Rabbi I Have A Problem - changing my name

QUESTION: My sister has advised me that due to my illness, I should change my Hebrew name in order to improve my longevity.Please can you advise me if this is a good idea

AN ORTHODOX VIEW

Rabbi Brawer: The source of this practice can be traced back to the Talmud where it states that “Four matters tear the evil decree against a person and one of them is changing the name” (Rosh Hashanah 16b). The Talmud’s proof text is Genesis 17:15, where the biblical Sarai, who is unable to conceive, has her name changed to Sarah and shortly thereafter, bears a son (Isaac).

The mystics explain that each person’s Hebrew name is a conduit for the divine flow of vitality and energy. By changing one’s name, one opens, as it were, a new channel for the vivifying flow, thereby creating new possibilities for health and life’s blessings.

Contrary to popular belief, one’ original name is not discarded but rather the new name is added to the old one. In choosing a new name it is the practice to select one with potent meaning. For men the Hebrew name Chaim, meaning “life”, is a popular choice as is Raphael, the angel of healing, or Shalom. In Yiddish, Alter, meaning “old” is often used, expressing the wish that the individual grow to a ripe old age.

For women, Sarah is recommended (possibly because of her reference in the talmudic passage cited above) as is Channah, Yocheved and Batsheva.

In daily usage as well as for ritual purposes (being called to the Torah), it is the new name that comes first, followed by the old name.

The name change takes place in the synagogue in front of the Torah. If the ill person is well enough to receive an aliyah, they are called up to the Torah, followed by a special prayer invoking their new name. If they are unable to attend personally, a loved one or friend can have the prayer invoked on their behalf.

To circle back to the Talmud. Changing one’s name is only one of four possible acts that may positively alter one’s fate. What are the other three? They are tzedakah, prayer and the positive transformation of one’s behaviour. Changing one’s name can be a drastic step and one should be fully committed to adopting the new name before undertaking it.

Yet alongside the name-change the Talmud offers other, more conventional practices that may bring blessing and healing.

Ultimately, it is a personal decision as to which of these practices or combinations of practices you wish to undertake. What ever path you choose, may you be blessed with healing and long life.

Rabbi Dr Brawer is Neubauer executive director of Hillel, Tufts University

A PROGRESSIVE VIEW

Rabbi Romain: The suggestion reflects the folklore — based on a saying in the Talmud (Rosh Hashanah 16b) — about cheating the angel of death, who comes to a home with a summons for a specifically named person, but if he then finds that person now has a different name, he has to go away empty-handed.

What is fascinating is the thinking behind it. Clearly it has no basis in medical reality; if, for instance, cancer has taken irrevocable hold of a person’s body, a name-change will not reverse matters.

Instead, it reflects a sense of powerlessness in the face of the unpredictable forces that can overwhelm us. This applied especially in previous centuries when the legend first started and many of today’s treatments were unavailable.

But it applies today, too, when, despite our sophistication and advances, we are still so vulnerable and can find our hopes and plans blown away like the leaves on a succah by the wind.

At the same time, the name change is an attempt to overcome that powerlessness and somehow avoid the tragedy that seems to be heading towards us. We have so few means at our disposal and this is one last heroic effort.

Of course, while it may not cure cancer cells, it can certainly lift the spirits of the patient concerned, who (depending on their beliefs) may feel that this is a boost and helps them fight on. Optimism and will-power are great allies to help you, whatever your condition.
Another psychological bonus is that the patient knows that people are rooting for them and are trying, in whatever way they can and, even if it may seem a little odd, to support and protect them. That can be very heartwarming.

Of course, there is the downside that, if they are of a nervous disposition, the suggestion could depress the person and imply that they are worse off than they had realised: “Am I that near to my end that the angel of death is already on his way?”

It begs the question of what new name do you select? Some might simply add Chaim (‘life’) as a booster; others might choose an entirely new one, especially that of a person of longevity. Moses’s 120 years might be an obvious example, although going for Methuselah’s apparent 969 years would be stretching credulity a little too far.

So, if you think it will help, go for it.