Bais HaVaad on the Parsha, Parshas Lech Lecha

Name Calling

October 30, 2025

Excerpted and adapted from a shiur by Rav Moshe Ze’ev Granek

And the people of Sdom were wicked and sinful to Hashem, exceedingly.

Bereishis 13:13

Rashi comments that Chazal associated the idea that vesheim resha’im yirkav (the name of the wicked will rot—Mishlei 10:7) with this pasuk. Chazal also say that one should not name a child after a rasha (Yoma 38b). Tosfos, Tosfos Yeshanim, and the Ritva appear to understand this as an actual issur, and they ask how the Tana R’ Yishmael could be named after the rasha Yishmael.[1]   

Tosfos (Ksubos 104b) asks how a Tana in the Mishnah could be named Shevna, a rasha in the time of Yeshayah (as evident from the Gemara in Sanhedrin). Rabeinu Tam answers that the name was Shachna, not Shevna. But the Ri (Tosfos, Shabbos 12b) answers based on other psukim that there was a different Shevna who was a tzadik.

The Hafla’ah (Ksubos 104b) says Rabeinu Tam agrees that one may give a child a common name even if a rasha was among those who bore it, he just maintains that a child should not be given an uncommon name originally borne by a well-known rasha.

[1] Some of the answers given to this question are that Yishmael did teshuvah, and that because Hashem Himself gave Yishmael his name, we may use it. Rabeinu Chananel says there is no prohibition; the Gemara is only recommending not to use the name of a rasha, because it may cause a person not to have good mazal.