W hen our children were blessed with their first daughter they faced a dilemma. The baby’s great-grandmother had recently passed away and it was exciting to have the zechus to name a child in her memory. But there was reason for pause. The newborn had Down syndrome. Perhaps it would be a bigger zechus to wait for another child to carry the name?
I posed this question to Rav Moshe after our Friday-morning shiur. His response was unequivocal. Giving the newborn this name was “revach naki” an absolute gain for the nifteres. I understood from his words that naming a child after someone creates a real connection. If the namesake follows the Torah way it provides a spiritual benefit to the person after whom he is named.
A child with Down syndrome is revach naki. He or she is a generator of chesed in all directions and is not capable of sinful behavior. Rav Moshe preferred following normative minhag Yisrael in naming a child with Down syndrome rather than giving the child a name that hints at his or her physical condition.
I asked Rav Moshe if he’d give the young couple guidance on raising a child with special needs. Hashgachah pratis arranged that Reb Baruch Rabinowitz beloved menahel at Mesivta Torah Vodaath “happened” to be at that shiur. I had not seen him in years. Rav Moshe pointed to Reb Baruch and said “Everything you need to know you can ask him. He’s the expert.”
