Adonai

Adonai

Judaism considers some names of God so holy that, once written, they should not be erased: יהוה (YHWH), אֲדֹנָי (Adonai), אֵל (El transl. God), אֱלֹהִים (Elohim transl. God, a plural noun), אֵל שַׁדַּי (El Shaddai transl. God Almighty), שַׁדַּי (Shaddai transl. Almighty), יְהֹוָ֥ה צְבָאֽוֹת (Adonai Tzevaoth transl. Lord of Hosts) and צְבָאֽוֹת (Tzevaoth transl. [of] Hosts); some also include I Am that I Am. 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. Some moderns advise special care even in these cases, 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, lit. "10-5" but also "Jah") for the number fifteen or Ṭēt-Zayin (טז, lit. "9-7") instead of Yōd-Vav (יו, lit. "10-6") for the Hebrew number sixteen.

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