I have had my share of name changes. I was born Andrew Bryan Pepper, with the alleged Hebrew name Avram. I went by Andy for decades and prefer to go by Andrew now. Never went by Drew or the middle name Bryan. In college, I learned that my mother was just saying Avraham but with pronounced as Avram, as she heard her parents say it. I appended Chayim to my Hebrew name before Cantor and I got married, after I learned that people who are named for those who died at a young age often add Chayim or Chayah to the name. I was named after by mother's father, who died when my mother was 14. And Cantor and I combined our last names together, creating the new last name Pepperstone. I am called Abba (or Dad) by our kids. And many people have taken to calling me Rabbi over the years. This does not even include nicknames from childhood and adulthood. I have had my share of names and name changes.
I am sure that everyone in this room an oral history of their own names, from ones given at birth until now, whether they have remained the same (which I assume is unlikely), or whether they have undergone one or more changes over time. But we all have them.
In fact, everything has one or more names.
So what's in a name? They are more than just a string of sounds or letters pasted onto a person.
"A name is your identity. It’s what people call you, it’s what you respond to, it’s what you understand about yourself. From the day we are born, we are assigned this identifier. Some people get nicknames or change their name entirely after they are born, but the common thread is a NAME." - Kyla Scanlon, A Rose by Any Other Name: The Importance of Our Names in Shaping Identity
Names are powerful. They are anchor points of identity. They are symbols of our selves. They are deeply person, cultural, familial, and historical. They give us a sense of who we are, our communities, and our place in the world. In the Torah and Tanakh, names represent someone's essence, whether they are human or divine. Human's give their children names, beginning with Eve, and sometimes God changes them. Knowing the name of another can give one power over the named.
בְּעוֹן קוֹמֵי רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן בֶּן זַכַּאי, כְּתִיב (בראשית א, כד): וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹקִים תּוֹצֵא הָאָרֶץ נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה לְמִינָהּ, וּמַה תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר וַיִּצֶר ה' אֱלֹקִים מִן הָאֲדָמָה כָּל חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה,
אָמַר לָהֶן לְהַלָּן לַבְּרִיאָה, וְכָאן לְכִבּוּשׁ, הֵיאַךְ מַה דְּאַתְּ אָמַר (דברים ב, יט): כִּי תָצוּר אֶל עִיר יָמִים רַבִּים,
אָמַר רַבִּי אַחָא בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁבָּא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לִבְרֹאת אֶת הָאָדָם, נִמְלַךְ בְּמַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת, אָמַר לָהֶן (בראשית א, כו): נַעֲשֶׂה אָדָם, אָמְרוּ לוֹ אָדָם זֶה מַה טִּיבוֹ, אָמַר לָהֶן חָכְמָתוֹ מְרֻבָּה מִשֶּׁלָּכֶם,
הֵבִיא לִפְנֵיהֶם אֶת הַבְּהֵמָה וְאֶת הַחַיָּה וְאֶת הָעוֹף, אָמַר לָהֶם זֶה מַה שְּׁמוֹ וְלֹא הָיוּ יוֹדְעִין,
הֶעֱבִירָן לִפְנֵי אָדָם, אָמַר לוֹ זֶה מַה שְּׁמוֹ, אָמַר זֶה שׁוֹר, זֶה חֲמוֹר, זֶה סוּס וְזֶה גַּמָּל,
וְאַתָּה מַה שְּׁמֶךָ, אָמַר לוֹ אֲנִי נָאֶה לְהִקָּרֵא אָדָם שֶׁנִּבְרֵאתִי מִן הָאֲדָמָה, וַאֲנִי מַה שְּׁמִי, אָמַר לוֹ לְךָ נָאֶה לְהִקָרְאוֹת אדושם, שֶׁאַתָּה אָדוֹן לְכָל בְּרִיּוֹתֶיךָ. אָמַר רַבִּי אֲחָא (ישעיה מב, ח): אֲנִי ה' הוּא שְׁמִי, הוּא שְׁמִי שֶׁקָּרָא לִי אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן.
