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 poem expressing the deep emotions of a miscarriage

person in cape on beach

A personal account describing the author’s experience of losing a baby before rituals were developed to encourage mourning

black fabric

A new psalm for a woman terminating her pregnancy

dark bedroom with dawn through window

A mourning ceremony for twins who died before birth

closed flower on black background

Prayer to be recited when pregnancy must be ended therapeutically

hands holding apple blossom

A prayer combining contemporary words and Hebrew selections from the High Holy Day Amidah (standing silent prayer)

Delicate white flowers blooming on branches against a soft blue sky background.

A prayer to be said in synagogue for a couple who has experienced a miscarriage

hands holding yellow zinnia

Selections and adaptations from a larger ceremony

full moon over dark landscape

How one woman infused the tashlikh ritual with a dimension for coping with her loss

A serene stream flows through a forest with mossy rocks and leafless trees on a cloudy day.

Havdalah ceremony after a miscarriage or abortion

A silver spice box, a silver cup on a saucer, and a braided yellow candle in a holder.

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