What's in a name? From our knowledge of Jewish names, we know
that, contrary to Shakespeare's opinion, a rose by any other
name would probably be some other fragrant flower! We know
that there is a prophecy granted to parents to name their
children, otherwise how could the Heavenly decree which
determines the future shidduch "Ploni ben Almoni" with
"Plonis bas Almonis" ever be carried out? Obviously,
the name was decreed in Heaven and needs to be transmitted
somehow here below! The details are somewhat exciting when we
look closely.
I have been blessed with the singular Hashgocha Protis to be
dubbed a "bas Avrohom Ovinu". For my Jewish first
name, I decided on Tziporah. I have since met many Feigels,
Tziporah Feigels and just plain Tziporahs, many of whom
express wonder at someone who would of her own free will and
choice become a "birdie"! Most of them were named after an
aunt or great-grandmother and none of them were consulted
personally. I enjoy pointing out the positive reasons for
which I chose my name.
Tziporah was, after all, a convert. She recognized Moshe
Rabbenu's great qualities and she wanted to be part of his
future, no matter what her father or the other Midianites
thought. According to the Midrash, she nourished him in the
pit until she reminded her father, Yisro, of his existence.
She rescued him from imminent danger on their way back to
Egypt and must have earned a great reward for her insight and
decisive action.
I considered that her life was more akin to my own than
Ruth's or Batya's, as I had also been drawn to my husband out
of fascination for his vision, and I had to push myself past
the barriers of my upbringing (read: parents and my Catholic
schooling) to marry him (not under a chuppa). Some
years later, I also had to make a decisive move (learn all
about Torah, accept the Yoke and complete a halachic
conversion with a Beis Din) on this decision in order
to merit to bring my son to his bris mila. I was eager
to continue to follow in the footsteps of my famous
namesake!
A well-meaning friend, a Beis Yaakov alumnus, no less, tried
to convince me to choose another name. She tried to scare me
off by telling me I'd need to be called Tzippy to be
considered Modern. I wasn't concerned about modernity or
impressions. I wasn't changing my life to be cute! She said
people would think I chose the name because I liked singing
and music. (I really do like singing!) I wasn't concerned
with what people think. I began to wonder what she had
against this noble name and stuck to my decision.
About four years after I officially became Tziporah, we
merited to make aliya. Yet two or three years later, I
heard a lecture about Parshas Yisro. Wonder of wonders!
Tziporah's father had been an intense seeker of truth. He had
scrutinized all of the idolatry in his generation and hadn't
stop looking until he arrived at the Source of all truth.
This gave him the unique privilege of having a Torah portion
named after him. But not just ANY one. The portion which is
named for Yisro is the parsha of Mattan
Torah!
Thus, many years after my conversion, Hashem showed me
another aspect of the prophecy inherent in my name. I had
indeed spent 31 years learning everything I could about the
world, its inhabitants, the nature of man and his inner
struggle to return to G-d, before I was brought into the
tzon kodoshhim, that flock of saints otherwise known
as Jews.
I had become a bas Avrohom because I had been a bas
Yisro. (No, my husband's name isn't Moses and my
biological father isn't called Jethro.)
*
A word of encouragement to my fellow converted brothers and
sisters. When one is requested to tell one's story, one often
feels probed to reveal just how sincere one has been and
whether or not the conversion process was kosher or not. We
do our best to be grateful that there are Jews who are
honestly concerned about these matters.
When my husband and I began to learn about Judaism, we were
bombarded with ideas and strategies from people who had
succeeded in skipping some of the official `hurdles.' Thank
goodness, we recognized that these hurdles, as painful as
they seemed, gave us time to digest the rich menu, and the
stamina to endure worse trials in life. The best advice was
to get a translation of the Kitzur Shulchon Oruch and
begin to study it.
We had at the time already read certain translations of
various Yiddish novels which provided a smudged and opaque
window to the soul of the East European Jew, and caused us to
realize that we were missing something very basic. We had
also been introduced to certain Jewish topics as a result of
our interest in Yiddish songs. Also here, I don't suggest
getting involved with archival remnants. We are glad we left
these vestiges of the past behind. The thrust behind their
creation was a human desire to be like the goyim, with
theater, but our own theater. As Naomi cautioned Ruth, the
Jews don't frequent amphitheaters and circuses. The themes of
the songs were not so noble and not necessarily character-
building. These books and songs were the signs of a breach
which drew the Jews away from Torah. The results were
disastrous, but Hashem in His wisdom knew how to use these
holes in the fence to draw remnants of His people back in.
The traffic can go both ways. May the streams continue on
their new momentum to gush inward!
When we'd acquired our copy of the Kitzur Shulchon
Oruch, we were a bit overwhelmed, but we forged on ahead.
Slowly, we began to make contact with the more serious
congregants, who saw our sincerity and guided us to seek
information from out-of-town. When we went to visit our
family back home, we were delighted to find Orthodox
communities in the neighborhood and we were elated to see
them following the Shulchon Oruch to the letter! We
had finally reached the source!
Whenever I'm asked to detail my beginnings, I am delighted to
know that there are Jews who are interested in their
converted sisters and take the time to check them out.
How encouraging it is to know that there are watchmen at the
gates! Just as Yosef Hatzaddik forgave his brothers for
selling him into slavery as he knew they were great
tzaddikim, and even more so, just as Dovid Hamelech
held his brothers in high esteem despite their opinion of him
while his true identity was pending, so must we know that
when the Jew, frum or not, questions the convert's
right to call himself a ben or bas Avrohom, he
is exercising his responsbility to ensure pure Jewish lineage
for the generations to come. When it's a non-relgious Jew,
it's his pintele Yid which prods him on. When it's a
frum Yid, it's his whole life's conviction. How can we
afford to be embarrassed or insulted?
Thank goodness they're bold enough to ask. This is indeed,
our great, chosen objective!
