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From: Russell Hendel <rhendel@mcs.drexel.edu>
Date: Sun, 18 Jul 1999 19:13:56 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: A Heter to say "Hashem" in English Blessings

Tillis Yerachmiel (v28n101) is of the opinion that if one is saying
a blessing in English that one should not say 'Blessed are You, Hashem'
but should rather say 'Blessed are You, God'.

My own opinion is that "everyone knows" that HASHEM means God and therefore
it is permissable to use the term. The logical idea behind this is that
the term HASHEM has acquired an English meaning. The idea that words
can acquire new meaning can be proved by the following  Rambam, Sales
Chapter 28, 13:14

>>If I consumate a sale and say "You have acquired my 10-Acre field"
>>and all people in town call this "The 10-acre field" then the deal
>>is a deal EVEN if the field only has 1-2 acres. ... Similarly if
>>I sell you my vineyard and everyone calls it my vineyard the deal
>>is a deal even if it has no vines.

Thus the Rambam is clear: USAGE (what everyone calls something) takes
precedence over DICTIONARY MEANING. Thus the 10-acre farm refers to my
farm even if it doesn't have 10 acres and my vineyard is so termed even
if it doesn't have vines. So too HASHEM means GOD because that is how
everyone uses it.

Russell Jay Hendel; Phd ASA;
rjhendel@juno.com
http://www.shamash.org/rashi/
Moderator; Rashi Is Simple