Q&A: Changing a Name for a Sick Person
Changing a Name for a Sick Person
Question
A friend of mine has cancer, and he is at the stage where evidence-based medicine no longer has solutions. My friend is not religious, and he asked me about changing (adding to) his name. From browsing Google I saw two approaches:
The traditional approach — there is a tradition of changing the name of a sick person and adding Chai, Chaim, or Raphael, for example in a responsum by Rabbi Ronen Lubitch.
The mystical approach — you need to find someone who is an expert in the mystical side of names, who will examine the name and see how to change it in the optimal way. With this approach I would be concerned about charlatans, and the only name that came to mind who seems to me (maybe because of his father) not to be a charlatan is Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu — although there are probably people greater than him in Kabbalah.
It seems to me that one should choose the approach according to ones inclination of heart/intellect, and if there is no such inclination, then by logical thinking — if there is any meaning or benefit to this, it would be preferable to choose the mystical approach, which in effect also includes the traditional approach.a0
Does that make sense?
Answer
I dont understand the question. Neither this nor that is of any use for anything, except perhaps as a placebo. So what difference does it make whom you turn to? Charlatanism is irrelevant here, because there is no one who isnt a charlatan.
Discussion on Answer
A complete recovery for the patient, with God’s help.
From the secular track, if you can call it that, because it isnt secular but also not religious, there is the Code-Yah method, which is known to help people recover and change their lives for the better. My daughter recovered, and my aunt did too. I know firsthand that its truly amazing.
A question for the Rabbi: what do you mean by there is no one who isnt a charlatan ?
What isnt clear? Its all unfounded inventions, so charlatanism isnt really the issue here. Charlatanism is doing something serious in an unserious way. Someone who doesnt know medicine and recommends a way for you to be healed is a charlatan. But if its something that has no substance and there is no way to do it seriously, then someone who doesnt understand it isnt considered a charlatan. The experts are charlatans too.
Wishing him a complete recovery.