Wave of Emotion

When my partner and I decided to have our commitment ceremony, we were thinking of how to create a family unit. Traditionally in Judaism, when a couple marries they choose a new name. We wanted to find something that reflected something intrinsic about our relationship. One of the words that really meant a lot to both of us is the word “gal” which in Hebrew means wave, referred to in the morning liturgy of “Nishmat.” Also, early in our relationship, we read a book that mentioned that when you tell someone you love them, it is shorthand for the “wave of emotions” that is taking you over. At our commitment ceremony, we both took on the middle name of Gal, and when our daughter was born two years ago, we called her Kayla Moriya Gal.