Why Don't You Spell Out G-d's Name?

His Set apart Name can NEVER be discarded or erased. The other titles can only bring His Name to shav and is disrespectful. He said what HIS NAME was and said that He must be called by His Name. Kind regards Reply

what is your full name Reply

You didnt even begin to address my comment. What is the point of discourse when you just recapitulate the same lines over and over? Which Name are you referring to? Yahweh? Jehovah? El? Elohim? Where is "God" in the Hebrew text? It is not there! It is an English word used to refer to the Hebrew name YHWH. But so does Lord..... point is, using just another English term to refer to the same name is no different! Reply

Daniel, you miss the point. If you believe and love G-d, you should call Him by the way He wants to be called, not by what you feel like calling Him. Is that to much to ask for. This comes down to one of the premises of why we exist, which I have been taught is to have a relationship with G-d. Do you call the names of people who you love deepest by insulting words? Do you respect them at all? Personally, I love G-d, and that means I go out of my way for Him because I love Him. I think about Him daily year after year. It's worth it. I suggest at least giving it a try. G-d is more than a word, I think you mean to say, but if not for G-d, then talk respectfully about G-d for the sake of G-d's people, and then G-d will see that you truly love Him. Reply

Great. Reply

If you insist on speaking or writing His Title in vain, please do so elsewhere rather than flaunt your disrespect in a forum designed to express reverence.

I say the word "Gd" aloud in Hebrew, English, French, or any other language when I am reading aloud from scripture or when I am praying. Not in casual conversation. In conversation I might say, "HaSham" (literally meaning Ha, THE, Shem, Name) which is easy enough. Or I might say some other customary circumlocation, such as The Holy One, Blest be He. Or "The Creator." Or, "He Who spoke and the world was." I don't treat it as a swear word, or in any way use it casually, even in a philosophical or theological conversation. I respect it too much to use it casually, i.e., other than in prayer or reading aloud from Scripture. The same in writing, only more so. It appears written out, in Bibles and prayerbooks, and similar holy books which are to be treated with respect, not in personal letters or emails which are NOT reverenced. Reply

We cannot control what evil people do on their own. We remain responsible for what WE do. And WE do not dishonor Divine Names or Titles It is no bother to write G-d.

This IS the classic Jewish practice. It's a serious sin to pronounce a Divine title except in prayer. It is a bigger sin to write the actual NAME or to pronounce it. Reform Jews disregard the 613 Laws & keep only the 7 Noachic laws. However, it remains an important Jewish law. It is an insult to Gd, as well as to whichever Jews who are faithful to Jewish worship practice--to dishonor the Holy Name In speech or writing. See explanation above by Rabbi Moss.

Unlike the 613 laws which apply only to Jews, the 7 Laws of Noah apply to all people, including you. These are:
No murder.
No stealing.
No disrespecting parents.
No cruelty to animals.
No idolatry.
No dishonoring Holy Names or Titles.
YES establish courts to enforce the first two. Reply

The Seven Noahide Commandments are seven broad categories, with many smaller branches. And there are also important additional commandments, definitely required of all humanity.
Among the Seven Noahide Commandments is the commandment not to commit adultery, incest, etc (not mentioned in the list above, probably an oversight). Honoring parents (mentioned in the list above) is not specified in the Seven broad categories, but it is still absolutely required of all humanity. In general, most of the Seven Noahide Commandments were given to Adam. Adam was also forbidden to take animal life for food. After the flood, humanity was allowed to eat meat, but not to eat the limb of a living animal. The commandment to set up courts of justice is also broad, in order to ensure a civilized society. Reply

Judah is precisely on target, except that he neglects the prohibition of sexual sins, such as adultery or rape.

It is NOT a bother to use a hyphen. It IS respectful to treat the Holy Titles AS HOLY rather than to speak them casually or to spell them out them anywhere except in a sacred text.

As for the actual Four-letter NAME itself, the tetragrammaton, it is NEVER pronounced and when it is written, in Hebrew or any other language, it does NOT HAVE the vowels. No one knows exactly how to pronounce it, but we avoid any semblance of the correct pronunciation by NOT saying anything remotely like it, Instead, even in reading aloud from scripture or the prayerbook, we substitute "L-rd" or "G-d."

The King James translation, and most others, do not spell out The Name. They express respect by NOT writing it, but substitute the word "Lrd" (or occasionaly "Gd"}, and use small caps instead of lower case. Thus readers can SEE where the actual Name appears in the original Hebrew text. Reply

The Hebrew alphabet is entirely consonants.

About 1500 years ago, someone invented a system of dots and dashes to signify vowels.

But when writing Divine Names in books, Orthodox Jews either omit the vowels or use the WRONG vowels, so as to avoid taking any Divine Names or titles in vain.

