Names; Naming

The Kabbalists say that when parents name a child, they experience a minor prophecy—because, somehow, that child’s destiny is wrapped up in the name’s combination of Hebrew letters . . .

Question: I'm a Jewish woman, but I was never given a Hebrew name, and now I'm interested in getting one. How do I choose? (I do have some ideas, though, some biblical names I admire.) Do I need to confirm it with a rabbi or something? Answer: ...

Although it sounds exactly like the Russian diminutive form of Mary, the Jewish name Masha is actually of Biblical extraction. Tradition has it that the first Masha was named after a departed male named Moshe (Moses). Kav Naki, quoting the Chukai Derech. ...

The name Baila--also spelled Bayla--is derived from the Hebrew name Bilhah, Beis Shmuel, Sheimos Nashim. wife of Jacob, and mother of Dan and Naftali, two of the twelve tribes of Israel. It is also related to the name Bella which means beautiful in ...

One morning, when Paul was seven, I received a stat call to the emergency room . . . “Oh G‑d,” I pleaded in my thoughts, “Please, not this one. Not him.”

To what extent does human knowledge and expression shape the reality which it observes and defines?

I was in a great hurry that morning. I was heading a delegation slated to meet with the German Minister of Education, and had only 30 minutes to get to the station...

One of the purported perks of living a righteous life is that your name lives on long after you are gone. So why does the Torah mark Moses' passing by scratching his name from the record?

It functions as a conduit, channeling spiritual energy from G-d into your soul and your body. That's why a critically ill person is sometimes given an additional Hebrew name -- sort of like a spiritual bypass operation

The naming ceremony.