Elohai. Said eh-lo-HIGH. It means my God.

Elohim is the name for God in the first sentence of the Bible: “In the beginning God created.” It is plural in form and one in meaning. Add the small ending that means “my,” the same ending you hear in Adonai, and you have Elohai: not God in general, but my God, the way you say His name when you are the one praying.

For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.”

Psalm 18:28

That verse is the whole app in one line, and it is where the light on the screen comes from.

Where the word lives

It runs through the Psalms at the exact moments this app was built for. In the morning: the oldest waking prayer in Jewish life begins “Elohai,” my God, the soul You placed in me is pure. In fear: “He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust” (Psalm 91:2). In the low place: “O my God, my soul is cast down within me” (Psalm 42:6). In healing: “O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me” (Psalm 30:2). In family: Ruth binds herself to Naomi with it, “thy God my God” (Ruth 1:16). And on the cross, in His own language: “Eloi, Eloi” (Mark 15:34).

Why we chose it

Every other name in this category is a verb or an object. Elohai is a relationship, said in the first person. It also says, right on the icon, whom you are talking to. The companion in the app is a guide. My God is the one you are praying to. And, said out loud, the word ends in “hi,” which is the right sound for something whose first job is to greet you in the morning.