R' Kanievsky and his list of names....

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agreer

Sun, Apr 26 2015, 1:10 am

wADR, rav Chaim isn't rav Chaim for no reason.... If he isn't your rav, you don't need to follow his advice. But he is a genius, a gaon, a giant, and his words should be respected.

In the end, do what u want.

5mom

Sun, Apr 26 2015, 1:33 am

amother wrote:

I didn't read all the responses. I just have heard that he suggests the names are friom tanaach directly, not other names (ex. shira, etc).

No one in Tanach was named Chaim

imaima

Sun, Apr 26 2015, 1:51 am

5mom wrote:

No one in Tanach was named Chaim

I hope all you sarcastic people realize that Rav Chayim didn't name himself...

5mom

Sun, Apr 26 2015, 1:57 am

imaima wrote:

I hope all you sarcastic people realize that Rav Chayim didn't name himself...

But embarrassing his parents in public would be ok? I was just pointing out that obviously he had another set of criteria at work here.

Sanguine

Sun, Apr 26 2015, 2:43 am

So how do we see this list? I want to know if my son's are on it. They're all from Tanach but not necessarily Tzadikim (I was young and hormonal when I named them embarrassed

)

DrMom

Sun, Apr 26 2015, 2:56 am

Sanguine wrote:

So how do we see this list? I want to know if my son's are on it. They're all from Tanach but not necessarily Tzadikim (I was young and hormonal when I named them embarrassed

)

I wouldn't worry too much about it, unless you are a follower of R' Kanievsky.

There was a link in this related thread:
http://www.imamother.com/forum.....art=0

Sanguine

Sun, Apr 26 2015, 3:20 am

DrMom wrote:

I wouldn't worry too much about it, unless you are a follower of R' Kanievsky.

There was a link in this related thread:
http://www.imamother.com/forum.....art=0

2 out of 3 of my boys are on it Sad

. One I'm not surprised about (I was just hoping it wasn't), the other one I'm surprised is. Well they both have very "Kosher" middle names so when they become well known Rabbaim they can use their middle names. Their middle name is named after someone and I think of their first name as their "English name" - that's the name we call them by (not exactly like English name, cause they're called to the Torah by that name too). One I think is fine but the other one I only realized was a mistake years later

amother

Linen

Sun, Apr 26 2015, 3:23 am

I have a very rare name which is word not a name. It is not on the list. I think Rav Chayim didn't even know this name existed.... shock

Iymnok

Sun, Apr 26 2015, 3:43 am

Does this list apply the not to Ashkenazim?

shabbatiscoming

Sun, Apr 26 2015, 3:52 am

interesting. I looked at that list. my name is not on there and I know it is not common among charedi/chassidish people.
I wonder how he picked which names were to be on the list and which were not?

DrMom

Sun, Apr 26 2015, 3:57 am

shabbatiscoming wrote:

interesting. I looked at that list. my name is not on there and I know it is not common among charedi/chassidish people.
I wonder how he picked which names were to be on the list and which were not?

He probably would update today. There are so many names that are simply Hebrew "words" that he would probbly want to add (Agam, Bar, etc.)

etky

Sun, Apr 26 2015, 5:31 am

zaq wrote:

Even a name has to have mazal. Why is Daniel popular, Chananiah rare, Mishael unheard of and Azariyah "too modern"? All good friends, all tzadikim, all in the Good Book. Yet one name makes it to the top of the charts, one languishes at the bottom, one isn't even on the chart and one isn't even in the running.

OT, it's not a common name but Mishael is definitely not unheard of in Israel. I know a couple of Mishaels - most prominently former Supreme Court Justice Mishael Cheshin. Mishael was also one of the cousins of Aharon who was called upon to remove Nadav and Avihu from the mishkan after they were consumed. Chananiah is rarer possibly b/c of negative associations with the other Chananiah - Chananiah ben Azur, who challenged Yirmiyahu and prophesyed falsely. I don't know any Azariahs but it is a family name that one hears every now and then (as in brand new MK Rachel Azariah). Daniel is popular, well, b/c he was Daniel.

shabbatiscoming

Sun, Apr 26 2015, 5:34 am

DrMom wrote:

He probably would update today. There are so many names that are simply Hebrew "words" that he would probbly want to add (Agam, Bar, etc.)

Right. My name is not as unusual as that, but not that common at all either.
What year is this list from?

saw50st8

Sun, Apr 26 2015, 9:07 am

imaima wrote:

I hope all you sarcastic people realize that Rav Chayim didn't name himself...

Considering he has told people to change their name, he maybe should have followed his own advice Rolling Eyes

Ema of 5

Sun, Apr 26 2015, 9:27 am

bandcm wrote:

Just for those people wondering why we use Alexander - a non-Jewish name
When Alexander the Great entered Jerusalem, he toured the Bais Hamikdash and was so impressed, he offered to allow the Jews to set up a statue of himself in the Bais Hamikdash! This was a big honour, but obviously impossible for the Jews. Shimon Hatzaddik, the kohen gadol and Nasi at the time, was very wise, and said, "Why should we have a dead piece of marble paying homage to you? I have a better idea! This coming year, every baby boy born in Jerusalem will be named Alexander, in your honour!" Alexander loved this, and there you have it.

