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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

A traditional Yiddish tekhine

Three people walking through autumn leaves; a child holding hands with two adults.

A mother’s prayer for the health and well-being of her new baby and the wisdom to raise her

newborn baby feet

Traditional prayer of thanks for a mother after delivering a child, or for one who has recently escaped danger or returned safely from a journey

person wearing white shirt out in a field with palm on their own heart

A modern poem based on biblical texts

baby hand holding adult finger

To recite when the baby is born or at the ceremony

newborn baby wrapped in blue blanket

Recited by the mother for the safe childbirth

woman deep breath near celmatis vine

While happily the majority of adoptions work out as planned, some do not. This havdalah ceremony marks such a loss.

Children gathered closely, lighting candles in a circle.

A prayer for the gift of an adopted child in which the baby is welcomed, the parents pledge to create a good and Jewish life for the child, and ask God’s blessings for the baby’s health and well-being

woman deep breath near celmatis vine

A poem for adopting a child

mother and baby in silhouette on beach at sunset

A prayer to be said immediately following the birth of a child

A babys hand gently holding an adults finger on a soft white background.

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