Shemot: The Name Game

This week, we begin the second book of the Torah.  In Greek, it is known as Exodus, alluding to the dominant theme of the entire book.  In Hebrew, however, the book (and the first parasha therein) is called Shemot, meaning "names."  This derives from the opening sentences which recount the names of the Jacob's sons who accompanied Jacob as he moved his family to Egypt in order to reunite with Joseph.  Each of Joseph's brothers is individually recounted, which helps to link this new book to the final chapters of Genesis which preceded it.

In contrast, chapter two does not provide us with proper names.  We read, "A certain man of the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman."  At first glance, there is absolutely nothing remarkable about this statement.  Most Israelites married within their own tribe; this expectation was particularly prominent among the Levites, some of whom (the Cohanim, or priests) were subject to even greater restrictions surrounding marriage.  But when we learn that the Levite man and woman were Moses' parents, the passage becomes more intriguing.  And when we note that in the first nine verses of chapter two, not a single proper name is mentioned, we are compelled to view this as a significant literary device.  Moses' name, bestowed upon him in chapter two, verse 10, is the first proper name we encounter in this chapter and it is not given to him by his biological parents.  Rather, Pharaoh's daughter, who will become his surrogate mother, takes responsibility for naming the infant Moses.

Jewish tradition, like many other cultural traditions, places great value on names.  Yet the sons of Jacob, whose lives and legacies will be all but forgotten in the early chapters of Exodus, are explicitly named, while Moses and his family are introduced to us anonymously.

Rabbinic tradition teaches that a person bears three names in life: the name bestowed by parents, the name given by one's friends and acquaintances, and the name one acquires for oneself.  I think perhaps the beginning of Exodus 2 is making the point that Moses, by growing into a position of leadership and authority, will come to acquire a name for himself, and need not worry about his given name, or what others might call him.

However one parses things here, one thing is for certain: a name is not something to play games with.

Please note, I do not own-- nor do I claim to own-- these songs.  Copyrights are held by the various artists.  I include them here for illustrative purposes.
The Name Game- (Shemot, Exodus 1:1-6:1)

Music and lyrics by Shirley Ellis and Lincoln Chase, performed by Shirley Ellis.  Single released on Congress Records, 1964.