“The Lord God formed from the ground [every beast of the field]” – [The disciples of the Sages] raised a question before Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Zakai: It is written: “God said: Let the earth produce living creatures after their kinds” (Genesis 1:24). Why then does the verse state [here again]: “The Eternal God formed [vayitzer] from the ground every beast of the field”?
He said to them: There [the previous verse] it was referring to the creation [of the animals], and here it refers to domination, as it says: “When you besiege [tatzur] a city many days” (Deuteronomy 20:19).
- To give a name is to have dominion.
Rabbi Aḥa said: When the Holy Bountiful One came to create the human, God consulted with the ministering angels. God said to them: “Let us make the human” (Genesis 1:26). They said to God: ‘This human, what is its nature?’ God said to them: ‘Its wisdom is greater than yours.’
God brought the animals, the beasts, and the birds before them and said to them: ‘What is its name of this one?’ And they did not know.
God passed them before the human/Adam and said to him: ‘What is the name of this one?’ He said: ‘This is an ox; this is a donkey; this is a horse; this is a camel.’
[God then asked:] ‘And you, what is your name?’ He said to Him: ‘It is appropriate that I be called Adam, as I was created from the ground [adama].’ [God asked further:] ‘And I, what is My name?’ He said to God: ‘It is appropriate to call you my YHVH [adonai], as You are the Master [adon] over all your creatures.’ Rabbi Aḥa said: “I am the Eternal, that is My name” (Isaiah 42:8) – that is My name that Adam the first human called Me.
To name is to be in relationship with.
To give a name is a uniquely human trait (maybe; we have more and more evidence that some higher level mammals also have names for themselves and for others) that divine beings do not. Why not? Perhaps because they have no connection to life on earth as we do. Perhaps because they do not have individuated selves, no self-given names, and thus cannot give names to others nor use them.
In contrast here, God invites the human to name itself, acknowledging the capacity of self-understanding to generate a name for the first human self, to be in relation with the self. And then God invites the first human to generate a name for God, inviting humanity into a close first-name-basis relationship with the Creator of the Universe, intimacy with the Divine. We create the names for God, and God accepts them willingly, because they create the possibility of being in relationship with humanity.
In our tradition, names are often chosen from one's deceased relatives or from a living one, or because of their connotation from other places in our tradition.
You may be familiar with the custom of not announcing a new born infant's name until after its birth. Cantor and I had a short list of names for each of our children that very few people were privy to, including close family and friends. We only announced each child's name at their Brit Mikvah/Brit Milah, and not before in any kind of public way.
All of this of because in our tradition, knowing someone's or something's name is also a way to exert power over that person or that thing, which means that names are powerful and potentially dangerous when they fall into the wrong hands. (See midrash above and the reluctance of the night-wrestler to divulge its names to Jacob as the sun began to rise.)
People give their children names. Avram and Sarai's parents gave them those names, and then God changed names: Avram and Sarai to Avraham and Sarah; Yaavok, named so because he was grabbing the heel (akev) of his twin brother Esav, gets the second name Yisrael (God-Wrestler), after he and a divine messenger wrestle during a long night; Moshe, whose birth name is not mentioned in the Written Torah, is later named by his adoptive mother, Pharaoh's daughter, when he returns from his biological parent's home and taken into Pharaoh's palace.
And what happens when a name is changed, perhaps for something less foreign, whether we do that ourselves or it is done to us, to make us less foreign or different? Or when we mispronounce someone's name because it is unfamiliar or foreign to us, and don't take the time to learn its proper pronunciation? What is the relationship between the person and their original name and the newly minted name? Does it become a private name, with the new one projected out into the world? Does the old name become forgotten or rejected? Do they live side by side?
And what happens when someone has their name taken away from them, and replaced with a moniker or some kind, a dehumanizing epithet not of their choosing, or even replaced by a number?
Genealogical lists (which tend to make the ears close and the eyes glaze over) are replete with names of the generations past, mostly male names with a few female names here and there. The Rabbis are quick to compete the task of naming the figures in the Tanakh and in their midrashic writings, give many of the unnamed or implied women in the Tanakh their own names, along with giving more dimensions and details to their stories as well.
