Avraham

Many have the practice to recite, in the prayer following Shemoneh Esrei, a verse that starts and ends with the same letter as their name, or that contains their name, or both. This is considered a source of merit. In this series, we will briefly analyze these verses. 

אַתָּה הוּא ה’ הָאֱלֹקים אֲשֶׁר בָּחַרְתָּ בְּאַבְרָם וְהוֹצֵאתוֹ מֵאוּר כַּשְׂדִּים וְשַׂמְתָּ שְּׁמוֹ אַבְרָהָם

You are Hashem, G-d, Who choose Abram and brought him out of Ur Kasdim, and gave him the name Abraham. - Nehemiah 9:7

This is the verse for the name “Avraham.” The Talmud explains that Avraham’s original name meant that he was to be “av aram” - the father of Aram, which was the land of his birth. Later, he became “av hamon goyim” – the father of a multitude of nations - and his name was changed accordingly.