Q. My wife and I are debating how to name our next child to be born BE’H soon. We know he is a boy, and there are two equally reserving uncles that merit the name to be given. The names are Moshe and Avraham. We don’t give a double name in our family. All things being equal, what name does Rav Miller shlita, recommend?
A. Their seems to be an apparent discrepancy in the words of our Sages as to which of our greatest spiritual leaders is more prominent, a few of the sources are hereby quoted.
From one side it would appear that Avraham Avinu was after all first to ascertain and conceptualize Hashem’s Creation and rule of the universe and to spread that knowledge to the world at large. He is named the Merkava or chariot of the Shechina (Midrash and Zohar, Sheloh Lech Lecha, et. al.). He is mentioned in the first bracha of the amida, while Moshe Rabbenu is not mentioned at all. The Jewish Nation is named after him, as it is written; (Tehilim 47: 10) The people of the G-d of Avraham, and we are all considered his descendants. On the beginning of Parshas Voero, it seems that Hashem praised Avraham Avinu’s acceptance as compared to Moshe, and called him to account for his harsh words of complain.
On the other hand, the most salient and most often mentioned personality in the Torah is after all Moshe Rabbenu, the one who brought it down and taught it to us. The Torah ends with; And there was no other prophet who arose in Israel like Moshe, whom Hashem knew face to face. Rambam (H. Teshuva 5: 2) writes that “every person can be a tzadik as great as Moshe.” The fact that the Rambam chose Moshe and not Avraham as the example to emulate, would indicate greater prominence. Talmud Chulin (89a) states in regards to the quality of humility that it is greater what is said about Moshe than what is said about Avraham. Talmud Rosh Hashana (21b) teaches that fifty are the Gates of Understanding that were created in the universe, forty nine were given to Moshe, as the posuk (Tehilim 8: 6) teaches: “You have made him slightly less than divinity, and You have crowned him with glory and majesty.”
As it is apparent, there is no comprehensible or distinct indication as to which is the greater and more prominent of our historical leaders, and no clear suggestion as to which is the better name to give the newborn.
Therefore, Horav Shlomo Miller Shlit’a opinion is that it is best for the father to daven to Hashem to grant him the wisdom and do the right choice.
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by Horav Shlomo Miller Shlit’a