I am YHWH, your god...You shall have no other gods beside me...
(Deut. 5:6-7)
The rabbis of the Talmud tell us that we all heard these first two utterances of the Ten Commandments directly from God at the foot of Mt. Sinai. Moses had to relay the rest of the Torah to us second-hand.
The mystics suggest that our consideration of these two utterances unlocks the mystery of our relationship with God. If we can truly accept that YHWH is our god, we'll no longer be confused by the presence of other gods.
So, what is YHWH?
The Y denotes an imperfect grammatical tense - meaning whatever it is - is not bound to time. It was, is, and will be all at the same time.
HWH are the Hebrew root letters for the concept of being or existence.
God was, is, and will be, all at once.
At first it seems that coming to terms with the four-lettered name of God is like actually understanding the Tao of Pooh. I love it, but I can't really say I understand it.
God is not a concept to be understood, but the essential element and state of all being. Whether or not we "believe" in God probably isn't even the point.
"I am YHWH" is probably not an obligation to have faith. Rather it is a reminder that all being - that which was, is, and will be - is the essential nature of everything.
As a spiritual practice, "I am YHWH" is an opportunity to experience others and the planet with the understanding that their being is wrapped up in ours as well as the folks and rocks and trees that came before us and will come after us.
When we experience union with the being of others including the rocks and trees, "You shall have no other gods besides me" - we are no longer confused. These moments of clarity are fleeting. Only practice increases the intensity and frequency of them.
