What's in a name? In antiquity, names played a far more conspicuous role than they do today. More than identification tags, they were frequently related to some circumstance of birth, to a particular quality of personality or character, or to some outstanding achievement. Examples were: Adam, meaning "formed of red earth," or Isaac, a derivative of the word "laughter." To be named after an animal or plant was an expression of hope that the characteristics of the specific plant or animal would be reflected in one's personality.
Many ancients believed that a person's essence resides in his name, signifying an important aspect of an individual's destiny or perhaps his family's philosophy of life. This concept gradually changed to the belief that a person achieves immortality when a descendant is given his name. Thus, a name became a remembrance of a life, a connection with the past.
Jewish tradition assigned additional reasons to the necessity to know and retain one's Jewish or Hebrew name. The Jewish name was deemed essential for Jewish survival, of high religious significance, an important means of fortifying Jewish consciousness and of identifying with the Jewish people. Indeed, according to the sages, one of the key reasons the Israelites merited redemption from Egyptian bondage was their refusal to change their original Jewish names.
In the past, therefore, giving a child a Jewish name represented an act of loyalty to our heritage, a dramatic symbol of the will to live as a Jew a statement of one's authenticity as a Jew. In a real sense, this has not changed. A Jewish name remains a link to our history and a bond to fellow Jews. In short, it helps us know who we are, where we came from, and, to some degree, what is expected of us.
For a traditional Jew, it constitutes a necessary tool when called to the Torah, acting as a witness.' entering into marriage, invoking God's mercy during a severe illness, and answering death's call.
Ashkenazic Jews generally name a child after someone deceased, a sign of esteem and a way of keeping the memory of the departed alive. Sephardic Jews, on the other hand, tend to name the newborn after a living grandparent, perhaps in hopes that the young will look to that person as a model. There is no hard and fast rule, however, and today's parents let their familial needs and their Jewish sensitivities guide them in the choice of a Jewish name.
Selected Resources
Gross, pages 23, 125
Trepp, pages 227-233
Kolatch I, pages 22-23, 29; II, pages 309-310
Kolatch is also the author of The Name Dictionary, as well as the Complete Dictionary of English and Hebrew First Names, published by Jonathan David Publishers.
Procedure
In many, if not most, instances, the Tiger Cub candidate was given the Jewish name--the original name or modified version of it--of a relative on one or both sides of the family. Consequently, his initiation into the first phase of the Maccabee Award requirements should be accompanied by such questions as the following:
What do you know about the person for whom you were given your Jewish name?
How did that person earn his/her living?
What kind of person was he/she?
In the event that the youngster's parents do not know his Jewish name, inquiry should be made among grandparents, uncles, aunts, older friends of the family, or others.
All Jewish names (Hebrew, Yiddish, etc.) are acceptable. Where a child was not given a Jewish name, this should not disqualify him from earning the award. If the Tiger Cub or one of his parents does not have a Jewish name, a rabbi in the area should be consulted. An invitation should be extended to the rabbi (1) to help undertake a search for an appropriate Jewish name, and (2) to conduct a naming ceremony.
It is rare for a synagogue not to have a Jewish name. Among the most common are: Beth Am, Beth David, Beth El, Beth Jacob, Beth Shalom, Emanuel, Sinai and Beth Zion. Have the youngster find out the Jewish name of a local synagogue, as well as the meaning of that name.
In the event no synagogue in the community has a Jewish name, the search should be extended to other communities in the region.
