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Pronouncing God’s Name


Question:

When people read Psalms or pray out loud, they pronounce God’s name differently than it is spelled. Why?



AskTheRabbi.org answered:

God’s name is Holy, and therefore one should not speak God's name as it is written. In fact, the Tetragramatron, which spells out the essence of God's being, is so holy that we cannot fathom its true meaning. Even when the Temple existed, the only occasion that this Name was heard was during the services on the Day of Atonement and was pronounced only by the High Priest.


 
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