A Thought On Parshas BaMidbar
A Thought On Parshas BaMidbar
"...l'Naftali Achira ben Einan..."
"...the prince of the tribe of Naftali was Achira son of Einan..." (1:15)
This week, I am going to veer somewhat from my typical style of introducing a thought from my selected commentary which seems striking and profound, and instead I am going to share a thought which is personally exciting to me.
For many years, in examining Biblical names, I have marveled at the imagery and history behind some of the name choices given various persons in Chumash and TaNaCh. Some of the names appear to reflect an incident in the life of the person who chose that name, such as Moshe, or seem to symbolize something which was important to the person who chose that name, such as Mipiboshes, Doeg, or Naval. Some names were Divinely ordained such as Avraham, Yisroel and Yishmael. In our own times, many have retained a custom of naming a child after a departed relative whose memory remains dear.
For many years, I have struggled with the name Achira. Let's face it: the name is composed of two Hebrew words, achi and ra. Achi means "my brother." Ra means "is bad." Achira means "my brother is bad." Now, who in the world would name their son "my brother is bad"? Even if it were true, who would proclaim such a thing? Moreover, our tradition is to name people after positive events and good people. Who would affix a child with a name which is neither positive nor complimentary? Consider how Adolph, once a fairly common name among European Jews, is not in use among us since World War II. I have met secular Jews in Israel with names like Nimrod but have yet to meet an Israeli named Esav or Arafat. What's with this name Achira ben Einan? I have combed through midrashim and commentaries for decades but have found no one questioning this, much less giving an answer which is satisfying.
Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel asks the question! He writes, "So is there any person you know who would call his son Achira?" Listen to his answer:
Achi here comes from the word achu (see Bereishis 41:2) which means a piece of land which is lush and fertile. This use of the word can also be found in Hoshea 13:15 "ki hu bein achim yafri" - for he flourishes in the wetlands. Ra comes from the word raa'va which means favor, as we see in the Targum - the Aramaic parallel to Hebrew. Our word ratzon
which means want, favor, or will (in the noun form) is raa'va in Aramaic, such as we say in the Zoharic passage known as Brich Shmei which closes with yehae raa'va which is the same as "yehi ratzon" - May it be Your will.
Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel says that Achira was given this name because his tribal province in Israel was going to be one of fruitful fields because of the ratzon HaShem nourishing that land. The members of the tribe of Naftali had firm belief and trust in the tradition that they would be given territory rich with produce. Hence, the man who became its prince already captured that promise by bearing the name Achira - "my wetlands are granted ratzon."
I note, in supporting Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel's interpretation, that at the end of the Torah, when Moshe blesses each tribe, he says about Naftali: sav'aa ratzon u'malae birchas HaShem - his land is satiated with favor and full of HaShem's bounty (Devarim 33:23). The Targum here is: sva raa'va. This fits exactly with this interpretation of the name Achira!
I too am now satiated. At long last a pshat! Good Shabbos. D Fox
"...l'Naftali Achira ben Einan..."
"...the prince of the tribe of Naftali was Achira son of Einan..." (1:15)
This week, I am going to veer somewhat from my typical style of introducing a thought from my selected commentary which seems striking and profound, and instead I am going to share a thought which is personally exciting to me.
For many years, in examining Biblical names, I have marveled at the imagery and history behind some of the name choices given various persons in Chumash and TaNaCh. Some of the names appear to reflect an incident in the life of the person who chose that name, such as Moshe, or seem to symbolize something which was important to the person who chose that name, such as Mipiboshes, Doeg, or Naval. Some names were Divinely ordained such as Avraham, Yisroel and Yishmael. In our own times, many have retained a custom of naming a child after a departed relative whose memory remains dear.
For many years, I have struggled with the name Achira. Let's face it: the name is composed of two Hebrew words, achi and ra. Achi means "my brother." Ra means "is bad." Achira means "my brother is bad." Now, who in the world would name their son "my brother is bad"? Even if it were true, who would proclaim such a thing? Moreover, our tradition is to name people after positive events and good people. Who would affix a child with a name which is neither positive nor complimentary? Consider how Adolph, once a fairly common name among European Jews, is not in use among us since World War II. I have met secular Jews in Israel with names like Nimrod but have yet to meet an Israeli named Esav or Arafat. What's with this name Achira ben Einan? I have combed through midrashim and commentaries for decades but have found no one questioning this, much less giving an answer which is satisfying.
Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel asks the question! He writes, "So is there any person you know who would call his son Achira?" Listen to his answer:
Achi here comes from the word achu (see Bereishis 41:2) which means a piece of land which is lush and fertile. This use of the word can also be found in Hoshea 13:15 "ki hu bein achim yafri" - for he flourishes in the wetlands. Ra comes from the word raa'va which means favor, as we see in the Targum - the Aramaic parallel to Hebrew. Our word ratzon
which means want, favor, or will (in the noun form) is raa'va in Aramaic, such as we say in the Zoharic passage known as Brich Shmei which closes with yehae raa'va which is the same as "yehi ratzon" - May it be Your will.
Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel says that Achira was given this name because his tribal province in Israel was going to be one of fruitful fields because of the ratzon HaShem nourishing that land. The members of the tribe of Naftali had firm belief and trust in the tradition that they would be given territory rich with produce. Hence, the man who became its prince already captured that promise by bearing the name Achira - "my wetlands are granted ratzon."
I note, in supporting Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel's interpretation, that at the end of the Torah, when Moshe blesses each tribe, he says about Naftali: sav'aa ratzon u'malae birchas HaShem - his land is satiated with favor and full of HaShem's bounty (Devarim 33:23). The Targum here is: sva raa'va. This fits exactly with this interpretation of the name Achira!
I too am now satiated. At long last a pshat! Good Shabbos. D Fox
posted by Rabbi Dr. Fox at 9:42 PM
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