The Spiritual Significance of Names

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶל־אַבְרָהָ֔ם שָׂרַ֣י אִשְׁתְּךָ֔ לֹא־תִקְרָ֥א אֶת־שְׁמָ֖הּ שָׂרָ֑י כִּ֥י שָׂרָ֖ה שְׁמָֽהּ׃

And God said to Abraham, “As for your wife Sarai, you shall not call her Sarai, but her name shall be Sarah.

וְלֹא־יִקָּרֵ֥א ע֛וֹד אֶת־שִׁמְךָ֖ אַבְרָ֑ם וְהָיָ֤ה שִׁמְךָ֙ אַבְרָהָ֔ם כִּ֛י אַב־הֲמ֥וֹן גּוֹיִ֖ם נְתַתִּֽיךָ׃

And you shall no longer be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I make you the father of a multitude of nations.

וַיֹּ֗אמֶר לֹ֤א יַעֲקֹב֙ יֵאָמֵ֥ר עוֹד֙ שִׁמְךָ֔ כִּ֖י אִם־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל כִּֽי־שָׂרִ֧יתָ עִם־אֱלֹהִ֛ים וְעִם־אֲנָשִׁ֖ים וַתּוּכָֽל׃

Said he, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with beings divine and human, and have prevailed.”

מְנָא לַן דִּשְׁמָא גָּרֵים? אָמַר רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר, דְּאָמַר קְרָא: ״לְכוּ חֲזוּ מִפְעֲלוֹת ה׳ אֲשֶׁר שָׂם שַׁמּוֹת בָּאָרֶץ״, אַל תִּקְרֵי ״שַׁמּוֹת״ אֶלָּא ״שֵׁמוֹת״.

Regarding the basic assumption that these homiletic interpretations of names are allusions to one’s future, the Gemara asks: From where do we derive that the name affects one’s life? Rabbi Eliezer said that the verse says: “Go, see the works of the Lord, who has made desolations [shamot] upon the earth” (Psalms 46:9). Do not read the word as shamot, rather as shemot, names. The names given to people are, therefore, “the works of the Lord upon the earth.”

כִּי אַב הֲמוֹן גּוֹיִם נְתַתִּיךָ. כִּי עִנְיַן זֶה הַשֵּׁם מַתְחִיל הַיּוֹם, שֶׁכְּבָר נְתַתִּיךָ לְאַב הֲמוֹן גּוֹיִם, וּלְפִיכָךְ לֹא יִקָּרֵא עוֹד שִׁמְךָ אַבְרָם כְּלָל לְעוֹלָם. וְלֹא כֵּן הָיָה בְּשֵׁם יִשְׂרָאֵל, כִּי אָמְנָם עִקַּר עִנְיַן שֵׁם יִשְׂרָאֵל הָיָה לֶעָתִיד לָבֹא, כְּמוֹ שֶׁיִּתְבָּאֵר בִּמְקוֹמוֹ.

כי אב המון גויים נתתיך, for the significance of this name change will commence as of this day. The word נתתיך in the past tense means that this process has already commenced. This is why לא יקרא עוד שמך אברם, your name from now on will now longer be Avram, ever. This was a different name change from when Yaakov was accorded the name ישראל. That name was an additional name which did not replace his original name Yaakov. The matter will be explained in due course.

