Breastfeeding & Weaning

When we nurse our babies, we have the satisfaction of providing nourishment from our own bodies. This can feed our souls as much as it feeds our babies’ hunger. Weaning means physical separation, a first step toward launching our children—with all the joy and sadness that entails.

Latest Rituals

“my body has been a source of sustenance and nourishment for my little one”
woman shown from afar sitting under tree with red leaves breastfeeding a baby. The woman is white with soft blond wavy hair.

Poem on parenting new baby struggling to feed 

Olam Hazeh

“Blessings of the breasts and the womb. / So that you may nurse, and be satisfied”

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A weaning ritual to allow child to transition to next phase of independence

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A breastfeeding blessing based on “Asher Yatzar,” which honors the body’s miraculous workings, but with an emphasis on the feminine aspects of the Divine

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Excerpted from an original babynaming ceremony in which the baby is welcomed into the covenant by anointing her with breast milk

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The author realizes that in a religion imbued with the idea of making ordinary moments sacred through blessing, there was no blessing for the moment of her first period. She explores how that moment would have been different had it been blessed.
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A ceremony to celebrate the weaning of a child

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A beautiful weaning ceremony celebrated at Havdalah for twins and their mom

A Weaning Ceremony for Joshua Ruben and Eli Nathaniel and for Me

The Reconstructionist Network

Jewish Art as
Self-Defense

Join Black, Queer Jewish artist Ayeola Omolara Kaplan for a deep dive into creating artwork informed by Jewish social justice work. 

Four sessions, starting Feb. 28th

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