We will omit the specific expression, as we will explain later. In truth, I was unaware of the expression’s source. While I have had a lot of exposure to American culture, I am quite ignorant of the writings of other religions, and I do not plan to study them to avoid any such problem in the future. Yet, the question remains: May one knowingly use phrases from the texts or lore of another religion in a totally different context?
The Torah forbids us to copy chukot hagoyim (gentile practices).[1] It is difficult to clearly delineate in this forum the extent of this halacha, but we will mention basic guidelines. One should not perform a strange or problematic gentile practice, as this would indicate that he is doing so to imitate them or that it is related to the service of their religion.[2] Logical practices of society are permitted, even if they originate from its non-Jewish elements, especially if they are not geared specifically toward non-Jews.[3] Using idioms and phrases in order to effectively or impressively express one’s ideas in a manner that his audience will comprehend is a logical practice. Nevertheless, we must investigate the possibility of its being problematic if the saying’s origin is in a different religion, not general society.
A parallel case that is discussed by poskim is using a secular date that is associated with a central event of a different religion. It is certainly logical for members of society to refer to a uniform calendar in their interactions. On the other hand, perhaps its connection to another religion should preclude its use for Jews. The issue was raised prominently by Hungarian poskim at the height of the struggle against the Reform movement. The Maharam Shick[4] strongly opposed the innovation of writing the gentile date on a tombstone. He considered that the prohibition to cause someone to utter the name of other gods should be extended to people thinking about other religions’ beliefs, and he felt the date would cause this.
The Tzitz Eliezer[5] argues that using the secular date is not a problem per se despite its origin, even according to the Maharam Shick. Rather the initials that sometimes follow the date and that indicate its religious context are the issue, not the date itself in a “pareve” context. We note that the Maharam Shick identifies the problem as leading one to think about the other religion, as opposed to regular chukot hagoyim, where the practice itself is the problem. Thus, context is crucial. Most poskim permit using these dates, which even appear sporadically in rabbinic literature without incident.[6] The Tzitz Eliezer and Yabia Omer,[7] while permitting use of the secular date, stress to do so only when there is a specific need.
One should realize that even when its source is in a certain religion’s sacred texts, if the use of a phrase or idiom freely crosses religious lines, it does not represent that religion. One can prove this from our own religious texts, l’havdil.[8] While one should not write three words from the Torah without first inserting a line to make sure the writing is straight, it is permitted if the words are used as an idiom and not as a direct reference to a Torah citation. [9] Also, one can recite phrases from the Torah in a non-Torah context before reciting Birkat HaTorah.[10] Similarly, then, phrases that emanate from other religions can be disconnected from their context and status.
Let us summarize. One may decide upon avoiding the use of non-Jewish cultural expressions, especially those which might have origins in another religion, in strict adherence to the spirit of the laws of chukot hagoyim. Yet, many of us legitimately value the advantages of integration in the society where we live or grew up, to the extent permitted by Halacha, even when the culture has strong roots in other religions. At least when the public’s standard phrases do not conjure up thoughts of the tenets and texts of other religions, it is permitted. (We intentionally are not including examples. Why should we make people self-conscious about common phrases that upstanding Jews use without giving a second thought to their origin?)