Recenzowane materiały z konferencji: 3rd International Conference on Eastern Thought. Word in Cultures of the East: Sound - Language - Book, Eastern Philosophy Section, dn. 28-30.11.2013, Kraków

The power of the divine appellations is widely recognized in the Rabbinic Judaism. Since the early midrashes, through the medieval exegesis up till the modern era these names have been believed to possess the extraordinary performative and protective potential. In this regard the position of “Shadday” is of particular significance. Not only it appears on various amulets and dedicatory plaques but more importantly it is strongly connected to the traditional customs which could be considered apotropaic in nature: male circumcision, mezuzah and tefillin. While this connection is explicitly drawn, no actual justification is given and the question arises, what factors might had contributed to this choice. The present paper argues that the apotropaic significance of “Shadday” probably derives from three factors. (1) It is the only divine appellation so closely and explicitly connected to the tetragram and as such might have been believed to participate in its power. (2) Numerous biblical instances utilize the ambivalent paronomasia with the roots שדה and שדד thus presenting Shadday as the one responsible for securing the flow of life and protecting against the enemies. (3) A few early rabbinic sources portray this deity as the one responsible for limiting the expansion of the chaotic matter during the creation process.