In his famous sonnet, William Shakespeare writes, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.”1 While Shakespeare argues that names are meaningless, Judaism subscribes to the opposite approach. We find in Parshat Lech-Lecha that the very first Jew, Avraham Avinu, had his name changed by G-d in order to reorient his life’s mission: “but your name shall be Avraham, for I make you the father of a multitude of nations.”2

Oddly enough, however, Mordechai, one of the main protagonists of Megillat Esther, has a name with bizarre origins. In the Da’at Mikra commentary on Esther, famed Bible scholar Amos Hakham argues that the name Mordechai comes from the Babylonian god “Marduk.” Deported Jews of that generation had been forced to change their names to assimilated ones, in order to blur their Jewish identities.3 Yet despite Mordechai’s secular name, Chazal surprisingly attempt to search for its holy connotations. In Mesechet Chullin, Rav Mattana was asked the question, “Mordechai min ha-Torah minayin?,” “where is [the name] Mordechai [hinted] in the Torah?” Rav Mattana responds with a verse describing a spice from the anointing oil in the Mishkan, “mar dror”, “myrrh.”4, 5 If Mordechai’s name historically comes from an assimilated background, why do Chazal try to infuse holiness within it? Shouldn’t we leave his name as is?

Perhaps we can answer this through a different mysterious identification of Mordechai. Interestingly, Mordechai is not introduced until the second chapter of Esther, after Achashverosh’s party. Addressing this delayed introduction, the midrash in Esther Rabbah compares Mordechai to Moshe, Shaul, and David HaMelech.6 All four of these leaders are introduced in the Torah as “redeemers” following a specific narrative: Moshe after description of Bnei Yisrael in slavery; Shaul following attacks from outside nations; David after Goliath’s threat; and Mordechai after Achashverosh’s quest to find a new wife.7 However, there is a major difference between the first three leaders and Mordechai. While they are appointed through prophecy directly by G-d, Mordechai has no prophecy. Rather, Mordechai is anointed in the most inconspicuous way: his niece, Esther, wins Achashverosh’s heart, providing them an in within the royal palace, which would ultimately help them save the entire Jewish people from Haman’s wrath. 

Perhaps this is where Chazal was coming from when comparing Mordechai’s name to the myrrh within the anointing oil. Mordechai, the Diasporic "ish yehudi" with a pagan name, single-handedly transforms his own identity by acting on behalf of his nation. Chazal thus fittingly compare him to “myrrh,” an ingredient in the anointing oil, because he was able to anoint himself to save the Jewish people. Through this, he turns into an example for all Diasporic generations to come, thereby securing Jewish continuity.

Endnotes

1. Romeo and Juliet, II, ii (47-48).

2. Bereshit 17:5.

3. See Da’at Mikra, Megillat Esther 2:6. A similar occurrence takes place in Daniel 1:7, where we witness King Belshazzar changing the names of Daniel, Chananiah, Mishael, and Azariah to names of Bablyonian gods in order to further assimilate them into Babylonian society. 

4. 139b.

5. Shemot 30:23.

6. 5:4.

7. See Shemot 3:7, Shmuel I 9:16, and Shmuel I 16:7-12.