Blasphemy of God's Name
Greetings,
I was reading the following from the Divine Code:
4. Any mention of Godās Name for naught is also forbidden, since this disgraces the honor of God, and one receives punishment from Heaven for this. Regarding this it is written,[574] āYou shall not take the Name of God in vain; God will not hold guiltless one who takes His Name in vainā ā meaning that a person remains guilty of this sin until he is punished by Heaven for profaning Godās Name.[575] It is also said,[576] āTo fear the honorable and awesome Nameā ā since from the obligation of fearing God, it is prohibited to mention His Name for naught.[577]
To what Name is this a reference? "God" is technically not a name, it is not even an attribute of any kind. One could argue it is a translation of ×× but it's only one possible translation.
Therefore, I ask:
How is this prohibition executed if the gentiles do not even know the Name of God? We know that the Name is not "God".
in the Third Edition continue learning on page 217... This applies specifically to the holy Names specified for Him (topic 1:2)... and even His names in other languages (e.g., the name "God")... so yes it does apply to the English word "God". But see there, Footnote 41 From the Shulchan Aruch HaRav Orach Chayim 85:3 Rabbi Zalman Nehemiah Goldberg notes that in the Responsa of Rabbi Akiva Eiger, vol. 1:25, it is written that a Divine name in another language (other than Hebrew) is considered an attributive name, and therefore does not infringe the prohibition of mentioning God's Name in vain. ... bear in mind the desirable and pleasant speech in any language should be our goal! All the best in your learning!