A Jewish Ceremony for Newborn Girls

Transcription

1 A Jewish Ceremony for Newborn Girls Sharon R. Siegel Published by Brandeis University Press Siegel, R.. A Jewish Ceremony for Newborn Girls: The Torah s Covenant Affirmed. Waltham: Brandeis University Press, Project MUSE., For additional information about this book No institutional affiliation (17 Mar :03 GMT)

2 Index Aber, Ita, 167 Abrabanel, Isaac Ben Judah, 100, , , 137 acrostics, 60, 73 Adler, Nathan Marcus, 31, 166 Adler, Rachel, xix, xxiii, 85, 103, 117, 206 aggadot, 77, 108, 110, 118 Agus, Arlene, xxiii Aharon Berachia of Modena, 186 Aleinu prayer, 214 aliyah: birthing mothers and aliyah for new father, 14 16, 20, 28 29, 42 43; for both parents, 3, 32, 42, 69, 74; halacha and, 45; Mi Shebairach prayer and, 3 4, 7, 23; in modern practice, 3 5, 26 27, 28, 32; naming girls, 3 5, 7, 23; for new mother in the home, 16; Simchat Bat and, 57, 67, 68, 69 70, 87; on Simchat Torah, 156, 164; without naming for girls, 40 43; Zeved HaBat liturgy, 7. See also synagogue naming Alsace, 22, 165 American Bar Association Journal, xvii American Jewish Congress, 53 Amram Gaon, 8, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, 130 Antoninus Pius, 130 Aqd-el-yas (Bond of the Myrtle), 166 Arba ah Turim, 27 areivut rule, Arizona Jewish Post, 213 Artscroll Siddur and Artscroll Simchah Handbook, 51 Asher ben Yechiel (Rosh), Ashkenazic communities, 3 43; aliyah for new father and naming girls, 3 5, 7; defined, xvi; disappearance of customs for birthing mothers, 26 27; early Jewish naming practices and, 11 13; kiddush in, xvi, 34 35; medieval customs for birthing mothers, 13 22; modern practices for newborn girls, xvi, 35 36; recent changes affecting naming practices in, 28 31; reshaping practices for newborn girls in, 38 43; Simchat Bat developing predominantly in, 50; weddings, use of tallit at, ; yom tov on first post-partum synagogue visit, 13 17, 20; Zeved HaBat adopted by, 72, 165, 225 Ashkenazi, Judah, 195 atonement, 14 16, 25, 31, 42, 44 aufruf (Shabbat chatan), 16, 165 Auschwitz, liberation of, 163 Austria, 16, 19, 22, 43 Bach (Yoel Sirkis), 22, 115 Bachrach, Yair Chaim, 110, 113, 185 Baer, Yitzchak, 10, 45 Bamberger, Seligman Baer, 12 Bar Mitzvah, xxiv, 18, , 157, 164, 167, 168, 187, 195 Barsa, 48 Bat Mitzvah, ; for adult women, 144; Bar Mitzvah and, xxiv, , 187; as covenantal expression, ; halacha on, 207 8; initiation into covenant as newborn and, xviii, 143, ; tallit and, 157, 164, 167, 168; timing of, 79 Baum, Charlotte, 53 Baumgarten, Elisheva, 10, 23 Bechor Shor (Joseph ben Isaac), 111,

3 274 index bechukoteichem lo teileichu (not following in the ways of other peoples), 61, Beis Yaakov schools, 145 Ben-Shimon, Raphael Aaron, 169 Berkovits, Eliezer, 104, 114, 116, 142 Berlin, Naftali Tzvi Yehuda (Netziv), Berman, Saul, 52, 76 Betulim (Tokens of Virginity) ceremony, , 201 Biale, Rachel, xix, 206 Bialik, Chaim Nachman, 73 Bible: on covenant and circumcision, ; naming practices in, 11, 12; on women s inclusion in covenant, Birkat Banim, 70, 71, , Birkat HaGomel: in conjunction with synagogue naming, 5; medieval Ashkenazic birthing mothers and, 16; modern Ashkenazic use of, 29 30; for mothers enduring a dangerous birth or pregnancy, 43; public recitation of, 33; at Simchat Bat, 59, 70, 71; at Zeved HaBat, 