[Avodah] HaShem as God's Name

[yfel912928 at aim.com]

I think the use of "Hashem" is a sociological phenomenon. That is, whereas it had been the community preference to fit-in and be considered religiously normal among other Americans, there came to be a need/inclination to stand out and be different. Like so much else in contemporary Yiddishkeit, it probably stems from a reaction to the 1960's, when differences became points of pride and ethnicity suddenly shined and mattered.

It also set Orthodoxy apart from Conservative, Reform, etc.and seemed to say that while they worship everyman's God, we worship Hashem, the "Jewish God".

It has gotten to the point, interstingly enough, where Orthodox actually blush when we say "God" between ourselves (or when in the presence of non-observant Jews along with other Orthodox)?and quickly mutter?the term "Hashem" as an aside.

-- Yaakov Feldman

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.aishdas.org/pipermail/avodah-aishdas.org/attachments/20080907/0a21b624/attachment-0002.htm>