S.7 #4 | Hebrew Naming Ceremony

Do you have a Hebrew name? If not, it's never too late to get one! Although, it is customary for children to receive their Hebrew names at circumcision (boys) or during the first couple of weeks after birth (girls), I received my name in middle school and my kids received their at age 5 and 8. I strongly believe that names are little prophecies, and changing or adding a name to an existing name has the power of changing fate. Find out how and why in this episode!

Mentions:

A Kiddush luncheon is a traditional meal held immediately following Shabbat or holiday services

Mevushal -  refers to kosher wine that has been flash-pasteurized. This process renders the wine permissible for handling and serving by non-Sabbath-observant individuals without losing its kosher status

Aliyah -  the honor of being called up to the Bimah (platform) during a shul (synagogue) service to recite blessings over the Torah, marking a significant spiritual, communal, and personal milestone

Bimah -  the elevated area in a synagogue from which worship services are conducted and the Torah is read. 

Midrash - a foundational Jewish interpretive method and genre of rabbinic literature from late antiquity (approx. 3rd–5th centuries CE) that seeks, explains, and expands upon biblical texts

Transcript

In December of 2025, my husband and I held a Hebrew naming ceremony for our two kids ages 5 and 8. Traditionally, Hebrew names are given soon after birth - on the 8th day during circumcision for boys, and in the first couple of weeks typically during a Torah reading for girls. Since when my kids were born we were not even aware of this tradition, they never received their Hebrew names, but I figured it’s better late than never!

There were a couple reasons I wanted my kids to have Hebrew names. First, at Shabbat services our rabbi always asks all guests if there is anyone ill or in need of a blessing, and for this request it is best to have the person’s Hebrew name, along with his or her mother’s Hebrew name. Second, when last year we visited the Ohel -the Rebbe’s resting place - I realized that more prayers called for Hebrew names of the person doing the prayer and also of that person’s mother. I’ve had a Hebrew name since middle school - Yael. Since I attended a Jewish day school, my Judaics teacher assigned this name to me, but I can’t remember whether or not there was an accompanying ceremony for my new name. Either way, I wanted to make sure my kids had their Hebrew names since each day we were becoming more and more traditional and involved in the Jewish community. Then, when an e-mail came from the kids’ Hebrew school teacher asking for their Hebrew names, I knew for sure it was time! 

I spoke about it with our rabbi -Rabbi Zushe, and he proposed we make a celebration out of it during the Saturday Shabbat services and following kiddush lunch. We had never sponsored a kiddush before, so this was an interesting experience in itself! But first things first. 

We began by choosing names for my kids. Technically, we could have chosen any Hebrew names, but we wanted to make it easier for our children to remember them and understand their meaning. My name, Yael, I think was chosen just because it resembled my Russian name - Yuliya, and it literally means ibex or mountain goat, something that caused much amusement to my peers at school. It wasn’t until very recently that I found out Yael has a deeper meaning to it: Yael was a heroine in the Book of Judges in the Bible who defeated the Canaanite general Sisera and saved the Israelites. I wish I’d known this earlier! 

Since my son’s name is Isaac, initially our rabbi suggested we keep his name as is and just make it his official Hebrew name at the ceremony, but I thought it would be so cool for my kids who are learning Hebrew to have a name in Hebrew, perhaps a Bible name, which would hopefully create a long-lasting connection to their faith and heritage. Isaac in Hebrew is Yitzhak, so I voted for this option. My daughter is named Rosalie, and technically, Roza is a Jewish name, but again I was looking for a Hebrew name to give to her. Someone at Hebrew school told my daughter that Rose in Hebrew was Shoshana, which she really liked, and I decided that would be a great option for her! The name Shoshana by the way symbolizes purity, beauty, and resilience and appears in the Song of Solomon. Now that we had the names picked out, we chose a date for the ceremony. Since sponsoring a kiddush lunch is fairly expensive, upwards of $1500 - to cover the cost of food and drinks for about 100-150 people, I wanted to use this opportunity to celebrate more than one occasion. In December, we always celebrate my birthday and my husband’s and mine wedding anniversary, so we decided to combine all three occasions into one special event and invite our family and friends. 

