Igros Moshe(EH III #35) Question What is significance that most American Jews even the religious ones and rabbis are called by their English non Jewish names? This seems to be against the praise of Chazal of our ancestors in Egypt in many medrashim that they didn’t change their Jewish names and that was the reason they were redeemed from Egypt.Answer An important question is how does a non Jewish name become a Jewish name – there are hundreds of such names? There are names both Ashkenaz and Sefardim that are now considered Jewish names. We even find some Rishonim who have non Jewish names such as Rabbeinu Vidal. The Rivah mentions many major rabbis of Sefard that had non Jewish names as well as Arab names. An additional problem is that at least in America the English name is usually given before the Hebrew one The English name is given in the hospital and later for boys at the mila the Hebrew one is given while girls receive the Hebrew name the first Shabbos after birth. The fact that people change to non Jewish names is very disgraceful since we see that Chazal praised having a Hebrew name and said it was one of the reasons for redemption. However it is not prohibited to use a non Jewish name. It is similar to the fact that they didn’t change their language. So even though it is a mitzva to speak Hebrew but it is not a sin to speak in other languages as in fact Jews have done since they went into Exile. It is well known that many great Torah scholars and pious people did not speak Hebrew. It is not required but desirable and similarly with names
Shemos Rabbah (1:28) Israel was redeemed from Egypt on account of four things, one being because they did not change their names. Whence do we know that they were not suspect of adultery?
Vayikra Rabbah (Emor 32:5) Israel were redeemed from Egypt on account of four things, viz. because they did not change their names, they did not change their language, they did not go tale-bearing, and none of them was found to have been immoral.
Yiddish is ok then?
ReplyDeleteHow about last names? German or polish seem to be fine in this case...
First, the reason for the English name being given first is practical. The hospital needs a name to register the child. Yes, the parents could go with "Baby Boy Goldensteiner" but then there's a hassel a week later to change it. Secondly, since when are Hersch (German) and Mushka (Ukrainian) Jewish names? Or if you want to go back to Chazal themselves, Antignos, Kruspedai and, my favourite, Geniva?
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