Names of God in Judaism

Judaism has different names given to God, which are considered sacred: יהוה (YHWH), אֲדֹנָי (Adonai transl. my Lord[s]), אֵל (El transl. God), אֱלֹהִים (Elohim transl. God[s]),^{[n 1]} שַׁדַּי (Shaddai transl. Almighty), and צְבָאוֹת (Tzevaoth transl. [Lord of] Hosts); some also include I Am that I Am.^[1] Early authorities considered other Hebrew names mere epithets or descriptions of God, and wrote that they and names in other languages may be written and erased freely.^[2] Some moderns advise special care even in these cases,^[3] and many Orthodox Jews have adopted the chumras of writing "G-d" instead of "God" in English or saying Ṭēt-Vav (טו, lit. '9-6') instead of Yōd-Hē (יה, '10-5', but also 'Jah') for the number fifteen or Ṭēt-Zayin (טז, '9-7') instead of Yōd-Vav (יו, '10-6') for the Hebrew number sixteen.^[4]

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^ This is the formulation of Joseph Karo (SA YD 276:9). Maimonides (MT Yesodei haTorah 6:2), Jacob ben Asher (AT YD 276), and Isaac Alfasi (HK Menachot 3b) also included I Am that I Am, as do many later authorities, including Moses Isserles (SA YD 276:9). The original lists are found in y. Megillah 1:9 and b. Shavuot 35a, with some MSs agreeing with each authority. Maimonides and followers give the number of names as seven; however, manuscript inconsistency makes it difficult to judge which are included. Authorities including Asher ben Jehiel (Responsa 3:15), the Tosafists (b. Sotah 10a), Yechiel of Paris (cited Birkei Yosef, Oraḥ Hayyim 85:8), Simeon ben Zemah Duran, Yaakov ben Moshe Levi Moelin, and Moses Isserles (SA YD 276:13), include the term Shalom as well.
^ e.g. Akiva Eiger (Hagahot to SA YD 276:9) and Shabbatai HaKohen (SK YD 179:11). Yechiel Michel Epstein (AH HM 27) was the first major authority to explicitly disagree. See also J. David Bleich, Contemporary Halakhic Problems Vol. I ch. IX.
^ Epstein, Jonathan Eybeschutz, Urim veTumim 27:2, Yaakov Lorberbaum, Netivot ha-Mishpat 27:2, etc.
^ Rich, Tracey R. (1996), "The Name of G-d", Judaism 101, archived from the original on 3 June 2019, retrieved 31 Aug 2015

[:0-2] This is the formulation of Joseph Karo (SA YD 276:9). Maimonides (MT Yesodei haTorah 6:2), Jacob ben Asher (AT YD 276), and Isaac Alfasi (HK Menachot 3b) also included I Am that I Am, as do many later authorities, including Moses Isserles (SA YD 276:9). The original lists are found in y. Megillah 1:9 and b. Shavuot 35a, with some MSs agreeing with each authority. Maimonides and followers give the number of names as seven; however, manuscript inconsistency makes it difficult to judge which are included. Authorities including Asher ben Jehiel (Responsa 3:15), the Tosafists (b. Sotah 10a), Yechiel of Paris (cited Birkei Yosef, Oraḥ Hayyim 85:8), Simeon ben Zemah Duran, Yaakov ben Moshe Levi Moelin, and Moses Isserles (SA YD 276:13), include the term Shalom as well.

[3] .g. Akiva Eiger (Hagahot to SA YD 276:9) and Shabbatai HaKohen (SK YD 179:11). Yechiel Michel Epstein (AH HM 27) was the first major authority to explicitly disagree. See also J. David Bleich, Contemporary Halakhic Problems Vol. I ch. IX.

[4] Epstein, Jonathan Eybeschutz, Urim veTumim 27:2, Yaakov Lorberbaum, Netivot ha-Mishpat 27:2, etc.

[5] Rich, Tracey R. (1996), "The Name of G-d", Judaism 101, archived from the original on 3 June 2019, retrieved 31 Aug 2015

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Names of God in Judaism

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