Messages From A
Lost Israeli #9

Last week in a class at yeshiva, we introduced ourselves to a new teacher. He asked for the usual- our names, where we are from, and what we think of Israel. But, he also asked for the meaning behind our names, who we were named after, and its significance in our lives.

This automatically reminded me of my Sabba, zichrono leevracha, who loved to preach about the theme of names. The way that people address you speaks worlds about your impact on them. And, more importantly, what you consider your personal name reflects your individuality. This theme is very evident in parshat Bereshit, which we read two weeks ago. Chapter 2 verses 19 and 20, states:

"...And God brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that would be its name. And the man gave names to all the cattle and to the birds of the sky and to all the wild beasts..."

Rashi comments: "the name by which Adam called every being is the name that they have forever". While all of these beings had been created, they did not truly exist until they were named. By being named, that personality was established with them for the rest of their lives. From that point on, we could distinguish every creature by their name, their personality and most importantly, their identity. My Sabba would refer to Shakespeare's lesson in his classic tragedy Romeo and Juliet, that a rose by any other name would not smell as sweet. Names are inextricably linked to what we are.

In last week's parsha, the theme of names is reiterated in a negative context when the narcissistic builders of the Tower of Babel admit that their omnipotent aspirations would thereby "make a name" for themselves.

We see in parshat Lech Lecha the continued stress on the importance of names is reflected now in a positive context in God's re-naming of Avram and Sarai to Avraham and Sarah. The parents of the Jewish People begin their religious path by being renamed. Chapter 17, verses 5 and 15 state:

"And you shall no longer be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I make you the father of a multitude of nations"

"And God said to Abraham, 'As for your wife Sarai, you shall not call her Sarai, but her name shall be Sarah'"

The significance of adding the letter "hay" to their names is that it adds God's name ("hay", for ha shem - The Name) into their identity. Unlike the builders of the Tower who sought to reach above the heavens through self-aggrandizement, Avraham and Sarah sought a constant relationship with God.

In the darkest moments of our people's history, the Nazis sought to destroy our names, replacing them with numbers, attempting to wipe out identities. The book and movie Schindler's List highlighted how a Righteous Gentile recognized the importance of names; each name of Jews that he was able to inscribe on his List meant survival, while a loss of name meant loss of life.

A history teacher in high school who made a deep impact on me always emphasized that on every paper we handed in, we needed to have an attractive title that amply reflected our paper. Just as titles can reflect our level of understanding, so the kinds of name we make for ourselves reflect our depth of character.

I have always loved my name, and attempted to live up to it. My first name is not named after anyone, it is one that my parents love- the literal meaning is friend, beloved; and the biblical character, David, lived as a great King, an inspirational war hero, father of Solomon, who is considered to be the wisest man who ever lived, and many more. Meir, my middle name after my Sabba's father, means "shine light". While I am not King David, and while I am not a light bulb, I try and live up to these expectations of my namesake every day. I strive to be someone who leads as King David did, and inspire like the name of my great-grandfather, the guide and parent to one of my heroes in life, my Sabba. When I would get in trouble with my Sabba, he would always call me "Dovid Meir" - while he would normally refer to me as David, in times that I would lose sight of my name, he would remind me of my namesake, of my personality- of how I should truly behave.

Just like Adam played a critical role in forming the personalities of all living things, just like God inaugurated Avraham and Sarah as Jewish People by changing their names and therefore their identities, our parents play an imperative part in helping us find ourselves.

I hope that as all of you progress as individuals, you do not forget your namesake. On Nativ, while we are all thousands of miles away from home, we are continually appreciating our family more and more, and we strive to reflect the name given to us. As we mature, and grow older, and as teachers and friends ask about our names, we only become more proud of those who helped us develop into who we are.

Shabbat Shalom.