Jewish Perspective on Names
27/10/2013 "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never harm me" I believe that words do more harm than any physical pain. In this essay, I will explain why I believe this, as well as what various rabbi's have to say on the matter.
'that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet' In Act 2 scene ii of the famous Shakespearian play 'Romeo and Juliet', Juliet murmurs from her balcony, explaining that names are just creations of humans for greater clarity, and that if a rose were to be called a stink flower, it would still have the same (non-existent(roses have no scent))smell. Would Adam Wiles (Calvin Harris) agree? I am convinced that he would have the same opinion as Ethel Gumm (Judy Garland), Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (Lady Gaga), Peter Hernandez (Bruno Mars), Destiny Hope Cyrus (Miley Cyrus) and many other celebrities. Absolutely not! A name is a person's greatest identifier, and being called a name you don't like, or worse, being made fun of by being called a negative nickname is permanently scarring. Rashi says 'Getting used to [the nickname]- He has already become used to the name they refer to him by, and his face is not whitened. Nevertheless, he [the name caller] intends to humiliate him.' Rashi is saying that when someone is called a negative nickname so often that they get used to it, it is even worse than just shaming a person, because they are called the nickname to humiliate them. Furthermore, Tosafot says 'And I never gave my friends a nickname- Even if the nickname wasn't negative. And it when it says: that one who gave his fellow a negative nickname loses his place in the world to come, it is referring to a nickname which mock the person name and the family name.' Tosafot also says that there are two types of nickname, a "lowly" name and a "secondary" name. You should not call a person a lowly name, as this will embarrass them, and embarrassing a person in public is considered just as bad
'that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet' In Act 2 scene ii of the famous Shakespearian play 'Romeo and Juliet', Juliet murmurs from her balcony, explaining that names are just creations of humans for greater clarity, and that if a rose were to be called a stink flower, it would still have the same (non-existent(roses have no scent))smell. Would Adam Wiles (Calvin Harris) agree? I am convinced that he would have the same opinion as Ethel Gumm (Judy Garland), Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (Lady Gaga), Peter Hernandez (Bruno Mars), Destiny Hope Cyrus (Miley Cyrus) and many other celebrities. Absolutely not! A name is a person's greatest identifier, and being called a name you don't like, or worse, being made fun of by being called a negative nickname is permanently scarring. Rashi says 'Getting used to [the nickname]- He has already become used to the name they refer to him by, and his face is not whitened. Nevertheless, he [the name caller] intends to humiliate him.' Rashi is saying that when someone is called a negative nickname so often that they get used to it, it is even worse than just shaming a person, because they are called the nickname to humiliate them. Furthermore, Tosafot says 'And I never gave my friends a nickname- Even if the nickname wasn't negative. And it when it says: that one who gave his fellow a negative nickname loses his place in the world to come, it is referring to a nickname which mock the person name and the family name.' Tosafot also says that there are two types of nickname, a "lowly" name and a "secondary" name. You should not call a person a lowly name, as this will embarrass them, and embarrassing a person in public is considered just as bad