To carry a child in this threatening world takes faith,
to give birth to a child in this frightening world takes
love,
To raise a child to be a Jew takes courage.
Today I celebrate the gift of life
which can be accepted only with faith, love and courage,
Today I remember 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., who watched 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.
when he took her only 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. to be sacrificed,
and I remember the covenant of Abraham, the pain of
Sarah.
Today I remember the wife of Noah, the mother of three
children, who though she has no name in our 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.,
witnessed the suffering of her sisters, the destruction of
all her human brothers, and I remember
the covenant of Noah.
I remember that the TalmudThe rabbinic compendium of lore and legend composed between 200 and 500 CE. Study of the Talmud is the focus of rabbinic scholarship. The Talmud has two versions, the main Babylonian version (Bavli) and the smaller Jerusalem version (Yerushalmi). It is written in Rabbinic Hebrew and Aramaic. says: one who take a
single life destroys the whole world.
And I say: therefore, she who gives birth creates a whole
world,
and she feels a little of the divine joy of Elohim
creating the earth and every living thing.
Today I name my daughter a Hebrew name and an
English name,
because I have found the courage to raise her as a Jew.
In this same ceremony I pledge her and myself to the
Covenant
of Noah, to work for a world which will nurture life
and not destroy it.
All Jews must enter the covenant of Noah,
as my daughter will do when she learns she is mature
enough
to conceive and give birth;
Both women and men must promise to protect and nurture
all living things.
All Jewish children should enter the covenant of Abraham,
as a boy does when he is circumcised.
Girls and boys alike need to learn Torah and commit
themselves
to the Jewish people.
We will gather our people together to work for a world
which we will not destroy with fire or nuclear winter
or atomic missiles;
Beginning today we must work together for a world that is
safe
for my baby and for all babies everywhere.
When my daughter grows up and decides to give birth, she
will
find, as I do, that whatever causes pain to her child hurts
her.
If all men and women learn to feel the suffering of others,
life can be preserved on this planet.
Faith and love and courage can prevail over threats and
fear
and violence.
Nations will study peace and people will learn to love one another.
Despite our pain, we will work for a world of peace,
In trembling, we will raise our children as Jews,
In fear, we will insist on celebrating life,
on embracing the covenant of Noah and the covenant
of Abraham,
we and our children, and, God helping us, our children’s
children.
From RuthAn important female biblical character with her own book. The Book of Ruth, read on Shavuot, tells the story of Ruth’s devotion to her mother-in-law, Naomi, and their return to Israel. Ruth’s story is often read as the first story of conversion. Ruth is the grandmother of King David. F. Brin, HARVEST: Collected Poems and Prayers, The Reconstructionist Press, New York, 1986. Used by permission of the estate of Ruth F. Brin, z”l. Rabbi Deborah J. Brin, a daughter of the author, can be contacted by clicking here.
