HaShem
- יהוה
By Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David (Greg Killian)
HaShem is the Hebrew word which pious Jews
use instead of the yod-hey-vav-hey (יהוה– YHVH[1])
name, in casual conversations, and literally means The Name. When they encounter this name during prayers or when
reading from the Torah, they visualize יהוה
and say Adonai. HaShem is used 7484 times in the Tanach[2].
Neither HaShem, nor it’s Greek equivalent[3] is ever used in the Nazarean Codicil.[4] The
first use, of HaShem, is in:
Bereshit (Genesis) 2:4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created. When HaShem God made the earth and the heavens--
HaShem means “self existent” or “eternal”, according to Strong’s (3068).
When HaShem revealed His name to Moses, He added “this is my name forever (leolam)”. The word leolam is written in the Torah without a “vav - ו”, and can be read lealeim which means to hide. The Gemara learns from this that the name of HaShem is not to be read the way it is written.
Pesachim 50a And the
Lord shall be King over all the earth; in that day shall the Lord be One, and His name one:[5] is He then not One now?
— Said R. Aha b. Hanina: Not like this world is the
future world. In this world, for good tidings one says, ‘He is good, and He doeth good’, while for evil
tidings he says, ‘Blessed be the true Judge’; [whereas] in the future world it shall be only ‘He
is good and He doeth good’. ‘And His name one’: what does ‘one’ mean? Is then
now His name not one? — Said R.
Nahman b. Isaac; Not like this world
is the future world. [In]
this world [His name] is
written with a yod he[6] and read as alef dalet;[7] but in the future world it shall all be one: it
shall be written with yod he and read as yod he. Now, Raba thought of lecturing
it at the session, [whereupon] a certain old man said to him, It is written,
lealeim.[8] R. Abina pointed out a contradiction: It is
written, this is my name, to be hidden; [and it is also
written], and this is my memorial unto all generations?[9] The Holy One, blessed
be He, said: Not as I [i.e., My name] and written am I
read: I am written with a yod he, while I am read as alef dalet.
Why don’t Jews use HaShem’s name?
Answer: Because they are trying not to misuse His name according to:
Shemot (Exodus)
20:7 “You shall not misuse the name of HaShem your God, for HaShem will not hold anyone
guiltless who misuses his name.
And:
Devarim (Deuteronomy)
Further, the name of יהוה, properly pronounced, was normally used only by the High Priest on Yom HaKippurim after atonement had been achieved. Chazal (our Sages) understood that to say this name while in a state of impurity was to put one in danger of death as we brought The Holy One close to ourselves in an impure state. Purity and impurity can not exist together.
The following Gemara shows how seriously we Jews take this matter.
Avodah Zarah 18a They
then brought up R. Hanina b. Teradion and asked him, ‘Why hast thou occupied
thyself with the Torah?’ He replied, ‘Thus the Lord my God commanded me.’ At
once they sentenced him to be burnt, his wife to be slain, and his daughter to
be consigned to a brothel. (The punishment of being burnt came upon him because
he pronounced the Name in its full spelling. But how
could he do so? Have we not learnt: The following have no portion in the world to come: He who says that the Torah is not from Heaven, or that the resurrection
of the dead is not taught in the Torah. Abba Saul
says: Also he who pronounces the Name in its full
spelling? — He did it in the course of practicing, as we have learnt: Thou
shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations,
but thou mayest learn [about them] in order to understand and to teach. Why then was he punished? — Because he was
pronouncing the Name in public. His wife was punished
by being slain, because she did not prevent him [from doing it]. From this it
was deduced: Any one who has the power to prevent [one from doing wrong] and does not prevent, is punished for
him. His daughter was consigned to a brothel, for R. Johanan related that once
that daughter of his was walking in front of some
great men of Rome who remarked, ‘How beautiful are the
steps of this maiden!’ Whereupon she took particular care of her step. Which
confirms the following words of R. Simeon b. Lakish: What is the meaning of the
verse, The iniquity of my heel compasseth me about? — Sins which one treads under heel in this world compass him
about on the Day of Judgment.)
What are the attributes of this name?
