Reply To: Meanings of the names Zelig and Zalman

Home Forums Bais Medrash Minhagim Meanings of the names Zelig and Zalman Reply To: Meanings of the names Zelig and Zalman

#997016
Mammele
Participant

What I’m saying is that because these names were already transliterated by those before us, it has gotten some chashivus and uniformity. Spelling of names (especially by Gittin) is no simple matter. I may spell Adolph differently than you, the next guy can have another way of spelling it, and it can lead to a lot of confusion and problems as to which one is “correct”. I am not sure you are right about Psukim as there are names that don’t have a corresponding Posuk. I was assuming, and perhaps I’m wrong, that since English names are different many of them might not have Psukim.

Now, to throw in a monkey wrench, if I am a Bal Tshuva for example and want to give the ” English” name John after my Grandfather, can I spell it Yud Aleph Hei Nun? Nobody ever called him Johnathon nor did he have that on his birth certificate, and I think English names are just as holy as Yiddish/Hebrew ones… I know you didn’t mean that, I’m just trying to point out the difference. Yes, despite names like Yitzchok Eizik in Yiddish, using English now would be a disaster… Yiddish names with all their imperfections are pretty much established.