Help me like the name esther

amother

Jetblack

Wed, Dec 28 2016, 2:58 pm

I feel like it's such a negative name, and I have to name this name.
Esther Bracha becomes "I will hide the Bracha"
Esther Chaya means " I will hide life" which doesn't work bc I was really depressed at some points of this pregnancy.
Esther Avigail means I will hide my fathers joy.

It literally turns every nice name into a negative one, and I'm having such a hard time accepting it. In general I hate girls names, but I just found out I'm having a girl and I need to come to terms with this. can anyone help me?

amother

Linen

Wed, Dec 28 2016, 3:09 pm

amother wrote:

Ah, but you're looking at the fact that something is hidden as a negative thing. It's beautifully positive when something is hidden. It's the entire concept of tzniut! (The real concept, not the annoying tznius button version.)
Think of it as conceal, rather than hide. And of how we clothe a sefer torah in a case and an aron, and jewelry in a box and a glass case etc. etc.
Esther Hamalka is a great example of this (obviously...her real name was hadassa) - she was given a very public role, and the ability to party it up as queen of the world's dominant empire. But she held herself back, didn't say where she was from, didn't turn all royal, and was thus able to save her nation.

P.S. I hated the name too (though never for the name's meaning, I just didn't like the sound of it), but gave it to my oldest as a middle name.

gp2.0

Wed, Dec 28 2016, 3:10 pm

To me Esther isn't about hiding. It's about things being hidden under the surface. With that definition:

Esther Bracha - hidden brachos everywhere
Esther Chaya - a life lived modestly and out of the public eye, alternately - a rich and valuable inner/private life
Esther Avigayil - my fathers joy is hidden within me - so basically she carries it with her everywhere

A name is what you make of it.

amother

Pearl

Wed, Dec 28 2016, 3:35 pm

leopardspots wrote:

Don't use a name you hate. You'll resent it forever.

No. I've given names I didn't want to or felt wrong. And after they were just right. Names can grow on you. And sometimes they suit the baby.
And sometimes the name you choose doesn't feel right and last minute you change it - I did this twice - and once it felt wrong when I changed it last minute, but later on I saw it was so right.

sourstix

Wed, Dec 28 2016, 3:39 pm

[b]you said you had bouts of depression could it be thats clouding your judgement?[/b] I happen to loooooove that name. esther hamalka was the one who saved all the jews!!! dont turn this into somethning negative its not! esther was the most beautiful girl of her time. we wouldnt be here only because of her. she was courageous! the fact that it means hidden just means hashem hid from klal yisroel it doesnt mean anything about esther herself. please look at it in the way it was meant to be. imy' you should only see nachas from her! and you should be healthy. once your healthy you will see things differently.

op, when people have depression their sense of perception of reality is clouded. they see things negatively. when your in a better mood you will think more positively. and take care of yourself. so you feel better. esther is a very nice name. my name is one I was bullied and made fun of in school all the time. its destinctive. not a bad name but a name that kids used to make fun of. but esther isnt something kids make fun of. just telling this to you so you get some perspective.

if your being pressured to give this name. that is entirely different. I only give names of people I know where a role model. that were good people. I have a relative that everyone talks negatively about and I refuse to give that name as nice as it sounds.

Last edited by sourstix on Wed, Dec 28 2016, 3:45 pm; edited 1 time in total

TranquilityAndPeace

Wed, Dec 28 2016, 4:29 pm

My grandmother was a very loving woman named Esther who past away when I was 10. I have three sons, all of whom I thought would be Esther!

I finally got my Esther when my youngest son was 10 and just wrote this blog post yesterday - https://chayabraun.com/esther-.....here/

I'm going to think about the way you describe its meaning though. You remind me of a friend Chaya Miriam who says that her parents named her a bitter life! I once mentioned this to a rabbi, and he said that it doesn't mean that, but then the subject got changed.

I'm going to ask someone about your concerns because the name is so meaningful to me , I want to fully understand it!

singleagain

Wed, Dec 28 2016, 7:01 pm

gp2.0 wrote:

I just have to say, I LOVE this perspective... It's beautiful

amother

Maroon

Wed, Dec 28 2016, 8:40 pm

My daughter's name is Esther. We CHOSE her name.

After several years of secondary infertility and many thousands of dollars spent on treatment, I suddenly discovered that I was pregnant!! No one that we were struggling with infertility and that we were doing treatment and she was our 'hidden miracle'. Just like the miracle of Esther Hamalka was 'hidden', our little miracle was hidden, too.

Seas

Wed, Dec 28 2016, 9:08 pm

OP, why add another name and compound the meanings, what's wrong with just Esther?

I think it's such a beautiful name - for me it conjures up images of royalty and tznius combined. Though I hope never to be able to give it as my grandmother, long may she live, is called Esther.

amother

Smokey

Wed, Dec 28 2016, 10:02 pm

I love the name. I gave it as a middle name for one of my daughters. I never really thought of the name by its meaning "hidden" so much as me giving her the name of a queen and a heroine.

Oh, and as to the comment to not use a name you don't like..... I had a situation where I felt so strongly I wanted to name for my grandmother but wasn't in love with the name. Wasn't a bad name - just didn't love it. But I felt no way I'm going to not name for my grandmother so we used it and wow, I was surprised how it not only grew on me but fit this child to a T.

amother

Taupe

Wed, Dec 28 2016, 10:02 pm

I am sorry you're in a position where you feel you have no choice about your own child's name. That sucks.

I would be feeling suicidal if I felt I had no choice in naming my child.

If you could choose a name for your daughter, what would you name her?

Seas

Wed, Dec 28 2016, 10:15 pm

amother wrote:

Really? Don't you think suicide is just a teeny weeny overreaction?

musicmom

Wed, Dec 28 2016, 10:55 pm

Whoa. I know what it is like to not get to pick but it isn't necessarily unfair. I picked half of my kids names and my husband picked the other half. There is one name I really did't like but he said it would be a deal breaker before ever got engaged. So when it happened I wasn't surprised to have a child with that name.

It really really grew on me. Once you get to know that sweet sweet child the name gets associated with your kid and you love it.

My husband feels the same about the names I picked which he never would have. The name and the child just become intertwined somehow.

Good luck!