HaShem
- יהוה
By 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 is ever used in the Nazarean Codicil[3].
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:[4] 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[5] and read as alef dalet;[6] 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.[7] 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?[8] 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[10]) 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
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.[11] The proper name of God, HaShem, was not used
outside of the Temple, during the days of the second
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
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
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[12]. This is the name of the cup that is lifted during the havdallah ceremony.[13]
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
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 contained 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[14] 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”.[15] 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 Hillel ben David
(Greg Killian).
Comments may be submitted to:
Greg Killian
1101 Surrey Trace SE
Tumwater, WA 98501
Internet address: gkilli@aol.com
Web page:
http://www.betemunah.org/
(360) 584-9352
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[1] Tetragrammaton
[2] The so called old testament.
[3] The so called new testament.
[4] Zechariah 14:9
[5] YHWH = yod he vav he - יהוה, the letters of the Tetragrammaton.
[6] Adonai =alef dalet nun yod.
[7] To hide it. This is explained anon.
[8] 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.?
[9] I learned this from Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai.
[10] Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai
[13] "The Complete Artscroll Siddur",
page 619, ashkenaz edition, by Rabbi Nosson Scherman, Mesorah publications Ltd.
[14] 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.
[15] Zechariah 14:9