On the Ineffable Name of God and the Prophet Abraham: An Examination of the Existential-Hasidic Poetry of Abraham Joshua Heschel

Carl Stern once asked Heschel if he considered himself a prophet. The question was asked in light of Heschel's prominent involvement in the American civil rights movement. Heschel answered that he could not accept such honor, but that he hoped that he would be worthy of being considered one of the "sons of the prophets".¹ This modest reply does not preclude our seeking a clearer answer through reading the volume of poetry that Heschel published in Warsaw in 1933.² This article seeks to examine the question and consider the substantive relationship between that and Heschel's conception of God's ineffable name as presented in those poems.

Heschel believed that books were a window into the writer's soul, and that through a philosopher's writings one might apprehend the problems, doubts and motives behind the written text.³ These insights hold true for Heschel himself. In examining his poems we can glimpse his spiritual struggle. In Abraham Joshua Heschel's books, the reader encounters a vibrant spiritual world. It is a world of great spiritual yearning for the divine. But, as Heschel explains, divine revelation is impossible without human revelation.⁴ This is the concept grounding Heschel's later philosophical writings. Much has been written about Heschel's later philosophy. This article seeks to understand his philosophy as it formed and developed at an earlier stage of his life. In his youth, Heschel wrote many poems. Those poems reflect the young Heschel's spiritual struggle.

It is important that we examine the insights expressed in these poems, for, as Kaplan observes, these early insights will give rise to the mature Heschel's theology.⁵ But understanding Heschel's poetry is also important for other reasons. Heschel's Hasidic roots are often noted. He was a descendant of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel of Apt, for whom he was named, Rabbi Dov Baer (The Maggid) of Mezhirech and Rabbi Levi Isaac of Berdichev,⁶ but little is known of the ideological reasons that led him to abandon the family nest. Examining his poems may contribute something in this regard.⁷

Later in life, Heschel would make an observation, no doubt directed at himself: "The greatest sin of man is to forget that he is a prince—that he has royal power."⁸ Kaplan notes that in the family's Hasidic court, young Heschel was indeed treated like a prince, and the Hasidim would stand in his honor. This no doubt left a deep impression upon Heschel, that surely had not been forgotten when he wrote about the sin of forgetting. Heschel did not forget, but the responsibility and sense of duty that go with the title of prince are a heavy burden, as is powerfully expressed in his poems.

Heschel saw himself not only as a "prince," but also as the one expected to realize the spirit of Levi Isaac of Berdichev. Idel, relying upon Dresner (who reported Heschel's own words), notes that Heschel was treated as if he was Levi Isaac in the present generation.⁹ In this regard, it should be noted that, as Kaplan relates, when the young Heschel reached the age of bar mitzvah, he was "granted" the rare privilege of putting on Levi Isaac's tefillin, which had been kept in the family.¹⁰ The young Heschel, no doubt, asked himself whether he was worthy of such honor. Levi Isaac is portrayed as a man willing to argue with God on Israel's behalf, and this, too, is characteristic of the poetry of Heschel's youth. But Heschel would not only argue with God on Israel's behalf; he would also stand ready to confront Him on behalf of all of humanity.

Heschel's book of poetry was published in Warsaw in 1933. His doctoral dissertation on the prophets was published in Warsaw that same year. The image of the prophet described in that dissertation is similar in many ways to Heschel himself, as he appears in his poems, which give the reader the...