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editors-desk-theology-gods-pronounGod's Pronoundeepereditorialgodpronounbuberlanguage2026-08-28T06:40:05.129Z7533foundationsFoundations of Belieflede
What pronoun should we use for God? A meditation drawing on [the Ba'al Shem Tov](/glossary.xml#letter-B), [Kabbalah](/glossary.xml#letter-K), and [Martin Buber](/glossary.xml#letter-M).
What pronoun should we use for God? A meditation drawing on the Ba'al Shem Tov, Kabbalah, and Martin Buber.summary
Summary. Hebrew prayer-language carries the [Y-H-W-H](/glossary.xml#letter-T) as a superposition of tenses (the Ba'al Shem Tov's reading), and Kabbalah makes God the creator-and-created sum of all that is. English offers "he," "she," "it." Each is limiting. The article proposes — partly in homage to Buber's I-Thou — that God might be referenced with Thou/Thy, setting God apart even in pronoun choice. A modest proposal, offered in good humor.
Summary. Hebrew prayer-language carries the Y-H-W-H as a superposition of tenses (the Ba'al Shem Tov's reading), and Kabbalah makes God the creator-and-created sum of all that is. English offers "he," "she," "it." Each is limiting. The article proposes — partly in homage to Buber's I-Thou — that God might be referenced with Thou/Thy, setting God apart even in pronoun choice. A modest proposal, offered in good humor.heading
The Article (Verbatim)
The Article (Verbatim)paragraph
Oh boy. Here comes a pronoun discussion. And, well, why not? If we mere mortals are in [broiges](/glossary.xml#letter-B) about what *we* want to be called, why not a parallel (equally worthy, equally impractical) discussion where [Hashem](/glossary.xml#letter-H) is concerned?
Oh boy. Here comes a pronoun discussion. And, well, why not? If we mere mortals are in broiges about what we want to be called, why not a parallel (equally worthy, equally impractical) discussion where Hashem is concerned?paragraph
And so, into the weeds we go: When Moses asked God for His name at the burning bush, God replied, "[Ehyeh](/glossary.xml#letter-E)", or "I Shall Be." The Ba'al Shem Tov, founder of Hassidism, taught that God's name, Y-H-W-H, is a super-position of the three tenses of the verb "to be", or "Is-Was-Will Be" (derived from the word H-W-Y-H, pronounced [hawayah](/glossary.xml#letter-H), meaning "existence.")
And so, into the weeds we go: When Moses asked God for His name at the burning bush, God replied, "Ehyeh", or "I Shall Be." The Ba'al Shem Tov, founder of Hassidism, taught that God's name, Y-H-W-H, is a super-position of the three tenses of the verb "to be", or "Is-Was-Will Be" (derived from the word H-W-Y-H, pronounced hawayah, meaning "existence.")paragraph
Kabbalah teaches that God is the Creator and the Created, the sum total of all. (A kabbalistic reading of the [Shema](/glossary.xml#letter-S) prayer says that more than "I, God, am one", it reads "I, God, am all.")
Kabbalah teaches that God is the Creator and the Created, the sum total of all. (A kabbalistic reading of the Shema prayer says that more than "I, God, am one", it reads "I, God, am all.")paragraph
Martin Buber, a contemporary figure, a Holocaust survivor and founder of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, in his book "[I and Thou](/glossary.xml#letter-I)" described a concept of "I and It" contrasted with "I and Thou". God is the eternal Thou, Buber says, and in those moments where we truly connect with other human beings (before again seeing them as "it"), we connect with God. We connect with God through other people, by seeing them as "thou" and not "it". Buber suggests (and I may agree) that our limited consciousness is only capable of maintaining a few people in mind at any given moment as people (with the divine spark, and eternal in nature); otherwise, they revert to "things"—until they once again take the stage of our emotional awareness, and again become people. "It" versus "thou".
