In the Shabbat Assembly this past week, I spoke to the students about the power of our Hebrew names. In Parshat Vayishlach, Hashem gives Yaakov a new name. Earlier in Sefer Bereshit, Hashem had changed Avraham and Sarah's names, too.
What’s in a name? The parsha got me thinking about our Hebrew names and it reminded me of a conversation I had with a 5th grade student last week. We were studying the story of Yael in Sefer Shoftim. A student said to me, "That is my story. My name is Yael." She was very excited about learning about her name sake. She told me that she was going to ace the test and she did. She felt connected to the Yael in Tanach and everything she taught us. I started to think about other friends and their Hebrew names. I had a friend, Michael, whose Hebrew name was Moshe, and he was a leader. He was the person who took charge and guided us. These were, of course, also characteristics of Moshe Rabeinu. Another friend, whose name was Aharon, was always looking to make peace among us. He was like Aharon HaKohen. I asked the students to discuss this at their Shabbat tables and see if they could find connections between their family members’ Hebrew names and the people for whom they were named.
I think you will be surprised by the connections you’ll find!!
