For those who couldn’t be at our son’s bris, this is the explanation of his name:
Adar Lev Goldman
Our son, when you are old enough to ask why we chose to name you Adar Lev, this is what we will tell you.
Our family’s history is inextricably bound to the struggles and triumphs of the Jewish people. As your parents, we learned this lesson in a deeply personal way. Fourteen weeks into your mother’s pregnancy, we learned that both of us are recessive carriers of an extremely rare and terrifying genetic disease linked to our shared history as Jews from Eastern Europe. This history, which had shaped so much of our identities, was now literally threatening your life. For six agonizing weeks, we waited to find out whether you were affected by the disease – a one in four chance.
On Friday, February 18, 2011 – the fourteenth day of the month Adar according to the Jewish calendar – we received the phone call that we had hoped and prayed so hard for. You were not a affected and everything was going to be okay. This was one of the happiest days of our lives.
When it came time to pick your name, we wanted it to capture the immense joy we felt that day. We chose your first name as Adar for several reasons.
First, in Hebrew, Adar has the same root as אדיר, which means strength.
Second, Adar is the month we found out you were ok.
Third, Adar is the most joyous month in the Jewish calendar. In Adar, we celebrate Purim, which commemorates the metamorphosis of the Jewish people’s fortune from bad to good and is therefore known as the month of good fortune. It also happens that your mother’s Hebrew name is Esther, the heroine of the Purim story.
Fourth, when there is a leap year in the Jewish calendar, an additional month of “Adar” is added to the calendar and called the “pregnant” month. 5771, the year you were born, is such a year.
Finally, you are named in memory of my Grandma Annie, a woman who was filled with the spirit and joy of life in everything that she did.
Your middle name, Lev, which in Hebrew means “heart,” is in memory of Emily’s Grandpa Lenny, who we felt was watching over you. The day we found out you were ok was Grandpa Lenny’s English Yartzeit.
Adar Lev, like all parents, we hope your life will be free from struggle or challenge. However, we know that many times in life, struggle is unavoidable. But we also know that some of life’s most powerful and meaningful experiences come only after overcoming great obstacles and grappling with life’s many complexities. It is our hope for you that the strength and heart of your name will embolden you to seek out and embrace the joy and sweetness of all of life’s moments.
There is a famous line from the Mishnah that says “mishenichnas adar, marbim b’simchah,” — “when Adar arrives, we increase our joy.” This line has been turned into a song, and we hope that you will help us welcome Adar to this world by joining us in this song.
7 months ago