Martin Buber, a contemporary figure, a Holocaust survivor and founder of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, in his book "I and Thou" described a concept of "I and It" contrasted with "I and Thou". God is the eternal Thou, Buber says, and in those moments where we truly connect with other human beings (before again seeing them as "it"), we connect with God. We connect with God through other people, by seeing them as "thou" and not "it". Buber suggests (and I may agree) that our limited consciousness is only capable of maintaining a few people in mind at any given moment as people (with the divine spark, and eternal in nature); otherwise, they revert to "things"—until they once again take the stage of our emotional awareness, and again become people. "It" versus "thou".paragraph
Recent innovations in grammar aside, English offers only three common third-person pronouns: he, she, and it. In referencing God through pronoun, the all-encompassing nature of God makes either "he" or "she" a limiting choice. But in light of Buber's insightful framing, using "it" is also uncomfortable (and beyond Buber, well… it feels degrading, doesn’t it?)
Recent innovations in grammar aside, English offers only three common third-person pronouns: he, she, and it. In referencing God through pronoun, the all-encompassing nature of God makes either "he" or "she" a limiting choice. But in light of Buber's insightful framing, using "it" is also uncomfortable (and beyond Buber, well… it feels degrading, doesn’t it?)paragraph
So what are we to do?
So what are we to do?paragraph
I wonder—in honor of Buber's framing, which to my ear rings true—if we might use, for God, the novel pronouns of Thou/Thy? Yes, it’s in the second person, and not the third. (But after all, we're growing accustomed to referencing a single person as the plural "they"; is this any further a stretch?)
I wonder—in honor of Buber's framing, which to my ear rings true—if we might use, for God, the novel pronouns of Thou/Thy? Yes, it’s in the second person, and not the third. (But after all, we're growing accustomed to referencing a single person as the plural "they"; is this any further a stretch?)paragraph
In Buber's framing, that is fitting. Thou/Thy would simultaneously set God apart, using for God a pronoun unused for any human or creature (unused in the second person at all, and unused in the third person in any contemporary speech), and acknowledge that in anyone we are addressing, we see the spark of God, and we are working to connect as "thou" rather than "it".
In Buber's framing, that is fitting. Thou/Thy would simultaneously set God apart, using for God a pronoun unused for any human or creature (unused in the second person at all, and unused in the third person in any contemporary speech), and acknowledge that in anyone we are addressing, we see the spark of God, and we are working to connect as "thou" rather than "it".paragraph
"When Moses asked God for Thy name at the burning bush, Thou replied, 'Ehyeh'."
"When Moses asked God for Thy name at the burning bush, Thou replied, 'Ehyeh'."paragraph
Unfamiliar, certainly. But it has a certain elegance.
Unfamiliar, certainly. But it has a certain elegance.heading
Where Denominations Diverge
Where Denominations Divergeparagraph
The pronoun question has been engaged across denominations. [Reform](/glossary.xml#letter-R) and Conservative [siddurim](/glossary.xml#letter-S) increasingly neutralize God-language in the English — Reform's Mishkan T'filah renders melekh as "ruler," Conservative's Siddur Lev Shalem as "sovereign" — while leaving the received Hebrew in place; rewriting the Hebrew itself remains a fringe practice, carried furthest in [Renewal](/glossary.xml#letter-R) and feminist liturgies such as Siddur HaKohanot, which put malkah for melekh and Shechinah for [Adonai](/glossary.xml#letter-A). [Orthodox](/glossary.xml#letter-O) practice retains the inherited Hebrew ([Adonai](/glossary.xml#letter-A), [Eloheinu](/glossary.xml#letter-E), with traditional gendered pronouns in English where used). The Thou/Thy proposal is the author’s own, and not a denominational position.