The Midrash comes to us with this response:
Midrash
Rabbah - Exodus III:6 AND GOD SAID UNTO
MOSES (III, 14). R. Abba b. Mammel said: God said to Moses: ‘ Thou wishest to know My name. Well, I am called
according to My work; sometimes I am called “Almighty God”, “Lord of Hosts”, “God”,
“Lord”. When I am judging created beings, I am called “ God”,’ and when I am
waging war against the wicked, I am called “Lord of
Hosts”. When I suspend judgment for a man’s sins, I am
called “El Shadday “ (Almighty God), and when I am merciful towards My world, I am called “Adonai”, for “Adonai” refers to
the Attribute of Mercy, as it is said: The Lord, the Lord (Adonai, Adonai),
God, merciful and gracious (ib. XXXIV, 6).
The Vilna Gaon answers that the various names of HaShem represent different attributes that he reveals to the Jewish people. The name יהוה represents the attribute of mercy (chesed), as we learn from the above Midrash.
What is the penalty for pronouncing this name?
Sanhedrin 90a MISHNAH. ALL ISRAEL28 HAVE A PORTION IN THE WORLD TO COME, FOR IT IS WRITTEN, THY PEOPLE ARE ALL
RIGHTEOUS; THEY SHALL INHERIT THE LAND FOR EVER, THE
BRANCH OF MY PLANTING, THE WORK OF MY HANDS, THAT I
MAY BE GLORIFIED.’ BUT THE FOLLOWING HAVE NO PORTION THEREIN: HE WHO MAINTAINS
THAT RESURRECTION IS NOT A BIBLICAL DOCTRINE, THE
TORAH WAS NOT DIVINELY REVEALED, AND AN EPIKOROS. R. AKIBA ADDED: ONE WHO READS UNCANONICAL BOOKS. ALSO ONE
WHO WHISPERS [A CHARM] OVER A WOUND AND SAYS, I WILL BRING NONE OF THESE
DISEASES UPON THEE WHICH I BROUGHT UPON THE EGYPTIANS: FOR I AM THE LORD THAT
HEALETH THEE.’ ABBA SAUL SAYS: ALSO ONE WHO PRONOUNCES THE DIVINE NAME
AS IT IS SPELT.
Having no share in the world to come is a severe consequence that we bring on ourselves by trying to draw near to HaShem in a state of impurity.
Why don’t Christians
use HaShem’s name?
Answer: I suspect most of them rely on their Bibles to give them the words to use. Since most Bibles do not use the name “HaShem”, I suspect that most folks are ignorant of His name or the importance of His name. In the NIV, KJV, and the Jerusalem Bibles they use “LORD” instead of HaShem. The NASB uses “Lord” instead of HaShem.
Anything that we need to know about HaShem, He’ll tell us. He has told us that knowing His name, HaShem, is important. We read this in:
Tehillim (Psalms)
9:9-10 HaShem is a refuge for the
oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you,
for you, HaShem, have never forsaken those who seek you.
So, those who know His name will trust in Him. This “knowing” was really the knowledge of His authority and power as we learned in our study on name.
He emphasizes His name in:
Tehillim (Psalms)
83:18 Let them know
that you, whose name is HaShem--that you alone are the
Most High over all the earth.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 43:1-3 But now, this is what HaShem says--he who created
you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O
If you don’t think these are good enough reasons, consider that salvation requires that we call on the name of HaShem (on His authority):
Yoel (Joel) 2:32 And everyone who calls on the name of HaShem
will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be
deliverance, as HaShem has said, among the survivors whom HaShem calls.
II Luqas (Acts) 2:17-21 “‘In the last days,
God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your
old men will dream
dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I
will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show
wonders in the heaven
above and signs on the earth below, blood
and fire and
billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of HaShem. And everyone who calls on the name of HaShem will be saved.’
So, what does it mean to call upon the name
of HaShem? To call upon the name
of HaShem = to proclaim His Name = To confess His Name = to hold a Jewish Prayer service on Shabbat and weekdays
which includes the reading of the Torah and a sermon.
So attending Synagogue
for a Jewish service is, in itself, making
confession with the mouth since there in the presence
of the community we recite Shema.
