Hagigah 12a teaches that \u201cShaddai\u201d is derived from the phrase \u201cShe-Amar Dai\u201d \u2013 \u201cGod Who said \u2018Enough!\u2019\u201d This tradition suggests that God models personal moral restraint and the humility of self-control for humanity. God willingly rested on Shabbat rather than continue the work of creation. God left the \u201ccompletion\u201d of creation to us: Divine self-restraint.<\/p>\n
God\u2019s defining identity as \u201cAlmighty\u201d finds expression not exclusively in the exercise of power and action, but \u2013 to a significant extent \u2013 in willfully refraining from the exercise of power.<\/p>\n
In this spirit, Mahatma Gandhi observed: \u201cWhen restraint and courtesy are added to strength, the latter becomes irresistible.\u201d<\/p>\n
President Eisenhower envisioned \u201ca future in which our country will match its military strength with our moral restraint.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shaddai… that\u2019s Almighty Enough.<\/p>\n
Rabbi Joseph H. Prouser is the editor of \u201cMasorti: The New Journal of Conservative Judaism.\u201d The latest edition of Masorti published in the summer of 2026 and honors the American Sestercentennial. A subscription is $18 per annum. Print copies are available from Ben Yehuda Press and Amazon.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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