PaRDeS + the fifth level of embodied knowledge The commandment “Birkat ha-Shem” / ברכת השם — “blessing of the Name” as the prohibition of blasphemy, cursing, and profaning the Name This text unfolds the interpretation of the commandment Birkat ha-Shem / ברכת השם along the vertical structure of PaRDeS: 1. Pshat / פשט — the simple literal level. 2. Remez / רמז — the level of hint. 3. Derash / דרש — the ethical, human, and verbal level. 4. Sod / סוד — the secret, mystical, ontological level. 5. The fifth level — lived, embodied knowledge; when one’s relation to the Name becomes an inner discipline of speech, consciousness, and presence. Thus, the commandment in the text: Birkat ha-Shem / ברכת השם — the prohibition of blaspheming the Name Genesis 2:16 יְהוָה The Name of the Lord in the verse. The Talmud reads: ה׳ — זו ברכת השם — “the Lord” indicates the prohibition of blaspheming the Name. The related verse is Leviticus 24:16: וְנֹקֵב שֵׁם־יְהוָה מוֹת יוּמָת “The one who blasphemes / curses the Name of the Lord shall surely be put to death.” In brief: If the Name is the channel of address to the Source, then blasphemy of the Name is a verbal rupture with the Source. The main formula of the whole vertical structure: Do not destroy the connection with the Source through the word. There is an external difficulty in this commandment: it is called “blessing of the Name,” but in traditional language this is a euphemism. The issue is not blessing, but the prohibition of cursing, blaspheming, and profaning the Name of God. But this very strangeness is already important: even when blasphemy is being discussed, the name of the commandment covers over the direct utterance of the destructive word. That is, the naming of the commandment itself shows that what is spoken is not an empty sound. The word acts. The word can bless, and it can destroy. The word can connect with the Source, and it can cut a person off from the Source. If the commandment Dinim says: do not leave the world without judgment and measure, then the commandment Birkat ha-Shem says: do not turn speech into a weapon against the Source, against meaning, and against the very possibility of holiness. I. PSHAT / פשט — the literal level On the level of Pshat, the commandment is read directly: it is forbidden to curse, blaspheme, or insult the Name of God. This is not merely a prohibition against crude religious profanity. In the literal sense, it means that a person has no right to use language in such a way as to direct destruction against the very Source of life, law, meaning, and being. Here, the Name is not merely a sound and not merely a designation. In biblical and Jewish thought, every name is connected with presence, disclosure, address, and relation. The Name is not the whole essence of God, but the mode through which a human being addresses Him and recognizes Him as the Source. Therefore, blasphemy of the Name is not an ordinary error of speech. It is an act of rupture. A person is forbidden to take the capacity for speech, given to him as a highest gift, and use it against the One from whom that capacity itself comes. On the level of Pshat, the main focus is not on psychological motives, but on the fact itself: there is a boundary that language must not cross. Not everything that can be pronounced is permitted to be pronounced. No inner pain, anger, or revolt has the right to turn into a curse against the Source. Formula of Pshat: Do not curse the Name of God. Or more simply: Do not use speech for a rupture with the Source. This level is the foundation. First there is the simple law: a person must not direct the word against the Name. II. REMEZ / רמז — the level of hint On the level of Remez, the literal commandment begins to hint at a broader principle: one must not destroy through speech that which is a source of life, meaning, trust, and connection. Here the Name begins to mean not only the direct Divine Name, but every living bearer of presence: the name of a person, the name of a people, the name of a family, the name of a teacher, the name of a tradition, the name of truth, the name of a good deed. A name is the point of connection between the inner and the outer. As long as a thing has a name, it can be called, recognized, remembered, transmitted, protected. When a name is profaned, the connection of the essence with its root is damaged, and thus another foundation is laid for the loss or distortion of its purpose. Therefore, on the level of Remez, the commandment expands to every verbal action that damages the source of a being’s purpose. For example: - one must not blacken a person’s name, especially in such a way that he is no longer heard as living; - one must not mock the holy in such a way that a person loses the capacity for reverence; - one must not call good naivety, and evil strength; - one must not turn truth into an object of cynical play; - one must not use words of faith so emptily that they cease to be alive; - one must not destroy language through falsehood to the point where it is no longer possible to speak truth. Here the commandment hints: speech does not merely describe the world. Speech participates in preserving or destroying the world. If a name is destroyed, a being becomes defenseless before a false description. If the Source is named with contempt, the person loses the standard of orientation and can no longer distinguish bad from good. If holiness is turned into an object of ridicule, the surrounding reality loses its boundaries and the person no longer feels measure. If language ceases to distinguish blessing from curse, consciousness gradually loses the ability to distinguish and to stand rightly before what is higher. In the end, the person no longer sees, feels, or recognizes God anywhere or in anything. Formula of Remez: Do not destroy by word that through which life maintains its connection with its source. Or: Do not kill the name, because through the name every living being is present in the world. III. DERASH / דרש — the ethical and human level On the level of Derash, the commandment becomes a law of responsibility for speech. Here the central turn is this: a person is forbidden to blaspheme the Name not only through a direct curse against God, but also through every form of speech that makes the world shameless, cynical, false, and impermeable to holiness. Human speech is not a private toy. Through speech one must build, but one is forbidden to destroy the shared reality. One can raise another person by word, but humiliating is forbidden. One can name pain with compassion, but under the guise of “help” or “rebuke” one is forbidden to use another person’s vulnerability as a weapon. One can help acknowledge guilt through testimony, but one is forbidden to hide cynicism behind phrases. One can bless, but one is forbidden to poison the space with abuse. On this level, the living realities are: - the name of a person; - trust; - truth; - gratitude; - prayer; - promise; - testimony; - memory; - dignity; - the heart’s capacity for reverence. When a person consciously slanders, he first damages his own name. When he laughs at another person’s holy thing for the