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''Besiyata Dishmaya'' () is a phrase meaning 'with the help of Heaven'. The acronym () has become a popular term among
B"H
Chabad glossary
Jerusalem Life glossary Aramaic words and phrases Aramaic words and phrases in Jewish prayers and blessings Religious formulas
''Besiyata Dishmaya'' () is a phrase meaning 'with the help of Heaven'. The acronym () has become a popular term among Orthodox Jews
Orthodox Judaism is a collective term for the traditionalist branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as literally revealed by God on Mount Sinai and faithfully tr ...
, reproduced at the top of every written document (beginnings of correspondences, letters, notes, etc.) as a reminder to them that all comes from God, including the following content, and to contextualize what is really important in the text—without God's help, nothing can be done successfully. This practice is not derived from any religious law of halakha
''Halakha'' ( ; , ), also Romanization of Hebrew, transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Judaism, Jewish religious laws that are derived from the Torah, Written and Oral Torah. ''Halakha'' is ...
, but it is considered an old accepted tradition.
Abbreviation
The reason for the common use of the three-letter abbreviation, , is probably because it does not contain the letter Hei (), that is used to imply the name of God, and for this reason, a page which contains these letters, without any other Torah content, does not requiregenizah
A genizah (; , also ''geniza''; plural: ''genizot'' 'h''or ''genizahs'') is a storage area in a Judaism, Jewish synagogue or cemetery designated for the temporary storage of worn-out Hebrew-language books and papers on religious topics prior t ...
(a process for writings that contain the name of God), and thus can be thrown away without fear of violation.
Other languages, according to Judaism, are not considered the same as the sacred language ('' lashon Hakodesh''), and therefore have no such restriction.
B'ezrat HaShem
''B'ezrat HaShem'' () is a similar phrase. The acronym is () – (which is also often read as , 'blessed is the Name', usually used as an interjection), () or (). The book ''Toldot Yitzhak'' (''The Offspring of Isaac''), by Yitzhak Karo, offers the meaning of this custom of writing (B"H), at the top of every letter, with accordance to the biblical verse: "In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct thy paths" (Book of Proverbs
The Book of Proverbs (, ; , ; , "Proverbs (of Solomon)") is a book in the third section (called Ketuvim) of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh)/the Christian Old Testament. It is traditionally ascribed to King Solomon and his students. When translated into ...
3:6).
Cultural influence
* In theIsraeli Declaration of Independence
The Israeli Declaration of Independence, formally the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel (), was proclaimed on 14 May 1948 (5 Iyar 5708), at the end of the 1947–1948 civil war in Mandatory Palestine, civil war phase and ...
, Yehuda Leib Maimon
Yehuda Leib Maimon (; 1 January 1875 – 10 July 1962, also known as Yehuda Leib HaCohen Maimon) was an Israeli rabbi, politician and leader of the Religious Zionist movement. He was Israel's first Minister of Religions.
Biography
Yehuda L ...
added the abbreviation (, B'ezrat HaShem, "with God's help") before his name, so that God's name would appear in the document.
* In his book ''Mac OS X and iOS Internals: To the Apple's Core'', Jonathan Levin named his BSD
The Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD), also known as Berkeley Unix or BSD Unix, is a discontinued Unix operating system developed and distributed by the Computer Systems Research Group (CSRG) at the University of California, Berkeley, beginni ...
related chapter (Chapter 13): "BS”D – The BSD Layer" as allusions to his Jewish roots and to Mac OS X needing the help of a greater power (its BSD core) to get to where it did.
* Moroccanoil products feature the Aramaic expression on their products.
See also
* ''Ad maiorem Dei gloriam
''Ad maiorem Dei gloriam'' or ''Ad majórem Dei glóriam'', also rendered as the abbreviation AMDG, is a Latin language, Latin quote which can be translated as "For the greater glory of God." It has been used as a rallying cry for Catholics thr ...
''
* ''Basmala
The (; also known by its opening words ; , "In the name of God in Islam, God") is the titular name of the Islamic phrase “In the name of God in Islam, God, Rahman (name), the Most Gracious, Rahim, the Most Merciful” (, ). It is one of ...
''
* '' Deus vult''
* ''Inshallah
''Inshallah'', usually called the , is an Arabic-language expression meaning or . It is mentioned in the Quran, which requires its use when mentioning future events. It signifies that nothing, neither action nor thought, happens without God' ...
''
* '' Ojalá''
References
External links
{{Commons category, Besiyata DishmayaB"H
Chabad glossary
Jerusalem Life glossary Aramaic words and phrases Aramaic words and phrases in Jewish prayers and blessings Religious formulas