46 Birkat Ha-Torah, 115, 118 Birkat Kohanim, 156, 161, 165 birthing mothers: aliyah for both parents, 3, 32, 42, 69, 74; aliyah for new father and, 14 16, 20, 28 29, 42 43; aliyah for new mother in the home, 16; circumcision ceremony, non-attendance of, 128; disappearance of Ashkenazic customs for, 26 27; foreskins eaten by, 215, 217; medieval Ashkenazic customs for, 13 22; Mi Shebairach prayer and, 9 10, 16 17, 24 25, 28, 31; wimpel custom, 17 19; yom tov on first postpartum synagogue visit, 13 17, 20. See also parents Bleich, Judith, 61 62, 65, 207 Blessing the Birth of a Daughter: Jewish Naming Ceremonies for Girls (Reifman, 1978), 63 Bohemia, 17, 115 Bond of the Myrtle (Aqd-el-yas), 166 Book of Commandments (Sefer HaMitzvot; Maimonides, 12th century), 140 Book of the Covenant (Sefer HaBrit), borer (sorting or separating), 210 Borowitz, Eugene, 95 Brandes, Yehuda, 112 Brit Bat : composition of, 221; fulllength ceremony, ; nomenclature, 177, ; tallit swaddling, 166, 167, 168, 170 brit ben habitarim (Abraham s covenant between the parts), 98, 105, 171 brit milah. See circumcision of Jewish males Buber, Martin, 73 Bucharian communities, 7, 46, 215 burial and mourning customs, 12, 77, 153, 154, 165, 171, , 196, 221 Cairo Geniza, 126 Call Them Builders (Sasso, 1977), 63 candlelighting, 74 Cantor, Aviva, 59 Cantor, Debra, 65 Capsali, Elijah, 185 Cardin, Nina Beth, 65, 81 Carlebach, Salomon, 25 Caro, Joseph, , 115 Catalog Judaism, 54, 55, 80 ceremonies for newborn girls. See Jewish ceremonies for newborn girls Chabad-Lubavitch, xxiii Chair of Elijah, 74, 155, 163, 166, 167, 168, 177, , , 230, 231, 235 Chair of Miriam, 74, Chanukah, 58, 78 Charry, Ellen and Dana, 57 Chatam Sofer (Moses Sofer), 214 Chavurah movement, 54, 55, 80 Chill, Abraham, 208

4 index 275 Chofetz Chaim (Yisrael Meir Kagan), 145 Christianity and circumcision, chuppah (wedding canopy), 58, 74, 161, , 166, 168 circumcision of Jewish males: Abraham, God s covenant with, 99, 100; act and ceremony, distinction between, ; as assertion of Jewishness, ; Betulim ceremony and, ; federal court, Writ of Possible Simcha in, xv xviii, 33, 123; fertility practices involving foreskin and blood from, , 217; mohel, 123, 128, 163; mother s non-attendance, 128; naming of boys and, 3, 11 12, 69, 176; rabbinical encouragement of, ; Reform movement in 19th century and, 52, , 124; relationship of ceremonies for newborn girls to, xxiv xxvi, 142; Simchat Bat and, 52, 57, 58, 69, 74, 75, 77; societal pressures against, , ; tallit used at, 155, 163, 167, ; terminological conflation, ; wimpel and, 17 19; women s first sexual intercourse compared with, 112, 181. See also covenant and male circumcision circumcision of Muslims, 141 Cohen, Deborah Nussbaum, 81 Cohen, Elaine Shizgal, 58 Cohen, Shaye, 126 Cohen, Stephen, 58 confession prayer (viduy), 42 Conservative communities: feminism in, 52; liturgies for newborn girls, 224, 226; ordination of women, 53; Simchat Bat in, 66 67, 80, 81 covenant, ; Abraham and, ix, 96, , 105, 108, 171, 176; blood of, 103, 111, 125, ; Book of the Covenant (Sefer HaBrit), 106 7; mutuality of relationship between God and Jewish people, ; as pillar of Jewish faith and nationhood, 93 97; Revelation at Sinai, 94, 102 5, , ; Shabbat and, 58, 96, , 125, 135, ; tallit swaddling as symbol of, , 