sake of self-exaltation or pleasure, he damages the capacity for honor. When he speaks pious words but uses them for self-assertion, he too profanes the Name. When he says “God wants” but in fact is covering his own pride, fear, or interest, this can be a more dangerous form of blasphemy than crude profanity. All of this is under prohibition. Here it is important not to smooth over the difficulty: not every criticism of religion is blasphemy. Not every difficult question is profanation. Not every cry of pain against Heaven is equal to a conscious curse of the Name. In the tradition there is room for lament, argument, outcry, protest, even a terrifying question. But there is a difference between pain that seeks truth and speech that secretly wants to destroy the connection with the Source. The boundary lies in the inner motive: whether it is said out of egoism or altruism, out of personal interest or for the benefit of the community. Derash requires distinguishing names: - interest and contempt; - pain and cynicism; - protest and blasphemy; - exposing falsehood and destroying holiness; - honest speech and speech that takes pleasure in domination. Formula of Derash: Do not speak in such a way that your speech destroys name, trust, holiness, and the possibility of truth. Or: Do not make language into a place where the holy is mixed with filth. IV. SOD / סוד — the secret, mystical, ontological level On the level of Sod, the commandment opens as the law of the connection between name, form, and Source. Here the Name is not merely a word. The Name is a channel of manifestation. Through the Name, the infinite becomes accessible, the incomprehensible receives a point of relation, the hidden becomes able to call. A person does not possess the Name. He enters into relation with the Name. Therefore, blasphemy of the Name is not merely an incorrect phrase. It is an attempt to use the channel of connection against the very Source of connection. On this level, speech has ontological force. The word not only communicates, but also connects, separates, forms, summons, blesses, curses, opens, or closes. In the language of Sefer Yetzirah this is especially sharp: letters are not decorative signs. They are connected with breath, form, number, creation, combination, permutation, direction. The world is not merely described by speech; in some way it is sustained through a letter-speech structure. Therefore, damage to speech is damage to the channel of form. On the level of Sod, blasphemy of the Name means: - the severing of the word from the Source; - turning the name into an instrument of illegitimate power; - using holy language without holiness; - a rupture between thought, speech, and action; - turning blessing into a mask for curse; - closing the channel through which light/meaning enters form; - profaning the very possibility of addressing God. Here the depth of the commandment becomes clear: if the name is a point of connection, then blasphemy is not merely an insult. It is anti-connection. It is a verbal act that tries to make the Source into an object of contempt rather than worship, gratitude, fear, and love. But there is an even subtler layer: a person may not utter direct blasphemy, yet live in such a way that his speech is separated from the Source. Therefore, one must not speak about God without God. Speak about holiness without trembling. Speak about truth without responsibility. Speak about mercy without compassion. Speak about judgment without justice. Then the Name may seem to be pronounced, but the channel is already damaged. Formula of Sod: Do not tear the Name away from the Source, and do not turn the channel of holiness into an instrument of destruction. Or: Blasphemy begins where the word rises against the Light from which it itself receives the power to be a word. V. The fifth level — lived, embodied in the heart, the complex joining of the previous four levels into a state of union with the commandment. The fifth level does not add yet another interpretation. It changes the person’s position within speech. On Pshat, a person knows: one must not curse the Name. On Remez, he sees: name in general is a channel of presence and trust. On Derash, he understands: speech can build or destroy the human world. On Sod, he sees: the Name is connected with the Source, and the word is a channel of form. And on the fifth level, a person begins to live in such a way that speech ceases to be an empty instrument for him. Then speech begins to confirm the Source. He feels when a word becomes polluted. When a phrase seems correct, but there is falsehood inside it. When a “holy” word is spoken without trembling and has become an ornament of the ego. When criticism turns into pleasure in destruction. When a person’s name is used as a target. When prayer becomes a mechanism without inner content. When a promise is spoken without an intention to fulfill it. When gratitude is replaced by a hidden demand. When pain wants to become control. When language begins to serve pride rather than truth. On this level, a person no longer asks only: “May this be said?” He asks more deeply: What does this word do? Does it connect or rupture? Does it bless or poison? Does it open the Source or close it? Is there fear of Heaven in this speech? Is there mercy in it? Is there responsibility for the fact that the word will continue to live after being spoken? The fifth level is when a person begins to guard his speech not out of fear of punishment, but because he feels: the word touches the living tissue of the world. Here the commandment becomes embodiment: - law passes into caution of speech; - caution of speech passes into inner purity; - inner purity passes into blessing; - blessing passes into a mode of presence; - the mode of presence returns speech to the Source. Formula of the fifth level: I do not merely know that one must not blaspheme the Name. I begin to be a person motivated by the feeling that every word either preserves the connection with the Source or damages it. Or most briefly: Become one whose speech reflects the Source into the world. Summary vertical structure Pshat: Do not curse or profane the Name of God. Remez: Do not destroy the name as a channel of presence, trust, and connection. Derash: Do not use speech in such a way that it destroys dignity, holiness, truth, and the capacity for reverence. Sod: Do not tear the Name away from the Source, and do not turn the word into anti-connection. The fifth level: Become a person who feels speech as a living force — and therefore does not speak in such a way that the word destroys the world’s connection with the Source. One final formula Birkat ha-Shem / ברכת השם is not only the prohibition of crude blasphemy against God. In the deep vertical structure, it is the prohibition of a kind of speech in which the word ceases to be blessing, a channel of truth, and address to the Source, and instead becomes an instrument of rupture, contempt, cynicism, and spiritual damage. Literally: do not curse the Name. Ethically: do not destroy name, trust, and holiness by word. Spiritually: do not separate speech from the Source. Embodied: do not be one whose words make the world less able to hear God. ============================================================ APPENDIX Tanakhic foundations for the interpretation of Birkat ha-Shem / ברכת השם ============================================================ The purpose of this appendix is not to replace the original interpretation, but to show which places in the Tanakh can support its main claims. Statuses of foundations: 1. Direct support — the verse directly speaks about blasphemy, cursing, vain use, profanation, or sanctification of the Name. 2. Strong support — the verse directly speaks about the power of name, speech, falsehood, blessing, oath, false prophecy, or profanation of the Name through behavior. 