In Israel this is learned early in reading class. Elsewhere, early in Hebrew class. Reply

If I typed the O between the first and last letters, I'd enable others to print it out & throw it in the trash or down the toilet.

I shudder to imagine the Holy Name or Title subjected to filth.

The Bible says that any of the children of Israel who needs to relieve himself should leave the camp and bury what comes from him, because Gd is IN THE CAMP.

So Gd objects to being exposed to filth. Or to exposing His Name or Title to filth.

In Hebrew, the vowels are not essential to the word. The Hebrew alphabet has no real vowels, just placeholders for vowels.

The ALEF or AYIN can hold any vowel. Any consonant can hold a vowel. The VAV can hold an O or an OO. The YUD can hold an EE. The HEH can signal that the prior consonant has an AH. Most Israelis read Hebrew without vowels. Jews who do not speak Hebrew may need vowels. Prayerbooks/Bibles DO include vow dots and dashes (vowels) under or beside the consonant. The hope is that nobody will trash prayerbooks/Bibles. Reply

You cannot assume that all orthodox Jews obey all the laws of halachah. (Halachah means the way to walk.) Many DO keep all the laws, and it seems that some don't. Maybe it is too hard for some.

Some Orthodox Jews don't believe in Gd.
Some do not keep Shabbos but keep Shabbos.
Some do not keep kosher but keep something else..

On the other hand, I am NOT orthodox and I keep all of these.

Maybe some Orthodox Jews enjoy the services but don't believe in keeping the laws.

I really don't know why other people decide how thoroughly to keep the laws. I can only guess.

Maybe an Orthodox Jew will post his reason for what he does or doesn't do. But his reasons are not the same as the reasons of other orthodox Jews. Reply

The Name can be printed in books. It is unlikely that the book's pages will be flushed down the toilet on left on a dungheap.

But if I typed the Divine Nme or Title here, anyone could print out the page and expose the page (and the Name or Title) to filth.

So if you have seen it in an orthodox book, they are not violating the law. A bound book, sewn together and covers,, is unlikely to be exposed to filth. Reply

This is not just for Orthodox Jews, but I often type or write Gd, because I believe some people might recognize that Gd is of the Hebrew mindset because ancient Hebrew has no vowels. Reply

This is true. We do not know the specific beliefs and practices of various individual Orthodox or non-Orthodox Jews.

But if we ask, we can find out WHAT the practice ought to be.

Each time we obey what Gd asks of us, we can make that an opportunity for closeness to Gd.

That maters a great deal. It may not be enough by itself, but it goes a LONNNG way.

Having acknowledged that, I feel the need to add that contempt for Halachah goes in the opposite direction--it can lead to disrespect for Gd. It can distance us from our Creator.

Every time we keep a detail of halachah, it gives us a special opportunity to grow closer to Gd.

And that is especially true when we think about the commandment that says Gd does not forgive us when we take His Name in vain.


So be respectful. Honor the Holy Name by reserving it for HIM ALONE. It's far from casual to speak His Titles.,

To speak or write the ACTUAL name is an intrusion. Avoid distancing yourself from Him that way. Reply

I can understand the reason for spelling G-d's name this way and this is the first I've ever heard of it in this way. When I started reading these posts, it reminded me of the same way I take care to respect the Bible in that I never set anything on top of the Bible. I NEVER handle the Bible carelessly, (toss it, drop it, pile it with other books etc.) Therefore, to me it has everything to do with respect for the one and only "I AM" no matter what name one chooses to use. I read a post a way's up from here of someone saying it was "man" who created the name "G-d" so it doesn't matter if it's spelled out. Well, yes it does, bcz when the name "G-d" is used, it only refers to one specific entity who IS Divine and IS to be respected even with a man-made name. Thank you for all of your knowledge, I've learned some things from you all today. Peace be with you. Reply

How to read aloud?
Various ways.
If you have just washed your hands and are feeling reverent, you may be OK pronouncing it as if the O were there.
If there is any doubt, use a euphemism.
The classic Jewish Euphemism is the Hebew phrase, HaShem. Literally, "The Name." NOT the actual Name, but the word, "the" followed by the word, "Name."
This is the most frequent euphemism I have heard.
Another is "The Deity."
Another is to pronounce the three letters. Gee. Oh. Dee.
Another is HaKadosh Baruch Hu (The Holy One, blessed be He) or simply "The Holy One."
If we are explaining or discussing a certain sin, we don't illustrate our discussion by committing that sin.

If you need to "illustrate," here is one possible example.
Jewish law, known as Halachah, or The Way, requires that we avoid spelling out the Divine Title which is usually spelled in English with a capital G, followed by an O and a D, other than in a Bible, prayerbook, or other holy book which we can hope will be respected. Reply

When I am teaching a class and the discussion involves a citation from a written text, or even in casual conversation, I may say the letters, "G," followed by "O," and then "D"--making three syllables.

