When reading through some of the notes we use with our studies on Shabbat, we felt that this quote from Bereans Online and a very similar quote from Torah Resource were well worth pointing out. Since both say the same thing, I’ll just post one of the quotes rather than be redundant. It directly relates to some entries I’ve written in the past, G-d and His Reputation, It’s Time to Grow Up Explained, and Heaven as a Circumlocution.
Names…
Although we have read His Name previously in the Torah – we now learn that this is His personal and holy Name. Moses is told by G-d Almighty what His most holy Name is. This Name, made up of four Hebrew letters is used over 2,500 times in the TaNaKh. It makes its way into the English simply as “L-RD” in all upper case, but it does not mean “L-rd.”
Beloved, as you may well know, this Name of G-d has been often misrepresented, mispronounced, and most certainly misused. There is a reason why it is only four Hebrew letters with no vowel points. It is not meant to be used casually. The ancient Masoretes, treated this Name with the utmost caution and reverence. When writing the text in a scroll, they would employ a technique called kere ketiv [read, write] – which was a form of adding notes to the text without altering the text itself. It permitted them to tell the reader that the text should be read silently one way, but out loud another way. This permitted the public reading of sensitive and delicate texts. The Masorete scribes used a permanent kere ketiv when they came to the four letter Name of G-d that is technically referred to now as the Tetragrammaton. Their notation used the vowels for “Ad-nai” [My L-rd] around the consonants of the four letters. The Masorete scribes were saying in this: “Read the four letters, but out loud say the word “Ad-nai.” This practice is in use today in our English Bibles where “L-RD” in all capitals is a fill-in, or circumlocution for the most holy Name of G-d.
In 1520, Galatinus, mistook the kere ketiv under the Name of G-d and thought those marks were the missing vowels. Too bad he didn’t ask a Jewish person, because they could have spared us the word “Jehovah” which is neither a name, or even a Hebrew word. It is completely fabricated. Galatinus took the vowel points for “Ad-nai” which the Masoretes used to tell the reader not to try to utter the Name – and instead inserted them into the four consonants of G-d’s holy Name. The result has been over 400 hundred years of misunderstanding regarding the Tetragrammaton. Although most scholars learned of the mistake by the early Twentieth Century, it did not keep them from trying different combinations of vowels to try and derive the pronunciation for the Name – some of which are equally as wrong as “Jehovah.” Most of which are completely lacking in understanding of Hebrew grammar. Suffice it to say, that most preachers casually barking the common two-syllable mispronunciation of this Hebrew Name are uttering complete gibberish. The fact is, we really do not know the pronunciation of this Name, even though we might think we can guess.
During the Second Temple period, the most holy Name of G-d was not uttered out loud by anyone except the High Priest once a year at Yom Kippur. It was upon hearing the Name, that the people on Yom Kippur would reply with the now familiar phrase, “Baruch shem k’vod, malchuto l’olam va’ed!” [Blessed be the glorious Name, Whose Kingdom is forever and ever!].
Since we do not have a Temple, the uttering of the Name has ceased. More importantly, we have learned that trying to discover the Name’s pronunciation is not nearly as important, as is treating it as holy. We are commanded to blot out the names of the idols – but we are commanded not to thus blot out the Name of the Almighty. Putting dashes etc. into references of G-d is an effort to remind the reader and the writer that G-d’s Names are not to be treated lightly. Generally, the practice holds that if a written work might be thrown away, or treated improperly, dashes etc. are used in “L-RD,” “G-d,” etc.
We have learned the practice of circumlocution – that is, using an evasive synonym for G-d. We use “Ad-nai” in place of the holy Name of G-d in prayer. We use “HaShem” [the Name] when speaking about Him. Believers have practiced circumlocution for thousands of years. Our Master, Yeshua, taught us to do this as well. He referred to HaShem as “Father,” “Father in Heaven,” “Heaven,” “The Power on High,” “The Mighty” etc. Those who imitate the Master are careful with HaShem’s Name.