3. Extension — the verse does not speak specifically about Birkat ha-Shem as a legal commandment, but gives a Tanakhic basis for a broader level of interpretation: name as presence, word as action, speech as creation/destruction, the inner state of speech. Important: the seven Noahide commandments in their classical form are not given in the Tanakh as a separate ready-made list. For Birkat ha-Shem, the tradition takes the word יְהוָה from Genesis 2:16 as a compressed hint, and then links it with the direct law in Leviticus 24:15–16 concerning blasphemy of the Name. Therefore Genesis 2:16 is a rabbinic hermeneutical entry point, while Leviticus 24 is the direct Tanakhic foundation of the theme itself. I. THE BASIC NODE OF THE COMMANDMENT 1. Genesis 2:16 — the compressed source וַיְצַו יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים עַל־הָאָדָם לֵאמֹר... And the Lord God commanded the human being, saying... The supporting word: יְהוָה The Name of the Lord. Traditional reading: יְהוָה — זו ברכת השם “The Lord” — this is Birkat ha-Shem, that is, the prohibition of blaspheming the Name. Status: rabbinic hermeneutical support, not the direct pshat of the verse. Why this matters for our interpretation: The whole commandment is built around relation to the Name. Genesis 2:16 does not give a developed law about blasphemy, but it is the place where the tradition sees that already in God’s address to the human being, a boundary of relation to the Name is present. 2. Leviticus 24:10–16 — the direct law concerning blasphemy of the Name Key narrative: וַיִּקֹּב בֶּן־הָאִשָּׁה הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִית אֶת־הַשֵּׁם וַיְקַלֵּל... And the son of the Israelite woman pronounced / pierced the Name and cursed... Leviticus 24:11 Key law: וְאֶל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל תְּדַבֵּר לֵאמֹר אִישׁ אִישׁ כִּי־יְקַלֵּל אֱלֹהָיו וְנָשָׂא חֶטְאוֹ׃ And speak to the children of Israel, saying: any person, if he curses his God, shall bear his sin. Leviticus 24:15 וְנֹקֵב שֵׁם־יְהוָה מוֹת יוּמָת רָגוֹם יִרְגְּמוּ־בוֹ כָּל־הָעֵדָה כַּגֵּר כָּאֶזְרָח בְּנָקְבוֹ־שֵׁם יוּמָת׃ And the one who blasphemes / offensively pronounces the Name of the Lord shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him; the stranger and the native alike — for blaspheming the Name, he shall be put to death. Leviticus 24:16 Status: direct support. What this verse establishes: - Pshat: it is forbidden to curse / blaspheme the Name of God. - The Name is not an ordinary word. - Blasphemy of the Name is not merely rudeness, but a severe violation of the connection between the person and God. - The law applies the principle to both the “ger” and the “native” within the text of Leviticus, making the theme not a private emotional prohibition, but a public boundary of holiness. Connection with the original interpretation: The original text says: “Do not use speech for a rupture with the Source.” Leviticus 24 gives this a direct legal foundation: to blaspheme the Name means to cross the boundary that speech must not cross. 3. Exodus 20:7 / Deuteronomy 5:11 — do not take up the Name in vain Exodus 20:7: לֹא תִשָּׂא אֶת־שֵׁם־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לַשָּׁוְא כִּי לֹא יְנַקֶּה יְהוָה אֵת אֲשֶׁר־יִשָּׂא אֶת־שְׁמוֹ לַשָּׁוְא׃ Do not take up / pronounce the Name of the Lord your God in vain / falsely, for the Lord will not clear the one who takes up His Name in vain. Deuteronomy 5:11 repeats this same commandment. Status: direct support for the prohibition of empty, false, or unworthy use of the Name. What this verse establishes: - The Name must not be used as an empty sound. - Religious speech can be false even without direct crude blasphemy. - The commandment concerns not only cursing, but also vain, false, purposeless, manipulative handling of the Name. Connection with the original interpretation: Above in the text of this interpretation it says: “one must not use words of faith so emptily that they cease to be alive.” Exodus 20:7 is the direct foundation for this line: the empty taking up of the Name is already a violation. 4. Leviticus 19:12 — false oath as profanation of the Name וְלֹא־תִשָּׁבְעוּ בִשְׁמִי לַשָּׁקֶר וְחִלַּלְתָּ אֶת־שֵׁם אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֲנִי יְהוָה׃ And do not swear by My Name falsely; by this you shall profane the Name of your God; I am the Lord. Status: direct support. What this verse establishes: - Falsehood joined to the Name of God is directly called profanation of the Name. - Speech becomes sin not only when it curses, but also when it uses the holy as a covering for falsehood. - The Name must not be made into an instrument of personal gain, self-justification, or deception. Connection with the original interpretation: On the Derash level it was said: “When a person says ‘God wants’ but is covering his pride, fear, or interest, this can be a more dangerous form of blasphemy.” Leviticus 19:12 gives this direct Tanakhic support: falsehood “in the name” of God profanes the Name. 5. Leviticus 22:32 — do not profane the Name; sanctify the Name וְלֹא תְחַלְּלוּ אֶת־שֵׁם קָדְשִׁי וְנִקְדַּשְׁתִּי בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲנִי יְהוָה מְקַדִּשְׁכֶם׃ And do not profane My holy Name; and I shall be sanctified among the children of Israel; I am the Lord who sanctifies you. Status: direct support. What this verse establishes: - There is not only the prohibition of blasphemy, but also the opposite direction: sanctification of the Name. - The Name can be profaned or sanctified through human behavior. - The commandment concerning the Name has a public dimension: God must be sanctified “among” the people. Connection with the original interpretation: The final formula of the text is: “Become one whose speech reflects the Source into the world.” Leviticus 22:32 gives direct support: the Name must not only remain unprofaned, but must also be sanctified in the human community. II. PSHAT: THE LITERAL PROHIBITION OF BLASPHEMY, CURSING, AND THE EMPTY NAME Main verses: 1. Leviticus 24:15–16 2. Exodus 20:7 3. Deuteronomy 5:11 4. Leviticus 19:12 5. Leviticus 22:32 6. Deuteronomy 28:58 Deuteronomy 28:58 אִם־לֹא תִשְׁמֹר לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת־כָּל־דִּבְרֵי הַתּוֹרָה הַזֹּאת הַכְּתֻבִים בַּסֵּפֶר הַזֶּה לְיִרְאָה אֶת־הַשֵּׁם הַנִּכְבָּד וְהַנּוֹרָא הַזֶּה אֵת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ׃ If you