Welcoming an infant girl into Judaism

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. Here at CSI, Rabbi Kane 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.