WHAT'S BEHIND A GOOD NAME

The meaning of a good name, what is a good name and why is it important? Are names themselves important at all? Why do we need a name and why does the Torah tell us that a good name is better than anything else we could have?

A name represents who you are and what your calling is here on Earth, what you are supposed to do to contribute to society, and what are your characteristics according to the meaning of your name.

My name Batyah was given to me by my Rabbi in a Hebrew naming ceremony after my mikvah when I became a convert to Judaism. Bat means daughter and Yah means G-d. My name Batyah means The Daughter of G-d. My original name given to me by my Mother and Father was Elizabeth. Elizabeth which is an English version has the same meaning as Batyah which is the Hebrew version, both names meaning "Of G-d" or "Daughter of G-d."

When I first was considering which new names to use that would best express my Hebrew origin through my Father's lineage and my choice to be Jewish, I was named Nisha by my Rabbi. Nisha is a name which means "The Woman of Light." It is a name that associates light and the brightness of light and its goodness as bringing light into your life through the name Nisha.

I also had the name Ruth. I was named after my aunt on my Father's side of my family whose name was Ruth. Ruth in The Torah in The Book of Ruth was also a convert to Judaism, she was the grandmother of King David and she was one of the first converts noted in Biblical scripture, she followed Naomi her mother-in-law into the Jewish Faith.

Then I had a third name which was Israel. I wanted like Jacob to have the name Israel and so my Rabbi attached it to my other names and it represented my love for the State of Israel and my love for Jacob with his struggle with the angel, his name being changed from Jacob to Israel. Israel became his new name as given to him from G-d, after he won in his struggle with the angel and he committed himself firmly, without a doubt, to his Covenant with G-d, as represented with his change in name.

I also have my middle name as Elishevah. Elishevah is the Hebrew version of the English name Elizabeth, but the Z was dropped and SH replaced it giving the name a soft peaceful consonant that equivocates with the SH in the prayer of SHema, the holiest most peaceful prayer in the Jewish faith that we are commanded to chant at least twice a day. Elishevah was also the wife of Aaron the High Priest that was the brother of Moses and also Miriam.

Names are important because they give you a life's path, they guide your journey. The change of a name can also cure or lessen an illness's impact on your abilities to perform your life's duties.

A name makes the man, if your name is coherent with your "calling," your path to contribute to society, then it can spur you on and give you the self-pride you need to boost your confidence level which will aid you in performing the tasks you do that contribute to the welfare society as a whole.