Veyikarei Shemo B’Yisrael “Ariel Sharon”

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sharonSomebody asked an interesting question on the “Ask the Rabbi” service of Kipa. The question asked was that they are about to give birth and are considering a combination of names. They would like to name the baby “Ariel Sharon” – “Ariel” after a dead grandfather, and “Sharon” after the wife’s dead father. The problem is that the name “Ariel Sharon” was the name of a prime minister who did the despicable deed of expelling Jews from their homes.

They asked if they can ignore that, if they should do it, or if thet should not.

Rav Baruch Efrati answered the question by saying that as long as their intention when naming the baby is after specific people, or the meanings of the words (Ariel is a name of the Bais Hamikdash and Sharon is a region in Israel), and not of the former prime minister, it is technically okay, because Ariel Sharon, the former prime minister, committed a terrible sin by expelling Jews, though he is a Jew and also has many merits in his favor.

Rav Efrati said you can give the name Ariel Sharon, just don’t have the former PM in mind when doing so.

And an additional factor to take into consideration, Rav Efrati added, is that with this name, children will laugh at the kid as he grows up, as the name is unusual and is the same as that of a famous politician. It might not be such a problem, as he will likely go by only “Ariel” on a daily basis, but it should be taken into consideration.

{Rafi G-Life in Israel/Matzav.com}


20 COMMENTS

  1. One more thing to consider:
    A combined name turns into a new entity, so that one does not get the benefit of naming the baby after any of the 2 grand fathers.

  2. How sad! A man who gave his entire adult life to IDF and the gov’t, was injured numerous times and led the attack that stopped the Yom Kippur disaster in the Sinai should be treated this way. You may differ with his policy but you should respect his life devoted to am yisroel.

  3. Hes 100 % right but nisht kaion klluger– the kid will be the laughing stock of his friends. The parents hoben nisht kain sechel-chaval they dont get it

  4. sharon cared more about world opinion and the need to be like all the other nations then klal yisreal. And naming a child with the same name is only a kllala

  5. Dear Lev #3 Sharon was a mechallel Shabbos befarhesia. Any Shomer Shabbos Jew, has infinitely more zechusim than this jew. He indeed gave the arabs a defeat, and he did indeed give them another Jews home to be used as a launching pad for terror. If it was your child G-D forbid killed or maimed in a rocket attack brought upon by this mans policies, I bet you’d sing a very different song!

  6. are you out of your minds?? take down that picture- he’s a human being- would you want a picture simulation your grandfather in a coma on a website? no one’s asking you to defend him or care about him…just have a little yiddishe decency!

  7. how could matzav publish this when it is misleading to think that the shailoayh was being answered by one fun unzer
    — the Rabbi Efrati being quoted is not Rav Elyahiv’s Rabbi Efratti- rather, the Rabbi Erfati being quoted here as giving an answer to the shailah is Head of the Religious-Zionist Education at MERCHAVIM, a zionist organization — not gehalt by us.

  8. Comment #2 from yidlmitnfidl:

    This is a very good question about if when a double name is given, how much Z’chus goes to the two people whom the name was intended to represent. This practice, of giving double and even triple names for two or three people, IS very commonly done though.

    The issue of giving names is a very big and complex Sugya that needs to be guided by a true Talmid Chacham who fully knows it.

  9. #15
    I have meet a few young bochurim named Sharon in the Tri-State area.

    not gehalt by us-
    BY WHO? and why would that matter, mr. daled amos.

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