“Uncle Jason”—I really like the sound of that! Yesterday evening, as my children and I kindled seven Hanukkah candles on the hanukkiyah, I received the anticipated phone call from my wife who was at a hospital in Chicago with her sister. “It’s a boy,” she said, and with those words I became an uncle. I told my children and watched them jump for joy with the news that they now had a first cousin.

The Hebrew word for uncle is dod, which sounds a lot like the word “dad.” It is also the same word the Torah uses for beloved. A quick etymology search on the website Balashon.com informed me that the Hebrew dod is related to the Syriac dada for uncle or beloved, Mandaic, Nabatean and Palmyrene “dada” meaning father’s brother and the Arabic “dad” for foster-father. Balashon.com explains that the Hebrew dod is the most ancient Hebrew word for love and was probably a primitive caressing syllable taken from the sound “da-da” that babies make.

Another term for uncle is the Aramaic chabiba, which can mean both “friend” and “uncle.” In the Babylonian Talmud the sage Rav Chiya calls his uncle Rav by that term. The modern Talmudic scholar Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz mentions that chabibi might be a contraction of achi avi for “my father’s brother.”

In modern Hebrew, dod has no romantic connotation at all and is used as a slang word for “buddy.” As a brand new uncle, I like the idea that this Aramaic word for uncle seems to be a father and a friend all rolled into one. As an uncle, I promise to be a loving, doting and caring role model and friend to my nephew.

Unable to find a blessing to say to mark this milestone of becoming an uncle for the first time, I decided to write my own:

My God and the God of Uncle Abraham of the Torah, as I enter into this new role of uncle, may I have the merit to be a fun, loving and nurturing uncle to this newborn baby boy. May I be granted the honor to complement the teachings of his parents and teachers and guide him along a path toward becoming a strong, courageous and ethical individual. May I have the good fortune to take him to sporting events, concerts and other fun and exciting endeavors just as my uncles have done for me. Thank you, Adonai, for allowing me to reach this day and may this beautiful baby boy enjoy a full lifetime of health and happiness.

Rabbi Jason Miller is an entrepreneurial rabbi and blogger. He is president of Access Computer Technology, an IT, website design/build, and social media marketing company in Michigan. He blogs at http://blog.rabbijason.com and is on Twitter at @RabbiJason.

Photo: Pirata Larios via Flickr cc
Published: December 10, 2013