It is customary for pregnant women and women seeking to become pregnant to offer prayers to Rachel, Judaism’s mater dolorosa. Specifically, women visit Rachel’s tomb in Bethlehem, wrap a red cord around the tomb, then cut it into smaller pieces which they tie around their own wrists. This ritual for a pregnant woman is based on this custom.
From an Italian collection of 18th century prayers for married women written by Dr. Giuseppe Cohen and presented to his bride as a wedding gift
A ritual to be performed in a women’s group focusing on the new mother
A poem that likens the womb’s circles to other circles within Judaism
A ceremony for a woman about to give birth, based on the Navajo custom of the blessingway
A form of this touching prayer in modern English
A prayer that may be said before a medical exam for those undergoing fertility treatment/counseling
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
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