Your Name Is Your Blessing: Hebrew Names and Their Mystical Meanings

By Elaine Blech and Benjamin Blech

Book Overview

The authors write:

"Kabbalah, or Jewish mysticism, long ago realized that a person's name is far more than a means of identification. Although given at birth by parents, it carries within it Divine prophecy and providence. Indeed, after death, one of the first questions the Heavenly Court asks is if we lived up to the meanings-as well as responsibility-of our names. . . .

"Your Name Is Your Blessing: Hebrew Names and Their Mystical Meanings is the first book of Hebrew names that offers not only a comprehensive list of ancient and modern names with their meanings, but also a mystical insight, by way of gematria (the numerical value of letters), into the personality, the soul, the prophetic destiny, and the blessing of every person based on his or her name.

"In the kabbalistic system of gematria, wherein letters speak to us through their numerical meaning, the very word in Hebrew for name, shem, is the same in number as the word sefer, a book. A name has hidden in it the story of the book of one's life. To decode it is to have an almost Godly insight into oneself or another human being.

"In Your Name Is Your Blessing, we provide the answers needed for this analysis. Every name has alongside of it not only its simple meaning but also its gematria-the all important total of its letter components. Connected to it is a biblical word that shares exactly the same total and therefore sheds light on its Torah-based significance. A name and a biblical message become profoundly linked-as if the Torah spoke directly to you. That is then followed by a phrase with a succinct message that also has exactly the same gematria-and hence summarizes in yet another way what one's name expresses.

"When all of these-the name's meaning, gematria, biblical word, and equivalent phrase-are viewed together, they allow for an interpretation that may well predict one's future. That serves as the last entry for every name in this book: his or her blessing.

"With all of this information, we believe this book is a "m

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0765760533
• ISBN13: 9780765760531
• Release Date: August 1999
• Publisher: Jason Aronson, Inc.
• Length: 326 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.4" x 1.1" x 6.4"

Customer Reviews

Onomasticians, a book for your library!

If you research the history and meaning of names AND use Gematria, your results will be exquisitive! You will need this book as an auxilary. Even if "your" name is not listed in this book and you know the gematria (= numeric value) of the name, you will find a blessing of this name by Rabbi Blech. You just look up the gematric index in the back of the book, find out the allegoric name with the same gematria and the blessing there will be yours too. As you notice, I am very enthusiastic about this book!

Incredible Book!

I would recommend this book to anyone. While reading it with a circle of friends, we realized that many of the descriptions attributed to each name were amazingly accurate, and some of my friends even admited that though certain descriptions came as a shock to us, they personally recognized it as part of their personality. Even if you don't believe in the deep meanings this book has to offer, it's always just fun to read with or without friends. as always, great job Rabbi Blech!

A beautiful resource for people looking for meaningful names

What I love about this book is that it does not just give you the simple meanings. It also gives a pasuk (a verse from the Torah) that applies to the name and give you the deeper meanings of the name and blessings associated with it. I used Your Name Is Your Blessing to help find a name for my second child. I have since lent it out many times. It seems to have disappeared, so now that I am expecting again, please G-d, I am buying it again because I enjoyed it so much last time. This is a very special baby naming book. It is one you will never regret buying. Confession: I even read it way after my child my born and named, simply because I enjoyed it so much.

Excellent and interesting new take on a name book

I found this very interesting both as a baby naming book and as an interesting and enlightening (and even fun!) insight into friends' and family names. In addition to the usual content of Hebrew-English name books, this book adds the additional "spin" of giving insight into such names based on the recognized Jewish mystical concept of "gematria" (which Rabbi Blech explains very well in the preface and which uses the numerical value of Hebrew letters and thus of Hebrew words and names to make linkages between different concepts with like numerical values -- I'm not explaining it well, so you'll have to read it there!).