Ask the Rabbi
- Halacha
- G-d's Name and Holy Writings
- G-d's Name and Gnizza
Question
In the Old Torah I see that our Father in heaven often was referred to in much stronger terms. THE word MIGHTY was often used as well as others of more power & strength type words.
How many names/terms are used for our Creator in the Torah? And how were they made apart, special, from the more ordinary use of those same words. Like in English or Spanish we make use of capital letters at the begining of names. But in the original language of the Torah, capitals were unknown, right?
Answer
There is one name in the Torah that is "the name" of G-d or as we say in Hebrew "Hashem".
There are other names that Hashem is called by in the Torah and the holy scriptures that are descriptive of the way G-d appears in the world through our eyes. (See Kuzari 2, 2)
The Talmud (Shvu'ot 35a) lists the seven names that can't be erased for their holiness.
They are written in the Torah in the same way though I have noticed that in some of the old religious scrolls found, from the time of second temple, which are displayed in "The Shrine of the Book", they are written in ancient Hebrew font but the name of HASHEM is in our common Hebrew font.

Nano Tanakh
Rabbi Yoel Lieberman | Cheshvan 18, 5786

Tattoo of the Tetragrammaton
Rabbi Jonathan Blass | 4 Tammuz 5763

Reading Jewish Books in bathroom
Rabbi David Sperling | Tevet 15, 5776




