Baby Naming
In the Jewish tradition, a shem tov, or a good name, is an essential and core spiritual value. One of the first acts the Torah records the first mythic human, Adam, undertaking, is the naming of each and every animal. We believe that names we are given can often be descriptive and prescriptive, describing an essence and prescribing a latent potential that awaits our future manifestation. We can also change or add to our given names. We can be more than what others saw in us. We can override our given names. And, we hope our names capture who we are accurately. We hope our names describe our essence, our soul-pattern and invite us to live it fully, audaciously, outrageously…for the world’s sake. For G-d’s sake.
The Hebrew word for infant, Tinok/תינוק, has the same Hebrew letters as the word for purpose, destiny, something to fix, Tikun/תיקון.
What is a Baby Naming?
This ritual is a unique ritual that began almost a decade ago. When Rabbi David’s first son was born, a rabbinic colleague shared a custom that touched him deeply. He relayed that he had seen a newborn child placed inside – yes, inside – a Torah Scroll, and ever since that day, in July of 2009, we’ve ritualized the teaching that each baby is a letter in our Torah. And in placing these perfect, innocent beings into our sacred writ, we remember a teaching of one Hassidic master.
The Psalmist wrote, “Open my eyes to see wonders from Your Torah (niflaot mi’toratekha). ‘Gal aynai, says the Hassidic Rebbe, Naftali of Rophshitz, ‘v’abeeta niflaot mi’ toratekha’ – Open my eyes to see your fallen letters (nafal ot).”
May all of humanity’s letters be lifted up, elevated, and celebrated.