do not guard and do all the words of this Torah written in this book, to fear this glorious and awesome Name — the Lord your God... Status: strong support. What it establishes: - The Name must evoke trembling. - One must not treat the Name as an ordinary sound. - Fear of the Name is connected with fulfillment of the Torah. Conclusion of Pshat: On the literal level, the commandment has a very firm foundation in the Tanakh: it is forbidden to curse, blaspheme, take up in vain, use falsely, and profane the Name of God. Formula of Pshat with Tanakhic support: Do not curse the Name, do not pronounce the Name in vain, do not swear by it falsely, and do not profane it in the human world. III. REMEZ: NAME AS A CHANNEL OF PRESENCE, MEMORY, AND CONNECTION Original claim of the text: “A name is the point of connection between the inner and the outer. As long as a thing has a name, it can be called, recognized, remembered, transmitted, protected.” This is not the direct pshat of Leviticus 24, but the Tanakh has a powerful basis for understanding the Name as a channel of presence, memory, and address. 1. Exodus 3:13–15 — the Name as address and memory of generations וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה אֶל־הָאֱלֹהִים הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי בָא אֶל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתִּי לָהֶם אֱלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם שְׁלָחַנִי אֲלֵיכֶם וְאָמְרוּ־לִי מַה־שְּׁמוֹ מָה אֹמַר אֲלֵהֶם׃ And Moses said to God: behold, I will come to the children of Israel and say to them: the God of your fathers has sent me to you; and they will say to me: what is His Name? What shall I say to them? Exodus 3:13 וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים אֶל־מֹשֶׁה אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה... And God said to Moses: I will be / I am that which I will be / am... Exodus 3:14 זֶה־שְּׁמִי לְעֹלָם וְזֶה זִכְרִי לְדֹר דֹּר׃ This is My Name forever, and this is My remembrance from generation to generation. Exodus 3:15 Status: strong support. What it establishes: - The Name is connected not only with sound, but with God’s disclosure in history. - The Name is transmitted as the memory of generations. - The Name is the means of addressing God and recognizing Him as the God of the fathers. Connection with Remez: If the Name is memory and a channel of address, then damaging the Name damages not merely a word, but the connection of generations, memory, and presence. 2. Deuteronomy 12:5 — the place where God places His Name כִּי אִם־אֶל־הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר־יִבְחַר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם מִכָּל־שִׁבְטֵיכֶם לָשׂוּם אֶת־שְׁמוֹ שָׁם לְשִׁכְנוֹ תִדְרְשׁוּ וּבָאתָ שָׁמָּה׃ But to the place that the Lord your God will choose from all your tribes, to place His Name there, to His dwelling you shall seek and there you shall come. Status: strong support. What it establishes: - The Name is connected with the presence of God in a place. - “Name” here is not merely a pronounced label, but a mode of God’s presence among people. Connection with Remez: If God “places the Name” in a place, then the Name truly is a point of connection between the invisible Source and manifested reality. 3. 1 Kings 8:27–30 — God is not contained in the house, but His Name is there כִּי הַאֻמְנָם יֵשֵׁב אֱלֹהִים עַל־הָאָרֶץ הִנֵּה הַשָּׁמַיִם וּשְׁמֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם לֹא יְכַלְכְּלוּךָ אַף כִּי־הַבַּיִת הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר בָּנִיתִי׃ But will God truly dwell on the earth? Behold, the heavens and the heavens of heavens cannot contain You, how much less this house that I have built. 1 Kings 8:27 לִהְיוֹת עֵינֶךָ פְתֻחוֹת אֶל־הַבַּיִת הַזֶּה לַיְלָה וָיוֹם אֶל־הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר אָמַרְתָּ יִהְיֶה שְׁמִי שָׁם... That Your eyes may be open toward this house night and day, toward the place of which You said: My Name shall be there... 1 Kings 8:29 Status: strong support. What it establishes: - The Name is not equal to the full essence of God. - God is not contained in a place, but the Name makes the place a point of address. - The Name is a channel of relation, not an object of possession. Connection with the original text: On the Sod level it was said: “The Name is not the whole essence of God, but the mode through which a human being addresses Him.” 1 Kings 8 directly gives this structure: God is not contained by the Temple, but His Name is connected with the place of prayer. 4. Numbers 6:22–27 — the Name as bearer of blessing כֹּה תְבָרֲכוּ אֶת־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אָמוֹר לָהֶם׃ Thus you shall bless the children of Israel, saying to them... Numbers 6:23 יְבָרֶכְךָ יְהוָה וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ׃ May the Lord bless you and guard you. Numbers 6:24 וְשָׂמוּ אֶת־שְׁמִי עַל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַאֲנִי אֲבָרֲכֵם׃ And they shall place / set My Name upon the children of Israel, and I shall bless them. Numbers 6:27 Status: strong support. What it establishes: - The word can be a channel of blessing. - The Name of God can be “placed” upon people. - Blessing is not empty speech: through the Name it connects people with the Source. Connection with Remez: The original text says: “The word can bless, and it can destroy.” Numbers 6 gives the strongest foundation for the first half: a word spoken according to the commandment bears blessing through the Name. 5. Proverbs 18:10 — the Name as protection מִגְדַּל־עֹז שֵׁם יְהוָה בּוֹ־יָרוּץ צַדִּיק וְנִשְׂגָּב׃ The Name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous runs into it and is lifted up / protected. Status: strong support. What it establishes: - The Name has not only nominal force, but protective force. - The Name is a place of refuge, not merely a sound. Connection with Remez: If the Name can be a strong tower, then destruction of the Name is destruction of protection, orientation, and connection. 6. Proverbs 22:1 / Ecclesiastes 7:1 — the human name as a value Proverbs 22:1: נִבְחָר שֵׁם מֵעֹשֶׁר רָב מִכֶּסֶף וּמִזָּהָב חֵן טוֹב׃ A good name is preferable to great wealth; good favor is preferable to silver and gold. Ecclesiastes 7:1: טוֹב שֵׁם מִשֶּׁמֶן טוֹב... A good name is better than good oil... Status: strong support for the extension to the human name. What it establishes: - A person’s name is not an empty label. - A name is connected with dignity, memory, honor, trust. - Damage to a person’s name is real harm. Connection with Remez: When the original text says “one must not blacken a person’s name,” this is not the direct law of Birkat ha-Shem, but the Tanakh itself recognizes a person’s name as a high value. 