It is traditional for every Jew to have, not only the name for which they are known in the secular world, but also a Jewish name. This is usually a Hebrew name, although many people’s Jewish name is actually a Yiddish name. (Some familiar Yiddish names are Hirsch, Moishe, Beryl and Golde.)
Your Jewish name doesn’t include a last name, but includes your name and then the word "ben" meaning "son of" or "bat" meaning "daughter of", followed by your parents’ Jewish names.
So my Hebrew name is Keren Ami bat (Harav) Avram David v’netanya, which translates to Keren Amy daughter of (Rabbi) Avram David and Netanya, the Hebrew names for my parents David and Nina.
Rabbi Syme, Cantor Rachel and I have the opportunity to use our Hebrew name a lot: every time we sign Hebrew documents for baby namings, weddings, confirmation and graduation certificates, and whenever we are called to the Torah.
We ask each student in our religious school to provide his or her Hebrew name, so it will become part of their identity and a source of pride for them. On their Bar and Bat Mitzvah, they, too, will be called to the Torah by their Hebrew name. When I visit people in the hospital, I will ask if they know their Hebrew name, and then pray for healing (the Mishebeirach) using their Hebrew name. And of course, when someone dies, their Hebrew name is sung during the El Maleh Rachamim prayer.
And yet, many of our congregants don’t know their Jewish or Hebrew name, or never received a Jewish or Hebrew name, or have forgotten their Jewish name or would like to change their Jewish name.
It’s time to fix this!
If you have been nameless in the Jewish world and would like to rectify this situation, please contact me in the Rabbis’ Study so we can choose a Hebrew name for you. And to make this a special occasion, we invite all who wish to receive their new names to come to services on Friday, March 26, to be called up to the bimah to receive your new name and a certificate of Jewish naming. This is a wonderful opportunity to select a name that matches your family history, honors a person in your past or present, or gives a clue to a cherished personal trait or passion.
Please call the Rabbis’ Study (248.865.0603) by Friday, March 19 so we can make the proper arrangements.