Which means that we publicly take upon ourselves the yoke of the
So, in the verses below, we can see that Abram started a public prayer service; he established a synagogue and invited all to come and join him in the service of HaShem:
Bereshit
(Genesis) 12:6-9 And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite [was]
then in the land. And the HaShem appeared unto Abram,
and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and
there builded he an altar unto the HaShem, who appeared unto him. And he
removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Beth-el, and pitched his tent, [having]
Beth-el on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the
HaShem, and called upon the name of the HaShem.
And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the
south.
Bereshit
(Genesis) 13:2-4 And Abram [was] very rich in cattle, in silver, and in
gold. And he went on his journeys
from the south even to Beth-el, unto the place where his tent had been at the
beginning, between Beth-el and Hai; Unto the place of the altar, which he had
made there at the first: and there Abram
called on the name of HaShem.
Bereshit
(Genesis)
HaShem also emphasized that those who cause us to “forget” His name will also have lots of trouble:
Yiremeyahu (Jeremiah) 23:25-27 “I have heard what the prophets say who
prophesy lies in my name. They say, ‘I had a dream! I had a dream!’ How
long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the
delusions of their own minds? They think the dreams
they tell one another will make my people forget my name, just as their fathers forgot my name
through Baal worship.
One of the main reasons for the exodus was to proclaim HaShem’s name:
Shemot (Exodus)
9:13-16 Then HaShem said to
Moses, “Get up early in the morning, confront Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is
what HaShem, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my
people go, so that they may worship me, Or this time I
will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your
officials and your people, so you may know that there
is no one like me in all the earth. For by now I could
have stretched out my hand and struck you and your
people with a plague that would have wiped you off
the earth. But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show
you my power and that my name
might be proclaimed in all the earth.
I would like to belabor the importance of HaShem’s name by reading the following scriptures:
Shemot (Exodus)
23:19-21 “Bring the best of the
firstfruits of your soil to the house of HaShem your
God. “Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk. “See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to
bring you to the place I have prepared. Pay attention to him and listen to what
he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive
your rebellion, since my Name is in him.
Iyov (Job) 1:20-21 At this, Job got up and tore his robe and
shaved his head.
Then he fell to the ground in worship And said: “Naked
I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. HaShem gave and
HaShem has taken away; may the name of HaShem be
praised.”
Tehillim (Psalms)
25:11 For the sake of your name, HaShem, forgive my
iniquity, though it is great.
Tehillim (Psalms)
31:1-3 {For the director of
music. A psalms of David.} In you, HaShem, I have
taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness.
Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my
rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me. Since you are my rock and my fortress, for
the sake of your name lead and guide me.
Tehillim (Psalms)
86:12 I will praise you, HaShem
my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.
Tehillim (Psalms)
91:14 “Because he loves me,” says
HaShem, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges
my name.
Tehillim (Psalms)
103:1 {Of David.} Praise HaShem,
O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Tehillim (Psalms)
145:21 My mouth
will speak in praise of HaShem. Let every creature
praise his holy name for ever and ever.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 25:1 HaShem, you are my God; I will exalt you
and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you
have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 42:8 “I am HaShem; that is my name!
I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 52:4-7 For this is what the Sovereign HaShem says:
“At first my people went down to
Egypt to live; lately,
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 56:4-7 For this is what HaShem says: “To the
eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what
pleases me and hold fast to my covenant-- To them I will give within my temple and its walls a
memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I
will give them an everlasting name
that will not be cut off. And foreigners who bind
themselves to HaShem to serve him, to love the name of
HaShem, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath
without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant
These I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be
accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.”
Yechezkel (Ezekiel) 39:7 “‘I will make known
my holy name
among my people Israel. I will no longer let my holy
name be profaned, and the nations
will know that I, HaShem, am the Holy One
in Israel.
Yoel (Joel) 2:26 You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise
the name of HaShem your God, who has worked wonders for
you; never again will my people be shamed.
Zechariah 13:7-9 “Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is close to
me!” declares HaShem Almighty. “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be
scattered, and I will turn my hand against the
little ones. In the whole land,” declares HaShem, “two-thirds
will be struck down and perish; yet one-third will be left in it. This third
I will bring into the fire;
I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They
are my people,’ and they will say, ‘HaShem is our God.’”
Malachi 4:1-2 “Surely the day is coming; it will burn like
a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will
be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them
on fire,” says HaShem Almighty. “Not a root or a branch
will be left to them. But for you who revere my name,
the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like
calves released from the stall.
