Choosing a Name for a Child and Country (Toldot 11/22/25)

Choosing a Name for a Child and Country

In our Torah reading, Parshat Toldot, Rebecca gives birth to twins.

Now, of course, when children are born, there’s going to be a naming ceremony.

Interestingly enough, when we go through the Torah, we find more often than not that it is the mother, rather than the father, who gives the baby its name.

Leah gave birth to six sons; she does nearly all the naming:

Leah conceived and bore a son, and named him Reuben.

She conceived again and bore a son, and declared, “This time I will praise God.” Therefore, she named him Judah.

When Rachel gives birth to the one who will be Jacob’s favorite, it’s Rachel who gives the name:

So she named him Joseph, saying, “May God add another son for me.”

The same is with the children of the maidservants, Bilhah and Zilpah; either Rachel or Leah gave the names.

In our parsha, when Eisav is born, the verse says:

וַיֵּצֵ֤א הָֽרִאשׁוֹן֙ אַדְמוֹנִ֔י כֻּלּ֖וֹ כְּאַדֶּ֣רֶוַיִּקְרְא֥ שְׁמ֖וֹ עֵשָֽThe first one emerged red, like a hairy mantle all over; so they named him

Eisav.

“And they called”, in the plural.

Both Isaac and Rebecca gave Eisav his name. Since he came out so physically developed, it was obvious to give him this name, Eisav-finished, a complete product.

When Jacob was born, the verse says,

וְאַֽחֲרֵי־כֵ֞ן יָצָ֣א אָחִ֗יו וְיָד֤וֹ אֹחֶ֨זֶת֙ בַּֽעֲקֵ֣ב עֵשָׂ֔ו וַיִּקְרָ֥א שְׁמ֖וֹ יַֽעThen his brother emerged, holding on to Eisav’s heel; so he named him Yaakov/Jacob.

וַיִּקְרָ֥א שְׁמ֖וֹ “so he named him.” The verb is in the masculine singular, implying that Isaac was involved in naming Jacob, but Rebecca wasn’t

Why here, concerning the birth of the second child, is Rebecca silent?

The question is magnified when you consider that she was informed through prophecy, וְרַ֖ב יַֽעֲבֹ֥ד צָעִֽיר, that the older one shall serve the younger. She knew more about this child’s future than her husband did. What’s the reason for Rebecca’s lack of participation here?

The naming of a child is a highly significant matter. It’s much more than a simple means of identification. Rav Shimshon Rafael Hirsh points out that the word “שֵם”, name, is closely related to the word “שַם”, there.

The word “there” is a word of distinction; it designates one location to the exclusion of all others. Similarly, a Hebrew name identifies and defines an entity in an exclusive fashion. Every Hebrew name has a unique meaning, a singular strength or destiny:

Eliezer: God is my help

Meir: Illumination

Sarah: Queen

Nechama: Consolation

It is remarkable that in the Torah, women were entrusted with such a critical responsibility. This fact becomes even more compelling when considering their subordinate status in ancient society—why were they afforded this great honor?

Perhaps it’s because through nine months of pregnancy, they’ve paid the price and are worthy of the privilege, or possibly, through carrying the child for so long, they possess a greater understanding of the baby than the father.

Either way, for our ancestors, it was usually the mothers who did the naming.

This being the case, why was Rebecca silent when it came to naming Jacob?

I saw a fascinating explanation by Rabbi Dr. Michael Bernstein:

When Rebecca’s first son was born, he arrived somewhat physically mature, hairstyle and all, and she agreed to the name Esaiv, meaning “complete/done,” for she perceived in the boy a spirit of completion and self-satisfaction.

When the second child was born, she sensed that he would be the spiritual heir of Abraham and Isaac.

She did not feel that the name Yaakov/Jacob did him justice, because Yaakov conveys dissatisfaction and jealousy. The grabbing of his brother’s heel is an act of protest.

Yaakov is also related to the word, עִיקֵב, which means crooked. Now, in truth, both these words represent Jacob, for there were times when he had to act crookedly or stealthily to get what he wanted. Yet this name did not fully capture the depth of his soul, his yearning, or his closeness to God.

Ultimately, he would be named Yisrael, meaning כִּֽי־שָׂרִ֧יתָ עִם־אֱלֹהִ֛ים וְעִם־אֲנָשִׁ֖ים וַתּוּכָֽל “for you have striven with the Divine and man and have overcomIt connotes not just the struggle as Yaakov represents, but success, the achievement of spiritual endeavors.

Yisrael also means, ישר קֵל, the straight one of G-d.

This name embodies Jacob’s aspirations.

When the second child was born with his hand on his brother’s heel, Yaakov/Jacob was the boy’s proper name. Yet Rivka, who carried this child for nine months and received a prophecy about him, understood that there was much more to this child. There’s a spiritual yearning and desire to grow and succeed that’s not included in the name Jacob. Therefore, only Isaac named him Jacob. Rivka knew this was not the child’s definitive name; consequently, she remained silent.

It’s fascinating that in 1948, the name Israel was chosen for our upstart nation.

In ancient times, our country was Judah. We are called Jews because we stem from Judah. But when a new Jewish nation needed to be named, the country’s leaders chose Israel.

It was not a forgone decision. In ancient times, there were two Hebrew countries: Israel (comprised of ten tribes) in the north, and Judah in the south. Most Jewish people descend from Judah.

Yet, Israel is the most appropriate name for our people and country. Indeed, over the past two thousand years, no nation has contended with G-d and man as we did. It encapsulates a national identity forged through relentless, often painful perseverance. We have struggled simultaneously on two fronts: our spiritual and our physical survival. The name Israel embodies the quintessential character of our nation: a people perpetually wrestling with the highest ideals and the harshest realities, whose history is a singular epic of both divine engagement and human resilience.

Maybe even more than Jacob himself, we as a people and nation are deserving of the name Israel. And the nascent country continues to define itself religiously and ethnically under the most challenging conditions.

May we continue to embody this great name.

Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving,

R’ Neil, Judy, and family