Chayyim

Chayyim

Chayyim (Hebrew: חַיִּים‎‎ Ḥayyīm, IPA: [χaˈjim]), also transcribed as Haim, Hayim, Haymi, Chaim is a name of Hebrew origin; It comes from a word meaning "life". Its first usage can be traced to Middle Ages. It is a popular name amongst Jewish people.[1] The feminine form for this name is Chaya. [2]

"Chai" is the Hebrew word for "life". According to Kaballah, the name Hayim helps the person to remain healthy, people were known to add Hayim as their second name to improve their health. (Among Serbians, the name "Vuk", meaning "Wolf", as well as Idir ("he will live") among Kabyles, was for similar reasons given to weak and ill neonates.)

In the United States, Chaim is a common spelling; however, since it is not phonetic, Hayim is often used as an alternative spelling. The "ch" spelling comes from Yiddish as in Chanukah, Channa, etc., which can also be spelled as Hanukah and Hannah. It is cognate to the Arabic word حياة (ḥayāt), with the same meaning, deriving from the same Proto-Semitic root.

L'Chaim in Hebrew is a toast meaning "to life". When a couple becomes engaged, they get together with friends and family to celebrate. Since they drink l'chaim ("to life"), the celebration is also called a l'chaim.

Hebrew letters are also used as numerals, and the Hebrew letters that spell "chai" also stand for the number 18. Thus, 18 is considered a lucky number in Jewish culture. It is common to give gifts and contributions to charity in multiples of $18.

The given name may refer to:

References

  1. ^ http://www.behindthename.com/name/chayyim
  2. ^ http://www.behindthename.com/name/chaya

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Chayyim Moses ben Isaiah Azriel Cantarini — Chayyim Moses (Angelo) ben Isaiah Azriel Cantarini was an Italian physician, rabbi, poet, and writer. He lived in the second half of the seventeenth and the first half of the 18th century at Padua, where he was also instructor in the yeshiva. He… …   Wikipedia

  • Moses Chayyim Catalan — (b. Padua, Italy, d. 1661, Padua) was an Italian poet. A son of the physician Abraham Catalan, he was rabbi in his native town, and died there at an advanced age in 1661. It was to him that the first letters of Isaac Vita Cantarini, whose teacher …   Wikipedia

  • Isaac ben Chayyim Cansino — (d. 1672) was a poet and prominent member of the Jewish community of Oran. He was probably a brother of Jacob Cansino II. Cansino was a liturgical poet of high attainments, and cantor in the synagogue on the Day of Atonement, an office regarded… …   Wikipedia

  • Isaac Chayyim Cantarini — Isaac Chayyim Cantarini, also known as Isaacus Viva, (February 2, 1644, Padua mdash;June 8, 1723, Padua) was an Italian poet, writer, physician, rabbi and preacher. He studied Hebrew and the Talmud with Solomon Marini, author of the Tiqqun Olam …   Wikipedia

  • Joseph Chayyim ben Isaac Selig Caro — (1800 mdash;April 21, 1895, Włocławek, Russian Empire, now Poland) was a German Russian rabbi. He was educated as an Orthodox Talmudist, and married the daughter of Rabbi Tzebi Hirsch Amsterdam of Konin, government of Kalisz in Russian Poland,… …   Wikipedia

  • Raphael Chayyim Isaac Carregal — (also Carigal , Carrigal , Karigal , Karigel , Karigol , Kargol , Kragol ) (October 15, 1733, Hebron, Palestine mdash;May 5, 1777, Barbados) was an itinerant rabbi and preacher.Carregal refers to David Melammed as his teacher. He was an ordained… …   Wikipedia

  • YOUTIE, HERBERT CHAYYIM — (1904–1980), U.S. papyrologist. Youtie, who was born in Atlantic City, joined the faculty of the University of Michigan in 1929 and was appointed research professor of Greek papyrology in 1946. He was generally considered to be the world s… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Golden Rose Synagogue (Lviv) — Infobox religious building building name= Golden Rose Synagogue caption= location=flagicon|Ukraine Lviv, Ukraine geo= religious affiliation=Orthodox Judaism district= functional status=Destroyed in 1941 leadership= website= architecture… …   Wikipedia

  • Names of God in Judaism — Part of a series on …   Wikipedia

  • Tudela, Navarre — Tudela is a municipality in Spain, the second city of the autonomous community of Navarre. Its population is around 40,000. Tudela is conveniently sited in the Ebro valley. Fast trains running on two track electrified railways serve the city and… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”