And then there are those figures in the Tanakh that seem to have more than one name: Moses must have had a name from his family of origin. David might also be called Elchanan in Chronicles. Avram and Sarai have very notable name changes, along with Yaakov, their grandson. Esther has two names, that one and Hadassah.
And some rabbis in the midrash take this even further, and see several notable figures as having several names over the course of their lifetime, highlighting not only what all of their names were, but also what those names meant, which all points to the meaning of names and how we come by them.
Think of all of the different names that you have right now, and what aspect of your self each of these name says about you.
- What was your birth name?
- What is your name now?
- What did people used to call you when you were younger?
- What do people call you now?
- What are your nicknames?
- Your professional names?
- Your name used among your friends?
- The name you use for yourself?
I was looking midrashim on Parshat Ki Tissa, in particular in Professor Louis Ginzberg's Legend of the Jews (a fantastic compilation of large amount of rabbinic midrashim) and came across this teaching about the ultimate artisan and craftsperson of Israel: Betzalel (a personal favorite of mine).
רְאֵ֖ה קָרָ֣אתִֽי בְשֵׁ֑ם בְּצַלְאֵ֛ל בֶּן־אוּרִ֥י בֶן־ח֖וּר לְמַטֵּ֥ה יְהוּדָֽה׃
See, I have called out by name Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.
There is first the subtle implication that all names come from God, which might be another way of saying that all of our names say something about our essence or multi-faceted reality.
First his name itself: B-tzel-el / In the shade of God / Sitting in the shade of the Divine
Fitting for one who will be the lead artisan in creating a structure that will be the central sacred place for Israel for centuries, the primary place where thousands of people will gather and have numerous encounters with God's presence.
Then his lineage: Uri / My light; Chur / A major leader of the people, who according the midrash was killed by the angry group who wanted to Golden Calf to be made; and finally of the tribe of Judah, the brother who goes through the most remarkable emotional transformation from jealous, cold and cynical to humble, empathetic, bold and courageous. Traits that will be called upon to make a sacred dwelling that will in some way contain or reflect the Divine presence.
With a name like that, who could ask for anything more?
But as God told Moses at the Burning Bush when Moses asked about God's name: I will be that I will be. God's nature of dynamic and change, and therefore there is no one name that can capture everything about God. All of God's name are true and incomplete. Authentic and yet terribly subjective. Rooted in human language and yet pointing to something ineffable that we try to capture in a word or a phrase.
