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The Basics of Judaism: G-d & Torah: Why we say "Ha-Shem":

Why do we say "Ha-Shem" instead of pronouncing G-d's name the way it is written?

In Biblical times the Tetragrammaton was pronounced the way it was written, and in the Temple it was pronounced by the Kohanim when they blessed the people, but since that time it is always replaced by a generic Divine Name, usually the one spelled A-D-N-Y and translated "My L-rd". For secular purposes, even the generic Divine Names are not pronouced the way they are written; in particular, A-D-N-Y is replaced by "Ha-Shem" ("the Name") because it usually stands for the Tetragrammaton. The verse in Ex.3:15, which can be read "This is My Name to conceal" (LE-ALEM) rather than "This is My Name forever" (LE-OLAM), is interpreted by the Talmud as saying "I am not spoken the way I am written" (Pesachim 50a, Kiddushin 71a). See also Deut.28:58, "To fear this honored and awesome Name (HA-SHEM), Y-H-V-H your G-d", which foreshadows the replacement of Y-H-V-H by "Ha-Shem".
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