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Do think it’s ok
Why would you?
@ The Chareidi modern Orthodox: What does it mean to be Chareidi Modern Orthodox? Is that similar to Chardal?
I think it depends why.
We gave our kids English names on their birth certificates, simply to make it simple for non-Jewish people who we and they will come into contact with. But they are always called by their Yiddishe names.
What gets to me is the parents who are very idealistic about only giving Jewish names, and then when they get to the office, Yankel becomes Jack, Eli becomes Alan, etc. For some reason you don’t find Mohammed calling himself Mike at work!?
why not? but make sure to give them a Hebrew name as well.
We use non Jewish last names, why not first names? It’s not a new practice. It goes back over 2000 years when Jews named sons Alexander in honor of Alexander the great. The Gemorah is full of chachomim with Amramaic names. Writing Germanic ( Yiddish ) or Aramaic names using Hebrew letters doesn’t make them any more Jewish than writing Robert in Hebrew.
In Egypt the Jews were at mem tes sharei timah and yet they kept the Jewish names and language and garments why not try yo emulate that and juat atick to our Jewish names we see outright how hashem praises for it
Goyish? or just non-jewish sounding? A good source for understanding the origin of names can be found in Rabbi Paysach Krohn’s book on Bris Milah (Mesorah Publications).
All chasidish rebbes, rabbonim, poskim, roshei yeshiva living in the USA had English names; until recently when we became really frum.
iacisrmma – jewish sounding.
What do you mean by goyish names?
Abraham, Moses, Jacob Jeremy, Jonathon David etc are all Jewish names.
what names do you have in mind?
Christian and Christina are certainly goyish
Why wouldyou boy want to give yourvchild a meaningful lovely nam. That helps praise Hashemn and is in his holy languag? Why wouldbt you want to remember hashem every time you call your child’s name? Why wouldn’t you want to have a reminder of your purposr and your child’s purpose in this world?
Yes there are some very pretty non Jewish names,why not put it as a middle name. Or a nickname. why label this neshomma with anything but a Jewish label as the main way it’s known by.
Shopping613 – you name them not jewish names to try fitting in.
ubiquitin – christian and christiana you CANT name your children since its christian names and thats probably against the torah to name your child.
With globalization people need to speak a common language. its one thing if people live in a ghetto and have little contact with outsiders then its fairly easy to keep a seperate language
However with the internet, Global commerce and other things people interacting more its not so easy anymore . English for reasons beyond this discussion has become that language
My question is are Yiddish names just as holy as loshon kodesh and is that as holy as biblical names
Yiddish names like Toby hindy liba breindy
Loshin kodesh zahava orah ahuva
Biblical rivka basya Miriam tziporah
Yiddish names originate from the practice of giving secular names.
Names like Molly or Rebecca are jewish names too
Our children only have Hebrew names (not English or Yiddish). This was a deliberate choice by Eees and myself. However, I certainly don’t fault people who give their children secular or Yiddish names, especially if those names are meaningful to them.
However, I suppose if you want to find fault me, I did use the English alphabet when spelling the names on their birth certificates. 🙂
The Wolf
I have two names both biblical one was added when I was sick but im only called by my original one
Happygirlygirl – im planning to give my children names that my husband and i like h’h.
Certain English names became associated with Jews to such an extent that it’s rare for non-Jews to use them. Examples are Irving, Isidore, Morton, Hyman, and Morris. So are these now Jewish names?
“h’h”
?
yehudayan
Without question.
Of course it depends how you define “Jewish names”
I would define it as names used (primarily?) by Jews
Which makes all of your examples Jewish names.
See Igros Moshe OH IV Siman 66 were R’ Moshe writes that it is not forbidden to give a child a non Jewish name but it is a ‘dover megunah’- a disgusting thing. regarding the chazal that in Mitzrayim they kept there Jewish names he writes that was specific for then but is not an applicable limud nowadays after Kobbolas Hatorah all we have to function with is the Torah and there is no source of a prohibition in the Torah!
Maimon – the Rambam’s Father did not have a Jewish name
Meguneh does not mean disgusting.
Sam2: If “megunah” doesn’t mean disgusting what does it mean?
It means not nice. It’s a “gnai”. “Gnai” means a bad thing. There are stronger Leshonos to mean more awful things. “Gnai” is a relatively benign word of bad things.
Is Joseph a Jewish name?
@Sam2 – I was just using the translation given in the English Yad Moshe for it. I stand corrected! Thank you.
Sam2: “GNAI” is not a relatively benign term. It literally means “shame”.
iac: Yes, but a much milder form of shame than, for example, Boshes or Cherpah or Klimah.
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