This afternoon I will speak about the naming ceremonies that have been innovated for girls over the past 25 years. The baby's father or grandfather was called up to the Torah to recite a blessing, and her name was announced in a prayer before the whole congregation. The mother and baby were often not present, and rarely did family members travel to attend such a ceremony. But the covenant ceremony for boys, that was a different matter. The brit Milah, the ritual circumcision of boy babies which takes place on the eighth day of life, has in the folk practice of the Jewish people been a major occasion.
Relatives travel great distances at short notice, and a special meal is served.
Through ritual a very personal event, the birth of a child, is transformed also into a special occasion for the entire Jewish community, represented in the assembled guests. As a family welcomes its newest member, the Jewish community as a whole is also renewed in their relation with God through the reenactment of the covenant between God and Abraham, founder of the Jewish people. A birth is naturally transformative. Young people become parents. They look backwards to their families of origin, appreciated in a new way, and forward to all of the dreams to be realized by this new child.