I was the one who brought up Alexander. I know the story. My point was he wasn't a good person. He did something good, but he wasn't a good person. Yet all of a sudden Alexander became a name. So why is that any different than shira? Or Tova? Or tsofia? All names had to start from somewhere, so why is one name any more of a name than another? And why is one more acceptable than any other?

Scrabble123

Sun, Apr 26 2015, 10:12 am

I read the list on another page and it appears that he advised against names in Ivrit. There are many groups of individuals that hold that shita and accordingly Chaim is not a problem: it's Lashon Kodesh. Furthermore, if he advised against names that don't have a mesorah (like shira - which I didn't see on the list, but the list was very hard to read) being used a name, Chaim is also fine because that name has a long lasting mesorah as a name.

Eema3: There are shittas to names. It's not that one is more acceptable - it's that this particular shitta holds that that is the case. If you do not, then it's totally not applicable. Pupa for example does not give the name Itta. Does it mean that Itta is a bad name? No, it just means that that group of individuals believe that Itta comes from Yitta and that the name Yitta should be given instead. Does everyone hold that way? No. Some people only give names after grandparents. I, for example, cannot imagine turning down any name if it was the name of a relative because I was raised that naming after family is important, I am apart of a community where it is important, and I personally believe that it is importance. Is that the case for everyone? No. I wouldn't give my child a name in Ivrit like Liat, but does that mean that there is a problem with someone else giving that name? No. I heard that R' Chaim advised ashkenazim not to use the name Daliah. Guess what? My great great grandmother was named Daliah and I am not apart of a community that holds his shitta - it doesn't begin to bother me one bit. If I wanted to name after that grandmother, I would name her Daliah in a second, even though I know that there are people who have a shitta that would not go for that name. I actually like to understand the different shittas because it is very interesting. His shitta is perfectly understandable whether you go for it or not. Also, many name of individuals in Tanach had bad connotations as well and some are not used so often. I'm not going to compare it to Alexander the Great, but Micha may have been a Navi, but do you know about the other Micha?

Scrabble123

Sun, Apr 26 2015, 10:16 am

zaq wrote:

Chananiah is very common in the Chassidish world. Chanina as well. I know a few Chassidishe Azariyahs too. I has more to do with the community than the actual name, but you do have a point about a name needing mazal. My grandmother has a pretty uncommon name today that I will not post because it may reveal my identity IRL. I like the name very much, especially since it is Lashon Kodesh, but it is pretty uncommon. Many young individuals have never heard of the name, but most everyone I have met over 50 knows the name, likes the name, and said that their parents had friends with that name...

Scrabble123

Sun, Apr 26 2015, 10:19 am

saw50st8 wrote:

Considering he has told people to change their name, he maybe should have followed his own advice Rolling Eyes

Chaim
1. Is derived from lashon kodesh
2. Has a long standing mesorah as a name.

Not sure why people are getting nasty in this thread.

Cookie Monster

Sun, Apr 26 2015, 10:21 am

zaq wrote:

And sometimes people with Yiddish names have only Yiddish names, that may or may not be corruptions of secular names in other languages. Sometimes a Leib is just a Leib, not an Aryeh Leib or a Yehuda Leib. And women's names, whoa. Many of them have zero Jewish connection, not even translations of Hebrew names like Hirsh for Zvi and Velvel or Vulf for Ze'ev. Zlata or Zelda, Slavic for gold. No Jewish connection. Are there any Zahavas in Tanach? Charna, Russian for black and Beila, Russian for white. No Levanas in tanach, either, But plenty of Beilas. Bluma or Blima, Yiddish for flower. Why is Bluma OK and Shira not? then there's Bella, Italian for beautiful, though this may be a misinterpretation of Beila. Yenta, a corruption of Ionthe or Yolanda. All very respected and accepted frum names, taken straight from the "nations of the world."

What makes these names acceptable and some perfectly nice modern--or modern-SOUNDING even if from tanach--names not acceptable? I'lll tell you: custom, familiarity, and mazal. When enough people do something often enough for long enough, it becomes acceptable and eventually mainstream. Need I remind you that Chassidus started out as a grassroots movement rebelling against the religious establishment, so "out there" that they were put into cherem by The Vilna Gaon? And look at them now.

Even a name has to have mazal. Why is Daniel popular, Chananiah rare, Mishael unheard of and Azariyah "too modern"? All good friends, all tzadikim, all in the Good Book. Yet one name makes it to the top of the charts, one languishes at the bottom, one isn't even on the chart and one isn't even in the running.

OT.. But Chananiah is very popular in Chassidishe cirlcles..

etky

Sun, Apr 26 2015, 10:26 am

Scrabble123 wrote:

Chanina is a pretty common Tannaitic name. Come to think of it the Tannaim also used Azariah and Chananiah too. I guess that they just became less popular over the generations, in certain sectors. Names are a matter of fashion too, after all.

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