God has many names, and each name expresses a certain aspect of revelation. The Tetragrammaton, spelled yod, heh, vav, heh, known as Hashem, the name, expresses the attributes of kindness and mercy, while the name Elohim expresses the attribute of justice. The Sages explain why both names are employed in describing the creation of the world.

“This is the legacy of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, on the day that the Lord [Hashem] God [Elohim] made the earth and the heavens” (Genesis 2:4).

This verse concludes the act of Creation, and in it two names of the Creator are mentioned – Hashem and Elohim.

Hashem Elohim – This can be compared to a king who had empty cups. The king said: If I place hot water into them, they will break; cold water, they will shrink. What did the king do? He mixed hot and cold water, and he placed it into the cups and they remained intact. So too, the Holy One, blessed be He, said: If I create the world with the attribute of mercy alone – the sinners will be many; with the attribute of justice alone – how will the world be able to endure? Instead, I will create it with both the attribute of justice and the attribute of mercy, and perhaps it will endure.