The Nameáñ"ã

 

 

 

Naming a baby is one of the most important and meaningful tasks that a parent performs for his child. The name is a sign of personal identification in addition to a way of communicating with one's surroundings.  A name expresses the relationship between the name bearer with the name provider along with those who use it.

 

According to the Kabala, a name connects between the person and his soul.  It is a tool that transforms certain energy, which explains why different names with different letters transform different energies. Personal and family names contain all the mental, emotional, spiritual, and creative tools, to bring out all the hidden potentials of the spirit. All of the above helps us to exist in our world and to fulfill our destiny. This also explains the phenomenon of name changes and/or additions to redirect one's destiny towards more positive goals.

 

We can find evidence in the Tanach of changing names. This proves to us that there really is meaning in changing names, which adds positive energies to a person.

 

Hoshea - Yehoshua Ben Nun

 In Yehoshua's case, it was Moshe Rabenu who changed his name. Why did Moshe change his servant's name? Yehoshua's name was changed right before the incident of the scouts. The meaning of the word "Hoshea" is you will save the people of Israel opposed

to the word "Yehoshua" which means G-d will save the people of Israel. The

redemption will come from G-d. Yehoshua really needed more powers for standing against the other ten spies, and all of Am Israel. Moshe predicted that it would be too hard for Yehoshua to stand against so many people, so with great wisdom he added a letter to his disciple's name, which means that G-d will help him with the tough mission.

 

Saray – Sara Emenu

 Sara's name was changed after her resistance to Hagar's insults, which were said because Hagar was pregnant and Sara wasn't. The meaning of the name "Sara" is a powerful lady. Sara's resistance to Hagar's insults showed that she didn't accept the situation that Hagar would provide Avraham's lineage. She still trusted in G-d and that He would bring her a son. That bravery gave her the privilege of changing her name to mean a lady with power, and after she proved her belief, she could have a baby who will be the progeny of Avraham.

 

So far, we have explained that names have tremendous significance and even rule our lives. Now we will read the story "The Name", and see why it is so important for Grandfather Ziskind that his great grandson will be named Mendelle. In the story "The Name", the reason that Grandfather Ziskind is so persistent that his newborn great grandchild will be named Mendelle is because he wants him to be named in memory of his grandson who was murdered in the holocaust. He doesn't want anyone to forget his successful grandson and those millions of people who were tragically murdered.

 

Grandfather Ziskind didn't want a separation between the generations, or between the Golah and the state of Israel. We cannot forget our roots. The moment that we forget those millions of people, their names, who they were and what they did, we are "helping" the Nazis and we are finishing their work. They annihilated the bodies and we annihilate the names, the memories and the traces. We need continuity!!

 

Throughout the story we see the rift between the generations. It expresses itself as we read about naming the newborn baby. Grandfather Ziskind totally lives in the past, therefore he doesn't exist in this world. The name Mendelle expresses that.

 

Rachel suggets the name Menachem. It's a Hebrew name, but still has a "holocaust" sound. Rachel tries to connect both of the worlds. Her name also connects between both worlds, it wobbles. She understands Grandfather Ziskind, but she also understands Raya and Yehuda. She's torn. Rachel even blames herself a little because she feels that this gap is caused by her education. 

 

Raya and Yehuda want to name their son “Ehud”. They don’t want their son to become a memory. At that time, parents named their babies

Israeli names, more than Jewish names. They wanted to build a new generation of Jews, and the inspiration for that were the heroic figures from the Bible, like Ehud Ben Gera.

 

Eventually, after the baby was named Ehud, Raya said that the baby is like an orphan because she understood that they disconnected him from the nation.

 

 

Bibliography

 

Gadi Samuel. Knowledge - the centre of Judaism. I3 Dec. 2005.

 

Estia Hoter Geza. Numerology - changing names. 18 Jan. 2006. 12 Des. 2006.                                                                                               

 

The Kabbalah centre. 12 Des. 2005.

 

Erel Segal. The Tanach Site.

13 Jan. 2006. 12 Des. 2005.

Moriya Adler & Dalia Lerner.