Question:
What is the meaning of my name, Eve?
Eve (age 7)
Answer:
Dear Eve,
Actually, in Hebrew, your name is even nicer. It is Chava. That means "the
mother of life."
You may be wondering, "But I am not a mother. I am a child."
The truth is, a child is also a mother. After all, who made your mother a
mother? If not for you, she wouldn't be a mother. She gave birth to
you -- and you gave birth to the mother inside her.
There is nothing in this world that only gets and does not give. True,
when you are starting off in life, it seems like you're mainly on the
receiving end. But don't let outward appearances fool you. When your mother
helps you learn something or tells you a story or gives you advice or wipes
away a tear from your cheek with a word of wisdom and a caring smile -- she is
giving you a lot, but you are giving to her as well.
When you get all excited about your heroes and heroines, about lighting a
candle on Friday before sunset or about a story you heard in school, that
touches your mother deeply, it changes her. More than the words
of the wisest rabbi. Because you are her daughter, the one who gave birth to
the mother inside her.
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