Some Thoughts on Jewish Baby Ceremonies:
Ceremonies welcoming Jewish babies initiate a lifetime of marking significant events in the context of tradition and community functions. They represent the fulfillment of mitzvot, of commandments or obligations, that require such ceremonies. They help us to avoid what Rabbi Harold Schulweis calls "riteless passages"--moments of significance that simply happen, without notice or celebration. They link us to the Jewish past and commit us to a Jewish future. They serve as an opportunity to reinforce central beliefs and symbols--for example, covenant, commandment, and community--that characterize Judaism and Jewish life.
Perhaps most significantly, as Rabbi Laura Geller notes, they effect transformation. Before a brit milahsimchat bat (covenant ceremony for girls), a baby is simply the child of particular parents--even referred to only as "the baby." After such a ceremony, she becomes herself, he becomes himself, in Geller's words:
"a Jew linked through ritual to covenant and messiah, and transformed through ritual into so-and-so [the child of] particular parents within the context of the Jewish people.…The infant is transformed, named, given tribe and history, roots and purpose, baggage and wings" (Lifecycles, Vol. I, ed. Rabbi Debra Orenstein, pp. 61-62).
The community too is changed, having once again engaged with our history and our future, and having welcomed another member into our midst.
Some Helpful Links:
-The Shefa LifeCycles Page
-MyJewishLearning.com "Ceremonies for Newborns" page
-The "Babies & Children" page on RitualWell.org
