Starting a Family

In contemporary homes, starting a family is often a deliberate choice. The experience of pregnancy, the drama of giving birth, and the miracle of adoption are occasions for joy and wonder. These are also experiences that can be fraught with pain and struggle, reflecting the full spectrum of life and death. We offer prayers for those who are trying to conceive, prayers for pregnancy and childbirth, rituals for parents preparing to adopt, mourning ceremonies for miscarriages, blessings for those struggling with infertility, rituals to prepare for or acknowledge an abortion, and much more.

Latest Rituals

Healing After a Miscarriage

A poem expressing the deep emotions of a miscarriage

person in cape on beach

I Lost a Child But Did Not Mourn Her

A personal account describing the author’s experience of losing a baby before rituals were developed to encourage mourning

loss of a child, miscarriage, stillbirth

black fabric

A Lullaby for Courage

A new psalm for a woman terminating her pregnancy

dark bedroom with dawn through window

Memorial Service for Our Babies and a Reawakening of Hope

A mourning ceremony for twins who died before birth

loss of a child, stillbirth

closed flower on black background

Prayer to be Said When Preparing to End a Pregnancy

Prayer to be recited when pregnancy must be ended therapeutically

hands holding apple blossom

Prayer After Miscarriage or Stillbirth

A prayer combining contemporary words and Hebrew selections from the High Holy Day Amidah (standing silent prayer)

miscarriage, stillbirth

Delicate white flowers blooming on branches against a soft blue sky background.

A Prayer of Comfort Following a Miscarriage

A prayer to be said in synagogue for a couple who has experienced a miscarriage

hands holding yellow zinnia

Renew Me Like the Moon: Toward Healing after Miscarriage

Selections and adaptations from a larger ceremony

kiddush levanah, miscarriage

full moon over dark landscape

Creating a Ritual when None Exists

How one woman infused the tashlikh ritual with a dimension for coping with her loss

miscarriage, tashlikh

A serene stream flows through a forest with mossy rocks and leafless trees on a cloudy day.

Havdalah after Losing a Baby

Havdalah ceremony after a miscarriage or abortion

havdalah, miscarriage

A silver spice box, a silver cup on a saucer, and a braided yellow candle in a holder.