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Mar 13, 2012
God's Domain Name
For the past 2 years or so, people have been able to register domain names, only with specific authorized registrars, using Hebrew letters.
It seems the system of using Hebrew letters works by registering the Hebrew letters while also converting the Hebrew letters to a unique string of English letters and processing the actual request through the English letters. For example, when I go to the URL of איגוד-האינטרנט.org.il it takes me to the website of the Israeli Internet Society, and the URL that shows up in the address bar is then displayed as http://xn----zhcbgfhe2aacg8fb5i.org.il/
There is a committee that meets to discuss the potential approval of requests to register domain names that might possibly be considered harmful or degrading or insulting. The committee was only recently established, in February of 2012, and its first case was to debate and decide upon a request to register a domain name using the Hebrew letters of God's 4-letter name - the Tetragrammaton.
Under the rules for registering domain names in Israel, it disqualifies any name that might be considered vulgar, harmful to society or to communal sensitivities, or any other name that might be considered inappropriate with the laws of Israel.
The rule seems kind of vague, which actually makes the committee more necessary to figure out what to do in such situations.
This case came up, of someone who wanted to register the holy name as a domain. It was flagged as possibly being a problem, and the committee met to discuss it. The final decision was to allow the registration of the domain. (source: ISOC-IL)
It seems the decision to allow it was actually passed by a 2-2 vote. The decision to oppose required a majority vote, and the tie meant that the domain registration would be allowed. Yochi Brandes voted against, saying that we don't use that name on street signs or to name towns or villages, and it should so remain exclusively in the domain of Torah scrolls and in sifrei Tanakh.
The opposing view did not dispute that, but said that this reason does not fall under the guidelines by which a domain name can be rejected. The name itself is not vulgar or insulting, and therefore cannot be disqualified under this rule. (source: Bechadrei)
Besides for inappropriate use of God's name, and perhaps inappropriate content that might be published on a website represented by God's name (as if that is not enough of a reason), which would probably be considered degrading and insulting, I am not sure what else is actually being transgressed by use of the name. If you type in the domain name and then shut the site or go to a different page, is it considered erasing God's name?
I doubt it because the name does not appear in the URL (besides for the digital aspect which makes the name not even really there) as it gets immediately converted to the unique string of English letters. I doubt there is any specific halachic issue beyond the inappropriate use of God's name, though obviously the owner of the domain will dispute that his usage is inappropriate. It is definitely an interesting issue to consider, and it makes one think about what is appropriate and what is not.
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It seems the system of using Hebrew letters works by registering the Hebrew letters while also converting the Hebrew letters to a unique string of English letters and processing the actual request through the English letters. For example, when I go to the URL of איגוד-האינטרנט.org.il it takes me to the website of the Israeli Internet Society, and the URL that shows up in the address bar is then displayed as http://xn----zhcbgfhe2aacg8fb5i.org.il/
There is a committee that meets to discuss the potential approval of requests to register domain names that might possibly be considered harmful or degrading or insulting. The committee was only recently established, in February of 2012, and its first case was to debate and decide upon a request to register a domain name using the Hebrew letters of God's 4-letter name - the Tetragrammaton.
Under the rules for registering domain names in Israel, it disqualifies any name that might be considered vulgar, harmful to society or to communal sensitivities, or any other name that might be considered inappropriate with the laws of Israel.
The rule seems kind of vague, which actually makes the committee more necessary to figure out what to do in such situations.
This case came up, of someone who wanted to register the holy name as a domain. It was flagged as possibly being a problem, and the committee met to discuss it. The final decision was to allow the registration of the domain. (source: ISOC-IL)
It seems the decision to allow it was actually passed by a 2-2 vote. The decision to oppose required a majority vote, and the tie meant that the domain registration would be allowed. Yochi Brandes voted against, saying that we don't use that name on street signs or to name towns or villages, and it should so remain exclusively in the domain of Torah scrolls and in sifrei Tanakh.
The opposing view did not dispute that, but said that this reason does not fall under the guidelines by which a domain name can be rejected. The name itself is not vulgar or insulting, and therefore cannot be disqualified under this rule. (source: Bechadrei)
Besides for inappropriate use of God's name, and perhaps inappropriate content that might be published on a website represented by God's name (as if that is not enough of a reason), which would probably be considered degrading and insulting, I am not sure what else is actually being transgressed by use of the name. If you type in the domain name and then shut the site or go to a different page, is it considered erasing God's name?
I doubt it because the name does not appear in the URL (besides for the digital aspect which makes the name not even really there) as it gets immediately converted to the unique string of English letters. I doubt there is any specific halachic issue beyond the inappropriate use of God's name, though obviously the owner of the domain will dispute that his usage is inappropriate. It is definitely an interesting issue to consider, and it makes one think about what is appropriate and what is not.
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BTW:: In some browsers it actually remains as http://איגוד-האינטרנט.org.il/ - like in Opera
ReplyDeletewhat about print-advertising for the web site which will include the URL, or printing a page from the site which may well include the URL (in Hebrew) on the header.
ReplyDeleteNot sure what the Halachic status of this printed URl would be. Although it would contain the letters of the Divine Name, not sure whethere that would automatically give it Kedusha.
Still, what sort of website would want those letters for a domain. i fpr one would not feel comfortable typing that domain into my browser or using it in a link.
Michael - if I had to guess, my guess would be that the site was bought by missionaries. I am too uncomfortable even typing the name in to the url to do a search for the owner..
ReplyDelete