Baby Namings

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Justin Korda

Baby Naming of Noam Ben Zvi Korda

March 22, 2008 | 15 Adar 5768 – Shushan Purim

Dear Son,

At around this exact moment one week ago on Shabbat afternoon, you slowly made your big entrance into this world.  In just one short week you have become the center of our lives, and the focus of almost everyone gathered around here.  And you have already become one of our greatest teachers.

Your Ima and I have spent these past few days getting to know you and seeking to provide you with a name that reflects a balance between our aspirations for you, and our tuning-in to the name that G-d has intended for you.  Today, on this very special Shabbat and Purim Meshulash – a holiday that both your parents were strongly connected to even before your arrival – we stand here proud to name you Noam Benzvi Korda (NBK).

One of the founders of Chassidut, Rabbi Elimelech of Lyzhansk, writes in his classic work, “Noam Elimelech” that there is a profound connection between the soul of an infant and the soul of the person for whom he or she is named.  When a child is named after the deceased, the latter’s soul is elevated to a higher realm in heaven and a spiritual affinity is created between the soul of the departed and the soul of the newborn child.”

Noam Benzvi, you have the honor and the good fortune – like both your parents when they were born – to have all of your grandparents in your life surrounding you in health and in happiness.  You also have the fortune to have 3 living great-grand parents.  And you have the great fortune to be standing on the shoulders of greatness, to be proceeding in the footsteps of your family members who have already departed from this world, but who are all undoubtedly smiling down upon you today.  Some of these family members that we want to tell you about are as follows:

Your Great-Grand parents from your Grandma-Maggie’s side, FC and Margaret Love, who were deeply respected people, who stood for integrity, who never spoke an evil word about anyone, and who were always thought of as angels by your mom.  We hope that you follow in their footsteps in using the power of your speech and thoughts.

Your Great-Grand parents from your Grandma-Gerry’s side, Roszie and Harold Bleier – whose Hebrew name was Zvi – showered your dad with the kind of love that is becoming of grandparents in those story-book movies.  We hope that you follow in their footsteps in being able to receive and offer that kind of love. 

Your Great-Grandfather from your Granpa-Steve’s side, Ben Korda, was sharp, witty, very generous, and incredibly learned in Torah.  After surviving the Holocaust, he moved to Canada and successfully rebuilt himself and his family, while maintaining the values he grew up with back in the old country.  We hope that you follow in his footsteps in seeking knowledge and achieving the goals you set for yourself.

Another person that we want to mention here, is one of your grandfather’s dearest friends who had an untimely passing this week, and that’s Roland.  We hope you follow in his footsteps too, of dreaming big and accomplishing those dreams.

Your uncle, Tani, is remembered and revered all over Jerusalem everyday.  In your family, Tani was the youngest son, brother and greatest friend to so many, and he is irreplaceable – in name and in character.  One of the reasons that his memory endures so strongly is because he is not just remembered for he was, but for the way, the ‘derech‘, in which he did things.  For this way, your family coined the term ‘Derech Tani‘, or the ‘Tani Way’ and it is this derech that is at the core of so many of the projects and memorials to him, allowing his memory to live on through our practicing of this derech.   In a speech at the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva, the following Rav Kook idea was taught that seems to perfectly describe the way your family defines “Derech Tani or the Tani Way”:

“The broadness we refer to is the ability to respect another individual and another movement, as long as it is anchored in the Torah of Israel. It can be Chassidic or Mitnagdic, Sephardic or Ashkenazic, from here or from there. The basic, unifying point is that the people follow the Torah, learn it, and lead their daily life based on it. Mutual respect is not only for fellow talmidei chachamim but for every level of society. This is based on a realization that the whole of the Community of Israel contains foundations of sanctity, whereby each individual manifests his sanctity in his way and according to his needs. When we connect ourselves to this whole, we are placed in the rays of light.”    At the time however, the Rav didn’t refer to this approach as the “Tani Way,” he referred to it as Darchei Noam.

The Gemorah teaches that when parents name a child, they have a spark of Ruach Hakodesh (Divine inspiration) to choose the right name for that child. That doesn’t mean that the parents know why that name suits that child, they just feel prompted to name a certain name.

In your case, we are so grateful to G-d that we were able to receive this Ruach Hakodesh.  I have to admit, that even after your name was revealed to us, I was somewhat apprehensive, hoping that the personality and character that was designed by G-d for you would suit your name.  But after spending these past 8 days watching you, staring at you, changing you, and feeding you, we are both confident that the name Noam is really fitting and from Shamayim.

The name Noam means “pleasant, comfort, gentle, sweet, kind, and tender” and these are all qualities we have seen in you this week.  We hope that it is a name that suits the personality that will develop and emerge throughout your life.

On Shabbat, when we return the Torah to the ark, we say “Etz Chayim hee l’mahazikim bah” – it is a tree of life for those who hold it; “derachehah darchei noam, v’chol netivotehah shalom” – Its ways are pleasantness, and all its paths are peace.  The liturgy, which is from the book of proverbs, means to say that the paths of Torah should be comforting, gentle and sweet – as described by Rav Kook.  But we want to also offer you another reading. We hope that the paths of Torah are also your paths, and that those paths lead you along the peaceful journey of your life.           

