You're standing in a synagogue, and the air is thick with the smell of old paper and beeswax. The cantor begins to sing, but if you're looking for a simple name to pin on the wall, you're going to be disappointed. Religion isn't always about labels. In fact, if you've ever wondered what is Judaism god called, you’ve stumbled into one of the most complex linguistic and theological rabbit holes in human history. It’s not just one name. It’s dozens. And some of them? You aren't even supposed to say them out loud.
Honestly, it’s a bit of a paradox. Judaism is the OG of monotheism, strictly dedicated to one singular deity, yet that deity has a revolving door of titles, descriptors, and "unpronounceable" strings of letters. It’s not because the Jewish people couldn't decide on a name. It’s because, in Jewish thought, a name isn't just a way to get someone's attention across a room; it’s a definition of their essence. And how do you define the infinite?
The Name That No One Says
The big one. The four-letter name. Scholars call it the Tetragrammaton. It’s written as Y-H-W-H (Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh in Hebrew). This is the "proper" name of the God of Israel, appearing over 6,000 times in the Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible). But here’s the kicker: nobody knows exactly how to pronounce it anymore, and even if we did, Jewish law and tradition forbid it.
Around the time of the Second Temple, the name became considered too holy for common speech. It was only uttered by the High Priest in the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur. When the Temple was destroyed in 70 CE, the exact pronunciation sort of evaporated into history. Today, when Jewish people encounter those four letters in a prayer book, they don't say "Yahweh"—a common scholarly reconstruction that most observant Jews find pretty jarring. Instead, they say Adonai.
Adonai literally translates to "My Lords" (a plural of majesty), but it’s understood as "Lord." It's the "polite" substitute. But even Adonai is treated with massive respect. You don’t just throw it around while you're making a sandwich. If you're just talking about God in a casual conversation, you use HaShem.
The Power of "The Name" (HaShem)
If you hang out with Jewish people today, you’ll hear the word HaShem constantly. It literally means "The Name." It’s the ultimate linguistic workaround.
"Thank HaShem the rain stopped."
"HaShem willing, we'll see you next week."
It’s a way to acknowledge the divine without "taking the name in vain" or using a formal liturgical title. It’s intimate yet deeply respectful. It’s sort of like calling your father "Dad" instead of his full legal name, though the reasoning is much more about sanctity than familiarity.
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Using HaShem protects the holiness of the formal names. In Jewish law, specifically the Shulchan Aruch (the Code of Jewish Law), there are strict rules about destroying any paper that has the formal names of God written on it. This is why you’ll see many Jews write "G-d" in English. The English word "God" isn't technically holy in the same way the Hebrew names are, but the practice of hyphenating it is a "fence around the Torah"—a way to ensure that even a printed piece of paper is treated with a baseline of caution.
Elohim: The God of Justice
Then there’s Elohim. If you open the very first verse of Genesis, that’s the name you see. Bereshit bara Elohim... "In the beginning, God created..."
Interestingly, Elohim is a plural noun. This has tripped up many people over the centuries, leading some to wrongly assume ancient Judaism was polytheistic. It’s not. In Hebrew grammar, this is a "plural of majesty" or "plural of intensity." It represents the totality of all powers.
In the Midrash (Jewish homiletic teachings), the rabbis explain that God uses different names depending on the "mode" He is in. Elohim is the name associated with Din—strict justice and the natural laws of the universe. When God is acting as the Judge, the Creator of the physical laws that don't bend, He is Elohim.
Contrast that with the Tetragrammaton (Y-H-W-H), which is associated with Rachamim—mercy and compassion. The Jewish worldview suggests a constant tension between these two. We want a world of justice, but we need a world of mercy to survive. The names reflect that cosmic balancing act.
El Shaddai and the Names You Might Not Know
If you’ve ever looked at a Mezuzah—the small scroll case on the doorpost of a Jewish home—you’ll see the Hebrew letter Shin. This stands for Shaddai.
What is Judaism god called when he is protecting the home? Usually El Shaddai. The translation is debated. Some say "God Almighty," others point to the root shad (breast), suggesting a nurturing, sustaining quality. There’s also a popular acronym: Shomer Daltot Yisrael—Guardian of the Doors of Israel.
