Parashat Chayei Sarah: The Men With No Names

 Let’s play a game.

I will list a few famous people who have been known by a different name and see how many of them you can recognise. 

1.    Katheryn Hudson…………………………..	Katy Perry
2.    Bernard Webb……………………………...	Paul McCartney’s pseudonym
3.    Emanuel Goldenberg…………………….	Edward G. Robinson
4.    Robert Galbraith…………………………...	J.K Rowling
5.    John Carter…………………………………	Charlton Heston (aka Moses)
6.    Margarita Cansino………………………...	Rita Hayworth

How many did you answer correctly?!

The people I have listed changed their names for several reasons.  Some, because they wished to adopt a pseudonym for their writing career, a case in point being JK Rowling whose alter ego was created so that she could write crime novels for a ‘neutral audience’ without having to live up to the expectation, hype and pressure associated with being the creator of Harry Potter.

Others, such as Edward G. Robinson, who was born in Romania, made the choice to further his career in Hollywood at a time where antisemitism in America was rife.  As a nod to his proud Jewish roots, he kept the ‘G’ to remind him of his original surname.

Sir Paul McCartney’s decision to write a song for the duo Peter and Gordon called ‘Woman’, under the pseudonym of Bernard Webb, at the height of Beatlemania stemmed from his curiosity in wanting to know whether it would be a hit without being associated with the Lennon McCartney catalogue.  It reached #28 in the UK Charts (although it did hit #1 in Canada).

A decade ago, Stephnie and I changed our surname from ‘Wolf’ to ‘Vecht-Wolf’ as a mark of respect to honour my maternal grandfather’s family and associate myself with both the sizeable Vecht and Wolf dynasties.

As you will be aware, in this country, after the war, many Jewish people had no choice but to anglicise their names in order to obtain a job, particularly during the challenging years leading up to the creation of the State of Israel.

Names matter because they define us.  One of the first sounds a baby hears is its name and at a very early age, knows that this is a word they want to be able to pronounce.

Which leads us to ask a question about the main protagonist of this week’s Parasha of Chayei Sarah, namely Eliezer, Avraham’s servant, who is sent on a mission to find a wife for his master’s son, Yitzchak.

If you search through the entire text which describes the journey he took to Aram Naharayim in the region of Haran, you won’t find a single mention of his name.  In Chapter 24.34, he even refers to himself as ‘Avraham’s servant’ when he meets Rivka’s family.

Chazal explain that the reason for this lies in the fact that Eliezer knew that the focus of his journey was to find a wife for his master’s son.  In doing so, he was carrying out Avraham’s express wishes and as an extremely loyal servant, was effectively an ‘extension of his master’s hand’.  His greatness therefore lay in his decision to remain anonymous.  He completely subsumed his own identity to honour the oath he had given to Avraham and recognised Gd’s hand in enabling him to find the ‘Rose among thorns’ (as described by the Midrash – Vayikra Rabba 23.1).

Many miles from here lies the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey.  This soldier whose name and rank we don’t know and whose existence we have little knowledge of, sacrificed his life to ensure that we can stand here today in freedom.  On his grave is written the following:

BENEATH THIS STONE RESTS THE BODY OF A BRITISH WARRIOR UNKNOWN BY NAME OR RANK
BROUGHT FROM FRANCE TO LIE AMONG THE MOST ILLUSTRIOUS OF THE LAND
AND BURIED HERE ON ARMISTICE DAY 11 NOV: 1920,  IN THE PRESENCE OF HIS MAJESTY KING GEORGE V, HIS MINISTERS OF STATE, THE CHIEFS OF HIS FORCES AND A VAST CONCOURSE OF THE NATION THUS ARE COMMEMORATED THE MANY MULTITUDES WHO DURING THE GREAT
WAR OF 1914-1918 GAVE THE MOST THAT MAN CAN GIVE LIFE ITSELF FOR G-D, FOR KING AND COUNTRY, FOR LOVED ONES HOME AND EMPIRE, FOR THE SACRED CAUSE OF JUSTICE AND
THE FREEDOM OF THE WORLD.
THEY BURIED HIM AMONG THE KINGS BECAUSE HE HAD DONE GOOD TOWARD G-D AND TOWARD HIS HOUSE.

In his death, he was robbed of his most precious asset - his name.  He wasn’t given the opportunity to change it like those of us who had this choice, whether under duress or not.  He is as anonymous as Avraham’s servant but in his anonymity lies his greatness.

At the same time as we honour his and others’ sacrifice, there are many of our avowed enemies who are wilfully endorsing an ideology that promotes intolerance of others in a violent and brutal manner.  They trample upon the memory of everything that he fought and died for.

Instead of lauding the brave soldiers of the IDF who are fighting for their, and ultimately our, freedom, they behave in a manner that disgraces their names and those of their families in the eyes of anyone who understands the significance of what happened on 7^th October.

The Torah ascribes great importance to names, even going as far as changing these when Gd deems it necessary.  Avram and Sarai become Avraham and Sarah, names which are imbued with the letter ‘Hey’, which represents Godliness (being one of the letters of Hashem’s name).  In choosing not to include Eliezer’s name in the Torah, his anonymity ironically becomes as important as if his name had been mentioned, just like the Unknown Warrior’s identity.

Because we understand the significance of names, we can appreciate the connection between the two anonymous protagonists who link this week’s Parasha with today’s date.  We appreciate their sacrifice, both physically and metaphorically.

Those people marching, desecrating and chanting hateful slogans are oblivious to this.

Many wars have been fought and our enemies have tried their best to vanquish us but here we are, on this day, remembering the brave men and women who gave up their lives to protect us.  Some from our own and many from other nations.  In honouring and remembering them, we, those who are in the right, will prevail over those who dishonour the dead – for today, we proudly remember the men with no names.  We owe it to them.

To the servant who ensured that Yitzchak married Rivka which led to the birth of Yaakov and his descendants and to that unknown British Warrior who gave up his life and was laid to rest exactly 123 years ago today.  Their anonymity is the greatest name that could be bestowed upon them.  ‘We will remember them’ (Laurence Binyon: “for the Fallen” 1914).

Shabbat Shalom.