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"With each child, the world begins anew." (Ancient Jewish Saying)
Judaism places great importance on the naming of each new child. It is believed that the name of a person or thing is closely related to its essence.
When a parent gives a child a name, the parent is giving the child a connection to previous generations. The parent is also making a statement about their hope for who their child will become. In this way, the name carries with it some identity for the child.
According to Anita Diamant in What to Name Your Jewish Baby, "Like Adam's appointed task of giving names to all living things in Eden, naming is an exercise of power and creativity." Many parents today put a great deal of thought and energy into deciding what to name their Jewish baby.
Hebrew Names
Hebrew names started to compete with names from other languages early on in Jewish history. As far back as the Talmudic period, 200 B.C.E. to 500 C.E., many Jews gave their children Aramaic, Greek and Roman names.
Later, during the Middle Ages in Eastern Europe, it became customary for Jewish parents to give their children two names. A secular name for use in the gentile world, and a Hebrew name for religious purposes.
Hebrew names are used for calling men to the Torah. Certain prayers, such as the memorial prayer or the prayer for the sick, also use the Hebrew name. Legal documents, such as the marriage contract or ketubah, use the Hebrew name.
Today, many American Jews give their children both English and Hebrew names. Often the two names start with the same letter. For instance, Blake's Hebrew name might be Boaz and Lindsey's might be Leah. Sometimes the English name is the English version of the Hebrew name, like Jonah and Yonah or Eva and Chava.
The two main sources for Hebrew names for today's Jewish babies are older Biblical names and modern Israeli names.
Next page > Ancient Biblical Names and Modern Israeli Names > Page 1, 2, 3, 4
~ Lisa
Katz
and ~ Robin Elise Weiss
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