''Besiyata Dishmaya'' (

Jewish Babylonian Aramaic Jewish Babylonian Aramaic was the form of Middle Aramaic employed by writers in Lower Mesopotamia between the fourth and eleventh centuries. It is most commonly identified with the language of the Babylonian Talmud (which was completed in the se ...

: ) is an

Aramaic The Aramaic languages, short Aramaic ( syc, ܐܪܡܝܐ, Arāmāyā; oar, 𐤀𐤓𐤌𐤉𐤀; arc, 𐡀𐡓𐡌𐡉𐡀; tmr, אֲרָמִית), are a language family containing many varieties (languages and dialects) that originated i ...

phrase, meaning 'with the help of Heaven'. The acronym () has become a popular term among

Orthodox Jews Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Jewish theology, Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Torah, Written and Oral Torah, Or ...

, 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'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...

, 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 There are various names of God, many of which enumerate the various qualities of a Supreme Being. The English word ''god'' (and its equivalent in other languages) is used by multiple religions as a noun to refer to different deities, or spec ...

, and for this reason, a page which contains these letters, without any other Torah content, does not require

genizah A genizah (; , also ''geniza''; plural: ''genizot'' 'h''or ''genizahs'') is a storage area in a Jewish synagogue or cemetery designated for the temporary storage of worn-out Hebrew-language books and papers on religious topics prior to proper ceme ...

(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 ''Lashon Hakodesh'' ( he, לָשׁוֹן הַקֹּדֶשׁ; lit. "the tongue fholiness" or "the Holy Tongue"), also spelled ''L'shon Hakodesh'' or ''Leshon Hakodesh'' ( he, לְשׁוֹן הַקֹּדֶשׁ, links=noׁ), is a Jewish term and ap ...

''), and therefore have no such restriction.

B'ezrat HaShem

''B'ezrat HaShem'' ( he, בעזרת השם, , with the help of the name) 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 ( he, מִשְלֵי, , "Proverbs (of Solomon)") is a book in the third section (called Ketuvim) of the Hebrew Bible and a book of the Christian Old Testament. When translated into Greek and Latin, the title took on differen ...

3:6).

Cultural influence

* In the

Israeli Declaration of Independence The Israeli Declaration of Independence, formally the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel ( he, הכרזה על הקמת מדינת ישראל), was proclaimed on 14 May 1948 ( 5 Iyar 5708) by David Ben-Gurion, the Executiv ...

Yehuda Leib Maimon Yehuda Leib Maimon ( he, יהודה לייב מימון, 11 December 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 Minis ...

added the abbreviation ( he, בעזרת השם, 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 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. *

Tofutti Tofutti Brands Inc. is a U.S. company based in Cranford, New Jersey, that makes a range of soy-based, dairy-free foods under the "Tofutti" brand that was founded by David Mintz. Tofutti sells an ice cream substitute for the lactose-intolerant, k ...

products feature the Hebrew expression on the side of all their packaging. * MoroccanOil products feature the Hebrew expression on all of their products.

References

External links

{{Commons category, Besiyata Dishmaya
B"H
Chabad glossary

Jerusalem Life glossary Aramaic words and phrases Aramaic words and phrases in Jewish prayers and blessings Religious formulas

Abbreviation

B'ezrat HaShem

Cultural influence

See also

References

External links