The next and concluding verse of the liturgy is “Hashivenu Hashem elecha v’nashuva, chadesh yamenu k’kedem” – “help us return to You, and we shall return, renew our lives as in days of old.”  This brings us to this most meaningful holiday of Purim.  Your uncle Micah teaches us that back in the old days, in the days of Gan Eden, the world was a world without judgement, without the clear distinction between good and evil.  It was our eating from the Etz Hada’at, the tree of knowledge, that forced upon us the ability to make this distinction.  On Purim, we are encouraged to drink to the point where we can’t distinguish between Haman and Mordecai, or in other words, between good and evil.  In this sense, Alcohol is like the antidote to the fruits of the tree of knowledge, offering us the chance to return to those days of old where we were all like you are now, innocently unable to distinguish between good and evil like in the days of Gan Eden.

Another interesting Torah about Purim comes in the form of Gematria.  We know that the gematria of Arur Hamam is equal to the gematria of Baruch Mordechai.  That same gematria is also equal to the words “emunah pshuta” – meaning simple faith.  For us, this form of belief, emunah pshuta – simple faith, is how we can make some sense out of bringing you into this world, and into this brit with G-d and the Jewish people.  While it’s easy for us to count our blessings, it’s also difficult to ignore the tragic state of the world and our people.  With terror on the rise, genocides still ravaging, rocket attacks on the State of Israel, and kidnapped IDF soldiers – we ask ourselves what kind of people we are to be bringing you into this world.  The answer to this question is emuna pshuta – simple faith.  Simple faith in the idea that with your being, things will be better.  We pray that you, our little Noam, will be just that to the world around you – a little Noam, a flash of pleasantness, a taste of sweetness, for all of us and for all of the world, because G-d knows we need it.

We also want to share with you that although your name is Noam, signifying pleasantness, there’s nothing wrong with being a little feisty and passionate either.  We want to bless you to find that balance between being pleasant and comforting, to going out there and rocking the world with everything you got.  And we hope the significance of your second name, Benzvi, helps you in striking that balance.

Before we adjourn this brit, it’s important that you know how much you are loved by those around you today. While they are not here in person, your great-grand parents Sara and Neurick Goodman, are celebrating your arrival with us.

Your aunt Andrea is on her way over here to meet you in person, and she has some exciting news of her own to share with you.

You are very lucky to have your great-grandmother, Irene Korda, here with you.  She made the big trip over here to welcome you into the world, and we are so grateful that she made the incredible effort to be here. 

You may not know it yet, but you are surrounded by a huge and overwhelmingly loving immediate family beginning with your grandparents, Maggie and Jerry and Gerry and Steve (that’s going to be confusing, but you’ll figure it out!). We want thank you guys so much for all your care, your guidance, for being here and for always being there for us, and for making this celebration today.

Your aunts and uncles – Devora, Micah, Zippy, and Avichai; and your first cousin Anaeli.  And last but not least, your future pal, Buzz.

Yaeli and want to thank you all for joining us today as we welcome Noam Benzvi into the community of Israel.  We love you all so much.

Noni, the last blessing, for today, that want to bestow upon you is in the spirit of Zusha the Hasid.  That you should live up to be Noam Benzvi, that you should learn and strive towards your G-d given potential throughout all the days of your life.  Now get to it.

Sincerely,

Your Ima and Abba – Yael and Justin

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Yael Goodman

Baby Naming of Madison Netanya Goodman

Tani was gifted to us 18 years ago and therefore his name:a Gift from God. We always called him Tani. But more than giving was reflected in his name, it reflects the way that he lived throughout his life. Our Tani lived a life of giving. It was reflected in strong terms during the last year of his short life, when Tani revealed that he was larger than life.
 Tani was Active in the youth movement called the religious “ztofim” the scouts. He was a Madreech( a leader) , and helped develop  a new movement of the scouts . He was a Bronfman Fellow, a program for young leadership including Jewish High school students from all around Israel and North America. Last Hanukah he was in New York together with all the bronfman Fellows.

Tani studied in Hartman High school in Jerusalem, he was an A student and He won the “Student of the year” award  . This last year was a year of excellence but more than all a year of giving. This giving was expressed  through the “board of Charities” of his school, and in the academic help and immeasurable friendship he gave to each of his friends. His devotion to others was a devotion which knew no boundaries . The Character of Tani was giving, and this tradition of giving has not been halted, it continues and is given expression by the giving of life and health to others. Thanks to the donation of his organs, Tani continues to live in others. But more than his organs are living, through this gift – the spirit of giving lives on.

If Tani knew someone was upset or depressed he would go out of his way to make them feel better, he had time for everything and everyone. When Tani decided to do something it was done. His gift of giving to others, his passion for Israel, and his Judaism struck me as something that usually comes in a later age. When your 17, all you want to do is look for girls and play Basketball. Tani did that too, but his deep realizations of life, his profound dedication to charity, Torah studies, and his activities  was something I admired about him. He taught me that if you put your mind to something it could be done, and that there is always a time and a place to give.

The meaning of the Name “Netania” is also “God Gave” or “Given by God”.

This gift you received from God is breathtaking and something you will be grateful for forever. We were honored when we herd you were naming you baby girl after our beloved Tani. What a true gift and joy to have this baby during these hard times for our family. May she fill your hearts with joy and happiness. To us she will always resemble the ray of light after the dark, the gift from god. Adam and Tracy, you both have given  abundance of joy to our Family, Tracy when you were in Israel it felt like you were truly a family member, how lucky we are to really have you as a family member now . Adam, when you walked through the door of our house the day of the funeral it was like we opened a whole new relationship.
Giving is what makes it all happen, you gave us your time, your compassion and we all are so thankful that you were there for us during the harest of times.
We pray for the health of Netania. What a beautiful and meaningful name.
May this name always remind you of the good times you shared with Tani, may this name remind you of the gift of giving which makes everything possible and good.