וַיִּצֶר ה' אֱלֹהִים מִן הָאֲדָמָה (בראשית ב, יט), בְּעוֹן קוֹמֵי רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן בֶּן זַכַּאי, כְּתִיב (בראשית א, כד): וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים תּוֹצֵא הָאָרֶץ נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה לְמִינָהּ, וּמַה תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר וַיִּצֶר ה' אֱלֹהִים מִן הָאֲדָמָה כָּל חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה, אָמַר לָהֶן לְהַלָּן לַבְּרִיאָה, וְכָאן לְכִבּוּשׁ, הֵיאַךְ מַה דְּאַתְּ אָמַר (דברים ב, יט): כִּי תָצוּר אֶל עִיר יָמִים רַבִּים, אָמַר רַבִּי אַחָא בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁבָּא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לִבְרֹאת אֶת הָאָדָם, נִמְלַךְ בְּמַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת, אָמַר לָהֶן (בראשית א, כו): נַעֲשֶׂה אָדָם, אָמְרוּ לוֹ אָדָם זֶה מַה טִּיבוֹ, אָמַר לָהֶן חָכְמָתוֹ מְרֻבָּה מִשֶּׁלָּכֶם, הֵבִיא לִפְנֵיהֶם אֶת הַבְּהֵמָה וְאֶת הַחַיָּה וְאֶת הָעוֹף, אָמַר לָהֶם זֶה מַה שְּׁמוֹ וְלֹא הָיוּ יוֹדְעִין, הֶעֱבִירָן לִפְנֵי אָדָם, אָמַר לוֹ זֶה מַה שְּׁמוֹ, אָמַר זֶה שׁוֹר, זֶה חֲמוֹר, זֶה סוּס וְזֶה גַּמָּל, וְאַתָּה מַה שְּׁמֶךָ, אָמַר לוֹ אֲנִי נָאֶה לְהִקָּרֵא אָדָם שֶׁנִּבְרֵאתִי מִן הָאֲדָמָה, וַאֲנִי מַה שְּׁמִי, אָמַר לוֹ לְךָ נָאֶה לְהִקָרְאוֹת אֲדֹנָי, שֶׁאַתָּה אָדוֹן לְכָל בְּרִיּוֹתֶיךָ. אָמַר רַבִּי אֲחָא (ישעיה מב, ח): אֲנִי ה' הוּא שְׁמִי, הוּא שְׁמִי שֶׁקָּרָא לִי אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן. חָזַר וְהֶעֱבִירָן לְפָנָיו זוּגוֹת, אָמַר לַכֹּל יֵשׁ בֶּן זוּג וְלִי אֵין בֶּן זוּג, (בראשית ב, כ): וּלְאָדָם לֹא מָצָא עֵזֶר כְּנֶגְדּוֹ, אֶתְמְהָא, וְלָמָּה לֹא בְרָאָהּ לוֹ תְּחִלָּה, אֶלָּא צָפָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא שֶׁהוּא עָתִיד לִקְרוֹת עָלֶיהָ תִּגָּר, לְפִיכָךְ לֹא בְּרָאָהּ לוֹ עַד שֶׁתְּבָעָהּ בְּפִיו, כֵּיוָן שֶׁתְּבָעָהּ, מִיָּד (בראשית ב, כא): וַיַּפֵּל ה' אֱלֹהִים תַּרְדֵּמָה וגו'.

“The Lord God formed from the ground every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens, and brought them to the man to see what he would call it; and whatever the man would call every living creature, that was its name” (Genesis 2:19). “The Lord God formed from the ground [every beast of the field]” – they raised a question before Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Zakai: It is written: “God said: Let the earth produce living creatures after their kinds” (Genesis 1:24). Why then does the verse state [here again]: “The Lord God formed [vayitzer] from the ground every beast of the field”? He said to them: There [the previous verse] it was referring to the creation [of the animals], and here it refers to domination, as it says: “When you besiege [tatzur] a city many days” (Deuteronomy 20:19). Rabbi Aḥa said: When the Holy One blessed be He came to create man, He consulted with the ministering angels. He said to them: “Let us make man” (Genesis 1:26). They said to Him: ‘This man, what is his nature?’ He said to them: ‘His wisdom is greater than yours.’ He brought the animals, the beasts, and the birds before them and said to them: ‘What is its name of this one?’ And they did not know. He passed them before Adam and said to him: ‘What is the name of this one?’ He said: ‘This is an ox; this is a donkey; this is a horse; this is a camel.’ [He then asked:] ‘And you, what is your name?’ He said to Him: ‘It is appropriate that I be called Adam, as I was created from the ground [adama].’ [He asked further:] ‘And I, what is My name?’ He said to Him: ‘It is appropriate to call you my Lord [adonai], as You are the Lord [adon] over all your creatures.’ Rabbi Aḥa said: “I am the Lord, that is My name” (Isaiah 42:8) – that is My name that Adam the first man called Me. He then passed them [the animals] before him in pairs. He [Adam] said: All of them have partners, but I do not have a partner – “and for the man, he did not find a helper to be alongside him” (Genesis 2:20). This is bewildering; why, in fact, did He not create her for him at the outset? The explanation is that the Holy One blessed be He foresaw that he [Adam] would complain about her in the future; therefore, He did not create her until he requested her explicitly. After that, “the Lord God cast a deep slumber…” (Genesis 2:21).