Minhagim of Naming Jewish Babies

וַיִּ֩צֶר֩ יְהֹוָ֨ה אֱלֹהִ֜ים מִן־הָֽאֲדָמָ֗ה כׇּל־חַיַּ֤ת הַשָּׂדֶה֙ וְאֵת֙ כׇּל־ע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וַיָּבֵא֙ אֶל־הָ֣אָדָ֔ם לִרְא֖וֹת מַה־יִּקְרָא־ל֑וֹ וְכֹל֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יִקְרָא־ל֧וֹ הָֽאָדָ֛ם נֶ֥פֶשׁ חַיָּ֖ה ה֥וּא שְׁמֽוֹ׃ וַיִּקְרָ֨א הָֽאָדָ֜ם שֵׁמ֗וֹת לְכׇל־הַבְּהֵמָה֙ וּלְע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וּלְכֹ֖ל חַיַּ֣ת הַשָּׂדֶ֑ה וּלְאָדָ֕ם לֹֽא־מָצָ֥א עֵ֖זֶר כְּנֶגְדּֽוֹ׃

And the ETERNAL God formed out of the earth all the wild beasts and all the birds of the sky, and brought them to the Human to see what he would call them; and whatever the Human called each living creature, that would be its name. And the Human gave names to all the cattle and to the birds of the sky and to all the wild beasts; but no fitting counterpart for a human being was found.

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.

חֵלֶק אֲבִיהֶן שֶׁהָיָה עִם יוֹצְאֵי מִצְרַיִם, וְחֶלְקוֹ עִם אֶחָיו בְּנִכְסֵי חֵפֶר. וְשֶׁהָיָה בְכוֹר נוֹטֵל שְׁנֵי חֲלָקִים:

Zelophehad’s daughters took three portions of land in the inheritance of Eretz Yisrael: Their father’s portion that he received because he was among those who left Egypt; and his portion that he received with his brothers in the property of Hepher, their father; and an additional portion that he received from Hepher because he was a firstborn and a firstborn takes two portions of inheritance from his father.

וְתוּ: רַבִּי מֵאִיר וְרַבִּי יְהוּדָה וְרַבִּי יוֹסֵי הֲווֹ קָא אָזְלִי בְּאוֹרְחָא, רַבִּי מֵאִיר הֲוָה דָּיֵיק בִּשְׁמָא, רַבִּי יְהוּדָה וְרַבִּי יוֹסֵי לָא הֲווֹ דָּיְיקִי בִּשְׁמָא. כִּי מְטוֹ לְהָהוּא דּוּכְתָּא, בְּעוֹ אוּשְׁפִּיזָא. יְהַבוּ לְהוּ. אֲמַרוּ לֵיהּ: מָה שְׁמָךְ? אֲמַר לְהוּ: ״כִּידוֹר״. אֲמַר: שְׁמַע מִינַּהּ אָדָם רָשָׁע הוּא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״כִּי דוֹר תַּהְפּוּכוֹת הֵמָּה״. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה וְרַבִּי יוֹסֵי אַשְׁלִימוּ לֵיהּ כִּיסַיְיהוּ. רַבִּי מֵאִיר לָא אַשְׁלֵים לֵיהּ כִּיסֵיהּ, אֲזַל אוֹתְבֵיהּ בֵּי קִיבְרֵיהּ דַּאֲבוּהּ. אִתְחֲזִי לֵיהּ בְּחֶלְמֵיהּ: תָּא שְׁקֵיל כִּיסָא דְּמַנַּח אַרֵישָׁא דְּהָהוּא גַּבְרָא. לִמְחַר אֲמַר לְהוּ: הָכִי אִתְחֲזִי לִי בְּחֶלְמַאי. אָמְרִי לֵיהּ: חֶלְמָא דְּבֵי שִׁמְשֵׁי לֵית בְּהוּ מַמָּשָׁא, אֲזַל רַבִּי מֵאִיר וְנַטְרֵיהּ כּוּלֵּי יוֹמָא וְאַיְּיתְיֵהּ. לִמְחַר אֲמַרוּ לֵיהּ: הַב לַן כִּיסַן. אֲמַר לְהוּ: לֹא הָיוּ דְבָרִים מֵעוֹלָם. אֲמַר לְהוּ רַבִּי מֵאִיר: אַמַּאי לָא דָּיְיקִיתוּ בִּשְׁמָא? אֲמַרוּ לֵיהּ: אַמַּאי לָא אֲמַרְתְּ לַן מָר? אֲמַר לְהוּ: אֵימַר דַּאֲמַרִי אֲנָא חֲשָׁשָׁא, אַחְזוֹקֵי מִי אֲמַרִי?

§ And furthermore, it is told: Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Yosei were walking on the road together. Rabbi Meir would analyze names and discern one’s nature from his name, while Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Yosei were not apt to analyze names. When they came to a certain place, they looked for lodging and were given it. They said to the innkeeper: What is your name? He said to them: My name is Kidor. Rabbi Meir said to himself: Perhaps one can learn from this that he is a wicked person, as it is stated: “For they are a generation [ki dor] of upheavals” (Deuteronomy 32:20). Since it was Friday afternoon, Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Yosei entrusted their purses to him. Rabbi Meir did not entrust his purse to him but went and placed it at the grave of the innkeeper’s father. The innkeeper’s father appeared to the innkeeper in a dream and said to him: Go take the purse placed at the head of that man, i.e., the innkeeper’s father. The following day, he said to the Sages: This is what appeared to me in my dream. They said to him: Dreams during twilight on Shabbat evening have no substance and should not be trusted. Even so, Rabbi Meir went and guarded his money all that day and then took it. The next day, the rabbis said to the innkeeper: Give us our purses. He said to them: These matters never occurred; you never gave me any purses. Rabbi Meir said to them: Why didn’t you analyze his name to learn that he is a wicked man? They said to him: Why didn’t the Master tell us? He said to them: I said one should be suspicious, but have I said a person should be established as wicked? Could I say to you with certainty that he is wicked based on his name alone?

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 לִפְעָמִים הַשֵּׁם גּוֹרֵם טוֹב אוֹ גּוֹרֵם רָע, כְּמוֹ שֶׁמָּצִינוּ בַּמְּרַגְּלִים, שַׁמּוּעַ בֶּן זַכּוּר (במדבר יג, ד), עַל שֶׁלֹּא שָׁמַע בְּדִבְרֵי הַמָּקוֹם, וּכְאִלּוּ שָׁאַל בִּזְכוּרוֹ.

Remember the days of yore; understand the years of each generation: Always should a man check the names to call his son one that is fitting to be righteous - as sometimes the name causes good or causes bad, as we found by the scouts (Numbers 13:4-15): Shamua son of Zakur, since he did not listen (shama) to the words of the Omnipresent

"שְׁמַע בְּנִי מוּסַר אָבִיךָ, וְאַל תִּטֹּשׁ תּוֹרַת אִמֶּךָ" (משלי א ח).

"Listen, my son, to the thought of your father, and do not forsake the teaching of your mother." (Proverbs 1:8)

נותנין את הערלה בחול ועפר (וכן רוקקין דם המציצה אל העפר) (מהרי"ל בשם יש מקומות) ואם הוא שבת צריך שיהיו מוכנים מבעוד יום. (ב"י בפירוש בעל העיטור):

Seif 10 - The Orla (foreskin) must be placed (buried) in sand or dirt. Rama: So too the blood from metzitzah should be spit into dirt.