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Starting a Family

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

“Motherhood / Finds us…”

mother looking into childs eyes

Thinking about Passover and the death of the firstborn, praying to conceive. 

hands holding yellow zinnia

To be used when someone stops taking birth control, and begins to look toward becoming a parent

woman immersing under water

A song on longing for a child

Silhouette of a person praying at sunrise by the sea, with a rocky cliff in the background.

What balm will ease my suffering?

Silhouette of a person partially opening a sheer curtain, with soft natural light filling the room.

Traditional blessings for mikveh immersion

A woman in a white shirt floats calmly on water, with her eyes closed and hair submerged.

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