7. Genesis 11:4 — name as collective selfhood וַיֹּאמְרוּ הָבָה נִבְנֶה־לָּנוּ עִיר וּמִגְדָּל וְרֹאשׁוֹ בַשָּׁמַיִם וְנַעֲשֶׂה־לָּנוּ שֵׁם... And they said: let us build ourselves a city and a tower, with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves... Status: extension. What it establishes: - A name can become a project of self-exaltation. - A name can be torn away from God and turned into a collective idol. Connection with Remez: This is a warning: a name can be not only a channel of connection with the Source, but also an instrument of autonomous self-deification. Conclusion of Remez: The Tanakh gives strong support for understanding name as a channel of presence, memory, blessing, protection, dignity, and connection. Therefore the extension of the commandment from direct blasphemy of the Name of God to caution with name in general is not arbitrary, but must remain specifically on the level of Remez/Derash, not as the literal law of Birkat ha-Shem. IV. DERASH: RESPONSIBILITY FOR SPEECH, FALSEHOOD, SLANDER, TESTIMONY, AND HOLY WORDS Original claim of the text: “Human speech is not a private toy. Through speech one can build, but one is forbidden to destroy the shared reality.” The Tanakh gives this a very broad foundation. 1. Proverbs 18:21 — death and life are in the power of the tongue מָוֶת וְחַיִּים בְּיַד־לָשׁוֹן וְאֹהֲבֶיהָ יֹאכַל פִּרְיָהּ׃ Death and life are in the power of the tongue; those who love it will eat its fruit. Status: strong support. What it establishes: - The word is not neutral. - The tongue can give life or bring death. - Speech has fruit, consequences, return. Connection with Derash: This is a direct foundation for the phrase: “the word can bless, and it can destroy.” 2. Proverbs 12:18 — the word as sword and the word as healing יֵשׁ בּוֹטֶה כְּמַדְקְרוֹת חָרֶב וּלְשׁוֹן חֲכָמִים מַרְפֵּא׃ There is one who speaks rashly, like thrusts of a sword; but the tongue of the wise is healing. Status: strong support. What it establishes: - Speech can be a weapon. - Speech can be healing. - Tone, motive, and wisdom of speech have moral weight. Connection with the original text: “One can name pain with compassion, but under the guise of help one is forbidden to use ‘rebuke’ as a weapon.” Proverbs 12:18 directly supports this distinction. 3. Proverbs 15:4 — the tongue as tree of life or fracture of spirit מַרְפֵּא לָשׁוֹן עֵץ חַיִּים וְסֶלֶף בָּהּ שֶׁבֶר בְּרוּחַ׃ A healing tongue is a tree of life; but distortion in it is a breaking of the spirit. Status: strong support. What it establishes: - Speech is connected with life. - Distortion of speech breaks the spirit. - Language can be not only information, but a channel of life. Connection with Derash and the fifth level: This is almost a direct Tanakhic foundation for the thought: “the word touches the living tissue of the world.” 4. Psalm 34:14–15 — guarding the tongue נְצֹר לְשׁוֹנְךָ מֵרָע וּשְׂפָתֶיךָ מִדַּבֵּר מִרְמָה׃ Guard your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. סוּר מֵרָע וַעֲשֵׂה־טוֹב בַּקֵּשׁ שָׁלוֹם וְרָדְפֵהוּ׃ Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. Status: strong support. What it establishes: - Guarding the tongue is part of the path of good. - Falsehood and evil speech are connected with the disruption of peace. Connection with the original text: The fifth level says: a person begins to guard speech not only out of fear of punishment. Psalm 34 gives the direct language of this guarding: “guard your tongue.” 5. Psalm 141:3 — a prayer for a guard over the mouth שִׁיתָה יְהוָה שָׁמְרָה לְפִי נִצְּרָה עַל־דַּל שְׂפָתָי׃ Set, O Lord, a guard over my mouth; a watch at the door of my lips. Status: strong support for the embodied level. What it establishes: - A person does not always govern his own speech. - Guarding the mouth is spiritual work. - Speech requires inner discipline and prayer. 6. Exodus 23:1 — false report / false rumor לֹא תִשָּׂא שֵׁמַע שָׁוְא אַל־תָּשֶׁת יָדְךָ עִם־רָשָׁע לִהְיֹת עֵד חָמָס׃ Do not take up a false report; do not join your hand with the wicked to be a witness of violence. Status: strong support. What it establishes: - Speech can participate in violence. - A false report destroys truth and judgment. - Not every “I merely repeated words” is innocent. Connection with Derash: This supports the prohibition of destroying name, trust, and the possibility of truth through speech. 7. Exodus 20:16 / Deuteronomy 5:20 — false testimony לֹא־תַעֲנֶה בְרֵעֲךָ עֵד שָׁקֶר׃ Do not answer / testify against your neighbor as a false witness. Status: direct support for the ethics of testimony. What it establishes: - Falsehood in public speech destroys the neighbor. - Truth of speech is connected with judgment and human dignity. 8. Leviticus 19:16 — do not go about as a talebearer לֹא־תֵלֵךְ רָכִיל בְּעַמֶּיךָ לֹא תַעֲמֹד עַל־דַּם רֵעֶךָ אֲנִי יְהוָה׃ Do not go about as a talebearer among your people; do not stand over the blood of your neighbor; I am the Lord. Status: strong support. What it establishes: - Gossip and the carrying of evil speech are forbidden. - Speech can be connected with the blood of one’s neighbor, that is, with his life and safety. Connection with the original text: When the text says that slander damages name and dignity, Leviticus 19:16 gives direct support. 9. Zechariah 8:16–17 — speak truth; do not love false oaths דַּבְּרוּ אֱמֶת אִישׁ אֶת־רֵעֵהוּ אֱמֶת וּמִשְׁפַּט שָׁלוֹם שִׁפְטוּ בְּשַׁעֲרֵיכֶם׃ Speak truth each person to his neighbor; judge truth, justice, and peace in your gates. וְאִישׁ אֶת־רָעַת רֵעֵהוּ אַל־תַּחְשְׁבוּ בִּלְבַבְכֶם וּשְׁבֻעַת שֶׁקֶר אַל־תֶּאֱהָבוּ כִּי אֶת־כָּל־אֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר שָׂנֵאתִי נְאֻם־יְהוָה׃ And do not devise evil against one another in your heart, and do not love a false oath; for all these things I hate, says the Lord. Status: strong support. What it establishes: - Speech of truth is connected with peace. - A false oath is hated by God. - Inner motive and external speech are connected. Connection with the original text: Derash requires distinguishing the motive of speech: interest/contempt, pain/cynicism, protest/blasphemy. Zechariah connects speech, heart, and judgment. 10. Isaiah 5:20 — do not call evil good הוֹי הָאֹמְרִים לָרַע טוֹב וְלַטּוֹב רָע שָׂמִים חֹשֶׁךְ לְאוֹר וְאוֹר לְחֹשֶׁךְ שָׂמִים מַר לְמָתוֹק וּמָתוֹק לְמָר׃ Woe to those who call evil good and good evil; who put darkness for light and light for darkness, bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Status: strong support. What it establishes: - Speech can invert moral orientation. - Naming good evil and evil good is a spiritual catastrophe. Connection with the original text: In Remez it was said: “one must not call good naivety, and evil strength.” Isaiah 5:20 is the direct Tanakhic foundation for this claim. 11. Deuteronomy 18:20 — false “in the name of God” אַךְ הַנָּבִיא אֲשֶׁר יָזִיד לְדַבֵּר דָּבָר בִּשְׁמִי אֵת אֲשֶׁר לֹא־צִוִּיתִיו לְדַבֵּר וַאֲשֶׁר יְדַבֵּר בְּשֵׁם אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים וּמֵת הַנָּבִיא הַהוּא׃ But the prophet who presumptuously speaks in My Name a word that I did not command him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods — that prophet shall die. Status: strong support. What it establishes: - One must not cover one’s own words with the Name of God. - Appropriating the formula “thus says the Lord” without command is a severe violation. - Holy speech does not belong to the person as an instrument of power. Connection with the original text: This is a direct foundation for the phrase: “When he says ‘God wants’ but covers his pride, fear, or interest, this can be a more dangerous form of blasphemy.” 