My wife and I were blessed with a baby daughter last Friday, after
having five sons. In Jewish teachings there is a connection between the name
and character[i]. In
selecting a name for our daughter we wanted something distinctive but
traditional that would connect her to a biblical role model. Personally, I was
also concerned about the way that women are often thought of as the wife of
this great person or the mother of another, rather than a person in their own
right. I also don’t like the way some girls’ names reflect a view of girls
being pretty little things rather than full human beings. Traditionally one
consideration in selecting a name is to honour and remember family members, but
with four grandmothers between the two parents, we could not honour all of
them.
Shifra – Heroic Career woman or Mother?
One strong female characters in the Torah is the Egypt-wide chief midwife
for Hebrews[ii]
Shifra, who along with her colleague Puah defies the Pharaoh when he commands
them to murder the Hebrew male babies[iii]. This courageous choice is the first and
perhaps the only example of civil disobedience that resists racism in the
Torah. The name is also related to the Hebrew word Shfoferet, a tube
because Shifra would resuscitate babies who had stopped breathing by blowing
through a tube[iv]. While
many sources identify Shifra as being Jochebed, the mother of Moses[v],
other texts identify her as a convert[vi],
and as an Egyptian[vii],
whose children or husband remains unknown and irrelevant to her identity, just
as they are absent in a plain reading of the Torah text itself.
I wonder about what message there is in the commentary that links
Shifra with Jochebed. Is it about the greatness of Moses’ lineage, or
reflecting a view that a great and complete woman is not just one who interacts
with a monarch and defies him but also one who is a mother as well? There is a
moving prophecy that reassures men who have no children “let not the eunuch
say, "Behold, I am a dry tree”. For so says the Lord to the
eunuchs who will keep My Sabbaths and will choose what I desire and hold fast
to My covenant, "I will give them in My house and in My
walls a place and a name, better than sons and daughters; an everlasting name I
will give him, which will not be discontinued[viii]."
Surely we can read this passage as saying there is a value to a woman
beyond motherhood. Equally, I ask myself whether my own interest in the less prominent
commentaries that could be interpreted as positioning Shifra as a career woman
rather than a mother reflects a lack of recognition of the importance of
motherhood for women and its contribution to the wellbeing of children and to
society generally.
To be Named Or Not to be Named
Our daughter’s second and third names were given to her to be named
after my paternal grandmother Golda Kastel A.H.[ix]
and my wife’s maternal grandmother Bracha Stark A.H., both very strong women
who managed to both support their husbands and shine as people in their own
right. In selecting two grandmothers, we
highlighted two out of four.
The issue of whether names are acknowledged or not mentioned is a significant
one in the Torah reading, Tetzaveh [x],
which was read on the Shabbat on which our daughter was named. The special
clothing worn by the high priest in the temple worship included diamonds in
which the names of each of the twelve tribes of Israel were engraved “before
God, on his two shoulders, as a remembrance”[xi].
The names would also be carved a second time into twelve precious stones on a
breastplate worn by the high priest[xii].
The opposite side of the equation is also found in this portion. It is
the only portion in the Torah that occurs during the life time of Moses[xiii],
where he is not mentioned. According to commentary this reflects a selfless
choice by Moses, in which he offers a desperate plea to God to forgive the Jews
for the sin of the Golden Calf. Moses says to God, “And now, (God)
forgive their sin, and if not, erase me
please from Your book (the
Torah) that You wrote[xiv].” While God essentially
forgives his people, the words of Moses about being erased from the “book” are
still partially fulfilled in his absence from this portion[xv].
Not Named But Still Present
The absence of Moses’ name in the Torah portion does not
mean he is not present. One way of thinking about it is that his role is more
of a background role. Moses might have felt disappointed when, as the sanctuary
for God begins to come together, the prominent roles are filled by others - Betzalel
is the architect and chief designer while Aaron will perform the key rituals.
Where is Moses in all this? To comfort him, without altering the reality of his
less overtly prominent role, God tells Moses three times “and you[xvi]” will command the people relating to the olive oil, draw Aaron close
and instruct the designers of the priestly clothing. The Torah has a special
tune or accent in which it is traditionally read, with louder and longer
pitches or intonation for emphasis, all three times the words “and you” have
these strong accents[xvii]. Suggesting the importance of
Moses’ role in the sanctuary, the spiritual illumination symbolized by the oil
and the worship by Aaron[xviii].
Applying the same principle to our question of the names
not given to our daughter, I think our daughter can draw strength and
inspiration from the two grandmothers after whom she has not been named. Their
lives, character, choices and guidance have indirectly helped shape the person
she will become, by their parenting of Shifra’s own grandparents.
Conclusion
Names matter. Names can mean a lot of different things,
depending on how they are interpreted. The name Shifra also means beautiful or
to make beautiful, for example. I trust that our Shifra Golda Bracha will find
her own way to construct her identity and draw some strength from great women
and men who came before her. This will involve prioritising between public and
private roles, at home and/or at work. It will also require recognition that
recognition itself is far from the only criteria of value. As my third “honorary
grandmother” Stella Cornelius used to say “you can accomplish a lot if you
don’t care who gets the credit”. Welcome to our world, Shifra Golda Bracha
Kastel.
[i] There
is a story told about a student at the House of Torah study whose name was
Chatfa which means to grab. After something went missing in the Yeshiva, this
student wiped his wet hands on another student’s clothes, which showed a lack
of respect for the property of others.
When he was confronted about this he admitted to the theft. This
vindicated the view of Rabbi Meir about the link between names and character. I
have been unable to find the source of this story.
[ii]
Ibn Ezra
[iii]
Exodus 1:15-21
[iv]
Torah Shlaima p38, note 165, also saw elsewhere but can’t find the source
[v]
Sifre, Talmud Sotah 11b, Rashi
[vi]
Yalkut Yehoshua cited in Chumash Torah Temima
[vii]
Midrash Tadsheh, end Chapter 1 21, Imre Noam, Paaneach Raza, R. Y. of Vienna,
the latter two suggest it is would be implausible for the Pharaoh to demand
Jewish midwives murder the babies because according to Jewish law one must be
prepared to sacrifice one’s life rather than take an innocent life, all cited in Torah Shlaima, p.38
[viii]
Isaaia 56:3-5
[ix]
Alehah Hashalom, upon her, peace.
[x]
Exodus 27:20- 30:10
[xi]
Exodus 28:9-12
[xii]
Exodus 28:21
[xiii]
The middle three books of the Torah, the last book Deuteronomy is almost
entirely the words of Moses himself.
[xiv] Exodus 32:32
[xv]
Midrash Hane’elam Zohar Chadash 6b, cited in Torah Shlaima p.139
[xvi]
Exodus 27:20, 28:1 and 28:3
[xvii][xvii]
The accents are called, Gershayim, Pazer and Reviee
[xviii][xviii]
Alshich, cited in Leibowitz, N, New Studies in Shemot p.526
