While there’s an age-old Jewish ritual of having a bris (brit milah in Hebrew) for baby boys, which also doubles as a welcoming celebration, there’s no tradition like that found in the Torah for a daughter. Not a huge surprise, because the Torah isn't exactly known for its strong stance on women's rights. Fortunately, sometime during the 20th century, baby naming ceremonies for girls (also known by the Hebrew words Simchat Bat, which means celebration of a daughter, and Brit Bat, which means daughter's covenant) became a thing. No matter what you call it, don't miss the chance to have one! Boys can have naming ceremonies too, for instance, if the bris was done by a doctor before he left the hospital, or if the parents decided not to circumcise their son. Either way, namings are a fantastic and meaningful way to welcome a Jewish baby, and in today's world, we should celebrate joy whenever we can!
JewBelong’s ready-to-print booklet has (almost) everything you need for a beautiful baby naming!You get to decide when to have it... like maybe after you've gotten a little sleep...
We know what you’re thinking… You’re thinking, ” Dammit, JewBelong! Of course, I want to have a baby naming ceremony, but seriously, I’ve been up at least three times every single night and I barely have time to shower… How do you expect me to put together a baby naming ceremony?” Fortunately, we’ve got you covered with a short but sweet naming ceremony that’s ready to go. It has most of the readings that we used for our own children’s naming ceremonies. Of course, we have more readings to choose from, so by all means, browse through all 28 when you are up in the middle of the night if you want. We also have guidelines below for the rest of the ceremony (most important is that you need to write a few words to share when it’s time to announce your baby’s Hebrew name so don’t miss that). It will help you create a celebration you’ll remember forever, even if your baby won’t cause, well, she’s just a baby.
Step 1) Have whatever kind of party you want. 2) Don't ask mom to do too much - she's already done enough.
According to tradition, Jewish parents aren’t supposed to have baby showers or decorate the nursery before the baby is born because of a superstition that getting clothes and toys for the baby before it’s born can bring bad luck. Not to mention that if the baby dies before coming home, the heartbreak of having to see all the baby’s things or go into a fully decorated baby’s room probably makes things worse. That being said, infants dying during childbirth is a lot less common than it used to be, so some Jewish people have showers. TBH, we prefer a baby naming over a shower any day. Not only do they tend to be more meaningful (seriously, we have been to some kooky showers) but everyone gets to meet the baby, which is like getting fifty birds killed with one stone because instead of having a constant stream of people visiting to see the baby, wham bam, you get it all done in one day.
A baby naming is easy. (The bris takes practice.)
You probably love your daughter’s English name, or you would have chosen something different. Choosing a Hebrew name is also a chance to choose a name you love. With one caveat… If you were wondering why you’ve never met a Rachel Schwartz Junior or Jessica Mandelbaum III, it’s because most Jews don’t name their baby after someone who is living. (Side note: This is only true for Ashkenazi Jews. Sephardic Jews do name their children after living relatives, but we digress…) The reasons not to name a baby after someone who is alive come from superstitions and ideas about being respectful to the living, but honestly, it’s also probably less confusing than have three Rachels in the same family. On the other hand, it’s considered an honor to name your baby after a loved one who is deceased so that the name lives on. The baby naming celebration is an opportunity to remember the person she’s named after with stories, a few words about why the name was chosen, and maybe photos if you have them. Plenty of families choose two names — one from each side of the family. Others choose the Hebrew version of the baby’s first or middle name, such as Sarah (princess in Hebrew) for Sadie, or Ora (light in Hebrew) for Olivia. There are plenty of beautiful biblical and Israeli names to choose from. We’ll remind you again in the ceremony notes, but announcing the name is kind of the main event at a naming, so be sure to write something beforehand to share with your guests.
Bar Refaeli is a Hebrew name. Enough said.
Baby namings typically take place in the morning and last for about an hour or so. You can have the ceremony anywhere… home, the community room of your apartment building, etc. All you really need is a quiet room big enough for your guests. If you belong to a synagogue, you can probably have the ceremony in a room there. Many synagogues also have baby namings during Friday night Shabbat services, which can be a beautiful time to welcome your baby into her Jewish community, although, the naming part will probably be more of a side note than the main event. Our advice? Use JewBelong’s free naming booklet for a beautiful and easy celebration. Just print enough copies for everyone so they can follow along and 2) Write the notes that you will use when it’s time to announce baby’s Hebrew name in advance then remember to bring them on the day! If you want to create your own ceremony (sigh), here’s an outline for a lovely ceremony:
Planning tips: Because these things don't plan themselves.
Use this checklist to help get ready, but don’t stress about trying to have all of it!
OK, you've got the baby. So what else?
You'll like these. (We work hard on this stuff!)
Choose a reading or two. Or take our advice and print out copies of JewBelong's Baby Naming booklet.
Nice Jewish boys and girls are made, not born.
If you have friends with a guitar or other instruments, be sure to hit them up!
Why make an account and save your favorite JewBelong stuff? Because someday Jack is going to get off his ass and pop the question and you’re going to get to plan that wedding you've been thinking about since third grade.
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It makes us happy to know that you’re back. Have a great day!
Because why use any of your precious brain cells to remember where you kept those great readings that you’ll use someday at Jeffrey’s B Mitzvah? Make an account, keep the readings there. Easy peasy. The only thing you’ll need to remember is your password, and from personal experience that’s hard enough.
Hey, can you watch the phones on Friday? We have a thing.