In preparation for the ceremony, our rabbi gave my husband several prayers to practice before the Aliyah (being called up to the Torah reading). Because our synagogue is orthodox, only men are called up to the Aliyah and only men participate in the rituals like holding up the Torah or carrying it in and out of the arc (which is nice because it allows the women to allocate their energy and time to other matters, such as organizing events and looking after the children). For Aliyah, it is a custom to call seven people up on any given Shabbat morning, and my husband could choose up to seven people for this ritual. The number of people called for an aliyah varies by the day of the week or the holiday. The specific number is a rabbinic guideline related to the public reading of the Torah, which requires a minyan (a quorum of ten Jewish adults) for the service to be conducted. 

The number of people who receive an aliyah is determined by the sanctity or holiness of the day: 

• Three people for a regular weekday service (Monday, Thursday) or Shabbat afternoon.
• Four people for Rosh Chodesh (new moon) or the intermediate days of a festival (Chol HaMoed).
• Five people for the major festival days (Passover, Shavuot, Sukkot, Rosh Hashanah).
• Six people on Yom Kippur morning.
• Seven people on Shabbat morning. 

When it came time to choose those people for Aliyah, both my husband and I immediately asked our fathers. Neither of them had ever done anything of the sort. In fact, neither of them ever attended services at the synagogue and so they were hesitant at first, especially because they would have to stand in the middle of the room during services for everyone to see and read in an entirely foreign language. To ease their worries, our rabbi provided the Russian transliteration of the Hebrew prayers, which they could study ahead of time. They both agreed, which meant a lot to us!  But we still had some places to fill, so my husband wanted to ask some of his friends to do it; however, we found out that only Jewish men would be allowed to partake in Aliyah, and Jewish means having a Jewish mother! None of my husband’s friends were Jewish by mother! One had a Jewish father and the other only a grandfather! We couldn’t believe how strict this rule was, and to be honest, our friends were somewhat offended by the fact that they could not participate, but that’s the reality of an Orthodox shul, and that which differentiates it from a Reform temple - they adhere very strictly to the original, traditional laws.

Thankfully, our friends still attended the service, and one of them even got to carry the Torah to the arc! Since we didn’t have enough friends or family members to fill the 7 spots for Aliyah, our rabbi asked some of the regulars to step in. The day of the event, all family and friends who could make it, came into the synagogue for morning services. Women and men went to their respective sides of the sanctuary, and soon enough I could see my husband, then father, and father in-law up on the bimah reading a prayer for my kids! It was a very touching moment because not only did I feel accepted by our family for having become religious but I also saw a glimpse of their own pride in having been born Jewish, a pride they often concealed due to their Communist upbringing and years of experiencing antisemitism first-hand.

Later during the service, my kids were called up to the bimah, and our rabbi officially gave them their new Hebrew names while putting his hand on each of their heads.

It was that same day that Rabbi Zushe decided on not only giving my kids a Hebrew name, but rather adding a Hebrew name to their existing names. Perhaps you already know that names are considered very significant in Judaism. If you’d like to know more about this topic, I do have an episode about names titled “What’s in a name?”.

In short, your Hebrew name is the channel by which life reaches you from Above. In fact, 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 combination of Hebrew letters that make up his or her name. The sages of the Midrash (rabbinic literature from late antiquity ) recommend that “one should name one’s child after a righteous person, for sometimes the name influences the person’s behavior and destiny”.

Well, changing one’s name, a person can create a change of fortune, which is why if someone is dangerously ill, we might provide him with an additional name, like Chaim (or Chaya), meaning “life,” or Refael (or Refaela), “cure.”

The first recorded story of a name change that led to an incredible change of destiny was that of Sarah and Abraham. The episode took place when Abraham was in his 90s. G‑d appeared to him and told him that He would be making an everlasting covenant with him, and that he and Sarah would be blessed with a child of their own.

 Let’s see how the text reads:

And Abram was ninety-nine years old, and G‑d appeared to Abram, and He said to him, "I am the Almighty God; walk before Me and be perfect. And I will place My covenant between Me and between you, and I will multiply you very greatly… And your name shall no longer be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. And I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings will emerge from you. (Gen. 17: 1-2, 4-5)

G‑d then commanded Abraham that he and all his male children should be circumcised as a sign of the covenant. His wife’s name, Sarai, should also be changed, and then she would experience the miracle of childbirth despite her old age.

And G‑d said to Abraham, "Your wife Sarai—you shall not call her name Sarai, for Sarah is her name. And I will bless her, and I will give you a son from her, and I will bless her, and she will become a mother of nations; kings of nations will be from her.” And Abraham fell on his face and rejoiced, and he said to himself, "Will a child be born to one who is a hundred years old, and will Sarah, who is ninety years old, give birth?" (Gen. 17: 15-17)

The Talmud explains that Abraham and Sarah’s change of name created a change in their status—rather than a particular mission, they now assumed a universal mission. The Talmud (Brachot 13a) explains:

In the beginning Abram was the father to Aram - since he originated from the city of Aram Naharayim; in the end, Abraham became the father of the world. In the beginning Sarai was a mother to this nation and in the end she became Sarah to the whole world.

