Officiant:
We are here today to bring this new baby into the covenant of the Jewish people with God. We ask God to bless this child just as our forefather IsaacAbraham and Sarah's much-longed-for son and the second Jewish patriarch. Isaac is nearly sacrificed by his father at God's command (Genesis 22). He is married to Rebecca and is the father of Esau and Jacob. His Hebrew name is Yitzchak. blessed his son JacobLit. heel Jacob is the third patriarch, son of Isaac and Rebecca, and father to the twelve tribes of Israel. More than any of the other patriarchs, Jacob wrestles with God and evolves from a deceitful, deal-making young man to a mature, faithful partner to God. His Hebrew name is Yaakov., saying:
“May El Shaddai bless you, make you fertile and numerous.” (Gen. 28:3)
And as Jacob in turn blessed his son JosephJacob's eldest son by his beloved wife, Rachel. Joseph, the dreamer, was his father's favorite and nearly murdered by his brothers. Sold into slavery, he became viceroy of Egypt where he ultimately saves the Egyptians and also his own family from starvation. His Hebrew name is Yosef/, saying:
“Shaddai blesses you with blessings of heaven from above, blessings of the deep that couches below, blessings of the breasts and womb.” (Gen. 49:25)
It is especially appropriate that we invoke God today by the name “El Shaddai,” which is usually translated as “the Almighty” or “the All-Sufficient One.” Shaddayim means “breasts” in Hebrew, and milk from her mother’s breasts nourishes the infant now that she has moved into the world, just as she was sustained by the umbilicus while she was in her mother’s womb. “El Shaddai” is also said to refer to the aspect of God that determines exactly what is “dai,” or enough, for each of us: how much blessing a person needs, how much suffering a person can endure.
It was El Shaddai who, when our ancestors were wandering in the desert, provided just as much manna as each person needed, with no excess and no deficiency. (Exodus 16:15–18). And it is El Shaddai who miraculously creates us so that infants call forth, and mothers produce, in almost every case, exactly the amount and kind of milk that each particular baby needs.
As a marker of bringing the baby into the covenant of the Jewish people, I will anoint her with the milk that sustains her. First at the site of her umbilical cord, where she was attached to her birth mother, and which is near her own womb that will one day have the capacity to nurture life. Then at her lips, where she draws nourishment during this new phase of her life.
Anoint the baby’s cord/womb and says:
“While yet unborn, I depended on You; in the womb of my mother, You were my support.” (Ps. 71:6)
Anoint the baby’s lips and says:
“You drew me from the womb, made me secure at my mother’s breast. I became Your charge at birth; from my mother’s womb You have been my God.” (Ps. 22:10–11)
Parents:
Brukhah at YahA name for God, as in "halleluyah" – praise God. Some people prefer this name for God as a non-gendered option., eloheynu Hey Ha’olamim, asher kidshatnu bemitzvoteha, v’tzivatnu l’hakhnisah labrit shel AvrahamAbraham is the first patriarch and the father of the Jewish people. He is the husband of Sarah and the father of Isaac and Ishmael. God's covenant - that we will be a great people and inherit the land of Israel - begins with Abraham and is marked by his circumcision, the first in Jewish history. His Hebrew name is Avraham. avinu v’SarahThe first matriarch, wife of Abraham, and mother of Isaac, whom she birthed at the age of 90. Sarah, in Rabbinic tradition, is considered holy, beautiful, and hospitable. Many prayers, particularly the Amidah (the central silent prayer), refer to God as Magen Avraham – protector of Abraham. Many Jews now add: pokehd or ezrat Sarah – guardian or helper of Sarah. imeynu.
Blessed are you, Yah our God, Life of all the worlds, who sanctifies us with Your commandments and commands us to bring her into the covenant of Avraham our father and Sarah our mother.
All respond:
Amen! Just as she has entered the covenant, so may she enter into the TorahThe Five Books of Moses, and the foundation of all of Jewish life and lore. The Torah is considered the heart and soul of the Jewish people, and study of the Torah is a high mitzvah. The Torah itself a scroll that is hand lettered on parchment, elaborately dressed and decorated, and stored in a decorative ark. It is chanted aloud on Mondays, Thursdays, and Shabbat, according to a yearly cycle. Sometimes "Torah" is used as a colloquial term for Jewish learning and narrative in general., into loving relationships, and good deeds.
