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I remember hearing that parents have Ruach Hakodesh when choosing a name for their child.

What's the source for this idea? And do the sources discuss what this actually means? (If a parent gives a non-jewish name, does that still come with ruach hakodesh?)

msh210
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aBochur
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1 Answers1

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There appear to be multiple sources for this, and I don't want to "hog" things, here. One (or two) source(s) from here:

The Ari taught that Jewish parents are imbued with Ruach Hakodesh, a spark of the "Holy Spirit," when they name their children. The name they select is invariably the true description of the neshama, or spiritual essence of their child.

The Talmud expresses this same concept in terms of character (Yuma, 83b); a Jew's name accurately reflects his or her essential character. The clear implication; when parents name their child, they are given a prophetic glimpse of their child's neshama, or "spiritual essence".

The original source for the teaching of the Ari is here and reads:

ונמצא כי כאשר נולד האדם, וקוראים לו אביו ואמו שם אחד העולה בדעתם, אינו באקראי ובהזדמן, כי אם הקב"ה משים בפיו השם ההוא המוכרח אל הנשמה ההיא, כמש"ה אשר שם שמות בארץ

Regarding non-Jewish names, Yiddish names, "new" names, etc., see this article, as there are various halachic opinions for each scenario.

Regardless of the halachic opinions mentioned some things to consider:

  • Esther and Rus and non-Jewish names. They are used frequently.
  • The Talmud has numerous Aramaic, Greek and other "weird" names, etc. - Yanai, Unkelos, Sa'adia, Mar ...
  • Likewise, Yiddish names abound - Zissel, Shainah, Mendel, etc.
Oliver
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DanF
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  • +1 this answers the first part of the question. Any comment on the second part? (Maybe i should edit it out and ask separately?) – aBochur Apr 18 '18 at 17:13
  • Offhand, I think that the Ruach Hakodesh is there, regardless of the type of name that they choose. Every name reflects the child's character. It's questionable, however, if they name someone after a rasha, perhaps. I'll see if I can find another article that discusses the types of names. I don't think you need to separate the 2nd part into another question, though. – DanF Apr 18 '18 at 17:47
  • This argument is especially amusing for Ashkenazi "animal" names :-D – Kazi bácsi Apr 18 '18 at 18:15
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    A rabbi in Chabad told me that the English name my parents chose for me was likewise influenced by Ruach Hakodesh, and that it would therefore be appropriate to add it to my Hebrew name. – SAH Apr 18 '18 at 18:53
  • @Kazibácsi I think naming people after animals is the least of the problem. Almost everyone of the 12 shevatim were compared to at least one animal each. Whenever I have a friend, Ari in my home, and he rises, I remind him of the first statement in Shulchan Aruch - Yakum Ke'Ari. – DanF Apr 18 '18 at 21:52
  • The linked article doesn't source the Arizal quote. This is the source: "ונמצא כי כאשר נולד האדם, וקוראים לו אביו ואמו שם אחד העולה בדעתם, אינו באקראי ובהזדמן, כי אם הקב"ה משים בפיו השם ההוא המוכרח אל הנשמה ההיא, כמש"ה אשר שם שמות בארץ" – Oliver Apr 19 '18 at 03:32
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    OTOH, this kabbalistic tradition is somewhat of a contradistinction to the passage from Chazal (Midrash, Gen. Rabbah): "רַבָּן שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אוֹמֵר הָרִאשׁוֹנִים עַל יְדֵי שֶׁהָיוּ מִשְׁתַּמְּשִׁין בְּרוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ, הָיוּ מוֹצִיאִין לְשֵׁם הַמְאֹרָע, אֲבָל אָנוּ שֶׁאֵין אָנוּ מִשְׁתַּמְּשִׁין בְּרוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ אָנוּ מוֹצִיאִין לְשֵׁם אֲבוֹתֵינוּ". – Oliver Apr 19 '18 at 03:42
  • @Oliver I think the 1st comment should be copied into my answer. You might want to make the second comment your own answer. – DanF Apr 19 '18 at 14:03
  • @DanF It's fine for the lion of Yehudah and the deer of Naftali, but what about Dov and Fishl for example? :-) – Kazi bácsi Apr 19 '18 at 15:10
  • @Kazibácsi Dov is mentioned numerous times in Tanac"h. David probably would not have received Sha'ul's permission to kill Goliat unless he had killed a dov beforehand (unless he was making up the story.) I can't comment about Fishel. But as it's my middle name, I can say that I like it, as well as the uncle I'm named after, zt"l. – DanF Apr 19 '18 at 15:36
  • @Oliver Friendly reminder about moving part of your comment to a separate answer. I also think that the linked article in my answer refers to the various attitudes of different rabbanim and I think it partially cites that Midrash. – DanF Apr 20 '18 at 15:50
  • @DanF Kind of you; I'll attempt to make an edit. Re. the 2nd half, I anticipate critics commenting that -as is- doesn't suffice for an answer per the site's rules and I honestly I have no time to elaborate on it to make it into a fuller, more robust answer. Re. Fishel, though it's not a bilical word, dag is and IMO it's not any worse than Yehuda, Gur Aryeh, Z'ev etc. – Oliver Apr 20 '18 at 16:47
  • @Kazibácsi fish don't have ayin hara... – Esther Aug 30 '22 at 02:50