Mark Sameth’s The Name:
A History of the Dual-Gendered Hebrew Name for God
“Traditional and revolutionary ... I couldn't put it down.”
- Rabbi Naomi Levy
“Has the potential to change our entire understanding of the past.”
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- Rabbi Dr. Kerry Olitzky
“May just be the most interesting thing written about God
since the Jews figured out there was only One.”
- Rabbi Lawrence Kushner
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The God of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam was understood by its earliest worshippers to be a dual-gendered, male-female deity. So argues Mark Sameth in The Name. Needless to say, this is no small claim. Half the people on the planet are followers of one of the three Abrahamic religions. The author’s evidence, however, is compelling and his case meticulously constructed.
The Hebrew name of God—YHWH—has not been uttered in public for over two thousand years. Some thought the lost pronunciation was “Jehovah” or “Yahweh.” But Sameth traces THE NAME to the late Bronze Age and argues that it was expressed Hu-Hi—Hebrew for “He-She.” Among Jewish mystics, we learn, this has long been an open secret.
What are the implications for us today if “he” was not God?
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About The Name
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About the Author
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Named “one of America’s most inspiring rabbis” by The Forward (inaugural list, 2013), Rabbi Mark Sameth (he/him/his) is featured in Jennifer Berne and R. O. Blechman’s God: 48 Famous and Fascinating Minds Talk about God. His interfaith work was the topic of a story in The New York Times. His essays and interviews appear on Religion Dispatches ("Our Father, Who Art Our Mother") and Being Both, in books published by Jossey Bass, Jewish Lights, CCAR Press, and New Paradigm Matrix, and in Reform Judaism Magazine, Journal of Jewish Education, CCAR Journal, and the New York Times (“Is God Transgender?” Op-Ed, August 12, 2016). He tweets from @fourbreaths.
What people are saying about The Name
“Rabbi Mark Sameth takes us on a thrilling journey shrouded in mystery into the very heart of faith. The Name is traditional and revolutionary, historical and mythical, rational and mystical. I couldn't put it down. This book is a blessing you will want to share with your friends, a work that will open you up to new and healing visions of God, of self, of humanity and of our world.”
– Rabbi Naomi Levy, founder and leader of Nashuva in Los Angeles and the author of three books, including Einstein and the Rabbi.
“This is the freshest thinking that I have come across in nearly forty years as a rabbi. Rabbi Sameth has given us a rare glimpse into what our ancestors considered Gd essentially to be. His work is a great contribution to Jewish rabbinic thinking—and for those practitioners who see Judaism as key to the mystical world. This insight into our understanding the theological worldview of the rabbis is revolutionary. It has the potential to change our entire understanding of the past.”
- Rabbi Dr. Kerry Olitzky, former national Dean of Adult Jewish Learning and Living of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and Executive Director of Big Tent Judaism, and the author of over seventy-five books including, with co-author Leonard Kravitz, Book of Job.
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“A Jewish Da Vinci Code, except it’s about the meaning of life; and it’s true! Sameth reveals a secret hidden within the very Name of God. He weaves history, Bible, theology, Kabbalah, linguistics into a teaching about the nature of sexuality and the Holy One of Being. Indeed, this may just be the most interesting thing written about God since the Jews figured out there was only One. (After Sameth, the Shema will never be the same!)”
-Rabbi Lawrence Kushner, Emanu-El Scholar at Congregation Emanu-El of San Francisco, and the author of over a dozen books of Kabbalah and Jewish spirituality, and a novel, Kabbalah: A Love Story.
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"A fascinating, captivating excursion into the mystical realm; its goal, to bridge religions, is most worthwhile, noble and needed."
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- Rabbi Avram Mlotek, Co-Founder and Spiritual Director, Base Hillel
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"The Name is riveting, provocative, and intensely thought-provoking.”
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- Roberta Rosenthal Kwall, author of Remix Judaism.
"A well-thought out theological and historical argument.... A very important book."
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- Rabbi Dov Peretz Elkins, author of The Power of Human Speech in Jewish Tradition, Rabbi Emeritus, The Jewish Center, Princeton
“A startlingly persuasive argument that Maimonides sought to reveal the secret of God’s dual gender.”
- Rabbi Elaine Rose Glickman, Editor-in-Chief, CCAR Journal
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Podcasts and Videocasts
Conversations about The Name
Book launch presentation and Q&A with Sharon DeLevie.
"Transitional Wisdom & Wellness." Rabbi Sameth in conversation with Pastor Megan Rohrer.
"What is the name of God?" Rabbi Sameth in conversation with Rabbi Elaine Rose Glickman.
"Seekers of Meaning." Rabbi Sameth in conversation with Rabbi Richard Address.
"The Rabbi's Neighborhood." Rabbi Sameth in conversation with Rabbi Nolan Lebovitz.
“Containing Multitudes.” Rabbi Sameth in conversation with Professor Joy Ladin.
“Torah Talk.” Rabbi Sameth in conversation with Shmuel Rosner.
“Blog Talk Radio.” Rabbi Sameth in conversation with Mary Eileen Williams.
Read The Name
The Name is available directly from Wipf & Stock, on Amazon, from Barnes and Noble, and from Independent Booksellers nationwide. Read an excerpt on NYU's Revealer. Request an exam or review copy here. Bulk discounts available for Scholar-in-Residence bookings.
Hardcover ISBN 978-1-5326-9384-7 | Paperback ISBN 978-1-5326-9383-0 | E-book ISBN 978-1-5326-9385-4
CON TACT
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