Levav Chanan

Friday morning we celebrated the arrival of our son with his brit mila. Here's the scoop on how we chose his name. Pictures of the celebration to follow.


Levav. Levav's first name was chosen based on two sources that spoke to us. First, from the Shema, ואהבת את יי אלוהך בכל לבבך, you should love the Lord with all your heart." The Mishna in Brachot states that "with all your hearts" refers to both of our inclinations, not only good but bad as well. We want him to live his life in a way that everything he does he does with all of him, with his whole heart.  The second source where the name Levav is mentioned is in Hatikva, Israel's national anthem כל עוד בלבב פנימה  נפש יהודי הומיה as long as within the heart a Jewish soul yearns". This is particuarly relevant as he was born on exactly the one year anniversary of our arrival in Israel. We want Levav to hear his name every time he hears Hatikva, as if it is being spoken to him personally. As long as within Levav, a Jewish soul yearns. We hope that his name serves as a compass to him, no matter where he goes or where he ends up, he will always know where his home is.

His middle name, Chanan, is after my grandmother, Chana, who passed away last week as we were eagerly anticipating his over-due arrival. I was named for her (Chana's) mother, Miriam, and now we have the honor to continue the chain in naming Chanan. His full name is a perfect remembrance of my grandmother as nothing filled her heart (Lev) more than her grandchildren. She was a very special woman, who had grace and dignity and was a true lady in every sense of the word. The definition of the name Chanan is compassion, which perfectly fits the mourning process for our family, while we have lost her, god has shown us compassion in giving us a beautiful baby boy to celebrate and take comfort in.

The little guy already showing signs of a spunky personality- as soon as the Mohel opened his diaper to begin the bris, Lev peed all over him. Can't wait to share more stories about this new addition to our family.