175. See also covenant and male circumcision; women s inclusion in covenant covenant and male circumcision, ; Abrahamic covenant, 99; Biblical sources differentiating, ; conflation of, , ; decoupling, , ; distinction between, ; evidence of conflation of, ; in Grace after Meals, ; halacha on, ; Maimonides differentiates, ; in rabbinical texts, ; reasons for conflation of, ; Talmud on, 125, 126, 132, ; terminology of circumcision, ; women s inclusion in covenant and, 100, 105, , 142. See also circumcision of Jewish males; covenant covenantal rituals for newborn girls, ; foot washing, 58, 77, 171, 173, 225; Havdalah ceremony, 75, 171, 172; importance of, 150; mikvah immersion, 171, ; Shabbat symbolism, ; at Simchat Bat, 56 57, 58, 60, 70 71, 74, 76 78, 87 88, 89; tallit swaddling, xxvi, ; terminology for ceremony and, ; Torah scrolls, 71, 74, 77, 87, 157, 171, 172 custom (minhag): bechukoteichem lo teileichu (not following in the ways of other peoples), 61, 207 8; categorization of customs, 211; ceremonies for newborn girls as developing customs, ; evolving into tradition, ; halacha and, ix, , 207; uniform practice, adoption of, Damascus Document, 108 Daru ben Papa, 139 Dead Sea Scrolls, 108

5 276 index Denmark, 17 Diamant, Anita, 81 Drisha Institute for Jewish Education, 53 Dror Yikra L Ven Im Bat song, 7 eagle imagery, ear-piercing, 58 Eckstein, Bonnie, 59 Eckstein, Yechiel, Eger, Akiva, Eidah HaChareidit, 34, 206 eighth-day timing for ceremony for girls, Elbogen, Ismar, 9 Elijah s Chair, 74, 155, 163, 166, 167, 168, 177, , , 230, 231, 235 Elkins, Dov Perez, 161, 162 Emden, Jacob (Yabetz), 16, 20, 24 25, 44 epispasm, 130 Epstein, Baruch, 170 Epstein, Yechiel Michal, 116 erusin, 195 Eshet Chayil (Proverbs 31:10 31), 71 evil eye, xv, 13 Ezrat Nashim, 52, 63 Falk, Joshua, 27, 115, family tallit, 168 Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), 107, 190 federal court, Writ of Possible Simcha in, xv xviii, 33, 123 Federman, Marty and Melissa, Feinstein, Moshe, 144 Feminine Mystique, The (Friedan, 1963), 52 feminism: Bat Mitzvah and, 144; on covenant with God, 102, 137; emergence of modern Jewish ceremonies for newborn girls and, xxi xxiii, xxvi, ; halacha and, 205 6; Jewish activists, 52 54; in Jewish life and practice, xxii xxiii; modeling the circumcision ceremony, perspectives on, ; Simchat Bat and, 52 54, 66, 72, 86; women s Torah study and, 145 feminist ritual model, 54, 66, 86, 180, fertility practices involving foreskin and circumcision blood, , 217 First Zionist Congress, 162 fish on Shabbat, eating, 210 foot washing, 58, 77, 171, 173, 225 France: Ashkenazic practices for mothers and newborns, 10, 13, 19, 20, 21, 184; chuppat tallit, use of, 165; matzah controversy, 215; Mi Shebairach prayer, 8 9 Freeman, Margarita, 58 Friedan, Betty, 52 fringes. See tzitzit Frymer-Kensky, Tikva, 206 Geller, Laura, 152 gematria, 131, 160 genana, 166 gender similarity principle, xxiii xxiv, xxvi Gendler, Mary, 58, 78, 112, 178 Germany: Birkat Banim in, 185; Mi Shebairach prayer in, 9, 10; Reform ceremony, 19th century, for naming boys and girls on eighth day, 52, 188; synagogue naming in, 23 26, 39, 44; uncircumcised boys in, 52, , 124; wimpel custom, 17, See also Ashkenazic communities Glass, Carol, 65 Goldberg, Harvey, 27 Gottlieb, Menachem, 25 Grace after Meals, Greco-Roman culture and circumcision, Greenberg, Blu, xxiii, 5, 104, 205, Guide for the Perplexed (Maimonides, 12th century), 140

