Is G-d G--d?

 The purpose of this blog is to harmonize the Shabbat table. Please print, share, forward, etc.

Here's a more down-home follow-up to last week's homage to unity.

Try this question at your table: Did you ever notice how some people write "God" as "G-d"? Are you one of those people? What's the reason for this custom?

The answer is that there is a very ancient prohibition on discarding a name of God. When a holy book wears out, we bury it rather than discard it.

(Many authorities say that this prohibition applies only to the 7 holy Hebrew names, not to other languages.)

Now here's where it gets interesting. Try asking this question at the table:

There is one - exactly one - mitzvah that is so important, not only are we allowed to erase God's name to achieve it, we're required to.

(I'm not talking about saving a life, which most people know overrides nearly every prohibition.)

The answer is Shalom Bayit - marital harmony. 

Notice I didn't say "peace" - I said harmony.

So dear, precious, and vital is marriage harmony that the Torah prescription for egregious disharmony is a ritual that involves erasing the Tetragrammaton. 

The ethic in a nutshell: God is saying, "I care so much about marital harmony that I'm willing to have My name erased to achieve it."

The Hebrew term for allowing something out-of-bounds (or "giving in" or "not standing on your rights") is "being mivater".

2 final questions for your table:

Why would this mitzvah of all be the one where we're supposed to erase God's name for it?
Since we're obviously not doing the ancient ritual today, how can this ethic apply to you and me?


​Shabbat Shalom

PS - for a classic short Torah guide to shalom bayit, click the image.

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