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There are plenty of others that pop up in specific contexts:
- El Elyon: God Most High.
- Avinu Malkeinu: Our Father, Our King (famous from the High Holiday liturgy).
- Emet: Truth.
- HaKadosh Baruch Hu: The Holy One, Blessed Be He. This is a very common rabbinic title.
- Ein Sof: The Infinite. This is a Kabbalistic term used to describe God before any self-manifestation. It’s God in the "purest" sense, beyond human comprehension.
Why the Variety Matters
You might wonder why we need all these different tags. Why can't it just be one?
Maimonides, the great 12th-century philosopher also known as Rambam, argued in The Guide for the Perplexed that God doesn't actually have names. We have names for God. Because God is simple and indivisible, any name we use is actually a description of how we perceive Him at a given moment.
If I see a beautiful sunset, I might think of God as the Creator. If I experience a miraculous recovery, I might think of God as a Healer (Rofe). The names are for us, not for Him. They are windows into a room that is too big for us to see all at once.
The Name in the Modern World
In 2026, the way we talk about these things is shifting slightly as digital spaces become more prevalent. You'll see "G-d" in Instagram captions and "B"H" (short for Baruch HaShem, "Blessed be the Name") at the top of emails.
There is a real weight to these words. In Jewish tradition, to erase a name of God is a serious transgression. This creates an interesting challenge for digital screens. Is a name "written" if it’s just pixels? Most modern rabbinic authorities, like those from the Orthodox Union (OU), suggest that pixels aren't the same as ink on parchment, but many people still maintain the hyphenated "G-d" out of a sense of traditional piety.
Common Misconceptions
Let's clear some things up.
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"Jehovah" is not a Jewish name. It’s actually a linguistic mistake. In the Middle Ages, Christian scholars took the vowels for Adonai and mashed them together with the consonants of the Tetragrammaton (Y-H-W-H). The result was a word that never existed in Hebrew and isn't used in Jewish prayer.
"Allah" is just the word for God. While used by Muslims, Arabic-speaking Jews (of which there are many, historically) also use the word Allah because it simply means "The God" in Arabic. It’s not a different deity; it’s a different language.
The "Seven Names" rule. There are seven specific names in Hebrew that are considered so holy they cannot be erased. These include El, Elohim, Adonai, Y-H-W-H, Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh, Shaddai, and Tzevaot. If a scribe makes a mistake writing one of these on a Torah scroll, the whole section of parchment usually has to be put into a Genizah (a storage area for holy texts) and buried.
Moving Beyond the Labels
Knowing what is Judaism god called is only half the battle. The names are signposts. If you’re looking to understand the Jewish concept of the divine, don't get hung up on the phonetics. Look at the attributes.
Judaism posits a God that is both "Transcendental"—totally outside of time and space—and "Immanent"—right here in the room with you. The names reflect this. Ein Sof is the God of the philosophers, the one who started the Big Bang. HaShem is the God you talk to when you’re worried about your kid’s fever.
Actionable Takeaways for the Curious
If you're writing about, studying, or interacting with Jewish culture, here is how to handle the names of God with respect and accuracy:
- When in doubt, use HaShem. If you are speaking with Jewish people and want to refer to God in a way that is respectful of the tradition, HaShem is the most universally accepted "casual-holy" term.
- Respect the "G-d" convention. You don't have to do it if you aren't Jewish, but understanding why others do it helps avoid awkward questions. It’s about the permanence of the written word.
- Avoid "Yahweh" in Jewish circles. Even though it appears in many history textbooks and secular religious studies, it can be offensive to some observant ears because it attempts to pronounce the unpronounceable.
- Context is everything. If you see Adonai in a book, know it's a prayer-mode word. If you see Elohim, think of justice and nature. If you see Shaddai, think of protection.
Names are powerful things. In Judaism, they are the bridge between a finite human mind and an infinite reality. Whether you say HaShem, Adonai, or simply "the Almighty," you’re tapping into a linguistic tradition that has been carefully guarded for over 3,000 years. It’s a way of saying that while we might not be able to fully see or understand the divine, we at least have a way to call out.