6 index 277 Guide toward Celebrating the Birth of a Daughter, A (attrib. JWRC, c. 1980), 64 65, 81 Ha azinu, 158 Hadrian, 130 Haftarah, 143, 187 Hahn, Yosef Yuspa Nordlinger, 185 halacha: on circumcision, ; on covenant with God, ; on custom, ix, , 207; feminist approaches to, 205 6; on naming newborn girls, 43 45; on new father s aliyah, 15, 42 43; significance in Jewish life and belief, xix xxi; tallit swaddling and, ; welcoming ceremonies for newborn girls and, Hallmark cards, 3 Hamburger, Binyomin Shlomo, 21, 28, 169, 185 hashgacha p ratit, xi Hatov v Hameitiv blessing, 36, 71, Havdalah ceremony, 75, 171, 172 henna, 216, 217 Herzl, Theodor, 162 Heschel, Abraham Joshua, 73 Hirsch, Samson Raphael, 15, , 145 Hoffman, Lawrence, 123 Holland, 9, 22, 164, 165 Holle, 21 Hollekreisch, 19 22; for boys and girls, 19, 20 21, 22, ; earliest versions of, ; etymology of term, 21; holy and unholy names at, 19, 21, 22, 27; modern use of, 22; during mourning period, 196; as precedent, 41; rabbinical involvement in, 26 27; significance of ceremony, 32; synagogue naming and, 23 26; tallit used in, 163; yom tov for birthing mothers and, 14, 20 Holocaust, 19, 96, 124, 163 Holocaust Remembrance Day, 194 Horovitz, Markus, Hyman, Paula, 53 hymenectomy, 58, 78, 112, 178 identity politics, 54 India, 46, 47 48, 166 International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, 59 International Jewish Feminist Conference, 53 Inventing Jewish Ritual (Ochs, 2007), 214 Iraq, 7, 47, 48, 155, 163, 166 Isaac ben Moses of Vienna, 9 Isaac ibn Giat, 12 Israel, 96, Israel Women s Network, 53 Israeli Memorial Day, 194 Isserlin, Israel, 16, 43 Italy, 7, 8, 9, 17, 98, 100, 143, 186 Janner-Klausner, Laura, 83 Jesus, circumcising and naming of, 11 Jewish and Female (Schneider, 1984), 64 Jewish Catalogs, The (Strassfeld and Strassfeld, 1973) (Siegel, 1976 and 1980), 52 53, 55, 58, 61, 62, 64 Jewish ceremonies for newborn girls: circumcision of Jewish males, relationship to, xxiv xxvi, 142; covenant with God and, (see also covenant); as developing custom, ; federal court, Writ of Possible Simcha in, xv xviii, 33, 123; feminism and, xxi xxii, xxvi (see also feminism); gender similarity principle and, xxiii xxiv, xxvi; modern developments in, xxi xxii; nomenclature for, ; naming and, 3 7 (see also naming); secondary treatment of, xv xviii, 33 34; Simchat Bat, (see also Simchat Bat); tallit swaddling, xxvi, (see also tallit swaddling)

7 278 index Jewish Feminist Organization, 52 Jewish Naming Ceremonies for Girls: A Sourcebook for Rabbinical Students (Cantor, 1987), 65 Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance, 81 Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), 80 Jewish Woman: New Perspectives, The (Koltun, 1976), 52 Jewish Woman in America, The (Baum, Hyman, and Michel, 1976), 53 Jewish Woman in Jewish Law (Meiselman, 1978), 60 Jewish Women s Resource Center (JWRC), 64, 80 John the Baptist, circumcising and naming of, 11 Jose (rabbi, Talmudic era), 217 Joseph ben Isaac (Bechor Shor), 111, JTS (Jewish Theological Seminary), 80 Judah ben Barzillai, 9 JWRC (Jewish Women s Resource Center), 64, 80 Kagan, Elana, 144 Kagan, Yisrael Meir (Chofetz