Reproductive Experiences

A happy family of three smiling at the camera, with a child in the center between two adults.
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

A ceremony for a woman about to give birth, based on the Navajo custom of the blessingway

strings of colored beads

From Genesis 49:25 and Deuteronomy 7:13

pregnant woman in red dress holding leaves

A form of this touching prayer in modern English

woman nursing baby

A prayer that may be said before a medical exam for those undergoing fertility treatment/counseling

Two people holding hands, offering comfort and support, with a warm, blurred background.

The author brings to life the Genesis tale of Sarah, Abraham, and Hagar by locating Sarah and Abraham’s infertility as the central factor motivating the characters’ behavior

tree in sinai desert

Contemporary Israeli prayer expressing desire for a child

little boy in garden

This essay on grieving the inability to bear children relates the author’s dialogue with her deceased grandmother about whether she has the permission to mourn

woman in profile standing on sand dune in the desert

This prayer aims to bring a spiritual presence to the potentially sterile and technological experience of a doctor’s visit

holding hands hospital bed

Prayer for those having difficulty conceiving

hands holding yellow zinnia

Biblical verses used to form three prayers before, during, and after artificial insemination

Artistic background with colorful swirls, featuring Hope in English and Hebrew text.

The Reconstructionist Network

Serving as central organization of the Reconstructionist movement

Training the next generation of groundbreaking rabbis

Modeling respectful conversations on pressing Jewish issues

Curating original, Jewish rituals, and convening Jewish creatives

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The Reconstructionist Network