What's in a name - the transition from Avram to Avraham
Rabbi Mosheh Lichtenstein
What are Chazal trying to tell us when they say it is wrong to call Avraham Avinu by his former name, “Avram”? We view the name-change moment as the transition between Part A and Part B in the life of Avraham. We examine the content and structure of Avraham's stories and ask: what does Avram do as opposed to Avraham, and vice versa? What aspects of his life and approaches are reflected by his respective names?