Brit Atifah: A Jewish Baby Naming at Home

family with newborn around dinner table

Welcoming

(Family and friends gather in the tent and create a circle of welcome for the new family.)

Welcome song:

הִנֵּה מָה טוֹב וּמַה נָעִים שֶׁבֶת אַחִים גַּם יַחַד

Transliteration:
Heney Ma Tov U’manayim Shevet Akhim Gam Yakhad

English:
How wonderful and pleasant when brothers and sisters sit together in peace.

(Family enters circle)

Rabbi/ Leader welcomes and explains the ceremony and the concept of sanctification of space and time.

Blessing over the wine:

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָפֶן

Transliteration:
Barukh Ata Adonay Eloheynu Melekh HaOlam Borey Pri Hagafen

English:
Blessed is the Source of All whose energy enables fruit to grow on the vine.

(The family drinks the wine.)

Brit Atifah – Covenant of Wrapping

Rabbi/ Leader explains covenant and the symbol of Tallit:

Rabbi /Leaders says:
In passing on this legacy, we invoke the concept of Brit – covenant.  There are many covenants we affirm today – the covenant between God and all humanity symbolized by the rainbow of the natural world and first invoked by Noah after the flood.  This covenant reminds us that all of creation is a gift and a promise and that it ours to protect and keep.

The second covenant we affirm is that between God and the Jewish people.  This covenant is one that calls us as Jews to a particular – although not superior – set of responsibilities for improving the world and the life of all its inhabitants.

Thirdly, we create today a covenant among community and family to guard and protect, to love and support this family as they build and create their home as a family, this covenant is symbolized by the circle in which we all stand.

And finally, we create a covenant of protection, love, guidance, care and nurturance between parents and children.

We affirm these covenants by the symbolic act of wrapping this child in a tallit, a Jewish prayer shawl.  The fringes represent the accumulated wisdom of the Jewish people and mark the covenant between God and the Jewish people.  The act of wrapping symbolizes the nurturance of family that you offer this child as he/she grows and becomes his/her own person, marking the covenant between parent and child.  The witnessing of this act by all of us gathered here today, marks the covenant of extended family and community and finally, our blessings, particular in language but universal in content, denote the covenant of all humanity.

(Baby is wrapped in tallit)

The following blessing is recited:

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ לְהִתְעַטֵּף בַּצִּיצִית

Transliteration:
Barukh Ata Adonay Eloheynu Melekh HaOlam Asher Kidshanu B’mitzvotav V’tzivanu L’hitatef batzitzit.

English:
Blessed is the Source of All who makes us holy by calling us to enwrap ourselves in the tzitzit.

All recite together:

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם זוֹכֵר אֶת הַבְּרִית

Transliteration:
Barukh Ata Adonay Eloheynu Melekh Ha’olam Zokher et haBrit.

English:
Blessed is the Source of All who remembers the covenant.

Naming

Parents explain the child’s name(s)

Rabbi/ leader then explains the Hebrew meaning of the child’s name

Rabbi/ leader recites blessing using full Hebrew name for the first time.

For a Female Child:

מִי שֶׁבֵּרַךְ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ אַבְרָהָם יִצְחָק וְיַעֲקֹב וְאִמּוֹתֵינוּ שָׂרָה רִבְקָה רָחֵל וְלֵאָה הוּא יְבָרֵךְ אֵת______ בֶּן בַּת______ וְ______ וְאֵת_____ בֶּן בַּת_______ וְ____ וּבִתָם וּבִתָּן וּבִתָּהּ וּבִתּוֹ הֲנוֹלְדָה לָהֶם לָהֶן לָה לוֹ לְמַזָּל טוֹב: יִתֵּן לָהּ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא חַיִּים וּבְרִיאוּת בְּרָכָה וְשָׁלוֹם: וְיִקָּרֵא (הֲרֵי) שְׁמָהּ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל______ בַּת_____ וְ_____: יִזְכּוּ הוֹרֶיהָ תִּזְכֶּה אִמָּהּ יִזְכֶּה אָבִיהָ לְגַדְּלָהּ וּלְחַנְּכָהּ לְתוֹרָה לְחֻפָּה וּלְמַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים וְנֹאמַר אַמֵּן

Mi she’berakh avoteynu Avraham, Yitzkhak, v’Yaakav v’imoteynu Sarah, Rivkah, Rakhel, v’Leah hu y’varekh et ________ ben/ bat _________ v’_______ v’et ________ ben/ bat ________ v’________ u’vitam/ uvitan/ u’vitah/ u’vito hanoldah l’hem/ l’hen/ lah/ lo l’mazal tov: Yiten lah hakadosh barukh hu khayim u’vrioot b’rakhah v’shalom: V’yikarey (harey) shmah b’Yisrael ________ bat ______ v’ ________: Yizku horeyha/ tizkey imah/ yizkey aviha l’gadlah u’lkhankhah l’torah l’khupah u’lma’asim tovim v’nomar amen.

