Machshava:

Chinuch 

Parsha:

Lech Lecha 

Description

One theme that courses beneath the narratives of Sefer Bereishit is the theme of names. From the day of creation- when Hashem gives names to day, night, heaven and earth- to Adam HaRishon’s naming of all the animals on earth, to the names that parents give to their children across the generations- naming plays a prominent role throughout this Sefer and beyond… Yet in this week’s parsha, names play an even more prominent role. For the first time, G-d changes a person’s name- as He changes Avram’s name to Avraham and Sarai’s name to Sarah. In addition, twice in our Parsha Hashem tells parents what to name their sons- Hagar is told to name her son Yishmael and Avraham is told to name his son Yitzchak. Why does G-d play a much more active role in the process of naming in this week’s parsha?