The pronoun question has been engaged across denominations. Reform and Conservative siddurim increasingly neutralize God-language in the English — Reform's Mishkan T'filah renders melekh as "ruler," Conservative's Siddur Lev Shalem as "sovereign" — while leaving the received Hebrew in place; rewriting the Hebrew itself remains a fringe practice, carried furthest in Renewal and feminist liturgies such as Siddur HaKohanot, which put malkah for melekh and Shechinah for Adonai. Orthodox practice retains the inherited Hebrew (Adonai, Eloheinu, with traditional gendered pronouns in English where used). The Thou/Thy proposal is the author’s own, and not a denominational position.heading
Sources Cited in the Article
Sources Cited in the Articleparagraph
[Torah](/glossary.xml#letter-T): [Shemot 3:14](https://www.sefaria.org/Exodus.3.14) (Ehyeh asher Ehyeh).
Torah: Shemot 3:14 (Ehyeh asher Ehyeh).paragraph
Ba'al Shem Tov, on the Tetragrammaton (preserved in [Keter](/glossary.xml#letter-K) Shem Tov and other collections).
Ba'al Shem Tov, on the Tetragrammaton (preserved in Keter Shem Tov and other collections).paragraph
[Zohar](/glossary.xml#letter-Z) (the Shema as "I, God, am all" reading).
Zohar (the Shema as "I, God, am all" reading).paragraph
Martin Buber, I and Thou (1923).
Martin Buber, I and Thou (1923).paragraph
[Tanya, Part II; Shaar HaYichud VehaEmunah 7](https://www.sefaria.org/Tanya,_Part_II;_Shaar_HaYichud_VehaEmunah.7) — Sefaria.
Tanya, Part II; Shaar HaYichud VehaEmunah 7 — Sefaria.paragraph
[Should We Use Gender-Neutral Language for G-d?](https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/987018/jewish/Should-We-Use-Gender-Neutral-Language-for-G-d.htm) — Chabad.org.
Should We Use Gender-Neutral Language for G-d? — Chabad.org.paragraph
[Feminist Theology](https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/feminist-theology) — Jewish Women's Archive.
Feminist Theology — Jewish Women's Archive.paragraph
[Berakhot 9.b (Koren Talmud, Steinsaltz commentary)](https://steinsaltz-center.org/portal/library/Talmud/Berakhot/chapter/9.b) — Steinsaltz Center.
Berakhot 9.b (Koren Talmud, Steinsaltz commentary) — Steinsaltz Center.heading
Further Reading
Further Readingparagraph
Martin Buber, I and Thou.
Martin Buber, I and Thou.paragraph
Arthur Green, Ehyeh: A Kabbalah for Tomorrow.
Arthur Green, Ehyeh: A Kabbalah for Tomorrow.paragraph
Marcia Falk, The Book of Blessings.
Marcia Falk, The Book of Blessings.editors-desk-treatise-the-journey-of-the-soul-gilgul-neshamot-in-jewish-thought-prologueThe Journey of the Soul: Gilgul Neshamot in Jewish Thought (Prologue)scholarly/articles/editors-desk-treatise-the-journey-of-the-soul-gilgul-neshamot-in-jewish-thought-prologue.xmlgilgul-neshamot-the-journey-of-the-soulThe Journey of the Soul: Gilgul Neshamot in Jewish Thoughtscholarly/articles/gilgul-neshamot-the-journey-of-the-soul.xmlAdonaiאֲדֹנָיLiterally 'my Lord' — the name of God traditionally spoken in prayer and Torah reading in place of the four-letter divine name, which is never pronounced.Baal Shem Tovבעל שם טובRabbi Israel ben Eliezer (c. 1698–1760), known as the Baal Shem Tov ("Master of the Good Name"), founded Hasidism among the villages of Ukraine, teaching that a divine spark dwells in every person and every blade of grass and can be elevated through joyful worship and everyday deeds.essentials-essential-questions-what-does-judaism-teach-about-godEhyehאֶהְיֶהThe name by which God answers Moshe at the burning bush — 'Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh,' 'I Will Be What I Will Be' (Shemot 3:14) — a name that is a promise of presence rather than a definition.Eloheinuאֱלֹהֵינוּ'Our God' — the possessive form of Elohim, familiar from the Shema and from the opening of nearly every blessing: 'Adonai