Vayeitzei 29:34 · unit 1
Parashas Vayeitzei · Passuk 29:34
The Complete Passuk
וַתַּ֣הַר עוֹד֮ וַתֵּ֣לֶד בֵּן֒ וַתֹּ֗אמֶר עַתָּ֤ה הַפַּ֙עַם֙ יִלָּוֶ֤ה אִישִׁי֙ אֵלַ֔י כִּֽי־יָלַ֥דְתִּי ל֖וֹ שְׁלֹשָׁ֣ה בָנִ֑ים עַל־כֵּ֥ן קָרָֽא־שְׁמ֖וֹ לֵוִֽי׃
And she conceived again and bore a son and said, “Now this time my husband will become attached to me, for I have borne him three sons”; therefore he called his name Levi.
Chabad / Judaica Press
Source Citation
Torah Temimah points to classical sources on the naming of Levi.
TT lemma: על כן קרא שמו לוי .
Sefaria — Genesis 29:34
Core Text of Chazal
Core Text
אָמְרוּ: מִפְּנֵי מָה נִקְרָא שְׁמוֹ לֵוִי? שֶׁעָתִיד לִלָּווֹת אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל לַעֲבוֹדַת הַמָּקוֹם.
English: They said: Why was he called Levi? Because in the future he would accompany Yisrael in the service of the Omnipresent.
On the daf / in context: The name is linked to the future Levitical role of accompanying the people in Divine service.
Type of Learning
Derash on the verse (midrashic) — not a formal named middah of the 13 . The root לוה is taken as prophetic of the tribe’s future function.
What Is Learned
The name Levi anticipates the tribe’s role of accompanying Yisrael in the service of Hashem.
Source pointed to by Torah Temimah. Only Chazal’s words and what they derived are presented. Ashkenazi transliteration.