12. Jeremiah 23:25–32, 36 — perversion of the words of the living God Key motif: God rebukes prophets who say “I dreamed,” “the utterance of the Lord,” but in reality steal words from one another, deceive the people, and speak from themselves. Jeremiah 23:31: הִנְנִי עַל־הַנְּבִיאִים נְאֻם־יְהוָה הַלֹּקְחִים לְשׁוֹנָם וַיִּנְאֲמוּ נְאֻם׃ Behold, I am against the prophets, says the Lord, who take their tongue and declare: “an utterance.” Jeremiah 23:36: ...וַהֲפַכְתֶּם אֶת־דִּבְרֵי אֱלֹהִים חַיִּים יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת אֱלֹהֵינוּ׃ ...and you have distorted the words of the living God, the Lord of hosts, our God. Status: strong support. What it establishes: - One can damage not only the Name, but also the “words of the living God.” - A religious phrase can be formally sacred but internally false. - False prophetic language is a form of profanation. Connection with the original text: “To speak about God without God” and “to speak about truth without responsibility” are not direct quotations from the Tanakh, but Jeremiah 23 gives precisely this logic. 13. Numbers 30:3 / Deuteronomy 23:24 — promise and the word that has gone out of the mouth Numbers 30:3: אִישׁ כִּי־יִדֹּר נֶדֶר לַיהוָה אוֹ־הִשָּׁבַע שְׁבֻעָה לֶאְסֹר אִסָּר עַל־נַפְשׁוֹ לֹא יַחֵל דְּבָרוֹ כְּכָל־הַיֹּצֵא מִפִּיו יַעֲשֶׂה׃ If a person makes a vow to the Lord or swears an oath, binding himself with an obligation, he shall not violate his word; according to everything that goes out of his mouth, he shall do. Deuteronomy 23:24: מוֹצָא שְׂפָתֶיךָ תִּשְׁמֹר וְעָשִׂיתָ... That which goes out of your lips you shall guard and do... Status: strong support. What it establishes: - A word creates obligation. - A promise is not an empty sound. - Speech must be connected with action. Connection with the original text: On the fifth level it was said: “when a promise is spoken without an intention to fulfill it — the word becomes polluted.” These verses give this a direct foundation. 14. Isaiah 29:13 — lips near, heart far away יַעַן כִּי נִגַּשׁ הָעָם הַזֶּה בְּפִיו וּבִשְׂפָתָיו כִּבְּדוּנִי וְלִבּוֹ רִחַק מִמֶּנִּי... Because this people draw near to Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me... Status: strong support. What it establishes: - One must not pronounce correct religious words without inner connection. - Speech detached from the heart damages service. Connection with the original text: “Prayer becomes a mechanism without inner content,” “the holy word is spoken without trembling” — Isaiah 29:13 gives a direct Tanakhic foundation. 15. Habakkuk 1:2–3 / Psalm 22:2 / Jeremiah 12:1 — question, pain, and protest are not equal to blasphemy Habakkuk 1:2: עַד־אָנָה יְהוָה שִׁוַּעְתִּי וְלֹא תִשְׁמָע... How long, O Lord, shall I cry out, and You will not hear? Psalm 22:2: אֵלִי אֵלִי לָמָה עֲזַבְתָּנִי... My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Jeremiah 12:1: צַדִּיק אַתָּה יְהוָה כִּי אָרִיב אֵלֶיךָ אַךְ מִשְׁפָּטִים אֲדַבֵּר אֹתָךְ מַדּוּעַ דֶּרֶךְ רְשָׁעִים צָלֵחָה... Righteous are You, O Lord, when I contend with You; yet I will speak with You about judgments: why does the way of the wicked prosper? Status: important limitation. What it establishes: - The Tanakh knows the form of pain, question, outcry, and even dispute with God. - Not every difficult question is blasphemy. - The difference between a lament of faith and speech of contempt is real. Connection with the original text: The text says: “not every cry of pain against Heaven is equal to a conscious curse of the Name.” These verses support this boundary. Conclusion of Derash: The Tanakh does not limit the problem of speech only to direct blasphemy. It constantly shows that the tongue can lie, heal, kill, restore, testify, swear, bless, profane, raise a false report, turn evil into good and good into evil. Therefore the Derash-extension of the commandment Birkat ha-Shem to responsibility for speech has a strong Tanakhic foundation. V. SOD: WORD, NAME, CREATION, AND THE CHANNEL OF PRESENCE Original claim of the text: “On the level of Sod, speech has ontological force. The word not only communicates, but also connects, separates, forms, summons, blesses, curses, opens, or closes.” The Tanakh does not speak in the language of Sefer Yetzirah, sefirot, or kabbalistic channels. But the Tanakh gives a very powerful foundation for the idea itself: the world is connected with the word of God; the Name is connected with presence; the human word can participate in blessing, oath, prayer, prophecy, or falsehood. 1. Genesis 1 — creation through speech וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים יְהִי אוֹר וַיְהִי־אוֹר׃ And God said: let there be light; and there was light. Genesis 1:3 Status: basic Tanakhic support for the power of the word. What it establishes: - In the Tanakh, God’s word does not merely communicate — it creates. - Speech is not only a description of reality, but an act through which reality receives form. 2. Psalm 33:6, 9 — the heavens were made by the word of the Lord בִּדְבַר יְהוָה שָׁמַיִם נַעֲשׂוּ וּבְרוּחַ פִּיו כָּל־צְבָאָם׃ By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their host. Psalm 33:6 כִּי הוּא אָמַר וַיֶּהִי הוּא־צִוָּה וַיַּעֲמֹד׃ For He spoke — and it came to be; He commanded — and it stood. Psalm 33:9 Status: strong support. What it establishes: - The word is connected with being. - The breath of God’s mouth is connected with the order of the world. - Speech has an ontological dimension. Connection with Sod: The kabbalistic language of letters as channels of form is not the pshat of this psalm, but Psalm 33 gives a Tanakhic foundation: the word of God truly forms the world. 3. Isaiah 55:10–11 — the word of God does not return empty כֵּן יִהְיֶה דְבָרִי אֲשֶׁר יֵצֵא מִפִּי לֹא־יָשׁוּב אֵלַי רֵיקָם כִּי אִם־עָשָׂה אֶת־אֲשֶׁר חָפַצְתִּי וְהִצְלִיחַ אֲשֶׁר שְׁלַחְתִּיו׃ So shall My word be that goes out from My mouth: it shall not return to Me empty, but shall accomplish that which I desired and succeed in that for which I sent it. Status: strong support. What it establishes: - The word of God has mission, action, fulfillment. - The word is not an empty sign. Connection with Sod: This is a foundation for understanding the word as bearing the power of fulfillment, not merely information. 4. Exodus 20:21 / 20:24 in different enumerations — the place of remembrance of the Name and blessing בְּכָל־הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר אַזְכִּיר אֶת־שְׁמִי אָבוֹא אֵלֶיךָ וּבֵרַכְתִּיךָ׃ In every place where I cause My Name to be remembered / mentioned, I will come to you and bless you. Status: strong support. What it establishes: - The mentioning of the Name is connected with God’s coming and blessing. - The Name is a point of encounter, not merely a designation. Connection with Sod: The original text says: “The Name is a channel of manifestation.” This verse gives it a direct Tanakhic form: where the Name is properly remembered, God comes and blesses. 