Chaim), 36 Kaplan, Joseph C. and Sharon, 59, 63, 65, 153, 178, 191 Kaplan, Judith, 143 Kaplan, Mordecai, 143 Kayyarah, Shimon, 181 kiddush (reception following services): halacha on, 206; for newborn girls, xvi, 34 35; Simchat Bat and, 51, 64 65, 70, 85; kiddush cups, 57, 65, 75, 153 kiddush prayer, 75, 171, 172 Kol Haneshama (congregation), 81, 83 Kol Haneshama (prayer book, 1996), 224 Kol Nidrei, 214, 215 Koltun, Elizabeth, 52 kol yisrael areivim ze l ze, Kook, Abraham Isaac, 145, 212 Koren Siddur (2009), 45, 72, 225, Kovacs, Eva, 124 Kristallnacht, 19 Las Fadas, 47, 166 L cha Dodi, 219 Lefkowitz, Lori Hope, 152 Leibtag, Menachem, 99, 190 Leifer, Daniel I., 57, 62 63, , 188, 193 Leifer, Myra, 57 Leitner, Kenneth, Levin, Leonard, 58 Levirate marriage, 211 Levush (Mordechai Yoffe), 115 Leylat-el-sitti, l heetatef batzitzit blessing, 154 Libya, 155, 156, 163, 215 Lilith (journal), 53, 64, 206 Lilith (she-devil), 79 Limmud organizations, xx Machon Itim, 80, 82 83, 84 Machon Torani L Nashim (Matan), Machzor Vitry (1107), 8 9, 184 madrichim (rabbi s guides), liturgies for newborn girls in, 33 34, Maimonides (Moses ben Maimon), 113, 133, , 182, 211 mappah. See wimpel Marcus, Ivan, 156 Margoliot, Reuven, 12 Mark, Elizabeth Wyner, 124 Matan (Machon Torani L Nashim), matzah, , 217 Mechilta, , 121, Meiselman, Moshe, 60, 117, 178, 207 menstrual slap, 78 menstruation rituals as covenantal symbol, 111 meta-halacha, 207

8 index 279 mezuzah (doorpost marker), 58, 128 Mi Shebairach prayer: aliyah for new father and, 3 4, 7, 23; birthing mothers and, 9 10, 16 17, 24 25, 28, 31; in contemporary liturgical guides, ; historical development, 8 11; at Hollekreisch ceremony, 20; naming of girls and, 3 5; in Sephardic tradition, 6; at Simchat Bat, 57, 67, 68, 69 70, 71, 82, 87; texts of, 4 5, 6, 31; timing shift in recitation of, 28; without naming for girls, 40 41; wimpel custom and, 18; at Zeved HaBat, 6, 31, 72. See also synagogue naming Michel, Sonya, 53 midrash: on covenant and circumcision, ; on naming practices, 11; Simchat Bat readings from, 71; on tallit, 155, 161; on women as included in covenant, 104, , 112, 114, See also specific midrashim by name mikvah (ritual bath): as covenantal ritual, 171, ; Israelite women converting via, 110, 172; men s use of, xxiv, 170; post-menstrual use of, xxiii, 57, 111, 172; Simchat Bat and, 57, 61, 77, 79, 85 Millen, Rochelle, 33, 97, 149 minhag. See custom minyan, 161, 218 Miriam s Chair, 74, mishna: on covenant and circumcision, 125, 132, 138, 148; defined, 12; on prayer, 217 Mishneh Torah (Repetition of the Torah; Maimonides, 12th century), 141 Mizrachic communities: defined, xvi; fertility practices involving foreskin and circumcision blood, ; henna ceremony, 216, 217; home naming ceremonies in, 45 49; practices for newborn girls in, xvi xvii, 5, 7, 45 49; synagogue naming in, 5 6, 40; wedding ceremonies, use of tallit at, modeling circumcision ceremony, ; blessings and prayers, ; Chair of Elijah, ; contours of ceremony for girls, ; controversy regarding, ; hymenectomy, 58, 78, 112, 178; mikvah immersion, 57, 77, 111; naming, ; precedent for, ; timing, mohel, 123, 128, 163 Molin, Yaakov ben Moses Levi, 18 Monson, Rela Geffen, 33 Morocco, 46, 47, 164 Moses ben Maimon (Maimonides), 113, 133, , 182, 211 Moses ben Nachman (Nachmanides), 