In making an initial acquaintance of a man from Teaneck (or other frum community), during the course of introductions your new friend will invariably interject that his name, Tuvia, is proudly derived as being “Moshe’s real name.”

This revelation comes from parshas Shemos (Chapter 2:2) where Moshe’s mother, Yocheved, looked upon her newborn son and remarked … “Ki tov hu (He was a goodly child).” And so, in modern parlance, the name “Tuvia” evolved from the word, “tov.”

After remarking to my new friend that—indeed—it was a very honorable name, I had to admit internally that I was still somewhat dubious that Tuvia was—indeed—Moshe’s “real name.”

Could there be further evidence? I believe so… And, after considering the evidence below, I have to humbly conclude that my doubts have been overcome, and I am now a believer!

First, consider the evidence below, in the context of accepting the dynamic synergy that is amply described in the sefer Torah between Moshe and Hashem. I won’t delve into all the many examples of that synergy, but I am compelled to present two here. See Exodus 33:14, where God assures Moshe: “My presence shall go with thee, and I will give you rest.” Also see the famous words in Deuteronomy 34:10: “And there has not risen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face-to-face.” There are many more such examples … (But, I’m trying to keep this letter on the shorter side.)

The point is that the two were more than just casual friends; in fact, the symbiotic closeness between Moshe and God was so strong as to take on a metaphysical realm, as we can glean from the sefer Torah.

A major clue from its gematria further upholds this awesome, almost hidden, metaphysical reality of the synergic relationship, as well as serving to prove that—indeed—Tuvia was Moshe’s real name, as our “Tuvia” friends will tell us:

The gematria—or numerical value—of Tuvia spelled: tes, bet, yud and hey is 26, which is identical in numerical value to the ineffable letters that spell out the true divine name. (As stated in Exodus 3:15, the actual letters are also articulated as the “Tetragrammaton.”) The values are one and the same—both equal 26.

What about the name Moshe? Well, the consistency of the gematria remains. Hashem equals Moshe, which equals 345 each.

So—as I said—I was wrong and the Tuvias are right!