Shemot 20:21 (Yitro) – It’s G-d's decision

The second half of Shemot 20:21 (24) records that G-d would "azkir his Name, come to the people and bless the people." Azkir means literally that G-d would "remember" his Name, but Sarna (1991, p. 116) notes, "This construction, with both subject and object referring to G-d, is unparalleled. G-d would not be expected to call on Himself or evoke His own name in worship, and hence the medieval Jewish commentators (see for example Rashi on 20:21) understood akzir to be causative," that G-d would allow or require the people to mention G-d's name, see also Netziv on 20:21. Yet, this understanding of the word azkir is problematic since this is not the meaning of the word azkir. Sarna (1991, p. 251, footnote 69) also notes that, "it cannot be denied that a reading of tazkir, "you pronounce My name," would be preferable," and Pirkei Avot 3:7 seems to have this understanding. However, the word is azkir and not tazkir.

The word azkir is teaching an important lesson about the worship of G-d. The first half of 20:21 records that one is permitted to make a dirt altar, and this permission might lead one to believe that G-d has to respond to these sacrifices in some way. The second half of 20:21, the word, azkir, teaches us that G-d does not have to respond. G-d decides when to call out His Name, appear and bless the people. On some occasions, G-d will respond, on most occasions G-d will not respond, and on some occasions G-d will respond when no sacrifice is offered. The law of offering sacrifices on a dirt altar is one of the first laws of sacrifices (excluding the korban pesach, the first?), and this same idea occurs by the first sacrifice in the Torah, G-d's non-acceptance of Kayin's sacrifice, Bereshit 4:5. This same message is also relevant to prayer, which has much less of a biblical basis than sacrifices, that the word azkir in 20:21 is to teach people that G-d decides when to respond to prayers and people cannot "force" G-d.

Bibliography:

Sarna, Nahum (1923-2005), 1991, The JPS Torah Commentary: Exodus, Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society.