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Is ב״ה Baruch HaShem or Bezrat HaShem?

Why did The Rebbe begin every letter with it?

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ב״ה can have two meanings in this context. It can mean B'ezras HaShem and Baruch HaShem.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, had the custom of starting off his letters with ב״ה, as can be seen in his thousands of published letters, and he encouraged others to start off their letters acknowledging G‑d in a similar fashion.

I've seen that B'H (with one ') means: Baruch Hashem and that B"H (with two ") means Be'ezras Hashem.

The Rebbe urged people to write B"H and to begin with B"H with all relevant matters. This can be found in מנחם משיב נפשי - Menachem Meishiv Nafshi 2:650, bringing Igros Kodesh, letter 1384.

“It is of upmost importance in today’s times to begin all relevant matters with the abbreviations of Beis Hei”

And in Likkutei Sichos vol. 6, p. 190:

“It is the custom of all Israel, and a custom of Israel is Torah, that upon writing even a mundane letter, they begin to write Beis Hei and the like.”

Please note that it is not acknowledged everywhere. Rav Soloveitchik says (Harerei Kedem B 124) that it is a newly created custom, and that our sages would never use it in any form on their letters.

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    <it is said that even Christopher Columbus started his letterrs by writing ב״ה on top of it> Just throwing it out there that this remains unconfirmed and historically dubious. See this question and answer on the History SE. It's kind of in the eyes of the beholder, but personally I don't see how those marks resemble ב''ה enough to confirm Columbus' potential Jewish identity.
    – ezra
    Jan 1 at 0:27
  • Fair enough! Thanks for pointing to that article!
    – Shmuel
    Jan 1 at 12:50
  • @Shmuel yasher kochacho for all the background as always, but currently the only actual answer you provide is, "I've seen that B'H (with one ') means: Baruch Hashem and that B"H (with two ") means Be'ezras Hashem." - but it is unsourced. The rest is just extra details that does not outright address the question?
    – Dov
    Aug 28 at 16:13
  • Thanks @Dov for the kind words. Unfortunately I can't rembember where I've read that. Somehow I did not add that in as a source, but I am on the look out.
    – Shmuel
    Aug 28 at 16:57
  • What would be the logic in distinguishing between ' and "?
    – shmosel
    Aug 28 at 17:32
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  • ב"ה = Boruch Hashem
  • בע"ה = B'ezras Hashem
  • בעהי"ת = B'ezras Hashem Yisboroch
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