Calling Things by Their Name

Thursday, 4 Cheshvan 5787
From "MiShulchan Shlomo" · Issue 299 · Parshat Bereshit

Yaniv ZadokFrom the heart, for learning and for action

Inspired by the holy writings "MiShulchan Shlomo" (Issue 299, Parshat Bereshit) by our master and teacher the Yanuka, the Gaon Rabbi Shlomo Yehuda shlit"a, a hidden mystery of our generation.

The Holy One brought all the animals before Adam, "to see what he would call them." And Adam gave each one of them a name. And whatever Adam called it, so it remained: "and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name."

This week's "MiShulchan Shlomo" brings the words of the commentators: Adam did not give names at random. He saw every creature down to its root, according to its appearance and its deeds, and called it by the right name. And from then until today, no one has come and said that the name does not fit. Rabbi Saadia Gaon adds that Adam named not only the animals, but everything in the world: plants, tools, stars. Every name a thing has in the Holy Tongue to this day came from his mouth.

🦁 A wisdom greater than the angels

The Midrash tells that when the Holy One consulted with the ministering angels about creating man, they asked: "This man, what is his nature?" And the Holy One answered: "His wisdom is greater than yours." He brought before them the animal, the beast and the bird, and asked: "This one, what is its name?" And they did not know. And Adam knew: this is an ox, this is a donkey, this is a horse, and this is a camel.

The Chizkuni explains that this wisdom came from the breath of life the Holy One blew into Adam's nostrils. He saw things the way the Creator sees them.

👀 Seeing before reacting

We too give names all the time. "He is lazy." "She is difficult." "This client is a problem." "This child doesn't listen." But most of our names do not come from seeing down to the root. They come from one moment, from fatigue, from a first impression. And it is true at work as well: a supplier who was late with a delivery once becomes "an unreliable supplier," even after ten precise deliveries. One name, and from that moment that is all we see.

And the problem is that a name, once given, sticks. Not only in our eyes. Sometimes in the eyes of the person himself. Whoever is called "lazy" enough times starts to believe it. And whoever is seen for his strength starts to discover it.

🌱 A name by the root

The commentators write that Adam named each thing "according to its appearance and its deeds." Not according to what it did in one moment, but according to what it truly is. And that is the difference between judging and seeing. Judging sees a deed. Seeing sees the person behind the deed.

An employee who is late may be holding a home together alone. A child who erupts may be asking to be seen. A client who argues may simply be afraid of making a mistake. Whoever sees down to the root almost always finds someone it is possible to love.

And the Midrash adds that King Solomon was even wiser than Adam in this wisdom. He spoke "of the beasts and of the birds," and revealed the inner reasons of the mitzvot within them. In other words, the deeper we see, the more we understand. And the more we understand, the easier it is to love.

🧭 Another tool: "What else is true?"

Here is a small tool for the moments when the negative name is already on the tip of your tongue. Ask yourself: What else is true about this person? If he is "difficult," what else is true? Perhaps that he is also honest to the core. If she is "slow," perhaps she is also thorough, and never misses a detail.

The question does not cancel the difficulty. It restores the full picture, the way Adam saw it. And whoever asks it enough times discovers that the people around him have changed. In truth, his eyes have changed.

✨ And you, what is your name?

And the Midrash continues. After Adam had named all the creatures, the Holy One asked him: "And you, what is your name?" He answered: "It is fitting for me to be called 'Adam,' for I was created from the earth (adamah)." And He asked: "And I, what is My name?" He answered: "It is fitting for You to be called 'Ado-nai,' for You are Master over all Your creatures."

Whoever sees the creatures truly sees himself with humility, and the Creator in His greatness. May we merit to see every person down to the root, and to call them by their good name.

Good luck, and Shabbat Shalom soon 🌹

Yaniv