Birth rites: naming and circumcision

The birth rites of circumcision and Simchat Bat hold significant importance in Jewish tradition, marking the entry of a child into the Jewish community.

The ceremony of Simchat Bat, which means "Rejoicing in a Daughter" or Zeved haBat ("Celebrating the Gift of a Daughter") is a celebration for the birth of a girl and her naming. This ceremony acknowledges the arrival of a daughter into the Jewish community and emphasizes the importance of women in Jewish life.

Rabbi Cipriani has developed over the years a beautiful and meaningful ritual for this event, based on ancient Italian Jewish traditions, ensuring that the birth and naming of a girl child has no less solemnity than that of a boy.

Circumcision, known as Brit Milah, is performed on the eighth day after a boy's birth and symbolizes the covenant between God and the Jewish people, as established with Abraham (Genesis 17:12). This rite represents a lifelong indelible symbol of commitment to the values of Judaism. A boy receives his name at this time. The Brit must be performed by a person versed in both the religious and medical fields: the mohel. When neither a mohel nor a Jewish doctor is available, a non-Jewish doctor may be called in.

Rabbi Haim can help find the right specialists to perform the Brit and he can personally celebrate the ritual part, which involves various prayers and blessings.