Ten Minute Halacha - Secular Names

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Date:
November 15 2011
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11min 45s
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  1. Title: Alexander becomes Jewish!
    Author: Chaim Simons

    Out of gratitude to Alexander the Great, who had been positively disposed towards the Jews, the Jews decided to name every boy born the following year “Alexander” (or “Sender” for short). Thus since that time till this very day, Alexander, which was a Greek name, has been the name given to many boys at their bris. (see: http://www.jewishhistory.org/alexander-the-great/)

  2. Title: The Rambam’s Arabic Name
    Author: Chaim Simons

     The Rambam also had an Arabic name: Abū ʿImrān Mūsā bin Maimūn bin ʿUbaidallāh al-Qurṭubī. Another great Rav to have an Arabic name was Rav Abdullah Somech (1813 – 1889), who was the teacher of the Ben Ish Chai, and it would seem that Abdullah was the name he was given at his bris. The name “Abdullah” is of Arabic origin and means “Hashem’s servant” and is a name commonly found in the Islamic world.

     

  3. Title: Yiddisher Names
    Author: Chaim Simons

    There are many Jews today who have Yiddish names. In some cases, the Yiddish name is the Yiddish translation of the Hebrew name which precedes it, for example:  Yitzchok Eizik – Eizik in an Anglicised pronunciation is Isaac; Shlomo Zalman  - Zalman in an Anglicised pronunciation is Solomon. There are even many people who just have the name Zalman without Shlomo. There are also cases where a Yiddish name follows a particular Hebrew name, for example: Efraim Fischel -  Fischel is a little fish, and when Yaakov blessed Efraim and Menasheh, he used the phrase “v’yidgu  [from the word “dag”, a fish]  lorov...”; Yehudah Leib – Leib is a lion, and when Yaakov blessed Yehudah  he used the phrase “Gur Aryeh [lion] Yehudah”.

  4. Title: Don’t forget your Name!
    Author: Chaim Simons

    Rav Yeshayahu Horowitz (c.1565 – 1630), also known as the Shelah Hakadosh, writes that in order that we should not forget our name on the Day of Judgment, before we say the (second) “yihyu lerotzon” at the end of each amidah, we should recite a posuk from Tanach whose first letter is the first letter of our name and whose last letter is the last letter of our name. Many siddurim, after the amidah for the weekday shacharis, give a list of such pesukim for men. I also possess a Rosh Hashanah machzor with Yiddish translation (probably intended for use mainly by women), which also gives a list of such pesukim for women. Incidentally, one can see from this list that many women were given only Yiddish names.

Learning on the Marcos and Adina Katz YUTorah site is sponsored today by Debbie Nossbaum in loving memory of her father, Nathan Werdiger, נתן בן שלמה אלימלך and by Tommy and Perrie Gelb l'ilui nishmas Leah bas Yosef (Sternbach) Gelb on her yahrzeit on ה' טבת and by Harris and Elli Teitz Goldstein l'ilui nishmas Elli's beloved father, הרה'ג רב פינחס מרדכי טייץ, on his 30th yahrzeit on ד' טבת and in loving memory of Dr. Felix Glaubach, אפרים פישל בן ברוך, to mark his first yahrtzeit, by Miriam, his children, grandchildren & great grandchildren