Brit Mila | Baby Naming

God said to Abraham…  “every male among you shall be circumcised…and that shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you. And throughout the generations, every male among you shall be circumcised at the age of eight days.”

Genesis 17:9-16

Brit Mila

This most ancient of Jewish life-cycle rituals, while sometimes baffling to people outside the community, is deeply rooted in Jewish consciousness and practice.  A duty of fathers to their sons, the brit mila, or ritual of circumcision, is how those born male are brought into the covenant of their ancestors.  Elsewhere in Torah we are told to “circumcise our hearts” to open them to goodness and holiness, and to “circumcise our ears” so that we might be able to hear truth and God’s word.  Brit Mila is the similar opening of the male generative organ to right actions and holiness in sexual relations.  

Here is a link to more information about circumcision in Reform Judaism.

Zeved Bat, Simchat Bat, and Welcoming Daughters

While children born male is normally welcomed into covenant and given a name during the Brit Mila, daughters also have traditional rituals and celebrations of their birth.  

The Zeved Bat ritual of the Sephardic community, or the more modern Simchat Bat both welcome the child into the covenant of Judaism and to the Jewish people.  Normally performed in the first year of a child’s life, many people now perform this on the eighth day, just like circumcision, or at the Shabbat service after the child is eight days old.  

Here is a link to more information on these rituals.

Baby Naming | Child Naming

For older children, or infants not having one of the other rituals of welcome to the Jewish tradition and community, the ritual of giving the child a Hebrew name may be done in the synagogue, particularly on a Shabbat service at which Torah is read. 

Here are two  links to more information on child namings:

Baby-naming ceremonies welcome our youngest into the community and officially present the child with a Hebrew name, often honoring a loved one who has passed on. Working with families, we craft a meaningful ceremony, using modern and traditional blessings, in which a new Hebrew name is affectionately given. Below are short descriptions of some of the key ritual possibilities. Contact the Temple Administrator to schedule a time to meet with the Rabbi.