What is the name of your God?

orange

Well, I've done it since highschool (that was when I found out it was a Jewish custom), and I initially did it just to show to others that I'm Jewish and proud of it. Now I do it out of habit.

The origin of the custom though, is that, just as Jews do not speak the name of G-d, they also do not write it. Jews traditionally are not supposed to be "casual" with any name of G-d. It's not exactly a commandment, there is no prohibition about writing G-d's name. But it is considered a good practice because Jewish law DOES prohibit erasing or defacing a Name of G-d. Once the Name is down on paper, the paper itself becomes sacred in a sense. So, people don't write the Names because of the risk that the Name as written or typed on the piece of paper may later be defaced or obliterated.

The commandment concerning not defacing the Name of G-d comes from Deuteronomy 12. In that passage, the Jews are commanded to destroy all images and names of the pagan religions in the Promised Land. Then they are commanded never to do this to their own G-d.

I once asked an Orthodox rabbi if it was okay then to write the Name of G-d on the internet, since email, websites, forums, etc, are not permanent. He told me no, because someone still may print out the document and then defile it. So even online people write G-d.

I just realized too that I should not have written Ad-nai either, as those are also Names of G-d. However it's okay to write HaShem, as this just means "The Name" and is not an actual name. In a way the whole practice seems rather superstitious to me, but I am so used to writing G-d or Gd that I can't imagine doing it any other way.

DrJizzle

wow... thats very interesting!! I hadnt heard that before.


(sorry, tried to give you some love for the post but had to spread it around first lol)

orange

Whoops, have to add something... my husband just corrected me regarding "Jehovah" lol. He says it's not a Jewish name for G-d, but an entirely Christian one. Again, it is an interpretation of the Hebrew letters for G-d's Name, YHVH, which is not to be spoken aloud. In ancient Jewish texts, the vowels of the Name "Adonai" were placed underneath YHVH, to remind people not to pronounce YHVH as written, but to use Adonai instead when speaking. A German Christian scribe, writing in the 1500s, was translating the Bible into Latin for the Pope. He wrote the Name out as it appeared in his texts, using the consonants of YHVH, but the vowels of Adonai. So the name came out as the word YeHoVaH, later Jehovah.

Wooo this is all so interesting!! But I have to go make supper for my hungry family now!

milliec

Hi Chava,
I've never heard about the explanation Alex gave about God's name in Hebrew.
I only mentioned what i was taught in high school ages ago. It's true in Hebrew we usually don't write vowels, but in the case of God's name, the name is written fully, with vowels, as i tried to transcribe it to Latin letters. As we all know, the Bible was rewritten by hand over the ages, by people trained to write holy sceptres, like the Mezuzah, the Tefilin, the Bible,the Siddur.
They were called (and still are called like this): SOFER STAM.
As far as I know, nothing was "imported" to the Hebrew version of the Bible (by which I refer only to the Old Testament) from it's translation.
How are you all?
A Kosher Pesah!
Millie
P.S. In which part of Canada you live ?

orange

Oh to clarify, Alex wasn't referring to your post... I had written something about Jehovah being one of the names of G-d (I have since erased that), and Alex said no I was wrong. I'm not the kind of person to just listen to my husband automatically haha, but in this case, I take his word for it because he was raised Orthodox, and I wasn't. Actually if you're interested in reading more about Alex's explanation, see Wikipedia, Jehovah. It's pretty much the same thing that he told me.

Northwest, about a 6 hours' drive from Edmonton, Alberta. I used to give the exact location, but then someone advised me that it wasn't safe on a forum like this.

Thanks... you too! I am working extremely hard to get ready, as we are going to have both seders here at the house. One will is going to be a shortened children's seder and the other will be a more full "adult" one. I know that in Israel you have only one seder, but outside of Israel apparently there is a seder on 2 nights, not sure why, but oh well. More work for me!!

milliec

Hi Chava,
Same like the two Rosh Hashana:
since in old times there weren't any ways of quick communication, and also in case there were some mistake concerning the exact day of these important days, 2 days were set for these days for people living far away from our homeland.
This year the Seder won't be at our house, but all the family will come over here the next day, for lunch (which means during the whole day): my brother in law with his family
(we'll be at the seder over there), and all our kids with their children.
I can't wait!
Well, I wasn't asking foe exact location.
I have family in Toronto and in Montreal.
We were twice over there, ands got as far as the Gaspee Peninsula.
Have a wonderful Pesah!
Millie

orange

Oh that sounds nice, I have actually never been that far east in Canada! In my life, I've only ever lived in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, although I have traveled to Alberta and BC lots, and we hope to eventually move to Vancouver Island. Maybe when my husband is finished his speciality training, which will be in 5 years.

You have a wonderful Pesach too!

arcura

I have also seen that some Jews use G_d rather than God.
I've been told that they do not want to print the whole word because it is holy and it would be disrespectful.
That does not make sense to be because God is a title not a name.
In this I used the name, "The Lord God YHWH" where the vowels are left out.
Peace and kindness,
Fred (arcura)

orange

That's a good point. I guess because it's capitalized it becomes a name? And when you pray you can pray saying "Dear G-d"? Because when "god" is not capitalized you don't do it. Anyways I have no clue, as I said before I do it out of habit more than anything else, and consider it somewhat superstitious rather than religious. But I will ask the Rabbi tomorrow when I see him, what he thinks about that particular point.

orange

Well I asked, and the Rabbi was no help. He just basically said the same thing as I did, that because it's capitalized and people say "My G-d" or whatever, it becomes a name. Sorry I couldn't find any answer that made more sense. Actually I was hoping to be enlightened!!