Revelation 3:11-13 I am coming soon.
Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your
crown. Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will
he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God
and the name of the city of my
God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming
down out of heaven
from my God; and I will also write on him my new name. He who has an ear, let him
hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Calling on the name (having a prayer service[11]) of HaShem began with Seth:
Bereshit (Genesis)
David commanded us to call on the name of HaShem:
I Divrei HaYamim (Chronicles) 16:8 Give thanks to HaShem, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.
Tehillim (Psalms)
116:13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call
on the name of HaShem.
Tehillim (Psalms)
116:17 I will sacrifice a thank offering to
you and call on the name of HaShem.
We will be calling on the name of HaShem in the future:
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 12:4 In that day you will say: “Give thanks to
HaShem, call on his name; make known
among the nations
what he has done, and proclaim that his name is
exalted.
Yiremeyahu (Jeremiah)
Tzefaniah (Zephaniah) 3:9 “Then will I purify
the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the
name of HaShem and serve him shoulder to shoulder.
Zechariah 13:9 This third I will bring into the fire; I will refine them
like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer
them; I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘HaShem is our God.’”
Yiremeyahu (Jeremiah) 23:6 In his days
We are commanded to worship HaShem by name:
Shemot (Exodus)
20:1-3 And God spoke all these words: “I am HaShem your God, who brought you out of Egypt,
out of the land of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me.
Shemot (Exodus)
Shemot (Exodus)
34:14 Do not worship any other
god, for HaShem, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous
God.
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 8:19 If you ever forget HaShem your God and
follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today
that you will surely be destroyed.
I Divrei HaYamim (Chronicles)
Revelation 15:4 Who will not fear you, the Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
We have all seen the freeway signs that say: Jesus Saves. This is contrary to scripture. Jesus (Yeshua) means “HaShem Saves“. This means that HaShem saves us, not Yeshua. Let’s look at some Scriptures to see who saves:
Shemot (Exodus)
Shemot (Exodus)
18:8 Moses told his father-in-law about everything HaShem had done to Pharaoh and the
Egyptians for Israel’s sake and about all the hardships they had met along the
way and how HaShem had saved them.
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 33:29 Blessed are you, O
Shoftim (Judges) 2:18 Whenever HaShem raised up a judge for them,
he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands
of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for HaShem had compassion on them
as they groaned under those who oppressed and afflicted them.
II Shmuel (Samuel) 22:4 I call to HaShem, who is worthy of praise,
and I am saved from my enemies.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 25:9 In that day they will say, “Surely this is
our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is HaShem, we trusted in him;
let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 43:12 I have revealed and saved and
proclaimed--I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses,”
declares HaShem, “that I am God.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 45:17 But Israel will
be saved by HaShem with an everlasting salvation; you will never be put to shame
or disgraced, to ages everlasting.
Yiremeyahu (Jeremiah)
Yoel (Joel) 2:28-32 ‘And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will
prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my
servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. I will
show wonders in the heavens
and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before
the coming of the great and dreadful day of HaShem. And everyone who calls on the name of HaShem will be
saved; for on
We have Yoel (Joel) quoted again in the Nazarean Codicil:
II Luqas (Acts) 2:16-21 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet
Yoel (Joel): “‘In the last
days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your
sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men
will dream dreams. Even on
my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and
they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heaven
above and signs on the earth below, blood
and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day
of Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of
Lord will be saved.’
In the above passage it is noteworthy that the title “Lord” has been substituted for HaShem. HaShem, or it’s Greek equivalent is NEVER used in the Nazarean Codicil.[12] The proper name of God, HaShem, was not used outside of the Temple, during the days of the second Temple. Messianic Jews, in the first and second centuries, honored His Name, HaShem, in the same way that Jews honor HaShem today.
Remember what the name of Yeshua means. (Yeshua means: HaShem Saves) as you read this next scripture:
II Luqas (Acts) 4:8-12 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit,
said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to
account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he
was healed, Then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name
of Yeshua The Anointed
one of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised
from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is “‘the stone you
builders rejected, which has become the capstone.’ Salvation is found in no one
else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by
which we must be saved.”