Humans, all made in God's image, also never have one name, are also dynamic and changing, perhaps needing new names or changing in ways that call for re-naming.
דָּבָר אַחֵר, רְאֵה קָרָאתִי בְשֵׁם, זֶה אֶחָד מִשִּׁבְעָה בְּנֵי אָדָם שֶׁנִּקְרְאוּ לָהֶם שֵׁמוֹת, יֵשׁ שֶׁנִּקְרְאוּ לוֹ אַרְבָּעָה זֶה אֵלִיָּהוּ, בְּצַלְאֵל שִׁשָּׁה, וִיהוֹשֻׁעַ שִׁשָּׁה, וּמשֶׁה שִׁבְעָה, מָרְדְּכַי שְׁנַיִם, דָּנִיֵּאל חֲמִשָּׁה, חֲנַנְיָה מִישָׁאֵל וַעֲזַרְיָה אַרְבָּעָה, אֵלִיָּהוּ אַרְבָּעָה. אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן פְּדָת אֵלִיָּהוּ יְרוּשַׁלְמִי הָיָה וּמִיּוֹשְׁבֵי לִשְׁכַּת הַגָּזִית הָיָה וּמִכְּרַךְ שֶׁל יְהוּדָה הָיָה, וּבִשְׁנֵי שְׁבָטִים הָיָה חֶלְקוֹ, חֲמִשָּׁה בְּבִנְיָמִין, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (יהושע יח, כח): וְצֵלַע הָאֶלֶף וְהַיְבוּסִי הִיא יְרוּשָׁלָיִם, שְׁלשָׁה בִּיהוּדָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (יהושע טו, לז): צִנָּה צְנָן וַחֲדָשָׁה וּמִגְדַּל גָּד. אָמַר רַבִּי חֲנִינָא בַּר פָּפָּא צְנָן שֶׁהִיא צִנָּה, וַחֲדָשָׁה שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מְחַדְּשָׁהּ לֶעָתִיד לָבוֹא, וּמִגְדַּל גָּד, שֶׁמִּשָּׁם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא יוֹצֵא וּמֵגִיד מַשְׁתִּיתָן שֶׁל עֵשָׂו. וְנִקְרְאוּ לוֹ לְאֵלִיָּהוּ אַרְבָּעָה שֵׁמוֹת, שֶׁכֵּן כְּתִיב (דברי הימים א ח, כז): וְיַעֲרֶשְׁיָה וְאֵלִיָה וְזִכְרִי בְּנֵי יְרֹחָם, לָמָּה נִקְרָא שְׁמוֹ כֵן, אֶלָּא בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מְבַקֵּשׁ לְהַרְעִישׁ עוֹלָמוֹ הוּא עוֹמֵד וּמַזְכִּיר זְכוּת אָבוֹת וֵאלֹקִים מְרַחֵם עַל עוֹלָמוֹ. וּבְצַלְאֵל נִקְרְאוּ לוֹ שִׁשָּׁה שֵׁמוֹת וְאַתְּ מְיַחֲסוֹ וּבָא מִשִּׁבְטוֹ שֶׁל יְהוּדָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברי הימים א ד, א ב): בְּנֵי יְהוּדָה פֶּרֶץ וְחֶצְרוֹן וְכַרְמִי וְחוּר וְשׁוֹבָל, וּרְאָיָה וגו', וְאֵין חֶצְרוֹן אֶלָּא בֶּן בְּנוֹ שֶׁל יְהוּדָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית מו, יב): וַיִּהְיוּ בְנֵי פֶרֶץ חֶצְרֹן וְחָמוּל, וּכְתִיב (דברי הימים א ב, כד): וְאַחַר מוֹת חֶצְרוֹן בְּכָלֵב אֶפְרָתָה, וְכִי יֵשׁ אָדָם מֵת בְּאָדָם, שֶׁכָּתוּב: וְאַחַר מוֹת חֶצְרוֹן בְּכָלֵב, אָמַר רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ מַהוּ וְאַחַר מוֹת חֶצְרוֹן בְּכָלֵב וגו' מִשֶּׁמֵּת חֶצְרוֹן בָּא כָלֵב אֶל אֶפְרָת, זוֹ מִרְיָם שֶׁהָיָה שְׁמָהּ אֶפְרָת, וְלָמָּה נִקְרָא שְׁמָהּ כֵּן, שֶׁהָיוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל פָּרִים וְרָבִים עַל יָדֶיהָ, (דברי הימים א ב, יט כ): וַתֵּלֶד לוֹ אֶת חוּר, וְחוּר הוֹלִיד אֶת אוּרִי וְאוּרִי הוֹלִיד אֶת בְּצַלְאֵל, (דברי הימים א ד, ב): וּרְאָיָה בֶן שׁוֹבָל הֹוֹלִיד אֶת יַחַת וְיַחַת הֹלִיד אֶת אֲחוּמַי וְאֶת לָהַד, בְּצַלְאֵל מַה שֶּׁקָּרָא לוֹ אוּמָתוֹ שֶׁלּוֹ, וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא קָרָא לוֹ חֲמִשָּׁה שֵׁמוֹת שֶׁל חִבָּה עַל שֵׁם