שמע ישראל ה 'הוא האלוהים שלנו הוא אחד
Shema Yisrael Adonai Elohaynu Adonai Echad
"Hear Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One"
B"H
When writing correspondences it is traditional to add the abbreviation B"H. Here's why.
This common tradition developed as a way to remind the author and the reader alike of what truly matters. The subject of the writing is one thing, but what really matters is blessing HaShem. In written letters and works it is common to add B"H at the beginning. In e-mails the tradition seems to be growing of using it as a farewell. Both are appropriate. This is not a biblical command. It is a godly Jewish tradition. This is done in few ways:
B"H:
Bezras Hashem (Hebrew): "with the help of HaShem"
BeSyata DiShmaya (Aramaic): "with the help of G-d."
Baruch HaShem (Hebrew): Blessed be the Name of Adonai (the LORD).While all three meanings are correct for this use, Baruch HaShem is more correctly used as when responding to questions such as "How are you?" The response being, "With the help of HaShem, I am fine." When something good has happened we say Baruch HaShem ("Thanks be to HaShem"). When something bad happens we say Baruch HaShem as a way acknowledging that HaShem is Sovereign in all things. By faith we understand that Adonai is always working for our good even when this is difficult to see.
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