Explanations of the name: Chaya Rochel Weiss

1. PAST GENERATIONS - Yerachmiel's father's mother was named Rochel. She passed away at a young age, not long before Yerachmiel was born. When naming a baby after a person who passed away young, it is traditional to add another name to their namesake. Often, the name Chaya is added because of its relationship to the word chai, the Hebrew word for life. Yerachmiel's great-grandmother (Rochel's mother) was named Chaya Rivkah, so Chaya was an especially meaningful choice for us. Yerachmiel's father related to us on the day of Chaya Rochel's birth that her great-grandmother and namesake, Rochel, appeared to him in a dream with a big smile and more clearly than she had ever appeared before.
2. NAME ORDER - We experimented with different name orders. Our Rebbe said that we should use the name Chaya followed by Rochel, but he didn't give an explanation. Zeyde Elster pointed out that it's appropriate to use this order because one should always honor a parent (Chaya) before her child (Rochel). We also hope that she will continue to pass down positive values from mother to daughter as has been done through the generations.
3. FUTURE GENERATIONS - On both sides of our families, Chaya Rochel is the first grandchild and the first great-grandchild! Right now she's a little baby, but in the future, she'll be the oldest of her generation. Both her names contain aspects that relate to this role:

   Chaya was the name of Chava (Eve) before the sin in the Garden of Eden; she is the mother of all life. She's the first woman, and the name is associated with being a life giving force in a number of places in Tanach. When the Israelites were in Egypt, Pharaoh made a decree that all Israelite newborn boys must be thrown into the Nile. Despite this danger, as the Israelite women continued to have children and perpetuate the Jewish people, they were referred to as chayos, or life givers.

   Similarly, Rochel Imeinu sacrificed tremendously for the sake of the Jewish nation. She allowed her sister Leah to marry Yaakov first after already waiting seven years, knowing that Leah would also mother many of the tribes. Her whole purpose was to give to her children, and tragically, she passed away during the birth of her second son. And Rochel's chessed (giving) didn't stop there. The Torah states that Yaakov buried Rochel "on the way." He saw with divine inspiration that the Jewish people would pass through Beit Lechem on their way out into exile and buried her there so that they could stop and she could pray for them. It is written in the book of Yermiyahu (Jeremiah) that the compassionate tears of Rochel Imeinu are what will ultimately bring all of her children, the Jewish people, out of exile. Even today, people flock to her grave to ask that she pray on their behalf.

   We hope that our Chaya Rochel will grow into a strong, motherly figure for her generation and those that follow.

4. OUR LITTLE ANGEL - There are many levels of angels in the upper worlds. Those on the highest level are called chayos (plural for chaya). So far, our little Chaya has been a perfect angel.
5. DIVINE INSPIRATION - They say that when parents need to choose the name for their child, Hashem gives them ruach hakodesh (divine inspiration). At about 4 a.m. the day after Chaya Rochel's birth, the name Chaya came to Rivkah. It was a name that neither of us had previously considered.
6. WILD OR TAME? - A chaya in Hebrew can also refer to a wild animal, and for a little while we were hesitant to name our daughter Chaya. We were worried that she might turn out to be wild. One of the fundamental teachings in chassidus is that everything in the world has a potential for good and bad. Even a wild spirit can be used for good. We decided to stick with the name Chaya. It will be up to us to direct Chaya Rochel's spirit towards good things. My friend, R. Daniel Rubin, pointed out that we created a good balance. A chaya is a wild animal, but a rochel is a tame lamb. So far, our Chaya Rochel has been much more like a lamb.
7. IT'S TIME - Hebrew letters correspond to numbers, so every word has a number equivalent. Bobi Elster pointed out that the name Chaya corresponds to 23 and Rivkah gave birth in her 23rd year of life.
8. THE RIGHT BALANCE - Yerachmiel's friend and mentor, R. Yonah Weiss, made a very deep observation about Chaya Rochel. Rochel is known for crying for the Jewish people. In the merit of her prayers and tears, the Jewish people have been saved from much hardship over the generations. She represents the part of every Jew that is supposed to be in a constant state of sadness for the challenges and disunity within the Jewish people. Chaya was the name of Chava (Eve) before the sin. Gan Eden (the Garden of Eden) is a place of pure simcha (joy). The name Chaya is associated with the state of the Jewish people in unity and connection to Hashem and reminds us that every Jew should be in a state of constant joy recognizing all of the gifts Hashem gives us and knowing with complete clarity of the geula (redemption) that will come very soon.

May Chaya Rochel live up to her special name and may she see, with all of the Jewish people, the geula shlema (complete redemption) speedily in our days!!!

B'Simcha,
Yerachmiel & Rivkah