# BSD on bat mitzvah invitations
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bsd-on-bat-mitzvah-invitations/361602
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [June 21, 2006, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bsd-on-bat-mitzvah-invitations/361602 "2006-06-21T18:36:14Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2006, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bsd-on-bat-mitzvah-invitations/361602/1 "2006-06-21T18:36:14Z")
Long story short, I’m dating a guy whose daughter is having a bat mitzvah and I’m helping him write up the invitations. I got the design down, the fonts are good and then I came across this BSD as an option on some of the invitations that one can spend the big bucks ordering. BSD as I’ve found out is spelled Bet Samech Daled and according to this [Rabbi:](http://ohr.edu/ask/ask133.htm)
> [@](#):
>
> The letters stand for B’Siyata D’Shmaya. It’s Aramaic, and it means “with the help of Heaven.” By the way, a number of years ago I asked the Steipler Rav (Rabbi Yaakov Kanievsky, zatzal) which is better to write at the top of a note or letter: ‘Bet Samech Daled’ or ‘Bet Heh’ (Baruch Hashem)? He answered that “Many people use the Aramaic expression instead of the Hebrew because it avoids writing one of the letters of Hashem’s holy name (Heh) on something which might be thrown out.”
What’s interesting is that on [this invitation](http://barmitzvah.invitations4less.com/html/ImageViewer.asp?ID=331&Type=I) which supposedly contains the BSD, it doesn’t look like it’s written in Hebrew (AFAICT). Is that in Aramaic? Or should it be written in Hebrew (and if it’s written in Hebrew, I’m assuming that the order would be right to left “BSD”, right?)
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### Author:  [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2006, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bsd-on-bat-mitzvah-invitations/361602/2 "2006-06-21T19:20:32Z")
That’s Hebrew. It’s just cursive, so you didn’t recognize the letters. Most non-Israelis never see handwritten Hebrew outside of a Torah scroll, so that’s not that surprising.
Incidentally, I hate it when people write the BSD. On a Bat Mitzva invite it’s fine, but there’s a lot of people who’ll put it everywhere, including business correspondence. It gets annoying after a while.
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### Author:  [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2006, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bsd-on-bat-mitzvah-invitations/361602/3 "2006-06-21T19:38:19Z")
Thanks a bunch! So does the BSD go from right to left then?
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### Author:  [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2006, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bsd-on-bat-mitzvah-invitations/361602/4 "2006-06-21T21:32:06Z")
> [@Alessan](#):
>
> That’s Hebrew. It’s just cursive
F’ing Hebrew. 🙂
I would have to say that it was very stylized compared to what I am used to seeing. Are there different Hebrew fonts?
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### Author:  [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2006, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bsd-on-bat-mitzvah-invitations/361602/5 "2006-06-21T21:42:09Z")
This is completely pointless, but the Temple in that sample invite is down the street from where I work, and any number of my students go there. Kinda odd.
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### Author:  [@Lynwood\_Slim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynwood_Slim)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2006, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bsd-on-bat-mitzvah-invitations/361602/6 "2006-06-22T00:27:27Z")
Bet Hei does not stand for “baruch ha-shem” but rather “b’ezrat ha-shem” “with God’s help”, the Hebrew version of “b’siyata d’shamaya” “with Heaven’s help” in Aramaic.
It should be noted that “Ha-shem” means the “the name” but is used to refer to God.
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### Author:  [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2006, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bsd-on-bat-mitzvah-invitations/361602/7 "2006-06-22T01:45:40Z")
> [@Alessan](#):
>
> That’s Hebrew. It’s just cursive, so you didn’t recognize the letters. Most non-Israelis never see handwritten Hebrew outside of a Torah scroll, so that’s not that surprising.
Don’t forget Passedika Bazooka gum. I can only think that if I could read cursive Hebrew, and understood Hebrew in general, those comics might be marginally amusing.
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### Author:  [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2006, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bsd-on-bat-mitzvah-invitations/361602/8 "2006-06-22T02:30:13Z")
> [@Lynwood Slim](#):
>
> Bet Hei does not stand for “baruch ha-shem” but rather “b’ezrat ha-shem” “with God’s help”, the Hebrew version of “b’siyata d’shamaya” “with Heaven’s help” in Aramaic.
>
> It should be noted that “Ha-shem” means the “the name” but is used to refer to God.
It might have multiple meanings. My Lubavitcher summer camp counselor told us it stood for “baruch ha-shem”.
Robin ;j
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### Author:  [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2006, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bsd-on-bat-mitzvah-invitations/361602/9 "2006-06-22T03:02:21Z")
> [@adam yax](#):
>
> I would have to say that it was very stylized compared to what I am used to seeing. Are there different Hebrew fonts?
There are lots of fonts in Hebrew, just like in any other language.
> [@DocCathode](#):
>
> Don’t forget Passedika Bazooka gum. I can only think that if I could read cursive Hebrew, and understood Hebrew in general, those comics might be marginally amusing
nope, they’re not funny in _any_ language. Unless you’re very easily amused.