Okay so, Yonah Halleli is Robby’s Hebrew name and here’s why.
Yonah is Jonah and I trust that at least a few of us remember the Jonah got eaten by a whale thing, at least from popular culture?
But that really isn’t the part of Yonah I want to focus on (even though Robby loves to make whale references in a lot of my fics because he doesn’t like his body, but that’s a separate thing).
Let me be frank, Yonah sucks. He’s not a good guy. He fucks a lot of shit up. But he has so many aspects of him that make me think of Robby.
Lemme give ya some backstory. So, G-d says Yonah is supposed to go to this city called Nineveh and foretell its destruction, to warn the people so they don’t die. But Yonah didn’t want to, those were his people’s enemies, he didn’t believe that his people would be safe if these others remained, or that G-d would keep them safe. But when he tried to flee from his task, G-d sent storms and nearly killed all the sailors with them on the ship Yonah was using to flee. Yonah insisted that if the sailors threw him into the sea that they would be spared. He insisted they cast him overboard until they finally did and well — big fish ate him.
Anyway, the idea of having this doubt in G-d, this divine calling and then trying to escape from it, but still trying to save others along the way — and wasn’t that your calling in the first place? 🤔 sounds like someone trying to vroom vroom away on a motorcycle.
Halleli is a derivative of the word Hallelujah, or praise/my praise.
Yonah, also means dove and the dove is a universal symbol of peace.
I love the idea of Robby’s name being something stamped on his neshama, his soul and what greater thing to want to praise for our boy than peace?
Fun fact: the name John isn't actually a short version of Jonathan, as one might think. Instead, it's the English version of the Hebrew name Yoḥanan, meaning "G-d has freely given", roughly. Jonathan is also of Hebrew origin, meaning "G-d has gifted", more or less.
The h in John is actually a remains from the ח in the name it came from - a letter that isn't present in Jonathan. Which actually explains why Jon as a nickname for Jonathan shouldn't have an h in it.
The interesting part comes when you realize that the reason both names start so similarly is because they both are theophoric names that start with G-d's name - and I do mean the Name, not the Hebrew word for god. Other names that are similar include Joachim, Joshua (technically Jesus as well), and possibly a couple of other names that are common in English.
This leads to the conclusion that Jo is the most common way to transcribe G-d's name in English. Which is kind of funny, because in the Mishnah, on one occasion when G-d's Name sort of needs to be uttered, the stand in written is "Yose", a common shortening of Joseph during that time. So, kind of like Joe.
I love and feel connected to several names that I want to choose for my Hebrew name and thus I am unsure which one to pick! My chosen English name is Sage (which means “wise; healing herb”) & my birth English name was Megan (which means “pearl”). Also, I was raised in an interfaith household of mostly Catholic with some Judaism, so I didn’t get to have a bat mitzvah when I was younger. Hence why I’m choosing my Hebrew name as an adult. To clarify, I’m of Russian Jewish descent which is why I’m considering Russian Jewish names for my Hebrew name.
Name Meanings:
*Miriam or Masha - Beloved
*Marva - Sage
*Mushka - Nutmeg
*Simcha or Sima - Joy
*Anya - He has favored me
*Zelda - Happiness
Also. these names I’m considering are for the first part of my Hebrew name since I’m solidly sure about the second part, Yosefa, in honor of my late Poppy.
this is purely headcanon but knowing the pines twins are jewish, i would like to posit that their hebrew names are miriam for mabel and moshe for dipper (mason)
not only is it double alliteration (miriam/mabel, moshe/mason), but miriam and moshe (moses) are siblings in exodus
Messianic Judaism isn’t real it’s just another way Christians keep trying to steal Jewish culture (note: not interfaith families existing, but christians stealing) there is no such thing as “Jews for Jesus”.
There are def interfaith and conflicting faith situations in families and in individuals but “Jews for Jesus” is an antisemitic movement to try and pretend Jews and christians are like one in the same.
