ויאמר אהיה. קשה כל הני ויאמר למה לי וי"ל זה קרא לו הקב"ה למשה אהיה שמי לפי שאהיה לעולם ועד ואשר אהיה פי' של אהיה והדר אמר הקב"ה שמא יסבור משה ששמי אהיה אשר אהיה ולכך חזר ואמר כה תאמר. ויאמר עוד שמא יקראוני עוד ישראל אהיה וטעות יהיה בידם שהרי יש לו לקרות יהיה לעולם לכך כתי' ויאמר עוד אלהים לו שנכתב בי"ה שיש במשמעותו יהיה: ויאמר....אהיה, “He said (G–d)......I shall be;” why did the Torah have to repeat so many times “He said” of G–d, in verses 14-16 when we have not been told that Moses replied to any of these pronouncements of G–d? We may have to understand this as G–d feeling the need to explain statements He had made such as that His name is אהיה, meaning that seeing that He is eternal this should be reflected in His very name. The words: אשר אהיה, may be meant to define this very attribute. In order to make sure that Moses would not think that His name is אהיה אשר אהיה, He tells Moses precisely how to answer the elders’ question about Who it is that sent him. Hence the instruction: כה תאמר “you shall word it precisely thus;” as far as the people of Israel is concerned the fact that He had no beginning is of secondary interest; what matters to them is that He will continue to exist forever without aging.