If I am in the company of orthodox Jews (I am not orthodox but I keep most of the commandments as best I can, and dress modestly), I may say, as they do, "Ha-Shem" (literally, "the" "Name") if I am lazy.

I may say other workarounds, such as "the Holy One, blest be He," or "He Who spoke and the world was" and there are a few other customary phrases which I recall when I am with them. Most Orthodox people simply say, "HaShem" as it is the easiest & shortest, but sometimes we like to honor Him with the longer phrases.

. Reply

By omitting the vowel, we avoid writing the full word. We are only hinting at the word we have in mind.
You may claim a hyphen is a letter but it's not. It could be any letter. It only hints.

That way if someone prints it out, and throws it in a dungheap, the actual title is not soiled. Only a hint. Not a sacred Name or Title.

Maybe you wantt o pretend that a hyphen is the same as a letter, Your claim fails to make it binding on those who want to avoid soiling a holy Name or Title. The Halachah (the way to walk) has for centuries regarded the hyphen as a non-letter.

Are you just looking for justification for writing the O, by claiming that the hyphen doesn't help?
You are not in charge of Halachah. The law is the law. You have no authority to change it. I ope you will respect it. We've explained what we do and why.

Courtesy would be to accept that this is what we do and why we do it. We don't tell you how to treat a cross or crucifix. Don't tell us how to treat sacred words Reply

To Diane.

Good for you for caring. The Hebrew Bible says not to use any Diivine name.

It's not a part of the Bible that you're missing. It's the breadth of the use of the word "name."

The actual name, yes. But don't write it. Not even the consonants. And of course don't try to say it. You might accidentally say it correctly, and it's not OK to say it.

But Gd and Lrd are also somewhat sacred. It can be printed in a Bible or Prayer Book. But not anywhere else. Especially not in an email which could be printed on a sheet of paper,

Anything the size of a sheet of paper could be thoughtlessly be thrown in the trash or into the toilet. You don't want those words to be associated with filth. There is a commandment saying that the Lrd is in the camp (after leaving Sinai) and that anyone who needs to relieve himself must go outside the camp so as not to contaminate the Diivine Area within the camp. Reply

To Diane. Those words which you spelled out, starting with a J or a Y, should not be written at all except in the Bible or a prayerbook. It is not enough to omit one vowel. OMIT ALL VOWELS. Those are the holiest of all and must never be pronounced, either. I have listed other euphemisms which are used by those who care.
The Deity.
HaSHEM (meaning, "the Name") without actually BEING the Name.
HaMakom (meaning, "the Place").
The Holy One, blessed be He. (HaKadosh Baruch Hu.)
H-V-Y-H (the consonants of the actual Name, but out of order) --some use these when speaking. I avoid using it. It is too close to the actual Name. But many use this. Reply

Could you please give me the scripture where it says we should not to use any divine name? Thx Reply

See Deuteronomy 23:12-14. Notice that excrement is hinted at, but never named, within the sacred text.

Similarly, the Name is protected from excrement by never writing it except in Bibles, prayerbooks, or other sacred books (not loose sheets of paper) where it is unlikely to be thrown in the toilet or onto a dungheap or exposed to rotten meat or other filth.

The HOLY must be protected from filth.

Before speaking any Divine Title, be sure that the hands are clean and the heart is reverent.
Never speak is casually, as if it were just another word..


While you are at it, read 23:15-16, which says to allow an escaped slave to dwell with us, rather than turning him in. Reply

We also do not take a Bible or a prayerbook or other holy book into the bathroom. My father told me that when I was a small child. Similarly,we place a mezuzah with the Shma (a sacred text with the Divine Name) on the door of every room of the house), but NEVER on the door of the room containing the toilet. When we give thanks for the ability to use the toilet, we first wash our hands and leave that room before saying that blessing. It goes, in part, "Blessed art Thou, O Lrd, who heals all flesh and doeth wondrously." But we don't say it in the room with the toilet. Reply

Thank you, Jacob, for reminding me of some of the euphemisms. I agree about the use of the consonants out of order. I don't say that one either, for the exact same reason you give: it is too close to the actual Name.

I do use HaMaqom. It does mean "The Place." It honors the fact that the universe is not the place which contains Him. Instead, He is the Place which contains the universe. He is Everywhere, and the universe is within Him. But he sends emanations of himself into our universe and into our souls--all human souls.

Not dog souls. If you try to talk to your beloved dog about Him, he will have no idea what you mean. If he is a good dog, YOU are your dog's mistaken idea of a deity.
Your cat knows better. Your cat thinks you are her human. She may be right about that, depending on whether you are a good human..

