And Leah conceived and she bore a son, and she called his name Reuven, for she said: “Because God has looked upon my affliction, now my husband will love me.” (Bereshit 29:32)

“Reuven” – A Reflection of the Present or the Future?

Surprisingly, the Gemara (Brachot 7b) records the opinion of R. Eliezer, cited by Rashi, that explains the name Reuven as follows:

אמר ר' אלעזר אמר לאה: ראו מה בין בני לבן חמי. דאלו בן חמי אע"ג דמדעתיה זבניה לבכירותיה דכתיב "וימכר את בכרתו ליעקב" (בראשית כה:לג) חזו מה כתיב ביה "וישטם עשו את יעקב" (בראשית כז:מא) ….ואלו בני אע"ג דעל כרחיה שקליה יוסף לבכירותיה מניה דכתיב "ובחללו יצועי אביו נתנה בכורתו לבני יוסף" (דברי הימים א ה:א) אפילו הכי לא אקנא ביה דכתיב "וישמע ראובן ויצילהו מידם" (בראשית לז:כא)

R.Elazer said, Leah said, See the difference between (reu ben) my son and my father-in-law's son. Although my father-in-law's son sold his birthright knowingly, as it is stated, "And he sold Ya'akov his birthright" (Bereshit 25:33), see what is stated about him, "And Esav hated Ya'akov" (Bereshit 27:41)… But my son, although Yosef took the birthright from him against his will, as it stated, "But since he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Yosef" (1 Chronicles 5:1), he nevertheless did not hate him, as it is stated, "And Reuven heard it and he delivered him out of their hands" (Bereshit 37:21).

According to R. Elazer, the name Reuven relates to the difference between Yitzchak's first born son and Ya'akov's first born. Although Esav sold his birthright to Ya'akov of his own volition, he hated Ya'akov for his position. Reuven never transferred his birthright to Yosef, yet he did not resent the fact that Yosef was treated as the first born son. This is demonstrated in his initiative to save Yosef when his brothers plotted to kill him.

But, how could R. Elazar suggest an alternative meaning to the name Reuven when the Torah explicitly states that the name relates to God's recognition of Leah's suffering. The Ein Ya'akov suggests that, according to R. Elazer, the name was provided to Leah by God, and had a double meaning:

ראוי לעמוד על כוונת רבי אלעזר … פרשו כי הש"י שם בפיה קריאת שם זה ןלא שהיתה כוונת לאה לבכורת ראובן ויוסף שלא נולד עדיין אלא כשמתנבאה שלא מדעת קראה …שם בנה האחד ראובן. וכבר נתנה לאה טעם אמיתי ונכון באמרה כי ראה ה' בעניי, להודות לה' על מה שעבר, כי פתח ה' רחמה אשר בטבעה היתה עקרה. וזאת הוראה על כשרות לאה שהיתה בעלת אמונה שלמה. ואם כן אין צריך לבקש טעם אחר לקריאתה שם ראובן.

R.Elazar's statement requires deeper study: …He says that God put the name to be given to Reuven in Leah's mouth and that Leah did not have in mind the birthright of Reuven and Yosef, who was not even born yet, and she gave the name in an unconscious prophecy. Leah stated the real reason of the name, saying, "Surely the Lord has looked upon my affliction", thanking the Lord for the past, for though barren by nature, God had opened her womb. This demonstrates Leah's unswerving faith. Therefore there is no need to find to another reason for calling his name Re'uven.

Thus, Leah expressed the meaning that the name had for her, and was unaware of the prophetic meaning that related to events yet to unfold. Although the Ein Ya'akov gives this explanation for the opinion of R. Elazer, he questions the validity of the Midrash giving another meaning to the name Reuven.

The Baal HaTurim explains the basis of the Midrashic exegesis:

ותקרא שמו ראובן: ואח"כ כתיב כי אמרה ובאחרים אינו כן אלא תהילה הוא מפרש טעם השם ואח"כ השם.

And she called his name Reuven: And afterward is written “because she said”, and for the other brothers it was not so, rather the reason for the name was explained first and afterward the name (was given).

R. Elazer was sensitive to the variant style of the text relating to the naming of Reuven as compared to the texts that described the naming of the other brothers. In all of the other cases, the reason for the name was explained before the name was given. In naming Reuven, however, Leah gave him the name and then gave the explanation. Perhaps in this change of order is hidden another meaning to Reuven's name.

The Role of Prophecy in the Naming of Levi and Yehudah

The idea that prophecy played a role in the naming of Leah's children is found, as well, in Rashi's explanations of the naming of Levi and Yehudah:

ותהר עוד ותלד בן ותאמר עתה הפעם ילוה אישי אלי כי ילדתי לו שלשה בנים על כן קרא שמו לוי. (בראשית כט:לד)

רש"י: הפעם ילוה אישי: לפי שהאמהות נביאות היו ויודעות שי"ב שבטים יוצאים מיעקב וד' נשים ישא , אמרה מעתה אין לו פתחון פה עלי שהרי נטלתי כל חלקי בבנים.

And she conceived again and bore a son, and she said: “Now this time will my husband accompany me because I have born him three sons”, and she therefore called his name Levi. (Bereshit 29:34)

Rashi: This time will my husband accompany me: The Matriarchs were prophets and knew that Ya'akov would produce 12 tribes and that he would marry 4 wives. She said: “Now he has no room to complain about me for I have taken my portion of the sons.”