12, 98, Moses of Coucy, 114 mourning and burial customs, 12, 77, 153, 154, 165, 171, , 196, 221 musaf service on Rosh HaShana, 96 Muslims, circumcision of, 141 Nachmanides (Moses ben Nachman), 12, 98, naming, 3 7; aliyah for new father, 3 5, 7; in Bible, 11, 12; for boys, 3, 11 12, 69, ; as colloquial term for welcoming newborn girls, 3; early Jewish practices, 11 13; halacha on naming newborn girls, 43 45; holy and unholy names, 22 26, 27; Mi Shebairach prayer, 3 5; purpose of, 176; in Sephardic and Mizrachic communities, 5 7; welcoming ceremoniously and, 39 40, 49. See also Hollekreisch; synagogue naming National Conference of Jewish Women and Men, 52 National Council of Jewish Women, 64 Netherlands, 9, 22, 164, 165 Netziv (Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin), New York Jewish Week, 59

9 280 index Nissim ben Reuven of Gerona (Ran), 101, 211 North American Students Network, 52 nursery school graduation, use of tallit at, 164 Ochs, Vanessa, 85, 150, 151, Ohr Zaruah (Isaac ben Moses of Vienna, c. 1260), 9 Okolica, Henry, 18 19, 20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27, 44 Okolica, Lisbeth, 18, 22, 26 Okolica, Senta, 23, 192 omer, 194, 195 On the Doorposts of Your House (1994), 223 Orenstein, Debra, 54, 220 Orthodox communities: Bat Mitzvah in, 144, 147, 187; embrace of written rules in, xxi, 84; feminism and, xxii, 52; liturgies for welcoming newborn girls, ; reactions to modeling circumcision ceremony, ; Simchat Bat and, 51, 56, 59 61, 67 68, 69, 76, 81, 84, 85, 194, 207, 220; timing of ceremonies in, 194, 195; wigs as head coverings in, xxiii, 215, 217 Orthodox Union, 45, 225 Ozick, Cynthia, 206 parading of Torah scrolls/babies, 71, 156, 157, 172 parents: aliyah for both parents, 3, 32, 42, 69, 74; emphasizing role of, See also aliyah; birthing mothers Passover, 107, 127, 134, 194, 197, 199, periah, 130 Pfühl, 13 Philo of Alexandria, 140 phylacteries (tefillin), 58, 128 physically invasive rituals for newborn girls, xxv, xxvi, 58, 77 78, 112, 178 Pidyon HaBen, 192 pinky finger, kissing, 216, 217 Pirkei d Rabbi Eliezer, 11, 110, , 131, Plaskow, Judith, xxiii, 58 59, 103, 104, 180, 206 Poland, 22, 24, 27, 115, 116, 140, 145, 195, 196 Portugal, 6, 30 31, 46, 100. See also Sephardic communities prayer: minyan, 161, 218; unfixed nature of, ; women s obligation regarding, prayer books, liturgies for newborn girls in, prayer shawl. See tallit Psalms, use of passages from, 71, 154 rabbi s guides, liturgies for newborn girls in, 33 34, Rabinowitz, Tzadok HaKohen, 140 Ran (Nissim ben Reuven of Gerona), 101, 211 Rashi (Shlomo Yitzchaki), 12, 106, 115, , 160 Reconstructionist communities: Bat Mitzvah in, 143; liturgies for newborn girls, ; ordination of women, 53 Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, 63 64, 82 Reform communities: Bat Mitzvah in, 144; ceremony, 19th century, for naming boys and girls on eighth day, 52, 188; circumcision, 19th century attacks on, 52, , 124; liturgies for newborn girls, , 226; ordination of women, 53; Simchat Bat and, Reifman, Toby Fishbein, 63 Repetition of the Torah (Mishneh Torah; Maimonides, 12th century), 141 Response (journal), 52 Riskin, Steven, 59, 62 Ritualwell, 75, 82, 152

