Examining the first portion of this maxim, “One who seeks a name…loses a name,” raises important questions:
Are you seeking a name simply for yourself? Is this a text about building a reputation?
If it IS about building a reputation…are you doing so (seeking a name) for personal or communal improvement? Or are you doing so simply to gather power and prestige?
We can easily and readily see examples of both: there are plenty of politicians who run for office just to achieve power and there are politicians who genuinely desire to help their community and their country.
In the “quest for a name,” we must also strive to stay true to who we are as we rise to our potential. We know of famous people who have lost their authenticity in the quest to become famous, to become “a brand.” Those individuals develop a public persona and a private persona, and often struggle to determine which is the “true me.” Come to think of it, one need not be a celebrity to wrestle with this notion: many of us often struggle with two personas: whom we believe we are inside and who others expect us to become.
Which brings us to the final clause in the Pirke Avot text above. The study of Torah helps to ground us, offering us a “reality check” of sorts. As long as we use the paths of Torah to discover who we are and whom we are destined to become, we will do so grounded in spirituality and ethical behavior. During these days of the Omer, may count ourselves blessed for the daily invitation to invite Torah into our lives, into our choices, and into how we see ourselves navigating the complexities of the world.
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