Some parents use footwashing as part of a baby naming ceremony as a concrete symbol of the covenant, likening the ritual to the covenant of the rainbow which God made with Noah after the flood. Others use it as a symbol of welcome.
What follows are some words you can use to introduce the ritual washing of the baby’s feet.
When the angels visited AbrahamAbraham 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. and announced the birth of his son 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., Abraham greeted them by washing their feet, symbolic of their status as honored guests. Today we will greet __________, our guest of honor, by washing her feet.
As the baby is brought in by her grandparents, participants sing together. (Choose a song.)
As the baby’s feet are washed, we say:
Barukh Atah Adonay m’kor mayyim hayyim ham’khayeh nefesh kol khai.
Blessed are you, Source of Living Water, who revives the soul of all living.
Read about the creation of this footwashing ritual on the Ritualwell blog.