5. Joel 3:5 / 2:32 in another numbering — calling upon the Name as salvation וְהָיָה כֹּל אֲשֶׁר־יִקְרָא בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה יִמָּלֵט... And it shall be: everyone who calls upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved / delivered... Status: strong support. What it establishes: - The Name is a channel of address and salvation. - Calling upon the Name is an action that changes a person’s position before God. 6. Psalm 145:18 — God is near to all who call upon Him in truth קָרוֹב יְהוָה לְכָל־קֹרְאָיו לְכֹל אֲשֶׁר יִקְרָאֻהוּ בֶאֱמֶת׃ The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. Status: strong support. What it establishes: - Not every utterance is equal to true calling. - The Name must be called upon in truth. - Speech without truth does not create proper nearness. Connection with the original text: “Do not speak about God without God” — Psalm 145:18 gives this an exact form: one must call “in truth.” 7. Malachi 1:6, 11, 14 — the Name must be honored and feared Malachi 1:6: בֵּן יְכַבֵּד אָב וְעֶבֶד אֲדֹנָיו וְאִם־אָב אָנִי אַיֵּה כְבוֹדִי וְאִם־אֲדוֹנִים אָנִי אַיֵּה מוֹרָאִי... A son honors his father, and a servant his master; if I am Father, where is My honor? If I am Master, where is the fear of Me? Malachi 1:11: כִּי מִמִּזְרַח־שֶׁמֶשׁ וְעַד־מְבוֹאוֹ גָּדוֹל שְׁמִי בַּגּוֹיִם... For from the rising of the sun to its setting, My Name is great among the nations... Malachi 1:14: כִּי מֶלֶךְ גָּדוֹל אָנִי אָמַר יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת וּשְׁמִי נוֹרָא בַגּוֹיִם׃ For I am a great King, says the Lord of hosts, and My Name is awesome / evokes trembling among the nations. Status: strong support. What it establishes: - The Name must be connected with honor and trembling. - The Name has a universal dimension; it extends beyond one private group. - Profanation of the Name is the opposite of honor and fear. Conclusion of Sod: The Tanakh does not give a kabbalistic scheme of letters as vessels and channels, but it repeatedly shows: God creates by word; the Name is connected with presence; calling upon the Name is connected with salvation, blessing, and nearness; false or empty speech damages relation to the living God. Therefore the Sod-level of the original text has a Tanakhic foundation, if understood as an expanded reading rather than as the direct literal meaning. VI. THE FIFTH LEVEL: EMBODIED GUARDING OF SPEECH AND SANCTIFICATION OF THE NAME Original claim of the text: “The fifth level is when a person begins to guard his speech not out of fear of punishment, but because he feels: the word touches the living tissue of the world.” For this level, the Tanakh gives not one technical law, but a series of prayers, instructions, and prophetic rebukes. 1. Psalm 19:15 — the words of the mouth and the meditation of the heart יִהְיוּ לְרָצוֹן אִמְרֵי־פִי וְהֶגְיוֹן לִבִּי לְפָנֶיךָ יְהוָה צוּרִי וְגֹאֲלִי׃ May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable before You, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Status: strong support for the fifth level. What it establishes: - Speech and heart must be joined before God. - A person cares not only whether words are formally permitted, but whether they are acceptable to God. - The word has an inner source in the heart. Connection with the original text: On the fifth level, the person asks: “What does this word do? Is there fear of Heaven in it? Is there mercy in it?” Psalm 19:15 gives precisely this inner examination. 2. Psalm 141:3 — set a guard over my mouth שִׁיתָה יְהוָה שָׁמְרָה לְפִי נִצְּרָה עַל־דַּל שְׂפָתָי׃ Set, O Lord, a guard over my mouth; a watch at the door of my lips. Status: strong support. What it establishes: - Guarding speech is not only law, but a prayerful state. - A person acknowledges that the tongue needs a guard. 3. Deuteronomy 10:20 — fear, service, cleaving, and the Name אֶת־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ תִּירָא אֹתוֹ תַעֲבֹד וּבוֹ תִדְבָּק וּבִשְׁמוֹ תִּשָּׁבֵעַ׃ The Lord your God you shall fear; Him you shall serve, to Him you shall cleave, and by His Name you shall swear. Status: strong support. What it establishes: - The Name is connected with fear of God, service, and dvekut / cleaving. - Proper use of the Name is not separated from the state of one’s whole life. Connection with the fifth level: This is especially important: relation to the Name is connected not only with the prohibition of blasphemy, but with cleaving to God. 4. Deuteronomy 6:6–7 — words on the heart and in the speech of life וְהָיוּ הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם עַל־לְבָבֶךָ׃ And these words that I command you today shall be upon your heart. וְשִׁנַּנְתָּם לְבָנֶיךָ וְדִבַּרְתָּ בָּם... And you shall repeat them to your children, and you shall speak of them... Status: strong support. What it establishes: - Holy words must be in the heart, not only on the lips. - Speech must become part of a way of life: house, road, lying down, rising up. Connection with the original text: The fifth level says: speech ceases to be an empty instrument and becomes a mode of presence. 5. Joshua 1:8 — the Torah in the mouth and in meditation לֹא־יָמוּשׁ סֵפֶר הַתּוֹרָה הַזֶּה מִפִּיךָ וְהָגִיתָ בּוֹ יוֹמָם וָלַיְלָה... Let this book of the Torah not depart from your mouth, and meditate on it day and night... Status: strong support. What it establishes: - Holy speech must be joined with constant inner meditation. - Mouth and consciousness work together. 6. Malachi 3:16 — those who fear the Lord speak to one another and think upon His Name אָז נִדְבְּרוּ יִרְאֵי יְהוָה אִישׁ אֶת־רֵעֵהוּ וַיַּקְשֵׁב יְהוָה וַיִּשְׁמָע וַיִּכָּתֵב סֵפֶר זִכָּרוֹן לְפָנָיו לְיִרְאֵי יְהוָה וּלְחֹשְׁבֵי שְׁמוֹ׃ Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another; and the Lord listened and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and think upon His Name. Status: strong support. What it establishes: - There is speech that God listens to. - Those who fear the Lord speak differently. - Thought about the Name becomes an inner state. Connection with the fifth level: This is one of the strongest verses for the final formula: “Become one whose speech reflects the Source into the world.” 7. Ezekiel 36:20–23 — behavior can profane the Name וַיָּבוֹא אֶל־הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר־בָּאוּ שָׁם וַיְחַלְּלוּ אֶת־שֵׁם קָדְשִׁי... And they came to the nations where they came, and they profaned My holy Name... Ezekiel 36:20 וְקִדַּשְׁתִּי אֶת־שְׁמִי הַגָּדוֹל הַמְחֻלָּל בַּגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר חִלַּלְתֶּם בְּתוֹכָם... And I will sanctify My great Name, profaned among the nations, which you have profaned among them... Ezekiel 36:23 Status: strong support. What it establishes: - The Name of God can be profaned not only by direct speech, but also by the behavior of the people. - External life can make the Name of God humiliated among the nations. - Sanctification of the Name is the restoration of God’s visibility in the world. Connection with the original text: The text says: “a person may not utter direct blasphemy, yet live in such a way that his speech is separated from the Source.” Ezekiel 36 expands this even further: not only speech, but the whole life can profane the Name. 8. 