The Malbim (Gen. 17:15) expounds:

Sarai, given her name by Abraham, means “Sarasi Sheli,” my princess and superior. Abraham was now commanded that in his new status of “Av Hamon Goyim,” the father of a multitude of nations, his wife, too, was to take on a more universal status which would be reflected in the name, Sarah, princess par excellence and not just princess of Abraham.

The episode demonstrates that there’s more to a name than meets the eye.

A name connects us to our soul. It provides us with spiritual ammunition, allowing us to access spiritual strengths we may have never known we had.

And so it was with my children. But instead of changing their identity and their fate completely, Rabbi Zushe added a new spiritual channel and a new mission to my kid’s lives. I believe this new channel is what will pave their spiritual path for them. It is my foremost goal - for my kids to lead spiritual lives and to carry on our traditions as adults and pass them onto their children. My son, at 8 years of age, took this ceremony very seriously, and he now takes much pride in his Hebrew name, and the mission with which it comes - to uphold the Jewish tradition and lead future generations to G-d.

Seeing my kids receive their new names up on the bimah was super emotional for me. I was happy for them and so happy that I had done something significant for my offspring that would hopefully positively impact their future and make our Jewish community proud. This ceremony also signified for me a closer relationship with G-d, a step in the right direction and an avenue of more blessings to come.

After the ceremony, we proceeded to the luncheon. Since we were sponsoring it, it was up to us to choose the menu, the layout of the tables and some decor. Since our event coincided with the week of Chanukah festivities, the hall was already beautifully decorated! I wish I had photos to post on social media, but because this celebration transpired on Shabbat, I could not take any pictures. As for the menu, I learned that when it comes to choosing the food, some dishes are required for every Shabbat lunch. For instance, the cholent. Cholent is a savory slow-cooked stew for Shabbat with meat,  beans and barley. Also, the baked salmon and egg salad are also a must, just as the grape juice, challah and wine. The organizer told me that we could bring our own wine for our table or even hard liquor as long as we brought it in at least a day prior and as long as on the bottle it said Mevushal. The first rule of bringing items into shul has to do with carrying on shabbat, which is prohibited. In terms of the special wine, Mevushal wine is a kosher wine that has been flash-pasteurized to remain kosher even if handled by non-Jewish or non-observant individuals. I learned that Kosher wine is not enough for shabbat, the bottle has to say Mevushal on it. And while I thought I would have difficulty finding such wine at a local store, it turned out that many supermarkets carry it, and I bought mine at Trader Joe’s. 

To make the menu a bit more economical, we opted for a salad bar, salmon, tuna and egg salads, fruit and desert. Oftentimes sponsors order a ton more, like chicken in addition to fish, many various salads, pickled veggies and whatever else they fancy. For dessert, for some reason I was craving halva, so we had that, plus a variety of cookies and fruit in season. When I was choosing the fruit and asked for raspberries, the organizer informed me that they do not serve raspberries because it is too difficult and time-consuming to check each berry for insects. So we ended up having strawberries, cherries and plums. 

We had a couple of tables reserved for us, and our family and friends all sat next to each other and enjoyed the kosher spread. Thinking back on this special event, I am so happy that we did it! If you are Jewish and do not have a Hebrew name, it is never too late to attain one! I highly recommend it, and no matter whether you believe in miracles or not, I assure you a new name or adding a name to your existing name will bring about many blessings to you and your loved ones.

Thank you for listening and until next time!

Mentions:

A Kiddush luncheon is a traditional meal held immediately following Shabbat or holiday services

Mevushal -  refers to kosher wine that has been flash-pasteurized. This process renders the wine permissible for handling and serving by non-Sabbath-observant individuals without losing its kosher status

Aliyah -  the honor of being called up to the Bimah (platform) during a shul (synagogue) service to recite blessings over the Torah, marking a significant spiritual, communal, and personal milestone

Bimah -  the elevated area in a synagogue from which worship services are conducted and the Torah is read. 

Midrash - a foundational Jewish interpretive method and genre of rabbinic literature from late antiquity (approx. 3rd–5th centuries CE) that seeks, explains, and expands upon biblical texts