MAZAL TOV!
The birth of a child is one of the most joyous moments in the parents’ lives and in the lives of the community. The newborn infant is the embodiment of our hope for the future and for renewal. Judaism responds to the emotions of birth with a series of ceremonies. Here at CSI, we are always excited when a little one joins the family.
IT'S A GIRL! SIMCHAT BAT/BABY NAMING: Traditionally, the birth of a girl was celebrated with less fanfare than the birth of a boy. A girl was traditionally welcomed into the Jewish community and the covenant by having her father come to the Torah for an aliyah shortly after her birth. After the aliyah, a short prayer was recited and the girl’s Hebrew name was announced.
In contemporary times, much more emphasis has been placed on celebrating the birth of a girl and her entry into the covenant. There is, as of yet, no set liturgy or set of customs for welcoming a baby girl in to the Jewish community. Rabbi Kane has designed a naming and welcoming ceremony based on the three wishes that are bestowed upon the baby and her parents in the mishebeirach prayer (the prayer recited at the aliyah celebrating the baby’s birth). The three wishes are that the baby grows up to live a life of Torah study, good deeds and the wish that she may experience the joy marriage under the chupah (the bridal canopy). First, the ceremony takes place during the Torah reading on Shabbat morning. This is a deliberate choice that shows that the Torah should be at the center of this new girl’s life. Second, we set up a beautiful chupah made just for the ceremony made by Robyn Shiovitz. The chupah of course, elicits our wish for the baby’s eventual marriage, but its design incorporates all three wishes. Third, we ask that the baby’s parents and close family gather around the baby as the mishebeirach is recited and the baby is named. The idea behind this practice is that her good deeds will come from her family. They will take the responsibility to raise her and teach her what is right. The presence of her family also symbolizes the passing on of the covenant from generation to generation.
IT'S A BOY! BRIT MILAH (CIRCUMCISION) : According to Genesis, is the oldest ritual in Judaism. In Genesis 17, God commands Abraham to circumcise himself and his entire household as a sign of the covenant between God and Abraham. In subsequent generations, boys are to be circumcised at eight days. The Torah does not explain why we are commanded to circumcise our sons. Interpretive explanations include the idea that we are taking part in the completion of a new human being. God gave us this wonderful gift, now it is our responsibility to mold and complete the gift into a Jewish human being. Another explanation is that we are branding our devotion to God in our flesh. Our contract with God is literally signed in blood.
Today, we continue the practice of having a brit milah for boys at eight days old. However, if there is any doubt that circumcision will hurt the infant, the ceremony is postponed. Included in the ceremony is the bestowing of a Hebrew name on the child. The child is now a member of Jewish people and deserves to be called by a Hebrew name. The brit milah does not need to take place in the synagogue, however many often do hold the brit in the synagogue, after Shacharit (morning) services. If the child is healthy, the brit should take place on the eighth day regardless of what day it is including Shabbat and holidays.
TO GET STARTED WITH PLANS FOR A NAMING OR A BRIT AT CSI, PLEASE CONTACT RABBI KANE.