Bina Liat

Over Thanksgiving, my family and I discussed a cousin of mine who is in the process of becoming a nun. She's taken on a new name. Sadly, I don't remember it off-hand. During the conversation, however, I mentioned how the process of converting to Judaism involved choosing a Hebrew name. My mother was interested in learning more about mine, so I promised to explain it fully some other time. Since we'd discussed how she (and sometimes my father) read my blog (hi guys), this is a good opportunity to honor my promise.

Much thought and hours of effort went into choosing my Hebrew name. Eventually, in typical Trisha fashion, I decided one wasn't enough and opted to adopt two names. My official Hebrew name is Bina Liat. Liat was the easiest of the two to choose. It means "you are mine." I viewed it as a personal expression of you, the Jewish people, are now mine, and I too, am yours. Bina was more difficult. I wanted to choose a name that encapsulated all of the wonderful qualities of an individual in my life who has impacted me in tremendous ways. My goal, as an adult Jewish woman, is to foster and emulate the characteristics she embodies. Thus, I finally settled on Bina, which means "wisdom, understanding, and intelligence." It truly captures her essence, and in time, hopefully mine.