Baby Welcoming

A Blessing for Your Child
May you live to see your words fulfilled.
May your destiny be for worlds still to come.
And may you trust in generations past and yet to be.

May your heart be filled with intuition,
And your words be filled with insight.
May songs of praise ever be on your tongue,
And your vision be a straight path before you.

May you live to see your words fulfilled.
May your destiny be for worlds still to come.
And may you trust in generation past and yet to be.

May your eyes shine with the brightness of holy words,
And your face reflect the brightness of the heavens.
May your lips always speak wisdom,
And your fulfillment be in righteousness.

May you live to see your words fulfilled.
May your destiny be for worlds still to come.
And may you trust in generations past and yet to be.

(Talmud: Berachot 17)

It’s a BOY!

When your child is a boy, planning for a loving and joyous ceremony to bring your child into the covenant, the “brit” will be foremost in your mind. You will want to carefully choose an expert mohel – a skilled practitioner of this ancient holy rite of brit milah – the covenant whose sign is circumcision.

The commandment to circumcise our sons as a sign of our people’s covenant with God is a most powerful and ancient mitzvah.

Contrary to most assumptions, a circumcision performed by a skilled traditional Jewish mohel is NOT dramatically painful. Much fear that new parents have about brit milah derives from the circumcision technique performed in hospitals, a much more painful and invasive procedure. When using a reliable mohel the circumcision takes less than 20 seconds with minimal discomfort to the baby.

As the mother of a son who was circumcised by a loving and highly skilled traditional mohel, I can attest that this is so.

I will work with any mohel you choose. so that the circumcision ritual unfolds within a  loving, sensitive, gentle family event filled with caring, sharing, gentle prayer and song.

I have a particularly longstanding working relationship with one of the best mohelim in Philadelphia, Cantor Mark E. Kushner. Should you choose to work with both of us together, you will be assured of a skillful and sensitive brit milah and a fabulous naming ceremony that embraces all present in joy, celebration and delight.

It’s a GIRL!

When do you name her? When should you throw the party? After eight days, two weeks, a month?

Unlike the brit milah – the circumcision ceremony for a boy on the eighth day – there are no set rituals for a girl. Instead, there are many wonderful customs for a "Simchat Bat," or "Brit Bat," the celebration of a birth of a daughter that brings her into the covenant of our people.

We can create a ceremony large or small, very public or very private, for your family to welcome your new baby into the lineage of our people. We’ll gather with celebration, song, family histories, grandparents, great-grandparents… siblings and adoring relatives and friends to welcome your new child and give her the unique name that belongs to her.

Lets talk about how to create a magical ceremony for bringing your new baby into the covenant! Contact me for more information.