For a Male Child:

    מִי שֶׁבֵּרַךְ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ אַבְרָהָם יִצְחָק וְיַעֲקֹב וְאִמּוֹתֵינוּ שָׂרָה רִבְקָה רָחֵל וְלֵאָה הוּא יְבָרֵךְ אֵת______ְ בֵּן בַּת______ וְ______ וְאֵת_______ בֵּן בַּת_____ וְ_______ וּבְנָם וּבְנָן וּבְנָהּ וּבְנוֹ הַנּוֹלְד לָהֶם לָהֶן לָהּ לוֹ לְמַזָּל טוֹב: יִתֵּן לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא חַיִּים וּבְרִיאוּת בְּרָכָה וְשָׁלוֹם: וְיִקָּרֵא (הֲרֵי) שְׁמוֹ בְּיִשׂרָאֵל_____ בֵּן______ וְ_____: יִזְכּוּ הוֹרָיו תִּזְכֶּה אִמּוֹ יִזְכֶּה אָבִיו לְגַדְּלוֹ וּלְחַנְּכוֹ לְתוֹרָה לְחֻפָּה וּלְמַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים וְנֹאמַר אַמֵּן

Mi she’berakh avoteynu Avraham, Yitzkhak, v’Yaakav v’imoteynu Sarah, Rivkah, Rakhel, v’Leah hu y’varekh et ________ ben/ bat _________ v’_______ v’et ________ ben/ bat ________ v’________ uvnam/ uvnan/ uvnah/ uvno hanold lahem/ lahen/ lah/ lo l’mazal tov: Yiten lo hakadosh barukh hu khayim u’vrioot b’rakhah v’shalom: V’yikarey (harey) shmo b’Yisrael ________ ben ______ v’ ________: Yizku horav/ tizkey imo/ yizkey aviv l’gadlo u’lkhankho l’torah l’khupah u’lma’asim tovim v’nomar amen.

English:
May the one who blessed our ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel and Leah, bless ______ and _______ and the child _______, born to them/ her/ him/ with mazal tov! May she/ he be blessed with life, health, goodness, and peace. May her/ his name be called (Behold her/ his name is) ________. May her/ his parents be worthy of raising her/ him, and educating her/ him for Torah, for family life, and for good deeds. And let us say: Amen.

Group sings: Siman Tov uMazel Tov!!!

SIMAN TOV UMAZAL TOV
Siman tov umazal tov
Umazal tov vesiman tov
(x3)
Yehe lanu.

Yehe lanu, yehe lanu
Ulechol Yisrael.
(x2)

GOOD SIGN AND GOOD LUCK
Good sign*, and good luck
And good luck and good sign
(x3)
will come to us.

It will come to us, to us
And to all Israel.
(x2)

סימן טוב ומזל טוב

Additional blessings are offered by family and friends.

Celebration

Hamotzi (blessing over bread) is recited:

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם הַמּוֹצִיא לֶחֶם מִין הָאָרֶץ

Transliteration:
Barukh Ata Adonay Eloheynu Melekh HaOlam HaMotzi Lekhem Min Haaretz

English:
Blessed is the Source of Life whose power brings forth bread from the earth.

Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on email
Email

Ritualwell content is available for free thanks to the generous support of readers like you! Please help us continue to offer meaningful content with a donation today. 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Rituals

Shop Ritualwell - Discover unique Judaica products

The Reconstructionist Network

Serving as central organization of the Reconstructionist movement

Training the next generation of groundbreaking rabbis

Modeling respectful conversations on pressing Jewish issues

Curating original, Jewish rituals, and convening Jewish creatives

Jewish Spiritual Autobiography

 Writing a spiritual autobiography helps you to discover how teachers, touchstones, symbols and stories have led you to make meaning and understand the sacred in your personal story. In this immersion, join Ritualwell’s Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer, a writer and spiritual director, to map out and narrate your most sacred life experiences. Four sessions starting May 16, 2024. 

Get the latest from Ritualwell

Subscribe for the latest rituals, online learning opportunities, and unique Judaica finds from our store.

The Reconstructionist Network