One day I saw a young woman and her husband bring their new baby to the temple. This is not unusual in itself. Many babies are born, and many are presented in Jerusalem. Our law requires that after giving birth to a son, a woman cannot enter the temple until after her purification service on the fortieth day. That is when the child is presented in dedication.
Many old women come to the temple each day and like to make a fuss over the babies.
Temple grannies, I call them. It is not unusual for the parents to let one of these women hold the child and pray for it, especially a child from their tribe in Israel. When this couple entered the courtyard, I knew this was the child God had promised. I hurried over to them. I held out my arms like an old temple granny and asked to hold their baby boy.