Yahweh (יהוה)

Hebrew. A word consisting of the four Hebrew letters, Yodh (י) He (ה) Waw (ו) He (ה), i.e. YHWH, the four-letter personal name of God. Since it has no written vowels it can be vocalized in several different ways, such as Yahweh and Yehowah. In order to counter confusion, several vocalizations were proposed throughout history, often by adding vowel points to the Hebrew consonants. This however, led to even more possibilities and further confusion. Most Jews deem the name too sacred to be uttered and pronounce the word as Adonai, meaning ‘My Lord’. Even in English many Jews spell the word God not in full, but as G-d. The Hebrew name for Jesus, i.e. Yeshua (ישוע) or Yehosha (יהושע), means ‘Yahweh rescues’. The name is a compound of Yeho (יהו) and shua (שוע) or sha (שע), the first element standing for Yahweh and the latter coming from the root yesha (ישע), which means ‘rescue’ and ‘salvation’. The word shua (שוע) itself also means ‘lord’ and ‘to cry out [for help]’.

Yom Kippur (‏יוֹם כִּפּוּר‎)

Hebrew. ‘Day of Atonement’. A Jewish holiday of complete fasting and penitence, on which no food or water is taken for the entire day. It is said that one’s name is written in the Book of Life on this day. It is the climax of the ten day period of repentance (Ten Days of Awe), that begins with Rosh Hashannah and ends with the Day of Judgment, the day on which Moses came down from Sinai bearing the second set of tablets, after God had forgiven Israel for worshipping the Golden Calf. It is the holiest day of the Jewish year, and provides prophetic insight regarding the Second Coming of Messiah, the restoration of national Israel, and the final judgment of the world.