Is it proper to name a person after a Biblical figure
who is cast in a negative light?
This matter needs further refining. A name that is given to a child at the appropriate time after birth – for a boy at the bris, for a girl in the Synagogue at the Torah reading – bears greatly on the life that he/she is to lead as it is connected from that time on to his/her neshama.
As to a Biblical figure cast in a negative light, do we mean to eliminate anyone who had any negativity at all or would that not be reason enough to eliminate usage of such name.
An example Reuven was cast in a bad light over an incident of kibud av v’em, yet we see many children bearing that name. Was not Yehuda cast in a bad light, yet we are all referred to as Yehudim. Shimshon was cast in a bad light and yet we see that there are many people bearing the name Shimshon (or the variant Shamshon). Yishmael was cast in a bad light and we see his name used prominently in the person of the sage and kohen Rabbi Yishmael ben Elisha. So too Shaul Hamelech and Dovid Hamelech, each portrayed with all their foibles, and these names too are very commonly in usage.
The common thread with all the above is that they were all righteous, but very human, tzaddikim. Even Yishmael, according to our sages, repented at the end of his father’s days.
Now as to other figures, such as Nimrod, Esav, Korach, Dasan, Aviram, Nebuchadnezar, Goliath, Achab, and the such, these were thoroughly evil people with no redeeming qualities, to name after them does not do justice to any child.
Not that long ago a couple came to the Gerer Rebbe in Eretz Yisrael and told the Rebbe of their decision to give their newly born daughter a Yiddish name that seems to some as the butt of jokes. The Rebbe responded, Each of you thought about it and likes the name, but did you consider if your daughter will like the name?
I’ve heard of Israelis using the name Nimrod, as a sign of strength. What were their parents thinking? Imagine that child growing up and finding his place in our Torah observant society with such a name.
Indeed, the name one gives a child is a serious matter – and naming after one of the tzadikim in our history who have dealt with challenges is all the more reason to name after them. There are challenges we face every day and the role model of one who had such ability will be a positive contribution to the child’s neshama.
– Rabbi Yaakov Klass is Rav of K’hal Bnei Matisyahu in Flatbush; Torah Editor of The Jewish Press; and Presidium Chairman, Rabbinical Alliance of America/Igud HaRabbonim.
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There was a time in Israel not long ago when children were routinely named Nimrod or Omri, demonstrating their parents’ awareness of biblical names but little about the nature of the individuals who bore those names (although Omri did have some merit, as he added one city in Israel). Using such names is certainly improper, and thus we do not find Jewish children named Korach or Haman, Datan or Aviram.
Yet there are names that have beautiful meanings but are associated with wicked people. Yishmael is an uncommon name for Jews, even though he repented and even if there was a great tanna named Rabbi Yishmael. But it means “G-d will hear,” an inspiring thought, and, after all, he was named by Hashem. Similarly, the Gemara (Yoma 38b) notes that the names of the wicked will decay, since no one should use them. It cites the name Do’eg (the tormentor of David) as an example, properly so because otherwise many Jews might be inclined to name their children “worrier.” Tosafot there justify someone named Avshalom, one of the rebellious sons of King David, because he was really Avishalom.
Therein lies the conundrum: what if the name expresses a spiritually meaningful idea but is associated with an evildoer? In such a case there is no prohibition, and as we see, the name Avshalom is widely given today.
In modern times, since Ashkenazim generally name after deceased relatives, it is quite possible to arrest the use of the names of biblical villains, and rightly so. That would be an act of piety. Certainly we should never name a child after the rasha himself, but if the name is used because of the idea it represents or because it was used by a virtuous ancestor, it is not prohibited.
– Rabbi Steven Pruzansky is Israel Region Vice-President for the Coalition for Jewish Values and author of Repentance for Life now available from Kodesh Press.
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In just a few weeks, thousands of frum Jews will celebrate the yahrzeit of Reb Elimelech of Lizhensk, a close disciple of the Maggid of Mezerich and one of the founding fathers of chassidus. It is strange to think that there would be anything wrong with the name Elimelech. But consider the first Elimelech, who we read about in the Book of Ruth: He was a wealthy man who abandoned the people of Yehuda during a time of crisis, lost his wealth, and died young, leaving his widow, Naomi, destitute. While not quite a villain, he was hardly a role model.