הַמִּשְׁכָּן, רְאָיָה, שֶׁהֶרְאָהוּ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמשֶׁה וּלְכָל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַר לָהֶם מִן בְּרֵאשִׁית הִתְקַנְתִּיו לַעֲשׂוֹת הַמִּשְׁכָּן, וְשׁוֹבָל, שֶׁהֶעֱמִיד שׁוֹבָךְ לֵאלֹקִים, זֶה הַמִּשְׁכָּן, שֶׁהָיָה עוֹמֵד כַּשּׁוֹבָךְ, אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בַּר רַבִּי סִימוֹן הֶעֱמִיד הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מִשְׁכָּן כַּשּׁוֹבָךְ. יַחַת, שֶׁנָּתַן חִתִּיתוֹ עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל. אֲחוּמַי, שֶׁאִיחָה אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל לְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא וַעֲשָׂאָן כְּאַחִים לַמָּקוֹם. דָּבָר אַחֵר, אֲחוּמַי, שֶׁנָּתַן אֵימָתוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל. לָהַד, שֶׁנָּתַן הוֹד וְהָדָר עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל, שֶׁהָיָה הַמִּשְׁכָּן הֲדָרָן. דָּבָר אַחֵר, לָהַד, אָמַר רַבִּי אַבָּא בַּר חִיָּא שֶׁהַדַּל שֶׁבַּשְּׁבָטִים מִדַּבֵּק לוֹ. אָמַר רַבִּי חֲנִינָא בֶּן פָּזִי אֵין לְךָ גָּדוֹל מִשֵּׁבֶט יְהוּדָה וְאֵין לְךָ יָרוּד מִשֵּׁבֶט דָּן, שֶׁהָיָה מִן הַלְּחֵנוֹת, וּמַה כְּתִיב בּוֹ (בראשית מו, כג): וּבְנֵי דָן חֻשִׁים, אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא יָבוֹא וְיִזְדַּוֵּוג לוֹ, שֶׁלֹא יְהוּ מְבַזִּין אוֹתוֹ וְשֶׁלֹא יְהֵא אָדָם רוּחוֹ גַּסָּה עָלָיו, לְפִי שֶׁהַגָּדוֹל וְהַקָּטָן שָׁוִין לִפְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם, בְּצַלְאֵל מִשֶּׁל יְהוּדָה וְאָהֳלִיאָב מִדָּן וְהוּא מִזְדַּוֵּג לוֹ, אָמַר רַבִּי חֲנִינָא הַגָּדוֹל וְהַקָּטָן שָׁוִים. לְעוֹלָם אַל יְהֵא אָדָם מַנִּיחַ בְּצֵרוֹ, הַמִּשְׁכָּן בִּשְׁנֵי שְׁבָטִים אֵלּוּ נַעֲשָׂה, וְכֵן הַמִּקְדָּשׁ, שְׁלֹמֹה מִיהוּדָה, וְחִירָם (מלכים א ז, יד): בֶּן אִשָּׁה אַלְמָנָה מִמַטֵּה נַפְתָּלִי, אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֲנִי הוּא בְצַרְכֶן, אַל תַּנִּיחוּ בְּצַרְכֶן וְלֹא בְצָרָן שֶׁל אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם, אַף אַתֶּם אַל תַּנִּיחוּ אוֹתוֹ, דִּכְתִיב (איוב כב, כה): וְהָיָה שַׁדַּי בְּצָרֶיךָ, עֲשֵׂה אוֹתוֹ בְצָרֶךָ, שֶׁיְהֵא עִמְךָ בְּצָרָה שֶׁמַּגִּיעַ אֶתְכֶם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים צא, טו): עִמּוֹ אָנֹכִי בְצָרָה. דָּבָר אַחֵר, בְּצָרֶיךָ, שֶׁאִם בָּאוּ שׂוֹנְאִים אֱהֵא כְּנֶגְדָן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְהָיָה שַׁדַּי בְּצָרֶיךָ. דָּבָר אַחֵר, שֶׁנַּעֲשָׂה חוֹמוֹתֶיךָ, וְאֵין בְּצָרֶיךָ אֶלָּא חוֹמָה, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמַר (ישעיה כה, יב): וּמִבְצַר מִשְׂגַּב חוֹמֹתֶיךָ, אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה אֲנִי חוֹמָה לָכֶם, וְכֵן לֶעָתִיד לָבוֹא כְּשֶׁיִּבְנֶה צִיּוֹן אֲנִי נַעֲשָׂה לָהּ חוֹמָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (זכריה ב, ט): וַאֲנִי אֶהְיֶה לָהּ נְאֻם ה' חוֹמַת אֵשׁ סָבִיב וּלְכָבוֹד אֶהְיֶה בְתוֹכָהּ, וְכֵן (ישעיה מג, א): קָרָאתִי בְשִׁמְךָ לִי אָתָּה.
