Welcome. These sheets contain an explanation of this morning’s ceremony as well as the texts for the siyyum and naming ceremony and birkat hamazon. Thank you for participating in this joyous event.

We name our daughters on their fifteenth day of life. This is based on Vayiqra 12:1-5, which describes the length of a woman’s period of impurity after childbirth. If she gives birth to a son, she is impure for seven days; if she gives birth to a daughter, she is impure for fourteen days. The passage seems to connect the baby boy’s circumcision on the eighth day to the conclusion of the mother’s seven day period of impurity. (Similarly, Vayiqra 22:27 says that a newborn animal must remain with its mother for seven days, and on the eighth day and onward it is acceptable as a sacrificial offering.) It seems, then, that for the first seven days of a little boy’s life, and the first fourteen days of a little girl’s life, the child and mother are still closely linked, and both remain separate from the larger family and community. Then, on the eighth day of her son’s life, and on the fifteenth day of her daughter’s life, the mother begins to rejoin her family and community, and the child too becomes incorporated as a member of the family and community. That is why a baby boy’s father becomes obligated to circumcise his son only on the eighth day, and why the baby boy first receives his name at his brit milah; it is then that the baby boy becomes a member of the community of Israel. On our daughter’s fifteenth day, we come together as a family and as a community to welcome this new member and to give her a name.

A siyyum is a ceremony marking the completion of the study of a tractate of the Talmud, and rededicating the participants to a commitment to further study. We name each of our sons and daughters at a siyyum celebrating our joint study during the period of time that we are expecting the birth of our child. This is both a way of privately rededicating ourselves to Torah study and a way of publicly welcoming our children into a community joined together in the study of Torah. Our siyyum this morning is on tractate Shevi’it. from the Palestinian Talmud, in recognition of our baby’s birth during shemita, the sabbatical year in Israel. (See accompanying sheets for the texts that will be studied and for the text of the siyyum ceremony.)

Please stand for the conclusion of the siyyum and remain standing throughout the naming ceremony.

In gratitude for a healthy delivery for mother and baby, Devora will say birkat hagomel (the blessing for one who survives a dangerous experience). In recognition of the particular circumstances of this birth, the blessing will be introduced by the singing of a portion of Hallel, “ma ashiv” (end of Tehilim 116), led by David.

Our daughter will enter and leave the room to the singing of biblical verses excerpted from blessings to children. The song to which she will enter begins with Bereishit 48:16, from the passage in which Ya’aqov blesses Yosef and his sons, Menashe and Efraim: “May the angel who has redeemed me from all evil bless the lads, and let my name and the name of my fathers Avraham and Yitzḥaq be called on them, and may they grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth. ״ The song continues with Devarim 1:10, from the introduction to Moshe’s address to the Children of Israel: “The Lord your God has multiplied you, and, behold, you are this day like the stars of heaven for multitude.”

After our daughter enters the room, David and Devora will say birkat hatov vehameitiv (the blessing “who is good and does good”).

Our daughter will be named and blessed with a prayer which incorporates biblical verses celebrating the miracle of birth:

Our Lord and the Lord of our ancestors, bless this girl, and let her name in Israel be called
_____ daughter of________and________.

May the father be glad in that which came forth from his loins and the mother rejoice in the fruit of her womb, as it is written: May your father and your mother be glad, and may she who bore you rejoice. (Mishlei 23:25) Protect her with your abundant grace, as it is written: But the grace of God is from everlasting to everlasting upon those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children. (Tehilim 103:17) And it says: But now, God, you are our father; we are the clay and you are our shaper, and the work of your hand are we all. (Yeshayahu 64:7) And it says: For you have formed my inner parts, you have knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are your works, and my soul knows that well. (Tehilim 139:13-14) And it says: Let them praise God for his grace, and his wonders to humankind. (Tehilim 107:7) Give praise to God. for he is good, for his grace endures forever. (Tehilim 118:1) [All respond: Give praise to God, for he is good, for his grace endures forever.]

May he who blessed our ancestors, Avraham, Yitsḥaq, and Ya’aqov, Sara, Rivqa, Raḥel, and Laya, bless________daughter of________and________, and may her father and mother merit to raise her to Torah, the marriage canopy, and good deeds.

Devora and David will then bless their child with the traditional blessing for daughters and the priestly blessing.
 
Our daughter will leave the room with the singing of Bereishit 27:28, the beginning of Yitsḥaq’s blessing to Ya’aqov: “May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fat of the earth and an abundance of grain and wine.”

All the participants join together in a seudat mitsvah. Birkat hamazon will be introduced with a special zimmun and will include special prayers blessing the parents, the child, and the participants, and praying for peace (see accompanying sheet).

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