+ Do You Remember Names?

Across the world tonight people will be reading names.  Six million names. Incredible that we choose to recall names as our mode of memory, when so many of us struggle with recalling names of people whom we’ve just met. Still, it makes sense.  Often, in fantasy, sharing your name shows a deep level of trust, because a name is key to unlocking the most powerful spells.  Hebrew names have layers of meaning, from the literal translation to mystical numerical interpretation or Gematria. Our names have meaning to us, whether connected to stories of great grandparents, imbedded in the meaning of the name itself, or because we have our own history with our names – both good and bad.  As the poet Zelda suggests, we have names given to us by parents and friends and teachers.  We have nicknames and work names and names we are called by children.  Camp names, silly names, names that are ours we never use.

Tomorrow, honor memory in the present.  When you meet someone pay attention to his name.  When you remember his name, you see him and he feels seen, known.  Yes, we may forget names, however hard we try, but in this action of intentional memory we infuse the day with extra power, a bit of seeing. And isn’t that the point of reading all of those names tonight? It’s not the names really, it’s seeing those individuals, recognizing that each had a story, a family, and probably many other names by which they were called.

Holocaust Remebrance Day, Yom HaShoah, begins tonight.

Rabbi Michael Mellen