II Luqas (Acts) 15:7-11 After much discussion, Peter got up and
addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear
from my lips the message of the gospel and believe.
God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them
by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He made no distinction
between us and them, for he purified their hearts by
faith. Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? No! We believe it is
through the grace of the Lord Yeshua
that we are saved, just as they are.”
II Luqas (Acts) 16:31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Yeshua The
Anointed One, and you will be saved--you and your household.”
Romans 10:5-13 Moses describes in this way the righteousness that is by the law: “The man who does these things will
live by them.” But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in
your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to
bring The Anointed One
down) “Or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’” (that is, to bring The Anointed One up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is
near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming:
That if you confess with your mouth, “Yeshua is Lord,” and
believe in your heart that God raised him from the
dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified,
and it is with your mouth that you confess and are
saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to
shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile--the same Lord of all and
richly blesses all who call on him, For, “Everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Tehillim (Psalms)
96:2 Sing to HaShem, praise His name; proclaim His salvation day after day.
Tehillim (Psalms)
116:13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name
of HaShem.
Now, I would like to examine the meaning of “calling on a name“ (having a prayer service) or “making a name”, and the distinction between the two. Lets start by seeing who called on the name of HaShem:
Bereshit (Genesis) 4:25-26 Adam lay with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, “God has
granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.” Seth also
had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time men
began to call on the name of HaShem.
The first person to call upon the name of HaShem, was Seth. Seth began to call on the Name when his first child was born.
Bereshit (Genesis) 12:7-8 HaShem appeared to Abram
and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So
he built an altar there to HaShem, who had appeared to him. From there he went
on toward the hills east
of Bethel and pitched his tent, with
Here we see that Abram (Avraham) called on the name of HaShem. Abram did this when HaShem promised him offspring and land.
Bereshit (Genesis) 13:1-4 So Abram went up
from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and
everything he had, and
Here we see that Abram called on the name of HaShem again. Abram did this at the same place where HaShem promised him offspring and land.
Bereshit (Genesis) 21:28-34 Abraham set
apart seven ewe
lambs from the flock, And Abimelech asked Abraham, “What
is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs you have set
apart by themselves?” He replied, “Accept these seven
lambs from my hand as a witness that I dug this
well.” So that place was called
HaShem has changed Abram’s name to Abraham. Abraham calls on the name of HaShem after he made a covenant with Abimelech and planted a tamarisk tree. What is the connection?
Bereshit (Genesis) 26:19-25 Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and
discovered a well of fresh water there. But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled
with Isaac’s herdsmen and said, “The water is ours!”
So he named the well Esek, because they disputed with him. Then they dug
another well, but they quarreled over that one also; so
he named it Sitnah. He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth, saying, “Now
HaShem has given us room and we will flourish in the land.” From there he went
up to
In this passage, Isaac calls on the name of HaShem after he has been promised an increased number of descendants.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 18:21 “‘Do not give any of your children to be
sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name
of your God. I am HaShem.
In this passage, HaShem commands His people not to profane His name by sacrificing their children to Molech. Again the name is associated with descendants.
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 18:1-7 The priests, who are Levites--indeed the whole tribe of Levi--are to
have no allotment or inheritance
with Israel. They shall live on the offerings made to HaShem by fire, for that is their inheritance. They shall have no inheritance
among their brothers; HaShem is their inheritance,
as he promised them. This is the share due the priests
from the people who sacrifice a bull or a sheep:
the shoulder, the jowls and the inner parts. You are to give them the firstfruits
of your grain, new wine and oil, and the first wool from the shearing of your sheep, For HaShem your
God has chosen them and their descendants out of all your tribes
to stand and minister in HaShem’s name always. If a
Levite moves from one of your towns anywhere in Israel
where he is living, and comes in all earnestness to the place HaShem will
choose, He may minister in the name of HaShem
his God like all his fellow Levites who serve there in the presence of HaShem.
Here we see the Levites ministering “in the name of HaShem” and it is related to their inheritance.
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 28:58-59 If you do not carefully follow all the
words of this law,
which are written in this book, and do not revere this glorious and awesome name--HaShem
your God-- HaShem will send fearful plagues on you and your descendants, harsh
and prolonged disasters, and severe and lingering illnesses.
