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From: dsg@mhuxi.UUCP (David S. Green)
Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish
Subject: Re: Avrum
Message-ID: <253@mhuxi.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 22-Dec-84 22:11:47 EST
Article-I.D.: mhuxi.253
Posted: Sat Dec 22 22:11:47 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 23-Dec-84 08:43:43 EST
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[]
> > Being the son of Avrum I am curious as to the original posting that said
> > that it was not a legal name for a Jew.  
>> 														David ben Avrum (mosom!de)
>     The problem with Avram is that the Torah said specifically that it 
>  should not be used. The others you mentioned do not have a similar
>  prohibition. 
> 				Eliyahu Teitz.

I just got out my trusty old copy of Talmud Berakhoth 13a to take a look
at the specifics.  I am going to quote directly ( since  my ancestors 
wrote the original, I assume that I am not infringing on any
copyrights ) so with some editing and without further ado:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
	"Abram, the same is Abraham." At first he became father to
Aram and finally, he became father to the whole of the world. 
'Sarai, the same is Sarah'. At first she became 'my princess'
to her people and finally she became princess to the whole of the world.
Bar Qappara tought: Whoever calls Abraham Abram violates a positive
command for it is said: "Thy name shall be Abraham".  
If so similarly for one who calls Jacob Jacob.  There it is different,
because Scripture reverts to it, for it is written: "And G-d spoke
to Israel in the visions of the night, and said: Jacob, Jacob".
___________________________________________________________________


There is some controversy regarding the above and I will refer the
reader to Shulchan Aruch, O. H. 156 where it says that  to call
Abraham 'Abram' would violate both positive and negative 
commandments.  But the salient point which I think has been missed,
is that this refers *only* to the Patriarch.  The most interesting comment
that I found was that Me'am Loez says that one should be scrupulous to
carefully enunciate the name Abraham whenever it appears in our prayers
so that it not be slurred and sound like Abram;  I found nothing 
prohibiting naming regular people Abram.  This should be told to
"speed doveners" who often slur their prayers.

Did anyone find a prohibition against calling regular Abrams Abram?
Just because I didn't doesn't make it halacha.

David Seth Green  {ihnp4}!mhuxi!dsg  201-564-2000