For some time, the name “Yishmael” was quite popular, even though the original Yishmael, the oldest son of Avraham Avinu, was a neutral figure at best and often seen as an antagonistic and hostile figure. Another Biblical Yishmael was the assassin of Gedaliah. Yet kohanim gedolim and leading tanna’im bore the name Yishmael, as did great rabbis, especially in the Sephardic world, even into the 20th century. Perhaps the best known was Rabbi Yishmael HaKohen of Modena (1723-1811), the author of She’elos U-teshuvos Zera Emes and a member of Napoleon’s “Assembly of Jewish Notables.”
Ze’ev has been a very popular name among Ashkenazim for centuries, and yet the only person in Tanach to bear that name was a Midianite chieftain who was slaughtered by Gideon’s forces (see Shoftim 7:25 and 8:3, and Tehillim 83:12).
Of course, Yaakov compares Binyamin to a wolf (ze’ev) in his final beracha (Bereishis 49:27), and the name Zev became popular in Ashkenaz alongside a host of other animal names, like Dov, Tzvi, and Aryeh, not because of any association with Midianites.
As for the names Elimelech and Yishmael, notwithstanding the linkage to unsavory characters, these names have beautiful meanings. Elimelech means “My G-d is king,” and Yishmael means “G-d will listen.” This is also the only reason I can think of for the relative popularity of the name Aviram (“My exalted father”), who was a member of Korach’s band, swallowed alive by the earth.
In the early years of the State of Israel, Biblical names with military associations became popular. Sometimes these were positive figures, like Ehud, Gideon, Barak, Yael, Avner, Yoav, and Asa’el. But occasionally the names came from dubious characters like Yiftach and Uriah, and some from negative characters (Ibn Ezra notwithstanding) like Nimrod. I get the sense that some of these names were chosen as an act of rebellion against tradition. The name “Nimrod” literally means “Let’s rebel!” Will they have descendants named for them, as is traditional? This is something of a liar’s paradox.
Names like Esav and Zeresh that have clearly negative connotations should be avoided, if not on religious or moral grounds, then simply to spare your child from ridicule. Izevel was notoriously wicked, so her name should probably be avoided. Besides, it means “island of garbage.” The same goes for Haman’s sons. If you name your son Aspasa, he will probably sprout a cowlick and sing off-key.
Pick names that all the relatives can pronounce and that won’t draw giggles. This applies even for the names of tzadikim. For example, the navi Yeshayahu was instructed by Hashem to name his son “Maher Shalal Chash Baz.” This is an excellent name for a low-end barbershop but a terrible name for a child, so unless you, too, received explicit instructions from the Almighty, don’t name your kid that, no matter how inspired you are by Yeshayahu.
In other words, the best thing to do is use common sense. There’s plenty of room to be creative and become a conduit for the ru’ach ha’kodesh that is said to descend upon parents when they name their children without subjecting one’s offspring to a lifetime of answering why they share a name with a Baal-worshiping mass murderer. Baruch Hashem, we have had so many great role models throughout the generations, and even new names can be filled with meaning. My advice is to find one that inspires you and that can inspire your children when they grow old enough to appreciate it.
– Rabbi Elli Fischer is a translator, writer, and historian. He edits Rav Eliezer Melamed’s Peninei Halakha in English, co-founded HaMapah, a project to quantify and map rabbinic literature, and is a founding editor of Lehrhaus. Follow him @adderabbi on Twitter or listen to his podcast, “Down the Rabbi Hole.”
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Jewish people are very sensitive regarding the naming of a child. Our Sages tell us that parents are given prophecy when naming their children in that they are somehow able to focus on the qualities that the child will eventually have.
Thus parents are usually very careful not to name their child after a rasha who appeared in the Torah.
But except for this sensitivity, there is nothing wrong in naming your child after someone who was ostensibly portrayed negatively in the Torah.
Just to name a few:
Yishmael ben Elisha who is quoted in the Talmud as being able to ascend to heaven and speak to the Almighty, his namesake was Yishmael the wicked son of Avraham our Forefather. Then there is Menashe, the wicked king during whose reign idol worship was rampant. There is also Avshalom and even Mordechai who supposedly is named after a Babylonian god.
Often when the rabbis of the Talmud are not sure of something, they’ll say, “Puk chazi” – let’s go see how the people are reacting and that will guide us.
In this case there is nothing intrinsically wrong with naming your child after a negative personality except the logical sensitivities that parents obviously will have. There are Menashes and Yishmaels, Omris and Mordechais and others found among the names given to Jewish people – and most of them turn out to be fine people.
– Rabbi Mordechai Weiss lives in Efrat, Israel, and previously served as an elementary and high school principal in New Jersey and Connecticut. He was also the founder and rav of Young Israel of Margate, NJ. Email [email protected].
