Names play a crucial role in our tradition. We have names that describe our origins, Adam – "from the soil” (Breisheet 2:7); names that define one’s essence, Chava – “because she was the mother of all the living” (Breisheet 3:20); names that express our hopes, Noach “This one will provide us relief” (Breisheet 5:29), as a response to suffering, Yishamel – “You shall call him Ishmael, for the Lord has paid heed to your suffering" (Breisheet 16:11). We have names that describe one’s mood Yitzchak – "and Sarah laughed within herself" (Breisheet 18:12); one’s birth position, Yaakov – “and his hand had hold on Eisav's heel and his name was called Yaakov; one’s hopes, Yosef –“and she called his name Joseph, saying: ‘The Lord add to me another son" (Breisheet 30:24) to cite a non-exhaustive list.
We have names given by G-d, by angels, by mothers, by fathers, by husbands, by kings and princesses. Some names are clearly those of the Biblical authors – surely no parent would name their children Machlon and Kilyon, disease and destruction, the two children of Elimelech and Naomi. Naomi even asked that her name be changed from Naomi to Mar, from pleasant to bitter to reflect her change of fortune (Ruh 1:20).
A name change reflects a change in the essence of a person. Avram becomes Avraham as he takes on the role as spiritual leader of the world, “for I make you the father of a multitude of nations” (Breisheet 17:5). Yaakov becomes Yisrael as he reaches new heights, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with beings divine and human, and have prevailed” (Breisheet 32:29). And as we read this week, Moshe changes Hosea’s name to Yehoshua praying – in the end unsuccessfully – that Jewish history not be derailed.
A quick comparison of the names of the Nessim, the tribal leaders with the meraglim, the spies, is most instructive The Nessim have names such as Netanel, G-d gives, Elizur, G-d is my rock, Aminadav, I volunteer for my nation, and Achiezer, I help my brother, names that describe their character. Contrast that to the names of meraglim such as Shafat, judgments, Susi, horse, or Satur, destroy, and we can begin to understand their failed mission.
Yet at the same time some of the figures who played a major role in the Torah are anonymous. It was the palit, a nameless fugitive, who told Avraham (Avram at the time) that his nephew Lot had been captured. It was “a(n anonymous) man who wrestles with Jacob until the break of dawn” (Breisheet 32:25). It was (presumably another) “man” who seeing Yosef lost in the field directed him to his fateful encounter with his brothers. It was the nameless daughter of Pharaoh who saved Moshe’s life and while the midwives are named, we have no idea who Shifra and Puah are – they appear nowhere else in Tanach. Oftentimes what is done is much more important than who does it. And oftentimes it is the “anonymous” person, the simple person, who changes the course of history.
We meet another anonymous figure this week. “The children of Israel were in the wilderness, and they found a man, mekoshesh eitzim, gathering sticks upon the sabbath day” (Bamidbar 15:32). This is the second time the laws of Shabbat were not followed in the desert. Moshe, some 15 months earlier, had told the Jewish people that no Manna would fall on Shabbat. Yet not all believed him[1].“And it came to pass on the seventh day, that there went out some of the people to gather, and they found none” (Shemot 16:27). Yet these anonymous people were not punished.
Unlike those searching for food on shabbat, this gatherer of wood actively violated shabbat and G-d ordered that he be put to death, not only in public but carried out by the public. “And the Lord said to Moshe, ‘The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp...and all the congregation brought him outside the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the Lord commanded Moshe”.
Who was this person, presumably the only one who violated Shabbat in the desert? Some 40 years later when preparations are being made to divide the Land for a new generation, the daughters of Tzelofchad approached Moshe asking that they too inherit a share in the Land. “Our father died in the wilderness, and he was not among the company of them that gathered themselves together against the Lord in the company of Korach, but he died in his own sin; and he had no sons” (Bamidbar 27:13). It would not be fair, they argued, that they should be punished for the sin of their father and the fact that they had no brothers.
What the Torah does not tell us is what exactly his sin was. He was not involved in the rebellion of Korach but what was he involved in? To this, Rabbi Akiva claims that it was none other than Tzlefochad who was the mekoshesh eitzim. Such a claim would seem to follow a common interpretive technique of identifying anonymous or unknown Biblical figures. Thus, the refugee who tells Avraham that Lot was captured was Og the king of Bashan, the man who wrestled with Jacob was the angel of Eisav, the person who guided Yosef to his brothers was Gavriel, and Shifra and Puah are identified by the Midrash as Miriam and Yocheved.
Yet such an approach did not sit well with all. “Rabbi Yehuda ben Beteira said to him: Akiva, whether you are correct or not, you will be judged in the future. If the truth is in accordance with your statement the Torah concealed his identity, and you reveal it. And if not, you are unjustly slandering that righteous man” (Shabbat 96b).
Apparently, when someone does something positive – and it is generally best to try to do mitzvot anonymously – then others should heap praise on that person. But when someone has anonymously sinned one dare not speculate on who that sinner might be.
G-d created the world with 10 utterances of speech (Avot 5:1). It is the capacity for speech that some see as a manifestation of our Divine image. It is not enough to speak the truth. That too can be lashon hara, forbidden negative speech as was the case with the meraglim. Rabbi Akiva might have been correct in his identifying the gatherer of wood. But even so there was little gained from sharing that knowledge. It is not always easy to know when we should speak and when not. But we must do our best to master the knowledge and insight to know when to speak and when to remain silent.
[1] The Torah tells us that upon crossing the sea the people “believed in G-d and in His servant Moshe”. Like the many miracles in the desert the impact on the people was temporary at best.