגילוי אלקותו ית’ שטמיר ונעלם‬,‫עם קדושו אנו‬

…‫ שהחלק נמשך אחר שורשו‬,‫ וצווחו מתוך גרונם אנכי ה’ אלקיך‬,‫שנתעוררו נשמות ישראל ונתעורר קדושתם‬

It seems to me that this was the main element of matan Torah, that the divine part was awakened in

the entire universe… and in every creature: in matter, in flora, in animals, and in humans, as well as

in all foundations of the universe: in fire, in wind, in water, and in the ground. All things felt this and

it strengthened the divine part in them—the part that God caused to emanate from His glory… The

souls of Israel awakened and their inner holiness awakened, and they yelled at the top of their lungs:
‘I am the LORD, your God!’ For the [divine] part extends out from its source…

16
In an unusual 20th century secular appropriation of the rabbinic use of notarikon
Carol Rupprecht shows how Freud was indebted to the rabbis (unacknowledged) and engaged in
textual strategies to avoid such attribution yet indebted to these midrashic hermeneutic moves in
unpacking dreams and the unconscious:

17
18