August 27, 1999 at 12:00 am #33533
Jesse-N30813
Participant
Use of the term Hashem is common in Jewish circles. Literally it is Hebrew for 'the name'. It is used in speech in order to avoid accidental use of G-d's name in vain, or similar transgressions. In written form it serves the same purpose, with the additional objective of making the paper not sacred; if one wrote THE NAME on a paper, then the paper is sacred and requires suitable treatment and disposal. There's a lot more to the subject, but this is the short version.