Wednesday, January 23, 2019

I or i

Yisro says אני חתנך יתרו בא אליך.  Hashem says אנכי ה' אלקיך.  What is the difference between the word אני and the word אנכי?  The Malbim explains that the word אנכי is used to put emphasis on the person, אנכי יושב means it is I that am sitting on the chair.  The word אני puts emphasis on the action, אני יושב means to emphasis that the action being done is sitting.  Most times through Tanach the word אנכי is used by Hashem.  Hashem introduces himself that is is I who is God.  However, Yisro comes with humility, there is someone coming, it happens to be me.
מענין לענין באותו ענין, the midrash says that the word אנכי is an Egytian word  Why would Hashem introduce Himself with a foreign language?  The Rebbe explains (Likutay Sichos volume 3) that the point of mattan Torah was to be able to bring down the Torah to have an effect on the physical world.  Even the language foreign nations which were opposed to Bnei Yisroel can and must be used for kedusha
The Gemorah Shabbos (105a) says the word אנכי stands for אני נפשי כתבת ויהבת.  By learning Torah, one isn't learning just a divine wisdom; one is attaching to Hashem himself!  The Tanya explains this in detail in Ch. 4-5 based upon the principal of the Rambam that God and His wisdom are one, hence the Torah, God's wisdom is God.  His gives a parable that when one learns Torah it is as if he is hugging the king himself!   

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