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Savri Biswal May 2023
Just Pleasant Enough
Just Pleasant Enough
by Naomi Barkan
I have always had mixed feelings about my name. I used to feel indifferent to its meaning, and was unsure of its significance in my life. During my childhood, my name wasn’t cherished nor despised – it was simply a label that I was known by. It sounded like it fit me when I heard it yelled across a room, yet I lacked any affection toward it. Naomi (nay-OH-me) is a biblical name that comes from the Book of Ruth. In Hebrew, Naomi (נעמי) stems from the root word naheem (נעם) meaning pleasant or gentle (Trible). I used to feel like it was missing something, like it was supposed to have more depth to its meaning. I was envious of my classmates with beautiful Hebrew names like, “joy” or “my light” or “god’s laughter.” “Pleasant” felt pale in comparison to the names of my peers. Not something as warm as joy or as beautiful as light and laughter – I was just pleasant, nothing more and nothing less.
As it turns out, my name has a greater meaning than I had previously believed , I just didn’t know it yet. It wasn’t until I learned the story of Naomi and Ruth from Megilat Ruth that I began to understand Naomi's deeper layers. In the story, Naomi was always kind to Ruth and welcomed Ruth into her family after Naomi’s son, Ruth’s husband, passed away. Naomi becomes a symbol of kindness, offering warmth and acceptance to Ruth in the face of tragedy. She demonstrates strength, compassion and resilience – traits I always wish to embody. Upon hearing this story, I re-assessed my understanding of my name. Naomi was no longer just a label given to me at birth, but rather a representation of qualities I admired.
Now, when I hear my name I see resilience mixed with compassion and joy and a person who is invested in caring for those around them. Its ring in my ear resonates with the traits of who I hope to be – someone who approaches the world with an open heart, mind, and soul. I found comfort in associating myself with the traits of my namesake.
In finding this hidden significance, my name became a testament to my values and the person I want to become. Each day provides an opportunity to show kindness, joy and strength and to extend those qualities to the world around me. I’ve found that significance is not derived from the letters that make up a name, but rather the character it represents and the values we each uphold.
Works Cited
“Barkan Family History.” Ancestry.com, www.ancestry.com/nameoriginsurname=barkan#:~:text=Jewish%20(from%20Belarus)%3A%20from,priest’%20(see%20Cohen%20). Accessed 10 Feb. 2024.
Popular Baby Names, Social Security Administration.org, www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/babyname.cgi. Accessed 29 Jan. 2024.
“The Amazing Name Naomi: Meaning and Etymology.” Abarim Publications. Abarim Publications, April 19, 2006, www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Naomi.html. Accessed 03 Feb. 2024.
Trible, Phyllis. "Naomi: Bible." Jewish Women's Archive, Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women. 31 December 1999, https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/naomibible#:~:text=Naomi%20is%20a%20caring%2C%20gracious,eventually%20achieving%20the%20greater%20prestige. Accessed 11 Feb. 2024.
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