Another matter, “see, I have called by name,” this is one of seven people who were called by several names.
There were those called by:
- four, such as Elijah;
- Betzalel, six;
- Joshua, six;
- Moses, seven;
- Mordekhai, two;
- Daniel, five;
- Ḥananya, Mishael, and Azarya, four.
Elijah Section / Consider omitting
[Rabbi Elazar ben Pedat said: Elijah was a Jerusalemite, from among those who sat in the chamber of Hewn Stone, and was from a city in Judah. His property was in two tribes; five portions in Benjamin, as it is stated: “Tzela, HaElef, and the Yevusites, which is Jerusalem [Givat, Kiryat; fourteen cities and their surrounding areas. This is the inheritance of the children of Benjamin]” (Joshua 18:28), three in Judah, as it is stated: “Tzenan, Ḥadasha, and Migdal Gad” (Joshua 15:37). Rabbi Ḥanina bar Pappa said: Tzenan, as he was a shield [tzina]; Ḥadasha, as the Holy Bountiful One blessed will restore it [meḥadesha] in the future; and Migdal Gad, as from there the Holy Bountiful One will emerge and raze [magdid] the foundations of Esau.
Elijah was called four names, as it is written: “Yaareshya, Elijah, and Zikhri, the sons of Yeroḥam” (I Chronicles 8:27). Why was he called these names? It is because when the Holy Bountiful One seeks to shake [leharish] God's world, [Elijah] stands and mentions [mazkir] the merit of the ancestors and God has compassion [meraḥem] on the world.]
Betzalel was called six names and you trace his lineage from the tribe of Judah, as it is stated: “The sons of Judah: Peretz, Ḥetzron, Karmi, Hur, and Shoval, and Re’aya…” (I Chronicles 4:1–2).
Ḥetzron is none other than the grandson of Judah, as it is stated: “The sons of Peretz were Ḥetzron and Ḥamul” (Genesis 46:12). And it is written: “After the death of Ḥetzron in Caleb Efrata” (I Chronicles 2:24).
Does a person die in a person, that it is written: “After the death of Ḥetzron in Caleb”?
Reish Lakish said: What is “after the death of Ḥetzron in Caleb…”? After Ḥetzron died, Caleb consorted with Efrat, namely Miriam, whose name was Efrat. Why was she called that? It is because the children of Israel were fruitful and multiplied [parim veravim] because of her. “She bore him Ḥur, Ḥur begot Uri, and Uri begot Betzalel” (I Chronicles 2:19–20). “Re’aya son of Shoval begot Yahat, and Yaḥat begot Aḥumai and Laḥad. These are the families of the Tzoratites” (I Chronicles 4:2).
Betzalel, that is what his nation called him. The Holy Bountiful One called him by five names of endearment after the Mishkan.
Re’aya, as the Holy Bountiful One showed [herahu] him to Moses and to all of Israel and said to them: ‘From the beginning I appointed him to build the Mishkan.’
Shoval, because he built a dovecote [shovakh] for God; this is the Mishkan, that would stand like a dovecote. Rabbi Yehuda bar Rabbi Simon said: The Holy Bountiful One established a Mishkan for Israel like a dovecote.
Yaḥat, because he imposed awe of God [ḥitito] upon Israel.
Aḥumai, because he united [iḥa] Israel with the Holy Bountiful One, and rendered them like brothers and sisters [aḥim] to the Omnipresent. Alternatively, Aḥumai, because he imposed the awe of God upon Israel.
Laḥad, because he placed glory and grandeur upon Israel, as the Mishkan was their glory. Alternatively, Laḥad, because the lowliest of tribes cleaved to him. Rabbi Ḥanina ben Pazi said: You have none greater than the tribe of Judah, and you have no lowlier that the tribe of Dan, as it was from the concubines. And what is written in its regard? “The son of Dan was Ḥushim” (Genesis 46:23). The Holy Bountiful One: Let him come and join him, so that [people] will not demean him and so there will be no person who is arrogant, because the great and the lowly are equal before the Omnipresent. Betzalel was from Judah and Oholiav from Dan, and he joined him.
