Have We Given In to Paganism?

Q. I have a question. Why do we as b'nei Yisrael use Greek names, i.e., synagogue, Bible, etc., when the Maccabees went to so much trouble to rid us of the paganism that was Greek culture? When we use Bible to describe the beloved book Torah, this is a blasphemy, as Biblios was the Greek goddess of writing.

What is going on? Surely we must teach our people the truth and not fall into the paganism that our people did so many times in our history.

It's Torah, beit tefillah, etc. Let us honor what the Maccabees did and many died for, to keep b'nei Yisrael Yisraeli as God intended.

A. Thanks for your question, which was forwarded to my attention. Consider, if you will, Mishlei 22:6, in which Shlomo tells us to teach things according to the level of the student. Consider also Avos 2:4, in which Hillel tells us not to say something that a student cannot understand on the assumption that he will eventually figure it out. These and similar sources stress the clarity that our teaching requires.

Not everyone speaks Hebrew. When speaking to an audience of mixed religious backgrounds, words like "beis haknesses" and "Toras Kohanim" might not be understood by all. "Shul" and "Sefer Vayikra" are probably more widely understood, but everyone will understand "synagogue" and "Leviticus." Using language that everyone can understand is a far cry from embracing Hellenism.

Please note that you do the same thing. Why do you say "Greek" instead of "Yavani," "Jews" instead of "Yehudim" and "God" instead of "HaKadosh Baruch Hu?" (Granted, these words are from Latin and Germanic roots, but the Greeks aren't the only ones with whom we ever had philosophical conflicts.) The reality is, once we try to control forms of expression, it becomes wholly subjective which words are okay to translate into English and which aren't. Let speakers express themselves in the manner they feel best communicates their message.

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