Why Are We Called Yehudim?
Have we ever stopped to consider why the Jewish people are called Yehudim? After all, Yehudah was not the firstborn—he was the fourth son of Yaakov. Why are we not called Reuvenim or Shimonim?
Yaakov’s Blessing and Yehudah’s Unique Role
Before Yaakov Avinu passed away, he gathered his sons and blessed each one according to his unique role in the destiny of Am Yisrael. When Yehudah’s turn came, Yaakov said to him, “Yehudah, your brothers will acknowledge you” (Bereishit 49:8). Chazal explain that embedded within this blessing was a profound idea: the Jewish people would ultimately carry Yehudah’s name. We would not be known by the names of the other tribes, but as Yehudim.
A Name That Represents an Entire Nation
This is striking. Yehudah was neither the eldest nor the only righteous son. Why, then, was his name chosen to represent the entire nation?
To understand this, we must look at the meaning of his name. When Leah gave birth to her fourth son, she named him Yehudah, saying, “Hapa’am odeh et Hashem”—“This time I will thank Hashem” (Bereishit 29:35). The name Yehudah comes from the word hoda’ah, gratitude.
Gratitude Born from Awareness
Chazal explain that the Imahot (matriarchs) knew through ruacḥ hakodesh (Holy Spirit) that Yaakov would have twelve sons, and they assumed each wife would have an equal share. When Leah realized she had received more than what she expected, she was overcome with gratitude. She felt she had been given a gift beyond what she deserved, and she expressed that feeling through sincere thanks to Hashem.
Gratitude as the Essence of a Yehudi
This explains why we are called Yehudim. We are a nation defined by hoda’ah—by gratitude. The Chiddushei HaRim explains that Leah named her son Yehudah precisely because she felt she had received more than her portion. By carrying that same name, we are meant to internalize the same attitude: to view everything we have as an undeserved gift and to live with ongoing appreciation to Hashem. This, then, is the essence of a Yehudi—not merely belief, observance, or identity, but a deep-rooted sense of gratitude. A Yehudi lives with the awareness that life itself, and all its blessings, come from Hashem, and therefore responds with humility and thanks.
By Rabbi Daniel Shasha, author of “Living Appreciation”
