What's in a Name?

Several people ask for the explanation of David's name, that I read immediately following the brit. Here it is:

Our son, David Scott Shain, has the good fortune of being named for several people. He is named for my papa, David Weiner, who passed away in 2005; my grandpa, Samuel Shain, who passed away in 1992; and my grandma, Susan Shain, who passed away last October, during Sukkot. Scott is also a favorite name of Michelle’s grandma, Jean Smith, and the middle name of her uncle, Tom Smith. Tom never had children of his own, and we’re happy that his great-nephew will share his middle name (and with a little luck also his 6”4’ stature).

For David’s Hebrew name, we’ve chosen שִׂמְחָה דָוִד. דָוִד comes from the Hebrew root ד-ו-ד, which means “beloved.” It was my Papa’s Hebrew name and I would like to say a few words about my Papa at this time. He embodied the meaning of his Hebrew name as he was beloved by everyone he knew. I remember the extreme sense of loss I felt when he passed away. I was overcome with grief and I tried to understand why my sadness extended even beyond my deep sense of personal loss. Finally, I realized that at the root of this feeling was the fact that with his passing a force for good was gone from the world. Because that was what my Papa was. Good. Pure good. His heart was filled with the love of his family and the joy he felt at selflessly helping his family in every way possible was palpable. Whether it was walking the Ponkapog golf course collecting lost balls, singing songs in the kitchen or watching a Red Sox game, he wanted nothing more than to be with us and we returned this sentiment 100 fold. He never missed a family occasion, traveling frequently between his home in Florida, our house in Boston and my cousins in Chicago. My papa was a true mensch and while I can only hope that our little David will inherit my Papa’s love of helping others, I know that he will be just as beloved as my Papa was.

We chose the name שִׂמְחָה - the Hebrew word for joy or happiness– for David’s middle name because the name שִׂמְחָה begins with the same letter as my grandma’s Hebrew name, שׁוֹשַׁנָּה, and my grandpa’s Hebrew name, שְׁמוּאֵל.

During Sukkot, we often sing,
וְשָׂמַחְתָּ בְּחַגֶּךָ וְהָיִיתָ אַךְ שָׂמֵחַ

“You shall rejoice in your festival, and you shall have nothing but joy,” from דברים ט"ז, Deuteronomy 16. This past Sukkot, as my family mourned the loss of my grandma, we did not feel much joy. But a few weeks later, when Michelle and I found out that she was pregnant, we knew that joy had come to us from that difficult time. We also felt that this name was appropriate because my Grandma had a love of life that was infectious. Whether it was going out for ice cream or playing golf she enjoyed every minute of it. I will always cherish the memories I have of sitting with my grandma and grandpa learning how to play cards while eating chocolate covered graham crackers in their kitchen. Since the time I was born, my grandma always referred to me as adorable. Even towards the end of her life, as her memory began to fail, she would still call me adorable every time that she saw me. I know that somewhere she is looking down on this beautiful baby boy, who brings everyone around him such simcha, and can see just how adorable he is.