Name Dropping
The preference Jacob had for the name Benjamin-Son of the South (Israel) over Rachel’s’ choice, Ben Oni-the Son of My Pain, for their last son, reflects the way Jacob viewed life in general. Never forgetful of the travail that he lived through, he was committed to the “Land of Israel” mentality of optimism, joy and growth.
“Son of the South”
Benjamin was the twelfth and last of Jacob’s sons to be born. This week’s Parsha recounts the tragic circumstances surrounding his birth:
“…Rachel gave birth and had difficulty in her childbirth. …As her soul was departing — for she died — that she called his name Ben Oni [the son of my pain], but his father called him Benjamin.”
What is the meaning of the name Benjamin? Rashi explains that it translates as “the son of the south,” a reference to the Land of Canaan, Israel which was south of Aram, from where Jacob traveled. By naming his son “Son of the south” Jacob meant to acknowledge that he alone of all his children was born in the land of Israel.
Even a cursory analysis of this incident begs a question. Why did Jacob not keep the name that his beloved wife Rachel gave her son on her deathbed? Why did he prefer the name Benjamin (Son of the South, i.e. Israel) over Ben Oni (Son of My Pain)?
In truth, this is not the first time Jacob changed a name given by someone else. In last week’s Parsha Jacob and his shifty uncle Laban finally made a pact between themselves. Jacob then had a monument of stones built to serve as testimony to their new relationship. The Torah then relates that Laban first named this monument “Yagar Sahaduta,” Aramaic for “the Mound is a witness,” whereas Jacob then named it “Gal’ed” which is Hebrew for the same thing.
Difference between Hebrew and Aramaic
By understanding why Jacob insisted on referring to the monument by its Hebrew name rather than by its Aramaic name given by Laban, we will also have the key to answering the question about his naming of Benjamin.
The difference between Hebrew and Aramaic is clarified in the Jerusalem Talmud: Hebrew is the language suited for Torah, whereas Aramaic is the language that is suited for the expression of grief.
It is interesting to note, parenthetically, that some commentators suggest that this might be the reason why the Kadish prayer — recited by mourners— has been composed in Aramaic.
The Holy Tongue is the language that expresses G-dly
wisdom. And anything associated with G-d is by definition associated with joy and optimism.
Transforming Conflict into Medium for Growth
When Jacob built the monument that would create a separation between himself and Laban, Laban, in his typical negative and suspicious manner, viewed it as a precaution against Jacob’s possible trespassing into his turf. Laban was preoccupied with the danger Jacob posed to him that could be avoided by way of this monument. Jacob, by contrast, had a more sanguine view of this monument. To Jacob it symbolized the ability to transform a conflict into a medium for growth.
Similarly, the preference Jacob had for the name Benjamin- Son of the South (Israel) over Rachel’s’ choice, Ben Oni-the Son of My Pain, for their last son, reflects the way Jacob viewed life in general. Never forgetful of the travail that he lived through, he was committed to the “Land of Israel” mentality of optimism, joy and growth.
19th of Kislev
This Shabbos, which occurs on the nineteenth of Kislev, is the Chassidic Holiday known as Yud-Tes-Kislev. It is the anniversary of the liberation from Czarist imprisonment of the founder of the Chabad Chassidic movement, R. Schneur Zalman of Liadi. This day has been celebrated by Chassidim for over two centuries as the holiday of victory for the ideals and teachings of Chassidism, among which one finds the idea of joy and optimism that is borne out of a firm belief in G-d and His closeness to us.
Even when we see conditions of exile and barriers that give the appearance of negativity and grief, the person imbued with Chassidic vision and vitality, views it in a positive, upbeat, Israel and Moshiach oriented manner.
Indeed, it is interesting to note, the word Benjamin also connotes the “Son of the [end of] Days,” a Biblical reference to the end of exile and the beginning of the imminent Redemption. With the positive and joyous attitude of Chassidus, we will hasten the Redemption, at which time there will be true peace and joy in Israel and for the entire world.
From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Vayishlach by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
