After placing Adam in the Garden of Eden, the Torah recounts that God paraded all the animals before Adam to see what he would call them: “and whatever Adam called each creature, that was its name” (Genesis 2:19). Adam, according to Kabbalah and Chassidut, assessed the fundamental nature of each animal and identified the Hebrew letters that best embodied that quintessential essence. This, in fact, is the basis for all Hebrew words. The Hebrew letters that form any name or word contain the very essence and Divine life force animating that being or entity.
The numerical value of the Hebrew words “hu shemo” (“that was its name”; taken from Genesis 2:19) is 358, which is also the numerical value of the Hebrew word Mashiach, meaning Messiah. Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach would often use the expression “seeing with Mashiach eyes” when he wanted to express how we need to see beyond the superficial appearances of this world to the inner essence of reality. The Arizal taught that the three letters of Adam’s name א-ד-ם) ) form an acronym, which stands for three other personalities: Adam, David, Mashiach. The Mashiach, a descendant of King David, will recognize and teach others to perceive the very essence of reality as Adam did when he named the animals.
The numerical value of the word “shemo” (its name) is 346, the same as the numerical value for the Hebrew word “ratzon” (will). The essence of each and every facet of reality is intrinsically connected to the Divine will animating it. Herein lies a profound truth about humanity: we can only realize the essence of who we are, if we succeed in perceiving what God’s general and specific purposes were when He created us. Each individual enters this world with two purposes animating him or her: a purpose shared with all humanity, arising from the very reasons that God created the world, and a unique purpose, specific to each person. We come to “own” our own names, to realize our full potential and essence, when we fulfill both our shared and unique purposes. When we do so our names are transformed from being merely what we are called to reflecting who we truly are.
