On not pronouncing the Name...
Posted: February 11th, 2009, 2:51 pm
A Catholic friend of mine sent me today. (I hope it's ok to post it here--it's addressed to the Bishops' Conferences.) As I understand it, it's a directive to Catholic Churches to stop pronouncing the actual name of God: the Yod He Vav He (the names of the letters that comprise it) or so-called 'Tetragrammaton.' According to my friend, no one pronounced the name before Vactican II, but it's crept into practice since then.
I'll admit that hearing the Name (and I have heard it from Christian pulpits) makes me cringe. Once, when I read a passage for a wedding or something, the Bible in the church even had the Name written out. I just substituted 'Lord,' which, fortunately, didn't seem to upset anyone.
True, once upon a time even Jews might have pronounced the Name, but even if that's so, it hasn't been the case, probably, for a couple of thousand years. In fact, if you're used to reading biblical or prayer-book Hebrew in a synagogue setting, you wouldn't even think to pronounce the Name. Your brain automatically switches the Name to either Adonai (which means 'Lord') or HaShem (which means 'the Name.) As a rule of thumb, we use Adonai in synagogues and for formal blessings and prayers. Outside of the synagogue you're more likely to hear HaShem.
Does this really matter? Is saying or not saying the Name that big a deal?
I think so. First of all, no one's even sure of the correct pronunciation--or the exact meaning. All we know is that the Name is related to the verb 'to be' and that it has to do with the ground of being itself. I think there's an argument to treat such a name with profound respect--and to approach it with such reverence that we hold it in the depths of our hearts rather than on our tongues.
That said, I think it's possible to get carried away in reverence. Since 'God' is not the Name, I write 'God' out, rather than following the example of some Jews who prefer 'G-d.' And some people won't use any word for God unless they're actually praying. So, for example, they won't say the word Elohenu, 'our God,' outside of a formal context. They say 'elokenu' instead. That leads to the joke about the seriously devout fellow who went into a restaraunt and ordered a ginger kale...oh, never mind.
I'll admit that hearing the Name (and I have heard it from Christian pulpits) makes me cringe. Once, when I read a passage for a wedding or something, the Bible in the church even had the Name written out. I just substituted 'Lord,' which, fortunately, didn't seem to upset anyone.
True, once upon a time even Jews might have pronounced the Name, but even if that's so, it hasn't been the case, probably, for a couple of thousand years. In fact, if you're used to reading biblical or prayer-book Hebrew in a synagogue setting, you wouldn't even think to pronounce the Name. Your brain automatically switches the Name to either Adonai (which means 'Lord') or HaShem (which means 'the Name.) As a rule of thumb, we use Adonai in synagogues and for formal blessings and prayers. Outside of the synagogue you're more likely to hear HaShem.
Does this really matter? Is saying or not saying the Name that big a deal?
I think so. First of all, no one's even sure of the correct pronunciation--or the exact meaning. All we know is that the Name is related to the verb 'to be' and that it has to do with the ground of being itself. I think there's an argument to treat such a name with profound respect--and to approach it with such reverence that we hold it in the depths of our hearts rather than on our tongues.
That said, I think it's possible to get carried away in reverence. Since 'God' is not the Name, I write 'God' out, rather than following the example of some Jews who prefer 'G-d.' And some people won't use any word for God unless they're actually praying. So, for example, they won't say the word Elohenu, 'our God,' outside of a formal context. They say 'elokenu' instead. That leads to the joke about the seriously devout fellow who went into a restaraunt and ordered a ginger kale...oh, never mind.