Once again we see that revering the name of HaShem is related to our descendants.
I Melachim (Kings) 18:18-39 “I have not made trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “But you and your father’s
family have. You have abandoned HaShem’s commands
and have followed the Baals. Now summon the people from all over
When Elijah called on the name of HaShem, fire came down from heaven to perform what Elijah had requested.
Tehillim (Psalms)s
116:1-19 I love HaShem, for he
heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he
turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. The cords of death
entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble
and sorrow. Then I called on the name of HaShem:
“HaShem, save me!” HaShem is gracious and
righteous; our God is full of compassion. HaShem protects the simple hearted;
when I was in great need, he saved me. Be at rest
once more, O my soul, for HaShem has been good to you. For you, HaShem, have
delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling,
That I may walk before HaShem in the land of the living. I believed; therefore I said, “I am greatly
afflicted.” And in my dismay I said, “All men are liars.” How can I repay
HaShem for all his goodness to me? I
will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of HaShem. I will fulfill
my vows to HaShem in the presence of all his people. Precious in the sight of
HaShem is the death of his saints. HaShem, truly I am your servant; I am your
servant, the son of your maidservant; you have freed me from my chains. I will sacrifice a thank offering to
you and call on the name of HaShem. I will fulfill my
vows to HaShem in the presence of all his people, In the courts of the house of HaShem--in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise HaShem.
Here we see that the fulfillment of vows seems to be the reason for calling on the name of HaShem.
The statement: “I will lift up the cup of salvation“ seems to be related to havdallah.[13] This is the name of the cup that is lifted during the havdallah ceremony.[14]
Yiremeyahu (Jeremiah) 3:14-18 “Return, faithless people,” declares
HaShem, “for I am your husband. I will choose you--one
from a town and two from a clan--and bring you to
This time, when HaShem’s people honor the name of HaShem, it is related to their inheritance in the land, and to their relationship as the bride.
Tzefaniah (Zephaniah) 3:8-20 Therefore wait for me,” declares HaShem, “for
the day I will stand up to testify. I have decided to
assemble the nations, to gather
the kingdoms and to pour out my wrath on them--all my fierce anger. The whole world will be consumed by the fire of my jealous anger. “Then will I
purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may
call on the name of HaShem and serve him shoulder
to shoulder. From beyond the rivers of
Calling on the name of HaShem, here, is related to their home (the land) and a restoration of their fortunes.
* * *
Now, lets see what happens when we look to our own “name” rather than to call upon HaShem’s name:
Bereshit (Genesis) 11:1-9 Now the whole world had one language
and a common speech. As men moved eastward, they found
a plain in
Ok, so the end result of making a name for ourselves is confusion! This is what the wicked do: They try to make a name FOR THEMSELVES. The righteous call upon the name of HaShem to praise Him. When we acknowledge Him, instead of ourselves, we acknowledge His preeminence. I think that I would rather call upon the name of HaShem!!
* * *
Much confusion comes from the lack of a teacher. The Torah is clear: Jews are to be a light to the nations.
Many Christians study the Bible and come to conclusions that are not practiced by the Orthodox Jews. They, therefore, conclude that the Jews are wrong and that they are right. Often they start new movements to propagate these revelations. In the end, there is much confusion in the body.
Jew study the oral as well as the written law. They are so concerned that they follow EXACTLY what HaShem wants, that they actually memorize the law. This law is communicated to them by teachers who memorized what was handed over to them by their teacher. This teacher / student chain stretches all the way back to Mount Sinai when Moses, the teacher, taught Aaron and Yehoshua. The incredible accuracy with which the written word has been handed down to us, is a direct result of this student / teacher chain. Without this chain there would be no written Bible or oral Torah. In order to achieve this incredible accuracy, the teacher would convey the proper copying methods and laws to his student. This oral tradition allowed the student to make each letter exactly the same as Moses made it. Each made the strokes in exactly the same direction and exactly the same size. Each counted the letters. Each computed the numerical value of the letters, words, and sentences. By counting these values, they insured that their copy was exactly the same as the copy Moses made.
