BRIS/BABY NAMING
beginning Jewish life with distinction
No life experience is more profound, more mysterious, than the birth of a child. It is an event that happens roughly 350,000 times a day, yet each birth is unique, distinct, overflowing with cosmic significance. In the billions of years that came before, and in the billions of years that will follow, there will never be another person like this child. This gift of new life blesses the parents with awesome responsibility and opportunity to mold and grow a Jewish soul.
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A Jewish boy is entered into the Covenant of Abraham on his eighth day through the rite of circumcision, the symbol of the Covenant. The bris bestows upon the baby his mark of Jewish identity. The ritual of bris began with the very first Jew, Abraham, and has nurtured and inspired countless generations of Jewish families through the millennia. It is a ceremony that teaches that this child's life did not begin at his birth, and will not end after his allotted 120 years. The baby is given his Hebrew name as part of the ceremony, a name connecting him to previous generations as well as to his future progeny. Rabbi Netter is not a mohel, but can co-officiate to make the ceremony religiously meaningful and spiritual.
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A Jewish girl is given her Hebrew name in a special ceremony designed with her parents especially for her. She will carry this Hebrew name through the world as her unique Jewish identity, as a symbol of her relationship with God, the Jewish people, and her family.
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PLANNING THE BRIS
The bris takes place on the same day of the following week as the day of birth, which is counted as the first day of life. The bris can take place any time during daylight hours. The first officiant to call after the birth is the mohel to establish availability and timing. I would then be the second phone call. We will walk you through the planning and implementation of the entire experience.
PLANNING THE BABY NAMING
No specific day and time is prescribed for a girl's baby naming, nor is there a prescribed liturgy. That does not mean, however, that there are no ceremonies that many parents have created and shared for the celebration of her Jewish identity. Some time after recovery from the birth, we will explore liturgical and logistical options for designing a naming ceremony that is personal, powerful, and mindful of the significance of this moment for you, your extended family, and the Jewish People.