Odds and Ends: Ideas and Pointers for Those Choosing a New Hebrew Name
Preamble: Alright, so I've been thinking a while about making a large post about some pointers and whatnot about those who need to choose a hebrew name. This is oftentimes the final step toward a person's conversion before they appear before the beit din, and as such, I think a lot of people are intimidated by this notion. Your name is what you'll be called when you make aliyah to read Torah, and - should you choose - it will be the name which you hear on your wedding day and it will be the name included in your child/ren's own hebrew name. It's important, then, that the name you choose is not only yours, but that you feel satisfied with your choice, knowing that there was no other name meant for you.
Disclaimer: This post is primarily directed toward those converting, but I believe these pointers should only be considered by those who are nearing the end of their conversion. This is because I think the process of conversion should not stress you out in a negative way. You should avoid feeling overwhelmed by all the things you need to do Right Now - I promise, you can take all the time you need. In addition, this post isn't a substitute for you making a choice. Your name should come from you, ultimately.
Below the cut is the entire thread of ideas and pointers
Consider important milestones in your journey
One of my first big milestone in my jewish journey was celebrating a holiday with my brand-new community, which happened to be purim. What made my experience such a monumental moment was celebrating with the people I've since come to loved was the moment I could truly say that this must be the place. If you have a moment like that, consider how you might be able to connect it with your name. In my case, I got lucky since there's pretty obvious choices that directly tie to my experiences
2. Consider the type of jewish life you want to live
Are there certain characteristics, types of people, or experiences that you want to have in your life as a jew? So, for instance, part of the reason I chose mordechai as one of my names (more on this later) was because I admired mordechai's bravery and unwillingness to compromise who he is, as well as his wisdom in the face of peril. Those are traits I want to emulate - I want to be proud of being jewish, and I am.
3. Ask your community what they think
While I believe that your name choice should be yours, I think it can be helpful to see how other people interpret you and what would potentially suit you. Oftentimes, outsiders will consider characteristics about yourself that you haven't - and they likely interpret you in a better light than you interpret yourself through! You are under no obligation to please anyone with your choice, but if you're in a rut, you might find inspiration from others
4. You don't have to choose just one name
It's not unheard of for jews to have two names, and hell, one of the few born-jews in my shul have two names. If you're caught up between two great options, see how they sound together. You might just find that having two names more fully embodies your essence than just one
5. Think about the naming conventions within the community you're part of
What helped narrow my scope was that I didn't particularly want to name myself the same name as someone else at shul. Depending on your community, that might just be minhag in general.
6. You don't have to make your hebrew name the same (or even similar!) to your name
Some of the converts in my shul decided to take their 'secular' name and find the hebrew equivalent of it to use. That is 100% an option and it's very practical, but you do not have to do this, even if your name wouldn't stand out as a hebrew one (such as naomi, michael, david, or esther). My hebrew names and my 'secular' name couldn't be more different if they tried, you can absolutely choose whatever you want!
7. Experiment
When I was in the final stages of conversion, I started to want to experiment so that I was 100% confident that I was making the best decision for myself. I personally chose to make new saves in a few of my games and use my hebrew name as my character's name since I am, unfortunately for myself, a gamer at my core. You might have similar opportunities to use your name/s and see how it feels. Whenever it is used, though, make sure to take note about how you feel after. If someone uses it, does it feel like they're addressing you? Does it feel right to hear that name used on you? While you might not want to base your decision entirely off of this (since I believe you absolutely grow into any name just as much as it grows into you), you might want to see your reaction and use it as a frame of reference.
Final thoughts: You have no obligations to anyone in your conversion other than the obligations you have to yourself to do be authentic. None of these ideas or pointers are prescriptivist - you don't have to do any of them to have a 'good name.' Take what works and leave the rest - your jewish life should enrich you, enliven you, and you can only do that when you are allowed to explore what you want. If you have your own ideas, experiences, amendments, redactions, whatever concern it may be - share it. We all enrich our beatiful history and community when we all share something
