What is the Hebrew Word for “I”? Biblical Hebrew has far fewer words than English; the scarcity of words can be seen as a limitation to expressing precise ideas, but it also has powerful advantages. In Hebrew, many words share similar roots, which invites us to find connections between concepts and phenomena that seem unrelated, giving us a glimpse into deeper dimensions of reality. One interesting exception, where Hebrew is perhaps more descriptive than English, is the word “I”, where Hebrew has two ways of saying “I”: the common word in the Torah is “Ani”, yet occasionally the Torah uses the word “Anochi”; for example, the opening statement of the ten commandments, “I am the Lord your G-d” is “Anochi” for “I”. The word “I” written on paper is silent; it does not tell us the tone in which the word is spoken. When someone asks: “Who did this?” and the response is “I”, what is the meaning of the answer? Was it said with an apologetic tone, or an assertive one? Same word, completely different meaning. That is why the Hebrew has two words: “Ani” is the humble “I”, Anochi is the assertive one. Throughout the Torah, the shift between these two words reveals a progressive three-step unfolding of the Divine presence. When the Jewish people were in Egypt, the Torah uses the word “Ani”, the humble I, because G-d “lowered” himself and expressed himself within the space of Egypt. By contrast, at Sinai, G-d revealed himself with all his glory; He therefore says, “Anochi”, asserting his full essence. [Assertiveness and self-containment, in Chasidic thought, are synonymous: the deeper the self, the less it needs to answer to anything outside it]. And then, at the bank of the Jordan River, we read the opening statement of the portion of Re’eh: “Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse”. This time, again, the word Anochi is used for “I”. Chasidism explains that the Anochi at the Jordan River represents an even greater level than the Anochi of Sinai. For at Sinai, the “Anochi” is followed by other names: “Anochi Hashem Elohecha”, “I am the Lord your G-d”, representing the essence as it is expressed and channeled through a description and limitation. At the Jordan River, we read of the unqualified “Anochi”, the true essence of G-d. At Sinai, which refers to the Torah, we encounter the essence of G-d as it is expressed through the ideas and teachings of the Torah. What could possibly be a greater way to connect to the unqualified essential “Anochi” than Torah - the Divine will and wisdom? The Talmud teaches that the ceremony of accepting the blessing and the curses on Mount Gerizim and Mount Eibal described at the beginning of our Parsha, Re’eh, is when the Jewish people entered into a collective covenant with G-d. At Sinai, G-d spoke to every Jew in the singular, and each person accepted the covenant for themselves; only once we entered the land of Israel did we accept the covenant that makes us responsible, and “guarantors”, for one another. The unity between the Jewish people touches the true core of who we are. Externally, there can be profound differences between us, various opinions, personalities, and perspectives. Yet, at the core essence we are one. When we look beyond our differences and recognize our core, ”Anochi”, the deepest essence of our Jewish souls, we connect to the ultimate “Anochi”, the deepest essence of G-d. Adapted from the teachings of the Rebbe, Re’eh Anochi 5765
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