Eloheinu, King of the universe.'HashemהַשֵּׁםLiterally "the Name" — the everyday reverent way Jews refer to God outside of prayer, avoiding casual use of the divine names.HavayahהֲוָיָהA reverent Kabbalistic way of referring to the four-letter name of God by rearranging its letters — a means of speaking about the Name without pronouncing it.I and ThouMartin Buber's 1923 philosophical work distinguishes the "I-Thou" relation — a genuine, mutual encounter — from the "I-It" relation of using or analyzing an object, and applies this distinction to describe the human encounter with God.essentials-essential-questions-what-does-judaism-teach-about-godKabbalahקַבָּלָהThe Jewish mystical tradition — literally "that which is received" — whose central text is the Zohar and whose distinctive teachings include the ten Sefirot and the infinite Ein Sof.going-deeper-deeper-questions-what-is-kabbalahKeterכֶּתֶר"Crown" — the highest of the ten Sefirot in Kabbalah, representing the divine will that precedes all comprehension.Martin Buberמרטין בוברMartin Buber (1878–1965), the Austrian-born Jewish philosopher, framed the encounter with God as an "I-Thou" relation — a genuine, mutual meeting rather than an object to be known about — in his enormously influential 1923 book I and Thou.essentials-essential-questions-what-does-judaism-teach-about-godOrthodox JudaismOrthodox Judaism holds Halacha as fully binding and the Shulchan Aruch as its canonical code; it spans Haredi and Hasidic communities as well as Modern Orthodoxy, and is the starting point from which this Field Guide is written, even as it engages seriously with other denominations.how-to-use-this-field-guideReform JudaismReform Judaism treats Halacha as a source of values and meaning rather than binding law, emphasizing individual autonomy, ethical monotheism, and tikkun olam; it was the first movement to fully recognize patrilineal descent and ordain women as rabbis.how-to-use-this-field-guideRenewal JudaismJewish Renewal is a small but influential movement drawing deeply on Hasidism and Kabbalah, combined with feminist and ecological commitments and an experimental, often neo-Hasidic approach to prayer and spirituality.how-to-use-this-field-guideShemaשְׁמַעThe central declaration of Jewish faith — 'Hear, O Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord is One' — recited with its Torah paragraphs every morning and evening.essentials-essential-prayers-the-shemaTetragrammatonיהוהThe four-letter name of God (yod-heh-vav-heh), too sacred in Jewish practice to pronounce; in prayer it is read as 'Adonai,' and in conversation many say 'Hashem' — 'the Name.'TorahתּוֹרָהThe Five Books of Moses — the scroll at the center of Jewish life — and, more broadly, the whole of Jewish teaching. 'Learning Torah' can mean anything from Chumash to Talmud.ZoharזוהרThe central work of Kabbalah — a mystical commentary on the Torah that emerged in 13th-century Spain and is traditionally attributed to the 2nd-century sage Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.going-deeper-deeper-questions-what-is-kabbalahbroygesבְּרוֹגֶזYiddish for being in a huff — angry, offended, and pointedly not on speaking terms. A feud carried on in this spirit is itself called a broyges.siddurסידורThe Jewish prayer book (plural siddurim), from a root meaning 'order' — it arranges the daily, Shabbat, and festival prayers in their fixed sequence.where-to-start-your-first-siddurparentFoundations of Belief/sections/foundations.xmlrelatedThe Journey of the Soul: Gilgul Neshamot in Jewish Thought (Prologue)/articles/editors-desk-treatise-the-journey-of-the-soul-gilgul-neshamot-in-jewish-thought-prologue.xmlrelatedThe Journey of the Soul: Gilgul Neshamot in Jewish Thought/articles/gilgul-neshamot-the-journey-of-the-soul.xml