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Parashat Sh’mot (Exodus 1:1 to 6:1): The Importance of Names: Who do we create a future based on history?
By Emily Harry

E-M-I-L-Y. The five letters that my parents thought would most accurately represent my personality. The subject of songs by Simon & Garfunkel, Bowling for Soup and Keller Williams. The name of fifteen other Emily’s in Clark University’s (580 member) Class of 2011.

By now, after having the most popular girl’s name in America every year since 1995, I’m used to my unoriginal label. I’ve already been in and out of the stage since 6th grade when I started spelling my name with a backwards “E” because I was bored with the ordinary way. When I was 3 and my parents asked me what my sister’s name should be, I replied, “Mrs. Butterworth,” in what I’d like to think was a fit of rebellion from my boring and conventional title.

However, sometime in between my acknowledgement that my new sister was named Katherine as opposed to a breakfast condiment and now, my feelings about my name have changed. Learning the history behind why my parents chose this collection of syllables for me has changed my perspective completely.

As Jews of eastern European descent, it is traditional to name a child after someone close to us, either a relative or a friend, who has passed away. In my case, I’m honored to be named after both. My great-great grandmother on my father’s side was named Ellen. Her best friend was named Tess. I, Emily Tess Harry, am named after a friendship—a connection between two people so moving that every time I write my name on the top of my homework, I’m strengthening a multi-generational bond.

That last statement may seem a little melodramatic, but in this week’s Parashat Sh’mot, the importance of names is abundantly clear. In Exodus 1:21, Pharaoh punishes the Israelites by instructing that every son shall be killed and every daughter shall live. By wiping out the name of the father, not only is the Pharaoh damaging the population of the Jewish people in terms of numbers, but he’s damaging the population based on a fundamental principle concerning the importance of names.

The rest of this story has to do with the upbringing of Moses. In the epic burning bush scene, Moses asks God for God’s name and God replies, “ Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh,” generally translated as, “I am that I am.” (Exodus 3:14) This is one of the most famous scenes in the Torah, and has provoked a huge assortment of interesting commentary from multiple religions.

It’s incredibly eye opening to look back every once in a while and acknowledge the significance of this concept not only within your family tree, but also within the context of the entire Jewish people.

R E L A T E D Q U E S T I O N S


Why does God reply with “I am that I am” instead of a specific name?
We all learned in Sunday School that there are several acceptable names for God. So why at this time, in the presence of Moses, does God not use any of those names that we have heard before? I tend to believe that this new name creates a state of an eternal being, of timelessness. There has been a lot of debate throughout history as to the tense of the phrase, whether it’s present, present perfect, all that fun stuff. God’s conversation with Moses in this instance is overwhelming with importance, which is reflected in the way the name is stated.
What if my name isn’t based on something biblical or historical?
Obviously not all of us have a popular name that was picked out based on specific people or for specific reasons. Maybe our parents just liked the way it sounded. Any way you look at it though, there’s going to be a background story. There’s no less validity in a name that was picked at random, and if anything, it allows you the opportunity to create your own history from scratch.
T A K I N G A C T I O N


Do some research!
Don’t just sit there; find out something interesting about yourself. Next to your inevitably open Facebook window, create a new tab and type your name into Google. If you’re someone like me who generally gets something unrelated (“…Emily says, “Harry Potter…”), try some of the websites in the resources section to find out about your ancestry.
If you’re feeling really experimental, sit down at breakfast or dinner with your parents and talk about your names. Since they are the ones that chose them, they’re likely to have the answers and anecdotes that you’re looking for. Don’t be afraid to let that information lead to a longer conversation about where their names came from, where your siblings’ names came from, where their pets’ names came from. The possibilities are endless.

Create a name for yourself!
Although it’s common for us to focus on the history of a name, don’t forget about the future. Your name and signature are something that are specifically yours and identify you as an individual. Take pride in that! One of my favorite parts of Judaism is the incredible importance that we place on what our families and our people will take from us after we are no longer here. Exodus 3:16 states, “This is My name forever, and this is My memorial unto all generations.” I’m a carpe diem kind of girl, but I also try to keep in mind that I want to be someone whose great-great granddaughter would be proud to share my name.
i T O R A H L I S H M A H


Which is more important, the name that your parents give you or the name that you earn yourself?


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Emily Harry, currently serving as NFTY MCVP, is a freshman at Clark University where she is studying Communication and Culture. Last year she served as Ohio Valley's North MVP, engaging the region in academically significant activities such as a monster truck rally in Cincinnati, Ohio. She has attended Goldman Union Camp Institute, been an enthusiastic member of the Kutz Camp community as both participant and staff and spent 4 months in Israel on the Eisendrath International Exchange. Emily is excited to have worn her too-big-for-her-face sunglasses in San Diego for the NFTY Leaders Assembly at the URJ Biennial and enjoyed seeing some of you there!