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Question
When I was going to fill in a synagogue membership application, they asked for my Jewish name. I do not have a Jewish name. Can I just give myself a Jewish name? How does it work? If so, can I pick any name I fancy?
Answer
In
essence, any name that a person is called by for thirty days, it becomes his/her
Halachic name. A
new name can be established by friends calling you and referring to you as such,
for at least thirty days - (source: "Code of Jewish Law" E.H. 129: "Bet
Shmuel" 33 there; "Igrot Moshe" by R' M. Feinstein, E.H. IV 104). The
custom is that the new name can be given via a special "Mi Sh'Berech" by the rabbi
in the synagogue. Usually the "Mi Sh'Berech" is for a newborn, but with minor
changes, the rabbi can use it for an adult name change. There is also a
"Name Change" prayer for the ill (found in most prayer books at the end of Psalms),
which may be adapted to a "Name Change" prayer, for the healthy.
Rabbi Shraga Simmons
Aish.com
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