The consonants of the Holy name appear in Hebrew in the prayerbook. Not the vowels. NOT in the English translation, which says "Lrd" instead (WITH the O). Reply

It's not that we can't refer to the Deity at all.

We are allowed to use euphemisms. We can say "The Holy One, Blest be He." We can say "The Place"--which means that the entire universe is within the Deity--HE is the Place where everything abides. We can say "the all-including" which is almost the same as saying The Place. We can say any of these in Hebrew, such as HaKadosh Baruch Hu (the holy one, etc. as above) or even HKBH (the initials of the Hebrew expression). We can even say HaVaYaH, which is the same four letters as the Divine Name, only rearranged to a different order. There are others as well, but you get the idea. Some are too sacred to write, but the euphemisms can be used instead. Gd and G-d are euphemisms. Reply

Divine titles are also holy, just not AS holy as the actual Name.

We can use euphemisms, such as
HaShem
HaMakom
Father in Heaven
Heaven
The Holy One, Blessed be He Reply

Scripture says that the names of other gods should not be heard out of our mouths. But the reason is the exact opposites. By speaking their names, we imply that they exist. It is important not to imply this.

When we read aloud from the Torah scroll, we have to read the forbidden names within the lines that say they, or their names, are forbidden. Otherwise there is no need to mention them.

But perhaps this only applies if it is customary, in our community, to worship them. Nobody worships Jupiter any more. Or Ba'al either. Or Asherah. Perhaps there is no danger in mentioning them, as it will not tempt anyone to worship or honor them.

I request that any Rabbi who keeps kosher examine my attempt to answer this question and please give a better answer.

Reply

Although I am not Jewish, it's interesting to note that since YHWH is found more than 7,000 times throughout the Bible, why wouldn't his name be pronounced or used? When Jewish copyists wrote and copied the Scriptures, they did so letter by letter, to make sure no mistakes were made. Because we have found the Dead Sea scrolls and other archaeological finds, we can see that the Scriptures are the same today as when they were originally written. Many Bible translations claim that God's name should not be used in any way, based on Jewish tradition. When did this tradition begin? Even before Jesus walked the earth! In fact, if you look at the Gospel accounts, you'll notice that the scribes and Pharisees and Sadducees never mention God's name, but only use titles to describe him. But Jesus quoted from the Hebrew Scriptures many, many times and actually used God's name. At Malachi 3:16, it's clear we must think and meditate on God's name in order to worship him properly. Jehovah is God! Reply

You, Jocelynn, have cited Ex 23:13, which says that the names of their "gods" shall not be heard out of your mouth.
The reason for not speaking their names is to avoid honoring them by acknowledging them .
We don't speak the Divine Name because it is beyond our capacity to honor. It's HOLY.

I feel OK saying Jupiter as the name of a planet, because nobody worships Jupiter (or the other planets) nowadays. Ditto Ba'al, who is not worshipped any more. But the only time I'd need to say it is when reading reverently from the Bible/prayerbook/etc

I don't feel OK saying the name or title of one very much worshipped nowadays by Christians. I have no right to acknowledge the existence of any Deity except GD Himself. I might use his human personal name, even though I suspect Gd doesn't want me to use even that. Maybe "the son of Mary"? I've heard that in a Christmas carol. Reply

There actually ARE people today who have gone back to worshiping Jupiter, Ba’al, Asherah, Thor, Ra, and/or other pagan gods. Google “Neopagans” and you will see literally thousands of such people and they are organized groups. Reply

Think and meditate yes. Write or speak--no. Those are totally disrespectful except when reading aloud from scripture, and even then we say or write "L-rd" for the Four-Letter-Name (the Tetragrammaton) except in the sacred Scroll Itself (the Torah scroll) and even then when we read aloud we use the Hebrew word for L-rd (Ad-n--). Notice I did not write the vowels of the Hebrew for L-rd either, and I only speak the Hebrew for L-rd or G-d when reciting a Hebrew prayer from the prayer book or reading aloud from scripture. Reply

I've noticed that some Jews use the phrase "That man," to refer to the one worshipped by Christians. I've also seen it in novels by Chaim Potok (sp?}, may he rest in peace. Reply

Thank you for your decency.

Good for you!!!

Gd bless you! Reply

Thank you, Cynthia, for your decency!!!

Gd bless you!!! Reply

Bless you for your respect for the Divine Name, Cynthia. Reply

May Gd bless you, Cynthia Graham, for your reverence, respect, and love.

And for refusing to make excuses for disobeying Gd's law, which is one of the Seven Laws of Noah, prescribed for all Noah's descendants (i.e., for everybody). Reply

To Cynthia: Thank you for your reverence and your fellow-feeling. Reply

Thank you . Reply