SEDRA : KI TAVO Hertz Chumash p. 859 Deuteronomy Chap. 26 verse 19

This week's Sedra is generously sponsored by Reuben Glass.

SYNOPSIS:

Moses concludes the legal section of his discourse with an account of the ceremonies to be performed in the Promised Land involving the Bikurim, the first fruits of the seven Minim (Species). These were to be brought to the Kohen in the central Sanctuary. The donor was then to recite a prayer of thanksgiving, recalling how G-d had delivered his ancestors from Egypt and brought the new generation into a land flowing with milk and honey.
The Ma'aser (Tenth of the Crop) of each third year of the Shemittah cycle was to be given to the poor. After this, the donor was to offer a prayer in which he declared that he had obeyed the commandment to set aside Ma'aser for the Levi, orphan and widow.

Moses and the Elders instructed the people to observe several solemn ceremonies once they had crossed the Jordan River. Firstly, they were to erect large stones on Mount Eval, and clearly inscribe on them all the words of the Law. Secondly, they were to build an altar of stones and sacrifice burnt-offerings and peace-offerings on it. The sacrificial meal which followed the latter was to be eaten in an atmosphere of rejoicing. Thirdly, the acceptance of the Law was to be ratified by the twelve tribes in the following manner: Six tribes were to stand upon Mount Gerizim, representing the blessings, while the remaining six tribes were to stand upon Mount Eval, signifying the curses. The Levi'im were to stand in the valley midway between the mountains and were to pronounce curses upon those who committed the following sins, and blessings upon those who avoided them :
Idolatry; Dishonouring one's parents; Removing a neighbour's boundary line; Misleading the blind; Acting unjustly towards the stranger, orphan, and widow; Behaving in a immoral fashion; Murdering someone in secret; Taking a bribe to give false testimony in a case involving capital punishment; Failing to observe the commandments in general.

All members of the twelve tribes were to respond to each curse and blessing with the refrain of "Amen" (Truth). The people had frequently been warned of the consequences of disobeying G-d's law. Now that they were about to enter the Promised Land, Moses felt it his duty to place even greater emphasis upon the results their future behaviour would bring. If the Israelites observed G-d's commandments, they would receive numerous blessings. These would include prosperity from the fields and within their cities, abundant livestock, the subjugation of enemies, and supremacy over other nations. The alternative would lead to disaster; disease, famine, and death would result. The land of the Israelites would be overrun by a cruel nation. The Jews would be scattered throughout the world and they would once again become slaves and fugitives.
Moses then begins his third and final discourse to the people. He appeals to them to remember G-d, their G-d, who watched over them in Egypt, during their wanderings in the wilderness, and who would continue to protect them in the future.

HAPHTORAH HERTZ CHUMASH P 874 Isaiah Chap 60 verse 1

This is the sixth of the Seven Haphtorot of comfort taken from the prophecies of Isaiah. It speaks of the glories which will attend the restoration of Jerusalem following the Redemption.

TELL ME RABBI ...... NAMING OUR CHILDREN

Naming a baby has serious implications. It expresses the hopes and aspirations of the parents for their child. Naming of children is given high priority in the Bible with countless examples of the reasons for the name given a child.
At the same time the Bible provides a fertile source for the names of our children. Jacob in his final days prayerfully urges and blesses his grandchildren "...and call them my name and the names of my forefathers..."
A person's name can determine their destiny (Talmud) and the change of a name strongly registers a prayer to Heaven. The concept of a name is inextricably bound up with the essence of the person and their soul which is why we seek to have that name perpetuated as in the law of the levirate marriage.

We usually try to use the name of a person whom we would want our child to emulate. Therefore we shy away from Biblical names of people considered evil, such as Pharaoh or Haman. The Ashkenazi tradition is to name the child after deceased ancestors as a memorial to them. In some communities strict protocol existed as to which children should be named after the maternal or paternal side. Sephardi tradition often names children after living individuals.

The Talmud is a rich source of names and may lead one to imagine that the child hails from a scholarly family. Non Jewish names have also crept into Jewish usage. The name Alexander was a compliment to Alexander the Great for the unusual circumstances which led to him not having invaded Israel, also the Hellenistic period left us with names like Antigonus etc. Other names such as Gronam from Geronimus etc have also wended their way into Jewish life in one way or another as well as names based on Greek gods or other cultural influences such as Feibush etc. Then there was the growth of Yiddish names such as Mendel or Masha. The tendency in Europe was also to have double names with Yiddish/German and Hebrew equivalents such as Menachem- Mendel, Hirsh- Zvi, or Naphtali Hirsh Zvi, Zeev- Volf or Velvel etc The Sephardim have maintained a somewhat purer tradition closer to Hebrew names.

There is a modern tendency, especially in Israel, to choose some of the more 'obscure' Biblical names such as Nimrod etc. which raises the eyebrows in more traditional circles for the name is based on the root meaning rebellious and Nimrod is not well regarded in Jewish tradition. Other developments are the invention of new names and the use of names referring to aspects of nature as well as other picturesque verbs and nouns with human ingenuity being the only limitation.

In more recent centuries in the diasporah the tendency has grown to have a secular and a Hebrew name. This has given rise some weird results such as children being named Jonathan (a Biblical name) while their Hebrew name is....David. Ideally, a name of obvious Jewish origin should serve for all purposes as a sign of Jewish pride and self esteem.
Hebrew names are crucially important for life cycle event such as for a brit, for marriage, for divorce and for burial also for being called to the Torah and for blessings and prayers for our health.
More important than any other consideration, are the moral and ethical considerations arising out of the verse "good name is better than precious balm". The inestimable worth of a person's good name is irreplaceable and plays an enormous part in the building of one's own self esteem and feelings about our own worth.