Preserve the memory of your loved one with a plaque on our Yahrzeit Wall. Learn More ->

Search
Close this search box.

Welcoming & Raising Children

Close-up of adult hands with rings holding a childs hand, symbolizing family and unity.

We greet each child with affection and joy. Every baby comes to us full of promise and potential. As parents, we are privileged to welcome them into our families, our communities, and the embrace of the Jewish people. Raising children to adulthood, we encounter many milestones along the way. Children are weaned, lose their teeth, and start school. Some get their driver’s licenses and eventually leave home for good. Here are rituals for welcoming children and for celebrating the milestones on their paths to adulthood.

Latest Rituals

Modern prayer invoking the foremothers

two women facing each other in profile, silhouetted against a sunset

God makes a covenant with Abraham, commands Abraham to circumcise himself and his descendants, and changes Abraham and Sarah’s names

woman in profile standing on sand dune in the desert

Giving the first gift, the gift of a name

woman deep breath near celmatis vine

Modern prayer in Hebrew and English invoking the matriarchs

Ritualwell Tradition & Innovation logo placeholder

A joyous prayer for a child’s first home coming

A couple lovingly gazes at a newborn baby lying on a bed, wrapped in a white blanket.

A traditional Yiddish tekhine

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

Blessing over wine, said at all joyous gatherings. Included are masculine and feminine blessings and a non-gendered blessing by liturgist Marcia Falk.

Person holding a stainless steel cup with both hands, wearing a dark sweater.

Revised traditional “Harakhaman” for a baby naming

Ritualwell Tradition & Innovation logo placeholder

A parents’ pledge to their infant son

Ritualwell Tradition & Innovation logo placeholder

For optional incorporation into a baby naming ceremony

Ritualwell Tradition & Innovation logo placeholder

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

Get the latest from Ritualwell

Subscribe for the latest rituals, online learning opportunities, and unique Judaica finds from our store.

The Reconstructionist Network