HaShem Is God
"HaShem" is a title given to God and is very common in Israeli discourse.
In the thousands-of-years-old Jewish heritage, God has several names but there is a strict prohibition against mentioning them explicitly. To circumvent the prohibition, this title - HaShem (which mean: "The name") was coined, allowing believers to refer to God without uttering the explicit name.
Mention of HaShem is usually done in positive contexts, carrying optimism and positive energies. There are three main usage situations—before and after an event or process, and during it. And each situation has its own unique phrase:
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"Im Yirtzeh HaShem" (If God Wills It) – Said at the start of the journey into the unknown. It contains a bit of optimism mixed with apprehension, and it conveys wishes and hopes for a good outcome to the listener.
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"Be'Ezrat HaShem" (With God's Help) – Said halfway through the process. This is a hope that contains cautious optimism—a kind of "it will be alright." Things are progressing. ("Be'Ezrat HaShem, we will overcome the difficulties" or "Be'Ezrat HaShem, we will succeed in the business we opened").
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"Baruch HaShem" (Blessed Is HaShem) – Said at the end of the process. Accompanied by a sigh of relief, it comes with a feeling of satisfaction from a positive event that occurred, such as a family celebration or some kind of victory or achievement. It is a type of expression of thanks and blessing to God for His contribution to the event.
HaShem is spoken by religious people, but not only.
Over the years, secular Israelis and even atheists may refer to the word in various contexts, mainly when wishing or hoping for help or success. For those who lack faith, who are secular and rational, it is merely a metaphorical expression.
In Judaism, God has many titles. Each one has a unique nuance and an appropriate moment when it is said or written.
Some of the titles are so sacred that they are completely forbidden to be mentioned in writing or orally. This is how the heart and consciousness are subdued before the glory of the great and awesome God, generating reverence and fear towards Him.
The most sacred is: "YHVH," (Tetragrammaton - יהוה), which is also called: The "Shem HaMeforash" (The Explicit Name). It is so holy and sublime that it is forbidden to mention it at all—not in prayer, not in speech, and not in writing. The combination of these four letters, YHVH, can only appear in appropriate mentions in the Torah scroll written on parchment, the basis of Judaism. Religious Jews who read the verses where it is mentioned will never pronounce it as it is written but will substitute it with another, slightly less sacred name.
In fact, no Jew—whether religious or secular, atheist or non-believer—ever uses this title for God. Who does? Mystics, Kabbalists, and amulet writers make extensive use of the Explicit Name and link it to mysterious and miraculous interpretations.
Second in the hierarchy of sanctity and reverence is the title: Adonai (My Lord).
This is used in prayer and blessings of thanks to God who dwells on high, the Creator of the world. Every Jewish blessing begins with the words "Baruch Atah Adonai" (Blessed are you, Lord)—many segments of the daily prayers in the synagogue and at home are interspersed with this title in various forms. Sometimes literally with those letters, Adonai, and sometimes with implied letters (such as: Yod-Yod or Yod-He).
The third is the most familiar and well-known: Elohim (God). This title is also embedded in prayers and blessings, but it is also more common in daily speech.
Religious Jews from the Orthodox stream, the dominant Jewish stream in Israel, will never mention the latter two outside of prayers and blessings.
Instead of Adonai, they will say: Adoshem—a blend of two words: Adonai and HaShem.
Instead of Elohim, they will say: Elokim. The letter Qaf (ק) replaces the letter Heh (ה), and both sound almost the same.
In the modern streams of Judaism, Reform and Conservative, who are a minority in Israeli society, these prohibitions are treated with less severity, and they use the names according to the context of the mention.
Everyone else has no problem. They will speak freely, mainly about Elohim using the full title without changes or additions. They have no aversion to the prohibition—for traditional people it is not significant, and in the eyes of secular people and atheists, it seems like an archaic prohibition that is irrelevant to our time.
"HaShem" is the light version, the soft and safe way to speak.
It can be said without fear of mentioning the Explicit Name in any form. It can also be written—as a whole word or as an abbreviation: H' or D'. This is what makes it the most common in Israeli Hebrew discourse, in the known phrases: Baruch HaShem, Be'Ezrat HaShem, and Im Yirtzeh HaShem.
The title "HaShem" has widespread use in writing as well. Religious Jews who express gratitude to God at every moment of their lives, and feel the need to emphasize it, indicate this in written correspondence, declarations, instructions, or written requests—at the beginning of the written communication, the phrase "Be'Ezrat HaShem" or its acronym: B"H, will appear.
There are a few other common titles, more or less, in daily Israeli discourse:
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"HaKadosh Baruch Hu" (The Holy One, Blessed Be He) – Especially common among religious people. When they write the title, they will reduce it to the acronym: HaKaba"H.
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"Ribono Shel Olam" (Master of the Universe) – This expression is heard in moments of astonishment, and is equivalent to the expression "Oh my God" (Elohim Adirim). It is also originally taken from the religious sphere, but over the years, it has penetrated the speech of writers, journalists, public speakers, and ordinary people who find in it a pleasant expression that conveys the essence of God.
God has many more titles and epithets, such as: Almighty, El Elyon (God Most High), King of Kings, and more. These are metaphorical, literary, and biblical titles. The vast majority of them are mentioned in prayers and holy scriptures.
Since the beginning of the 21st century, religion and tradition have gained a broader place in the Israeli experience.
Thanks to a particularly high birth rate, the religious society, across all its sectors, is expanding. Its influence on culture and governance is intensifying, pushing back the secular ethos that prevailed since the state's founding.
The noticeable change is expressed in the increasingly frequent use of the phrase "Boreh Olam" (Creator of the World), said by traditional people.
Traditional people also use the familiar expression: "Abba" (Dad). For example, one can see eye-catching signs or posters on cars with expressions like: "Abba, be merciful to us," or "Abba Shebashamayim (Father in Heaven) protect us."
The change is also prominently expressed in culture and daily discourse.
For instance, in music—more and more singers refrain from mentioning the explicit names like Adonai or Elohim in their songs. In every sentence where one of these words is mentioned—they will sing HaShem or Elokim in its place.
And if God exists somewhere on high, He can be satisfied.
Baruch HaShem, most Israelis believe in Him, respect Him, revere Him, pray to Him, and see Him as a supreme factor that dictates their destiny for better or for worse.
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