Bris Jewish Ceremony: All’s In The Name

By Author: Sumauli Mukherjee
Total Articles: 17
Comment this article

Bris Milah - the Jewish circumcision and naming is a much revered ceremony in the Jewish community. The name given to the Jewish baby boy during this ritual (or the baby girl upon her birth) holds a lot of significance in the Jewish tradition. Like several other religions of the world, the Jews too believe that the name connects you to the self. As a result, the name of the Jewish baby boy serves as the medium to his spiritual sustenance and nourishment.
The Jewish baby boy may have one or more names, according to the desire of his parents or elderly members of the family. He gets a Hebrew or a Yiddish name as part of the Bris Jewish ceremony. The spelling and numerology of these names are considered significant.
Using Real Jewish Names
The Torah tells us that one of the reasons why God delivered the Jewish people from their bondage in Egypt, was that they did not alter their Jewish identities, particularly, their Jewish names. Indeed, throughout history, Jews have always taken pride in their Jewish names. Our Sages tell us that in the merit of maintaining our Hebrew names we will help hasten the final redemption ...
... in our times.

Who Gets to Choose?
The parents of the child are the ones to choose the infant's name. The giving of the name should be by agreement of both parents. However, if the parents disagree on a name and they live in a place where there is no established custom, a common solution is for the name to be chosen in an alternating order. The father chooses the name for the first child, the mother for the second, and the father for the third, etc.

Naming After Someone
Some people name their child after a relative, such as a grandparent or great-grandparent, to perpetuate the deceased person's memory. Some choose to name their child after a great Jewish leader or a Biblical figure. Still others choose a Hebrew name simply for its meaning, for example "Chaim" which means "life" or "Simcha" which means "happiness."

Customs vary concerning naming a child after a relative who is still living. Sephardim (Jews of Spanish or Middle Eastern decent) readily name their children after living relatives, whereas Ashkenazim (Jews of Polish, Russian, or German decent) name their children only after someone who has passed away.
It is the custom among Chassidim to name their children after their Rebbe and Rebbetzin. In such cases no other names are appended.
In all cases we do not announce the name of the child until after the Bris ceremony for a jewish baby boy, or naming ceremony for a girl.