The tradition also told them why certain letters had crowns and why certain letters were made in an abnormal manner. The teacher taught the student why certain letters had to be very tall, very wide, very narrow, or very small. Contained within the shapes of the letters was the cosmic blueprint of the world. So important was the copying of the Torah, that if a single letter were defective, the whole scroll became invalid. It became invalid because it would destroy the world. The copying had cosmic significance.
This same teacher / student chain also preserved the pronunciation[15] of the words and the proper times to pronounce them. It also determined whether any particular student would learn everything or only the hints, so that only those capable of grasping and passing on certain aspects, were entrusted with those aspects. Since the yod-hay-vav-hay (יהוה) name had such cosmic significance and was pronounced only by the Kohen Gadole, and only on the day when the Jewish people could stand the incredible spiritual power that it produced. To have pronounced the name on any other day would have “fried” the people.
The Name of HaShem is one of the Names which is linked only to the higher world. To drag it into the lower world would be a total desecration of what this Name is. This concept of the Names of HaShem and the appropriate times to use them, was passed on from teacher to student. By the proper use of the Names, the pious ones could create miracles. The Sefer Yetzirah contains various permutations of His Names and how they were to be used. The teacher would expose the student to this book, then explain the background and tradition that went with it. Armed with the written and the oral, the student could accurately reproduce.
No one wants to accurately fulfill the Torah more than the pious Jews, NO ONE! This means that the Jews themselves are the most convincing argument that they have the proper understanding. For someone to come along, without a proper teacher, and suggest that they are more pious than the Orthodox Jew is arrogance and ignorance. The use of the Divine names can not be properly understood without a teacher and the oral tradition.
So, go to the Orthodox Jew if you would like to learn about The Name.
Conclusion
The times we live in are times of imperfection and thus we are in need of Divine Mercy. When we pray with the name of HaShem we pronounce it with the expression of Adonai in order to invoke the attribute of Divine Mercy. Chazal teach us that with the rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash and the coming of Mashiach we will achieve a state of perfection and be ready for the attribute of Divine Justice. At that time we will pronounce the Name of HaShem as it is spelled. This idea is intimated in the well know pasuk that we recite at the end of aleinu. The pasuk says, “And HaShem will be (at the “end of the day”) One and His Name will be One“.[16] Today it appears that HaShem’s has two names, one, the name we write, i.e. יהוה, and the other the name we pronounce, i.e., Adonai. However with the coming of Mashiach and the rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash, HaShem’s name will be One. We will then pronounce His Name the same way it is written. We will no longer need to invoke the attribute of Divine Mercy.
* * *
Final word: Those Christians who claim to know how to pronounce The Name (יהוה) are deluded. For example, those who say it should be pronounced Jehovah do not realize that there is no “J” sound in Hebrew (Surely The Name is a Hebrew name!). Further, the vowel points used to obtain the “o” and the “a” sounds, in Jehovah, are actually a memory device to cause us to say “Adonai” rather than the vowel points used for pronunciation.
* * *
This study was
written by
Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David
(Greg Killian).
Comments may be submitted to:
Rabbi Dr. Greg Killian
4544 Highline Drive SE
Olympia, WA 98501
Internet address: gkilli@aol.com
Web page:
http://www.betemunah.org/
(360) 918-2905
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Send comments to Greg Killian at his email address: gkilli@aol.com
[1] Tetragrammaton
[2] The so called old testament.
[3] There is no Greek equivalent.
[5] Zechariah 14:9
[7] Adonai =alef dalet nun yod.
[8] To hide it. This is explained anon.
[9] Ex. III, 15. The actual reading is: this is my name for ever. (leolam, לעולם); but it is written, to be hidden (lealeim, לעלם) – without the vav - ו. Thus this indicates that God’s name must be kept secret; whereas ‘this is my memorial’ etc. implies that He is to be known by this name. Another version, accepting the reading Leolam (for ever) explains the difficulty thus: since G-d states this is my name, it is obvious that He is to be known by it: why then add, ‘and this is my memorial’ etc.?
[14] “The Complete Artscroll Siddur”, page 619,
ashkenaz edition, by Rabbi Nosson Scherman, Mesorah publications Ltd.
[15] The pronunciation determined the meaning of a word. In Hebrew, vowel sounds are not written. Without this oral tradition it would be impossible to know what the words of the Torah mean because we would not know how to pronounce them.
[16] Zechariah 14:9