Question of the Week:
How old was Franz Kafka when he died?
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Elizabeth Applebaum
AppleTree Editor
Cover Story
How to chose the perfect Jewish
name for-your baby — or
yourself.
I
n the beginning there was Adam, also
known as Ado(n, and Eve, also known
as Chava.
Today, you're more likely to meet up with
a Jewish girl named Morgan than one
named Eve, and a Jewish boy named Tyler
or Christopher or Devin. Yet Judaism does
not take lightly the issue of selecting a
child's name.
As the Midrash teaches: "One should
examine names carefully so as to give his
son [or daughter] a name that is worthy, so
the son [or daughter] will become a right-
eous person, for sometimes the name is a
contributing factor for good as for evil."
So, too, the Torah presents stories of name
changes in the face of extraordinary circum-
stances: Jacob becomes Israel, patriarch of
the 12 tribes of Israel, after he wrestles with
the angel, while Abram and Sarai become
Abraham and Sarah once they accept
God's covenant.
Genesis 17:5 recounts:
"No longer shall your name be called
Avram, rather shall your name be Avraham,
for I will make you Av Hamon Goyim (father
of a throng of nations). God said to /Abra-
ham, 'As for Sarai, your wife, you shall not
call her name Sari for Sarah (princess) is her
name'."
Whether you're considering what to call a
new baby, or choosing a Hebrew name for
yourself, here's a guide for selecting a name
that will be both meaningful and relevant.
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From tradition to Torah, the rea-
sons behind names vary greatly.
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