Written in honor of the birth of my first grandsons.
God of my foremothers and forefathers, I gratefully acknowledge all that you have blessed me with. You have redeemed me from the discomfort of pregnancy and the suffering of childbirth. May it be your will, dear God, that this new baby have enough milk from my body and that my sleep will be light so I will hear his cries just as they begin.
As I look at this beautiful baby boy, your most perfect creation, about to seal his covenant with you, I pray that you will be at my side as I raise him together with my husband. Protect him from suffering and keep him safe from any and all misfortune. Imbue him with a pure, holy spirit and grant him a long life filled with awe of heaven, a soul filled with goodness and compassion, a life in which his material wants will be easily satisfied. Help my son grow to be a fine man, aware always of your presence, his will poised to do your bidding, his heart wise and dedicated to good works, charity and acts of loving kindness.
May my son easily find the zivug(match) you have chosen for him, and favor me and my husband with the good fortune to fier (accompany) him to the chuppah together, in good health. May he, and we, live to see his sons and daughters marry well, and dedicate themselves to 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. and mitzvotLit. Commandment. It is traditionally held that there are 613 mitzvot (plural) in Judaism, both postive commandments (mandating actions) and negative commandments (prohibiting actions). Mitzvah has also become colloquially assumed to mean the idea of a “good deed.".
As the covenant is sealed on his body, look upon him with mercy. May his pain be brief, may he heal quickly, and may his cries reach the heavens as prayers for a long, blessed life.