Rabbi Ḥanina said: The great and the lowly are equal. A person should never forsake their strength. The Mishkan was crafted by these two tribes, and likewise the Beit Mikdash [was constructed by] Solomon from Judah, and Ḥiram “son of a widowed woman from the tribe of Naphtali” (I Kings 7:14).
- Betzalel - name that the nation called him, perhaps name from parents, from childhood.
- Our birth name
- Re'aya - Moses sees something in him; being seen; recognized for your gifts, talents, skills.
- Our name when a teacher or mentor see our talent, skills, capabilities.
- Shoval - Being recognized for your work, your accomplishments, for connecting Heaven and Earth
- Our name that speak for what we have accomplished in the world
- Yahat - how he connected people to God, to the Divine, instilled awe
- Our name for how we connect to God or the Divine
- Ahumah - how he connected people to each other, across divides, bridged the gaps between people
- Our name for how we relate to our fellow human beings.
- Lahad - could be about healing old family divisions (especially Judah and Dan); or what he did for the people as whole from the point of view of the nations of the world.
- Our name that we make for ourselves that is seen by the people of the world.
(8) We merit this through Torah study. This is because the Torah is the Name of God, and the name of a thing is its vessel; within this name is contained the life force of that thing. As it is written, “living soul that is its name” (Genesis 2:19)—contained in the name of each thing is its soul and life force. This is why when we call a person by his name, we gain his attention immediately, because his total soul and life force are contained within his name.
R. Meir said: For every good deed a man performs, an angel is assigned to watch over him. If he does one good deed, one angel is assigned to him, and if he performs many good deeds, many angels are assigned to him, as it is said: For he will give His angels charge over you (Ps. 91:11). Every time a person increases the number of good deeds they performs,they adds to their good name. You find that a person is known by three names: the name by which their parents call them, the name by which other people call them, and the one they earn for themselves; the most important name is the name one earns for oneself.
זלדה
לכל איש יש שם
לכל איש יש שם
שנתן לו אלוקים
ונתנו לו אביו ואמו
לכל איש יש שם
שנתנו לו קומתו ואופן חיוכו
ונתן לו האריג
לכל איש יש שם
שנתנו לו ההרים
ונתנו לו כתליו
לכל איש יש שם
שנתנו לו המזלות
ונתנו לו שכניו
לכל איש יש שם
שנתנו לו חטאיו
ונתנה לו כמיהתו
לכל איש יש שם
שנתנו לו שונאיו
ונתנה לו אהבתו
לכל איש יש שם
שנתנו לו חגיו
ונתנה לו מלאכתו
לכל איש יש שם
שנתנו לו עונות השנה
ונתן לו עיוורונו
לכל איש יש שם
שנתן לו הים
ונתן לו
מותו.
Zelda
EACH OF US HAS A NAME
Each of us has a name
given by God
and given by our parents
Each of us has a name
given by our stature and our smile
and given by what we wear
Each of us has a name
given by the mountains
and given by our walls
Each of us has a name
given by the stars
and given by our neighbors
Each of us has a name
given by our sins
and given by our longing
Each of us has a name
given by our enemies
and given by our love
Each of us has a name
given by our celebrations
and given by our work
Each of us has a name
given by the seasons
and given by our blindness
Each of us has a name
given by the sea
and given by
our death.
© Translation: 2004, Marcia Lee Falk
From: The Spectacular Difference
Publisher: Hebrew Union College, Cincinnati, 2004
a Poem inspired by Zelda (adapted by YOU!)
Each of us has a name given by the Source of Life and given by our parents
and mine is ___________________________________
Each of us has a name given by our friends and those who love us
and mine is ___________________________________
Each of us has a name given by our teachers and mentors
and mine is ___________________________________
Each of us has a name given by our enemies
and mine is ___________________________________
Each of us has a name given by the energy we put out into the world given by how we wear ourselves on the outside
and mine is ___________________________________
Each of us has a name
given by our messy mistakes and beautiful flaws given by what we wear on the inside
and mine is ___________________________________
Each of us has a name given by the mountains and rivers and trees and Nature that surrounds
and mine is ___________________________________
Each of us has a name
given to us by the legacy we hope to leave behind
and mine is ___________________________________