2 Samuel 12:14 — David’s act gave enemies occasion to blaspheme אֶפֶס כִּי־נִאֵץ נִאַצְתָּ אֶת־אֹיְבֵי יְהוָה בַּדָּבָר הַזֶּה... But because by this deed you have given the enemies of the Lord occasion to blaspheme / despise... Status: strong support. What it establishes: - A person’s sin can give others occasion to blaspheme God. - Profanation of the Name happens not only through pronouncing the Name, but also through the mismatch between declared holiness and lived conduct. Connection with the original text: When the text says that “pious words used for self-assertion profane the Name,” 2 Samuel 12:14 shows the general principle: the act of a religious person can become an occasion for blasphemy. Conclusion of the fifth level: The Tanakh gives foundations not only for the legal prohibition of blasphemy, but also for the inner discipline of speech: the words of the mouth must be acceptable to God; the tongue must be guarded; the Name is connected with fear, service, and cleaving; holy words must be on the heart; a person’s life can sanctify or profane the Name. VII. SUMMARY TABLE OF FOUNDATIONS Pshat: Leviticus 24:15–16 Direct prohibition of blaspheming / cursing the Name. Exodus 20:7 / Deuteronomy 5:11 Do not take up the Name of the Lord in vain / falsely. Leviticus 19:12 Do not swear by My Name falsely; by this the Name is profaned. Leviticus 22:32 Do not profane My holy Name; I shall be sanctified. Deuteronomy 28:58 One must fear the glorious and awesome Name. Remez: Exodus 3:13–15 The Name as disclosure, memory, and address of generations. Deuteronomy 12:5 The place where God places His Name. 1 Kings 8:27–30 God is not contained by the Temple, but His Name is connected with the place of address. Numbers 6:22–27 The Name is placed upon Israel as a channel of blessing. Proverbs 18:10 The Name of the Lord is a strong tower. Proverbs 22:1 / Ecclesiastes 7:1 A person’s good name is a great value. Genesis 11:4 A name can be turned into a project of autonomous self-exaltation. Derash: Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue. Proverbs 12:18 A word can wound like a sword or heal. Proverbs 15:4 A healing tongue is a tree of life; distortion of the tongue breaks the spirit. Psalm 34:14–15 Guard your tongue from evil and your lips from deceit. Psalm 141:3 Set a guard over my mouth. Exodus 23:1 Do not take up a false report. Exodus 20:16 / Deuteronomy 5:20 Do not testify falsely. Leviticus 19:16 Do not go about as a talebearer among the people. Zechariah 8:16–17 Speak truth; do not love a false oath. Isaiah 5:20 Do not call evil good and good evil. Deuteronomy 18:20 Do not speak in My Name what I did not command. Jeremiah 23:25–36 False religious speech distorts the words of the living God. Numbers 30:3 / Deuteronomy 23:24 Fulfill what has gone out of your mouth. Isaiah 29:13 The lips honor, but the heart is far away: religious speech can be empty. Habakkuk 1:2 / Psalm 22:2 / Jeremiah 12:1 Question and lament before God are not equal to blasphemy if they seek truth before Him. Sod: Genesis 1:3 God speaks — and reality comes into being. Psalm 33:6, 9 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made; He spoke — and it came to be. Isaiah 55:10–11 The word of God does not return empty, but accomplishes what it was sent to do. Exodus 20:21 / 20:24 Where the Name is remembered, God comes and blesses. Joel 3:5 / 2:32 The one who calls upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved. Psalm 145:18 The Lord is near to all who call upon Him in truth. Malachi 1:6, 11, 14 The Name must be honored, great, and awesome. The fifth level: Psalm 19:15 The words of the mouth and the meditation of the heart must be acceptable to God. Psalm 141:3 Guard the mouth. Deuteronomy 10:20 Fear God, serve Him, cleave to Him, and swear by His Name. Deuteronomy 6:6–7 The words must be on the heart and in the speech of life. Joshua 1:8 The Torah must not depart from the mouth; one meditates on it day and night. Malachi 3:16 Those who fear the Lord speak with one another and think upon His Name. Ezekiel 36:20–23 The life of the people can profane or sanctify the Name among the nations. 2 Samuel 12:14 An act can give enemies occasion to blaspheme the Lord. VIII. THE HONEST BOUNDARY OF INTERPRETATION 1. What stands directly in the Tanakh: - one must not blaspheme / curse the Name; - one must not take up the Name in vain; - one must not swear falsely by the Name; - one must not profane the Name; - the Name must be sanctified; - the tongue can bring life or death; - false speech, false testimony, slander, and false prophecy are forbidden; - the word of God creates and acts; - the Name is connected with presence, memory, blessing, and prayer. 2. What is a strong extension: - the human name as a channel of dignity and memory; - speech as creation or destruction of the shared world; - religious speech without inner truth as a form of profanation; - a person’s behavior as a cause of blasphemy of the Name by others; - guarding the tongue as an inner mode of service. 3. What is already Sod/ontological language: - the Name as a channel of manifestation of the Infinite; - the word as a channel of form; - damage to speech as damage to the channel of form; - blasphemy as anti-connection; - the holy word without holiness as the closing of the channel of light. These claims are not the direct pshat of the Tanakh, but they rest on the Tanakhic structure: God creates by word; the Name carries presence; calling upon the Name opens nearness; false speech and false use of the Name profane; the behavior of the people can profane the Name among the nations. IX. FINAL FORMULA WITH TANAKHIC FOUNDATION Birkat ha-Shem / ברכת השם has a direct foundation in Leviticus 24:15–16: one must not blaspheme or curse the Name of God. Exodus 20:7 and Deuteronomy 5:11 expand the literal boundary: the Name must not be taken up in vain. Leviticus 19:12 shows that falsehood joined to the Name profanes the Name. Leviticus 22:32 shows the positive side: the Name must be sanctified. Proverbs, Psalms, and the prophets reveal that language is not an empty instrument: death and life are in the power of the tongue; the word can be a sword or healing; a false word destroys judgment and trust; false “in the name of God” distorts the words of the living God. Genesis 1, Psalm 33, and Isaiah 55 give the deep foundation: the word of God does not merely communicate, but creates, establishes, and fulfills. Therefore the final formula of the original interpretation has a Tanakhic foundation: Do not destroy the connection with the Source through the word. Literally: Do not blaspheme the Name. Verbally: Do not take up the Name emptily, and do not cover falsehood with a holy word. Ethically: Do not speak in such a way as to destroy name, trust, truth, and dignity. Spiritually: Do not separate the word from the Source before whom it must stand in truth. Embodied: May the words of the mouth and the meditation of the heart be acceptable before the Lord; may human speech not profane the Name, but sanctify it in the world.