NEVER CHANGE A NAME

It was customary in Belz that when a woman wanted to bring a Kvittal to Maran Reb Aharon of Belz zt”l, his gabbai Reb Shulem Foigel a”h used to be in the room together with an additional  person.

A Chassid relates that he was summoned to be in the room with Reb Shulem when a woman presented her Kvittal.  Reb Shulem read the Kvittal, which listed all her children’s names, while it appeared that Reb Aharon was dozing off.

Suddenly, when Reb Shulem read one of the children’s names, “טובה” – Maran said: “Nu.” And Reb Shulem – knowing the rite – started reading from the beginning of the list, repeating all the names all over again.  But when he said the name “Tova “ again, Maran Reb Aharon interrupted him again until the woman exclaimed with wonder: “My daughter’s name is like the name of Reb Elimelech’s mother!”.  

Maran replied: “The name of the Rebbe Reb Elimelech’s mother was Gittel – and G-d forbid, don’t change it to Tova!”

A word of explanation: Tova translates to “good,” and many people who arrived in Israel wanted their children to have Hebraised names instead of those used at home in the old world, mainly in Yiddish.  The name “Gittel” translates from Yiddish as “the small good one,” so they used to give the name “Tovah.”

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