What's in a name?

Naming a child is a task that should not be taken lightly. A name effects the child's very essence, and in fact, the word for soul, neSHaMah, contains the word for name, shem. So a child's name actually effects his inner soul. The Baal Shem Tov wrote that one's name is one's very soul. (Fall 1997, Journal of Halacha and Contemporary Society)

"One should ever examine names, to give his son a name worthy of him to become a righteous person, for sometimes the name may be a contributory factor for evil or for good" - Midrash Tanchuma

For this reason, we do not give our children names of wicked people. Unfortunately, I have met people who have named their children Esav, Nimrod or Jezebel. Would you name your child Adolf? Today, many people have become careless when it comes to naming their children. Choosing a name just because "It sounds pretty," is not a Jewish concept. (Though there is nothing wrong with giving your child a beautiful name!)

So how do you choose a name for your child? There are various customs:

Naming after the deceased

Parents may name their child after the deceased, either after relatives, great Rabbis or people from the Bible. There is a custom among Ashkenazim, or Eastern European Jews, to refrain from naming a child after a living relative, while Sephardim do name children after the living.

Naming according to the time

Sometimes people will name their children based when the child was born. For example, my son was born during The Three Weeks, a time of mourning. Children born during this time are given names that mean comfort, so my son's name is Menachem, which means comforter.

If a child is born on Purim, the parents may name their daughter Esther or their son Mordechai. A child born on Chanukah may be named Matis, after Matisyahu, the High Priest. A boy born on or around Rosh Hashanah may be named Yitzchak (Isaac), since that was the day of the binding of Yitzchak.

Naming according to the Weekly Torah Portion or Haftorah

Sometimes parents name their children based on the Torah portion of that week. For example, children born during the week of Simchas Torah may be named Yehoshua (Joshua), since that week we read in the Haftorah about Yehoshua becoming the leader.

When the Torah portion Pinchas (Phineas) is read, parents may name their child Pinchas, Elazar's son who later became the High Priest. Or for the Torah portion Chayei Sarah, they may name their girl Sarah.

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