Is God a he-she? [2008-08-14 Chicago Tribune]

http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/religion_theseeker/2008/08/is-god-a-he-she.html

August 14, 2008

The journal of Reform rabbis published an article this week
proclaiming that if the four-letter Hebrew name of God were spelled
backward and pronounced, it would sound like the Hebrew words for "he"
and "she."

Held by Jewish tradition to be unpronounceable, the Tetragrammaton is
often replaced by "Adonai" or "Lord" when Jews read scripture.
Christians often pronounce it as Yahweh or Jehovah.

Could Yahweh have both a yin and a yang? Does God’s gender matter?

Rabbi Mark Sameth, the New York rabbi behind the article, said yes
indeed. Based on 13 years of study, he has concluded that God is a
hermaphrodite.

"If we read the text as a mystic might, paying extremely close
attention, assuming that the text conceals more than it reveals, we
may find hints regarding God’s androgynous nature, so to speak,
peeking out through the surface level of the Torah," he wrote in the
article published this week in the CCAR (Central Conference of
American Rabbis) Journal.

"If Moses’ name spelled backward becomes the name HaShem [God’s name,]
might not God’s name spelled backward similarly reflect something
essential about humankind? Indeed it does."

The four consonants that make up the Tetragrammaton appear 6,823 times
in the Hebrew Bible. Since early Hebrew script included no vowels, the
pronunciation of the name was known only by those who heard it.

According to Sameth’s research, ancient Israelites sprinkled the
Tetragrammaton into everyday salutations until 586 B.C.E., when the
First Temple was destroyed. Eventually, it was uttered only by
priests. After the destruction of the Second Temple, it was no longer
pronounced at all.

Sameth argues that when the four letters are arranged in their proper
order, they spell out the sounds of "hu" and "he," the Hebrew words
for "he" and "she." Therefore, he concludes, the ancient Israelites’
notion of God was not masculine, but dual-gendered, or hermaphroditic.

Sameth doesn’t advocate suddenly saying the name—backward or forward.
But he does encourage Jews to open their minds and think more
inclusively about God.

Rabbi Peter Knobel of Beth Emet the Free synagogue in Evanston praised
Sameth’s theory as "creative."

"In truth and error all we really know is that this name has become
the precious name," said Knobel, president of the CCAR. "It’s so
precious we choose not to pronounce it. It represents a deity who is
beyond definition."

"I see a lovely rabbinic sermon," he added. "I might even use it some
time."