Chaim

Chaim (other spellings are Hayyim, Chayyim, Haim, Hyman, Heiman ) is a Hebrew male given name (חַיִּים, dt. "Life" ). The feminine form of the first name is Chaya . Its occurrence as a surname is rather rare.

The first evidence of the name can be found in the Middle Ages. It is a popular given name among members of the Jewish faith. According to the teachings of Kabbalah , the name helps its bearer, some have adopted this name as a middle name to improve their health, after the death of a child the following was often called Chaim. Many Holocaust survivors also have this additional name. The spelling “ch” is a transliteration of the Hebrew letter “chet” as in words like Chanukah, Channa , which can also be written Hanukah and Hannah . It is a cognatum of the synonymous Arabic word حَيَاة  • (ḥayāh), which is derived from the same proto-Semitic root.

In the course of the alignment of the Jewish names with German ones, the names Lebebaum, Lebenthal and Lebenlang were translated from the original name Chaim , and Haim, Haime, Heym, Haimann, Heymann and Heine through phonetic alignment . In other languages, Chaim is rendered as Heimof, Haimovici, Haimovitz, Haimovsky, Heimsohn, Vidal, Vidas, Jaime, Vivant, Vitali . In ancient times the Latin name Vitus originated from Chaim, which developed from the name of Saint Vitus to the Bavarian first name Veit (l). 

L'Chaim , Lechajim or Lachaim is also a Hebrew toast, it means "To life". It's not a wish for the future like most toasts. This toast is very common at engagement parties with friends, which is why the festival as a whole is also called L'Chaim. Since Hebrew letters also have a numerical value and the first letter corresponds to 18, 18 is also considered a lucky number. Gifts and donations are often given in multiples of 18, 18 or 36 euros as a monetary donation.

The Spanish-speaking name Jaime , related to Jakob, is often used as a phonetic equivalent for Haim by Argentine Jews.

Well-known namesake

First name

• Chaim Arlosoroff (1899–1933), Zionist politician
• Chaim b. Mose Attar (Abenattar; 1696–1743), Jewish scholar and Kabbalist in Morocco
• Chaim b. Isaak (1749-1821), Jewish Talmud scholar
• Chaim Joseph David Azulai (acronym Chida; 1724–1807), Jewish scholar, decisor, Kabbalist and bibliographer
• Chaim Berlin (1832–1912), Orthodox Rabbi of Moscow
• Chajim Bloch (1881–1973), Hasidic and Kabbalistic writer and rabbi
• Chaim Brisker (1853-1918), Rabbi
• Paul Chaim Eisenberg (* 1950), Chief Rabbi of the Israelite Religious Community in Vienna
• Chaim Engel (1916–2003), Polish Holocaust survivor
• Chajim Fürst (1580–1653), merchant in Hamburg
• Hayim Greenberg (1889–1953), American Zionist
• Chajim Hasas (1898–1973), Israeli writer
• Chaim Herzog (1918–1997), 6th President of Israel
• Chaim Hirschensohn (1857–1935), rabbi
• Chaim Kanievsky (* 1928), rabbi
• Chaim Kreiswirth (1918–2001), Polish-Belgian Orthodox rabbi
• Chaim Potok (1929–2002), American-Jewish writer and rabbi
• Chaim Rumkowski (1877–1944), chairman of the Judenrat in the Łódź / Litzmannstadt ghetto
• Chaim Schitlowsky (also: Chaim Zhitlowsky or Chaim Shitlowskij; 1865–1943), Yiddish writer and translator
• Richard Chaim Schneider (* 1957), German journalist, author and theater director
• Chaim Seeligmann (1912–2009), Israeli-German educator and historian
• Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz ) (* 1949), American musician
• Joseph Chaim Sonnenfeld (1848–1932), Grand Rabbi of Jerusalem
• Chaim Soutine (1893–1943), French painter of Lithuanian-Jewish descent
• Chaim Telzer (also Chaim Shalom Tuvia Rabinowitz ; 1856–1930), Lithuanian rabbi
• Chaim Weizmann (1874–1952), Israeli politician and chemist
• Eli ibn Chajim (Eli ben Hayim, Elia ibn Chaim etc .; * 1532; † around 1606), Jewish scholar

family name

• Yosef Chaim (1832–1909), Sephardic rabbi and Kabbalist
• Yossi Mar-Chaim (* 1940), Israeli composer

See also

• Ez Chaim Synagogue

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Mike Campbell: Meaning, Origin and History of the Name Chaya . Behind the name. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
2. ↑ Mike Campbell: Meaning, Origin and History of the Name Chayyim . Behind the name. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
3. ↑ Heine: This name is derived from the Hebrew word for life. In: THE WORLD. Retrieved January 5, 2017 . 
4. ↑ Heine: This name is derived from the Hebrew word for life: - WORLD. In: THE WORLD. Retrieved on January 5, 2017 (the source refers to the entire section, from "in the course of ..."). 
5. ↑ TV tips for the holidays - haGalil. In: www.hagalil.com. Retrieved January 5, 2017 . 
6. ↑ www.jewishcelebrations.com: Engagement, t'naim, and Vort. In: www.jewishcelebrations.com. Retrieved January 5, 2017 . 
7. ↑ Chai: What the Hebrew Word and Symbol Really Means . In: About.com Religion & Spirituality . ( about.com [accessed January 5, 2017]).