Reproductive Experiences

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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

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

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

A modern poem based on biblical texts

To recite when the baby is born or at the ceremony

Recited by the mother for the safe childbirth

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

A prayer to be said in synagogue for a mother who has newly given birth

On the absence of ritual at the birth of daughters, with suggestions for new rituals for conception, pregnancy, and childbirth

A ceremony that a woman who has had an abortion can perform with a group of women. This ceremony uses the symbols of tashlich (casting out) and mikveh; the woman mourns the loss, renews herself, and attempts to bring closure to the abortion.

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