The name

[Hart60]

I understand that יהוה should be pronounced as "Adonai" when being read but I'm confused as to when "Adonai" or "Hashem " should be otherwise used, any advice please.

Thanks.

[Neto]

If I may, I'd like to add a second question to this. How should one refer to The NAME when the reference is for a technical or textual question?
Thanks.

[Hart60]

Yes,that's also partly what I mean Neto,thanks.

[secretofgenesis]

In my understanding, it would be better for you to pronounce the Tetra using Adonai. Afterall, there is some significance to starting with it as it is said to be associated with sefirah Malkuth. As for me, I pronounce the Tetra in my mind. Everyone correct me if I am wrong, but I think we are not prohibited from doing it. And with over 6,000 occurrence in the Torah, the Tetra is meant to be called is what I think. And there are many verses in the Torah about those who love the name.

[Hart60]

Thanks for your reply secretofgenesis,I'm still not quite sure.

[Kira]

We only say "Ado-nai" in prayer and possibly, in study.

The rest of the time we say Hashem.

The problem with trying to say the name as it's written in one's head is that we really, truly, have no idea how to pronounce it.

The Bar Ilan CD solves the problem of having the Name copied and printed by replacing it with Y-K-V-K, or rather, the Hebrew equivalent. I would recommend that as well.

-Kira

[Neto]

We only say "Ado-nai" in prayer and possibly, in study.

The rest of the time we say Hashem.

The problem with trying to say the name as it's written in one's head is that we really, truly, have no idea how to pronounce it.

The Bar Ilan CD solves the problem of having the Name copied and printed by replacing it with Y-K-V-K, or rather, the Hebrew equivalent. I would recommend that as well.

-Kira

Thank you, Kira, for adding this. This was specifically what I was wondering myself, as sometimes the text is literally HaShem, is it not? In those cases a person wanting to make a technical reference would need a mechanism like the use of Y-K-V-K to make clear the actual textual wording.

[Hart60]

Thanks Kira and Neto,
So from YKVK - Yud (Y), Heh (H) and Vav (V) I find -
"Hayah" means "He was"
"Hoveh" means "He is"
"Yehyeh" means "He will be"
past present and future,which seems logical and perfect to me, why then in Exodus 3:14-15 did G-d tell Moses "Ehyeh asher ehyeh
(I will be what I will be)," - only in the future tense ?

[Kira]

Rashi says that He needed to make the specific point, "I am with you in your current trouble, and I will be with you in the future". Then Moshe was like, "do you really need to tell them that they'll have trouble in the future, they don't have enough now?" So He changed it to just "I will be".

After hearing R' Yoel bin Nun's point that the verb "to be" in Biblical Hebrew isn't necessarily passive, but is more likely to mean "to make things come into being", then "I will make happen what I will make happen" is quite a message for that time.

-Kira

[Hart60]

Indeed it is, thanks for that explanation Kira.