Day 29: What's in a Name?

For those of European descent, it is Jewish tradition to name after a relative who has passed away.  We always knew our first-born child would be named for Josh's father, who passed away too soon, just a few weeks after Josh's bar mitzvah and a couple of months before Josh's thirteenth birthday.  His name was Michael, so we knew the baby's name would be connected to that somewhat, most likely starting with an "M."  While we had not finalized a boy name (Micah was a favorite), I had Michal in my head for years.  It is one of my favorite names, a popular Israeli name for baby girls, and the name of a female role model from the Bible - Michal was King Saul's daughter and King David's wife and was not afraid to stand up for what she believed in.  The meaning was appropriate as well, as Michal is translated as "Who is like God?"


With the baby's first name set, it was on to her middle name.  The next obvious choice for a family member for whom she would be named was my paternal grandfather.  I probably felt the closest to him of all my grandparents, and since he passed away only a few years ago, it seemed to be a good fit.  There was only one problem - his given name was Bobby and his Hebrew name was Baruch (or at least this is what everyone thinks it was) - there was not a single name in Hebrew, starting with a B, that we liked for our girl.  We wanted a Hebrew name for her, and since the letter B was proving to be a non-starter, we decided to get creative.  We narrowed it down to two names, one that had a creative connection to my grandfather having to do with his personality, and the other that had both a letter tie to his name (it started with a "K," as did his middle name) as well as a tie to the land of Israel.  This second qualification was important to us - we both have a strong connection to Israel and hoped to transmit this to our daughter through her name.  Names have significance and meaning.  While there are some perfectly lovely names out there for potential parents to choose, there are some that simply does not feel right given their meaning.  Mara, for example, is quite a nice name, but it means "bitter."  This doesn't matter to some people, but for this former English major (think: lots of classes on symbolism and hidden meaning in words and literature), it is important.


We chose Kalanit as her middle name - the K for Kahn, my grandfather's middle name (and his mother's maiden name).  The kalanit is a wildflower that is native in the north of Israel, with bright colored petals - often red, less frequently purple - with a black center.  It seemed to be a perfect choice and has become a bit of a theme - it can be found adorning the mezuzah in her bedroom doorway.  


I recently asked a friend, who makes beautiful headbands and other creative items for children and adult - to try her hand at making a headband with kalaniyot for Michal.  After much back and forth (I can be incredibly indecisive), she came up with the following, an absolutely beautiful headband called "The Michal" - it's apparently become quite popular!

Here is Michal modeling "The Michal" - forgive the funny face.  We had a tougher time than usual with our photo shoot and my timing was off, missing each smile by just a bit.  Since I missed the smile that came right after this moment, I like to think she's attempting to ward off anyone who might approach - "Don't come too close or I'll gum ya!"