The use of a name is seemingly merely technical; the most practical way to get someone’s attention or to describe whom you are referring to. A name seems to tell nothing about a person’s character and personality. Two people who are as different as can be might carry the same name. It seems like a superficiality.
But an interesting incident at the beginning of history hints at the deeper significance of a name. Before creating Adam, mankind, Hashem consulted the angels. “What value will this man bring?” they asked. Hashem responded: “He will be wiser than you.”
As proof, Hashem asked the angels to name various animals. When they could not come up with any names, Hashem asked the newly created Adam if he would be able to name the animals, and he did. He correctly asserted: “This is a shor (ox), this is a chamor (donkey) ...” and so on.
Great Wisdom
The obvious question is: What proof is there of such great wisdom by merely naming animals? It seems like just a show of creativity to come up with a different name for each species. Why couldn’t the angels do it themselves?
The Mezritcher Maggid famously answers this question: Adam was not just offering an arbitrary name for each animal. He actually looked to the G-dly source of each creature and named it in accordance with its spiritual energy. This in fact does require great wisdom.
The Rebbe explains further: the way an ox or a donkey is in this physical world resembles so little of what they are in their G-dly source. The fact that Adam was able to look into an ox and see its G-dly source deep within it, is testament to the great wisdom only he had.
Divine Inspiration
The significance of a name only increases once we learn about Avraham Avinu, how Hashem added one letter to his name in order to enable him to have children, making him a father to all nations.
Avraham’s first son Yishmael had his name chosen by Hashem Himself, called so because Hashem “listened” to Hagar’s plight. Even though Avraham didn’t actually hear the angel tell Hagar what name to use, he knew with ruach hakodesh (Divine inspiration) to give the name Yishmael.
But what about us? Our names, the names our parents gave us at birth, the ones we give our children; what significance could they have? The truth is that ordinary people, too, are granted ruach hakodesh before giving a name. Although a parent may not consciously know any great things when choosing and giving a name, the reality is that every name is given with ruach hakodesh.
reprinted from Derher
