Faith
Is the name Efrat good for a girl?
Question
Hello and blessings, I would like to know whether the name "Efrat" comes from the Torah. And is it generally good to give this name to a girl?
Thank you very much in advance.
All the best.
Answer
Hello,
The name "Efrat" is mentioned in the Torah in the book of Divrei HaYamim I (chapter 2, verse 19): "And Kalev took Efrat," and it is written in Shemot Rabbah (section 1, paragraph 17) that Efrat is Miriam, and why was she called Efrat? Because Israel increased and multiplied through her (see also Pirkei d'Rabbi Eliezer, chapter 45), and it follows that the name "Efrat" is good for a girl. This is also written in Sefer Minhagei HaRashal, volume 1 (page 299), that Maran HaRav Ovadia Yosef zt"l recommended the name Efrat for a girl. It is likewise explained in Sefer Shemot BaAretz (page 44) in the name of Rav Chaim Kanievsky zt"l.
With blessings,
Hillel Meirs
