Weekly Thought: What’s in a Name?

Why does our Parsha begin with names? Is one’s name all that significant? How about one’s last name, does it say anything for or about the person? Rabbi Avrohom Brashevitzky, Shliach to Doral, FL, shares his thoughts on this week’s Parsha – Shemos.

“V’eileh Shmos B’nei Yisroel” “And these are the names of the Children of Israel”

Our Parsha begins by listing the names of the sons of Yaakov, once again. After having enumerated their names several times in the previous Chumash, The Torah opens the story of the enslavement in Egypt and the subsequent exodus by relisting them. The Midrash explains that each of their names carries the promise of Geulah. Thus by listing them in the preface to the enslavement, The Torah already “wrote in” The Geulah.

How important is a name? Could the idea of finding promise in a name also apply to a surname (which may or may not be of strictly Jewish origin), or is it strictly exclusive for traditional Jewish names with roots in The Torah (such as the names mentioned in our Parsha)?

Rabbi Hershel Fox A”H was a student in the famed Yeshivas Tomchei Temimim in Otwock Poland. He was born and raised in a city on the Russian – Polish border called Disneh (“one day you woke up and you were a Russian citizen, another day you were a good Polish citizen…”). The city had many Chassidim. The Rov of the city was Rabbi Bimbad. During one of his visits back home, the Rov had a special request for him. He asked him to inquire by The Rebbe’s secretariat as to the meaning of the way the (Frierdiker) Rebbe addressed him in his letters. The correspondences addressed to him always had his name written as if it were a Roshei Teivos (an acronym). Thus, instead of writing Bimbad it always read Bimba”d.

When he returned to the Yeshiva, he inquired about this with the Mazkirus. They related The (Previous) Rebbe’s response: “In every opportunity one must seek to find something good… When writing his name as an acronym it spells out the words Bimheira Yovo Moshiach Ben Dovid!” A very similar scenario happened with Our Rebbe. There was an important community activist who was close with The Rebbe. His name was Rabbi Besser. The Rebbe stressed to him on several occasions, quoting The Previous Rebbe, “Good is good… but better is better”!

There’s a story about a couple in a small town who came to the big city Rabbi to have him settle a big dispute they were having. They were two days away from their newborn’s Bris and they could not come to an agreement on how to name him. Each argued that it was “their turn” to name after their deceased father. The Rabbi realized that he will have no success in determining who’s  “turn” it is, so he decided to try a novel idea. He figured that the name which connects most to the Parsha and / or the nearest Yom Tov, will be most appropriate of a compromise to satisfy the two.

Turning to the woman he asked “what was your father’s name?” She said it was Moshe. The husband’s response to the very same question was “my father’s name was Moshe!” “I don’t see the problem” exclaimed the Rabbi “both your fathers had the same name!?” The woman proceeded to explain that her father was a very pious and generous man, while her husband’s father was a terrible person with a very bad reputation. “In that case” responded the Rov “I’ll suggest that you name him Moshe and when he grows up and becomes a man we’ll see who he’s really named after!”

A name in itself is only a suggestive sign. It’s important for us to actually live up to our respective names. Whether it’s one’s Hebrew name and whom they are named after, or even the family name and Yichus, one needs to study it and learn to live up to that name and beautify it through Mitzvos and Maasim Tovim.