שֵׁם, מוֹנִיטִין
Since the Torah portion read this past Shabbat by Jews around the world is שְׁמוֹת – names of, I thought it appropriate to introduce another important word related the common word, name – שֵׁם.
A reputation in English can also be called a good name or a bad name. The same is true for Hebrew.
For example:
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| לְקֶרְמִיט יֵשׁ מוֹנִיטִין Kermit has a name for himself |
הִיא נוֹתֶנֶת שֵׁם טוֹב לַמִּשְׁפָּחָה שֶׁלָּהּ.
She gives a good name to the (her) family.
and
יָצָא שֵׁם רַע עַל הַפּוֹלִיטִקָאִי שֶׁשִּׁקֵּר.
A bad reputation has begun circulating (literally, went out) about the politician who lied.
That’s reputation in the personal sense. But in the business sense – more appropriately translated into English as renown, the better word to use is מוֹנִיטִין (a loan word – from which language, I do not know).
לַחֶבְרָה הַהִיא יֵשׁ מוֹנִיטִין בַּשּׁוּק הַבֵּינְלְאֻמִּי.
That company has a reputation/renown in the international market.
מוניטין generally refers to a positive reputation. To refer to a negative one, you’d have to add the word רַע (bad) to the phrase: מוֹנִיטִין רַע.
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