So, what is the verdict? Should Jews use non-Hebrew or non-Jewish names? The answer seems to depend on various factors, including historical context, personal choice, and the impact of a name on one’s essence. While some argue that maintaining Hebrew names is a way to preserve Jewish identity and tradition, others point to examples of great Jewish scholars who used non-Jewish names without issue.
Ultimately, the choice of a name is a personal one, and each individual or family must make that decision based on their own beliefs and values. Whether one chooses a Hebrew name, an English name, or a name from another culture, what truly matters is the sincerity of one’s heart and their commitment to serving God.
– Rabbi Yehoshua Heber is a respected figure in the Jewish community, known for his dedication to helping others. For more information about his work, visit his website or contact him at [email protected].
No Question that there is no issur associated with giving or using such names as is recorded in the well-known teshuvah in Igros Moshe.
At the same time, the name one uses gives him or her a certain identity and association. The culture and group that a person feels part of plays a major role in one’s actions and life path. For this reason, enhancing positive Jewish feelings and identity can go a long way in keeping us and our children on the track of Torah and mitzvos. Maybe even more so in the street or workplace a person should hold on to a Yiddisha taam and be separated and distinct from the nations of the world. In today’s day and age, it is perfectly acceptable for a person to wear outwardly his religion of creed in public.
With such a glorious heritage and tradition, why would someone not want to be another link in the chain of our mesorah in the strongest way possible.
– Rabbi Yehoshua Heber is rav of Khal Tomchai Torah at Yeshiva Torah Vodaath and dayan at Bdatz Mishptai Yisrael.