ותהר עוד ותלד בן ותאמר הפעם אודה את ה' על כן קראה שמו יהודה ותעמוד מלדת. (בראשית כט:לה)

רש"י: הפעם אודה - שנטלתי יותר מחלקי מעתה יש לי להודות.

And she conceived again and she bore a son, and she said: “This time I thank God”, and she therefore called his name Yehudah. (Bereshit 29: 35)

Rashi: This time I thank: For I have taken more than my share, now I must give thanks.

Thus, according to Rashi, prophecy played a role in the naming of three out of Leah's first four children[1]. There are, however, other commentators who see the names as expressions of Leah's current situation without any prophetic element. For example, the following interpretations of the name Levi:

מנחה בלולה: כי עד הנה נהלתי הילדים אחד בימיני ואחד בשמאלי, עתה יהיה הכרח לאישי שיסייעני וילוה אלי שהרי לי שלשה בנים.

Mincha Belula: My husband will be joined to me: Up to now I took my children, one on my right and the other on my left, now that I have three children, my husband will have to help me and accompany me.

ספורנו: שכבר אני מוחזקת בהיותי רבת בנים כאמרם ז"ל: "בתלת זמני הוה חזקה.

Sforno: This time my husband will be joined to me: I now have an established claim, as our Sages say, "Three times establishes a claim".

The Grammatical Structure of the Names

From a grammatical point of view, we might attribute greater validity to R. Eliezer's explanation of the name Reuven than to the explanation given by the Torah. After all, ראו ביןis much closer to the name Reuven (ראובן) than is ראה בעניי. Ibn Ezra observes, however, that Biblical names do not conform to grammatical rules:

אבן עזרא: דע כי אנשי לשון הקודששומרים הפעלים במתכנתם בכל הבנינים ואינם חוששים לשמור שמות בני אדם. על כן אל תתמה שאמר גרשום בעבור שגר שם , כי הנה קין בעבור קניתי ואינו נכון בדקדוק. (שמות יח:ג)

Ibn Ezra: You should know that the speakers of the Holy language observe all the grammatical rules of the verbs but do not do so in regard to names. Thus do not wonder about the name Gershom which (Moses) gave because ger (stranger) sham (there). Likewise Cayin (that Eve called her firstborn son) because "I acquired” - kaniti - (a manchild) which is not correct grammatically… . (Shemot 18:3)

According to Ibn Ezra, the meanings of Biblical names are based on their sound rather than on grammatical structure. Were it not so, he points out, the name Moshe (משה) would have been Mashui (משוי).

Sforno points out another apparent inconsistency in the meanings of Biblical names – that although it seems as if the name is invented by the parent, the name often has antecedents in earlier generations.

ספורנו: על כן קראה שמו יהודה: … ונראה שהיו כל אלה שמות של קדמונים כמו שמצינו קודם לזה יהודית בת בארי וכן שמואל בן עמיהוד קודם לשמואל הנביא, והיו בוחרים מהשמות הקודמים את הנופלים על לשון המאורע. (בראשית כט:לה)

Sforno: Therefore she called his name Yehuda: … It seems that all these were names from earlier generations, such asYehudit daughter of Be'eri, and similarly Shmuel son of Amihud before the prophet Shmuel, and they chose from the earlier names those which reflected the events of the time. (Bereshit 29:35)

Sforno suggests that, for example, Leah chose the name Reuven from a pre-existing name because its sound best expressed her emotions at the time of his birth (that God saw her affliction). This helps to explain Ibn Ezra's contention that names were given for their sound rather than their grammatical structure.

As His Name Is, So He Is (כשמו כן הוא)

There are instances in which a name retroactively takes on special significance. This, according to R. Shimon Chasida was the case with the name of Yehudah.

יהודה שקידש שם שמים בפרהסיה זכה ונקרא כולו על שמו של הקב"ה. (סוטה י:)

Yehudah, who sanctified the name of heaven in public (when he declared Tamar's righteousness and his guilt), merited to be called completely by the name of God (that all four letters of God's name appear in the name of Yehudah). (Sotah 10b)

Although Yehudah's name remained the same, the fact that it included the four letters of God's name became significant based on his deeds.

This concept is also manifested in the name of Naval, who was particularly evil. His wife Avigail, when pleading on his behalf before David, stated:

אל נא ישים אדני את לבו אל איש הבליעל הזה על נבל כי כשמו כן הוא, נבל שמו ונבלה עמו. (שמואל א כה:כה)

Let not my Lord take heed of this worthless fellow, Naval, for as his name is, so he is; Naval is his name and wickedness is with him. (Shmuel I 25:25)

Certainly Naval's parents did not give him a name related to wickedness. The Da'at Mikra (on Shmuel I 25:1) suggests that the name probably related to the harp or to a flask of wine. Nevertheless, based on his repugnant behaviour, the name took on new significance.

Conclusion

The analysis of Biblical names can be a complex process. Names were often given to reflect the current reality of the family or to allude to the future events involving the child. And, at times, a name might take on a new unintended significance based on the development of the personality of the individual. As such, the study of Biblical names is a valuable exegetical tool that can provide significant insights into Biblical personalities and events, and accent the values that they reflect.

[1] The same idea is found in Rashi's comment regarding the birth of Leah's daughter Dinah (Bereshit 30:21): “Our rabbis explained that Leah enacted a judgement upon herself: ‘If this child will be a boy, my sister Rachel will not even be like one of the maidservants (she will only be able to have one son as 11 will have already been born).' Therefore, she prayed and the baby was changed to a girl.”