10 index 281 Rosenblatt, Gary, 59, 219 Rosenblatt, Judy, 59 Rosh (Asher ben Yechiel), Rosh Chodesh, xxiii, 53 54, 58, 75, 76, 78, 189 Rosh HaGolah, 8 Rosh HaShana, 77, 96 Ross, Tamar, 205 Rubin, Gary and Sheila, 60 Saadia Gaon, 8, 11 12, 126 Sabbath. See Shabbat sabt, 47 Sacks, Lord Jonathan, 45, 95, 102, 116, 225 Saiman, Chaim, x sandek, 18, 155, 163, 179 Sasso, Dennis, 56 57, 63 Sasso, Sandy Eisenberg, 56 57, 63, 149 Schenirer, Sara, 145 Schneider, Susan Weidner, 59, 64, 179, 206 Sefer HaBrit (Book of the Covenant), Sefer HaMitzvot (Book of Commandments; Maimonides, 12th century), 140 Sefer Torah. See Torah scroll Seforno, Obadiah ben Jacob, 98 Segal, Samuel HaLevi, 22, 23, 196 Seinfeld (television show), 123 Sephardic communities: defined, xvi; home naming ceremonies in, 5 6, 45 49; practices for newborn girls in, xvi xvii, 5 7, 45 49; synagogue naming in, 6 7, 30 31, 40; wedding ceremonies, use of tallit at, See also Zeved HaBat Shabbat chatan (aufruf), 16, 165 Shabbat (Sabbath): children blessed at onset of, 70, 170, ; circumcisions on, 129; covenant and, 58, 96, , 125, 135, ; eating fish on, 210; prohibitions and restrictions, 108, 120, 129; synagogue Simchat Bat and, 78 Shalom Zachar (Peace of a Son), 192 Shalvi, Alice, xxiii Shapiro, Rona, 152 Shavuah HaBat and Shavuah HaBen, Shavuot, 194 Shehechiyanu blessing, 35 36, 59, 70, 71, 164, 226 Shema prayer, 14, , 226 sheva brachot, 57, 74, 164, 171 Shimini Atzeret, 190 Shisha or Shasha, 47 Shlomo Yitzchaki (Rashi), 12 13, 106, 115, , 160 Sh ma (journal), 60 63, 65 shroud, 13 14, 14 15, 16, 42, 161, 165 Shulchan Aruch (Caro, 16th century), , 115, 131, 195 Siddur Sim Shalom (1985), 66, 224 siddurim (prayer books), Siegel, Richard, 55 Siegel, Tillie, 144 Sifra, Sifrei, 155 Silber, David, 53 Silberman, Shoshana and Mel, 58 Siman Tov U mazal Tov song, 68, 70 Simon bar Yochai, 14 Simchat Bat, 50 89; active ritual and, 153; aliyah and Mi Shebairach as part of, 57, 67, 68, 69 70, 71, 72, 87; contemporary practice, 66 79; covenant with God and, 56 57, 58, 60, 70 71, 74, 76 78, 87 88, 89; early compilations and guides, 62 66; early versions of, 55 62; emergence of, 50 51; feminism and, 52 54, 66, 72, 86; freestanding ceremonies, 65 69, 71 75, 87, 227; historical setting for, 52 55; male circumcision and, 52, 57, 58, 69, 74, 75, 77; physically

11 282 index Simchat Bat (cont.) invasive rituals, 58, 77 78; in prayer books and rabbi s guides, ; rationale for, 50 51; resources for, 80 84, 86; synagogue ceremonies, 65 71, 78, 86, 87, 220; themes used in, 75 78; timing of, 56, 68, 78 79, 88, , , ; variability and common elements, 51, 65, 85 88, 220; Zeved HaBat and, 72 Simcha ben Samuel of Vitry, 8 Simchat Torah, 156, 164 Sirkis, Yoel (Bach), 22, 115 Sitti, siyyum, 51, 73 Sofer, Moses (Chatam Sofer), 214 Soloveitchik, Haym, xxi, 208 9, 210 Soloveitchik, Hayyim, Soloveitchik, Joseph B., 94 95, , 145 Song of Songs, use of passages from, 6 7, 46 47, Spain: practices for newborn girls in, 8, 9; Las Fadas, 47, 166; Zeved HaBat, 46. See also Sephardic communities Sperber, Daniel, 116, 211, Spira, Chaim Elazar, 36 S rugim (television show), 35 Steinhardt, Joseph ben Menahem Mendel, 24, 39 Sternbuch, Moshe, 34, 39, 206 Strassfeld, Michael and Sharon, 55, 57, 61 62, 65, 85 Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles), 107, 190 Swerdlow, Paul, 58 Switzerland, 17, 22, 162, 207 synagogue naming (aliyah and Mi Shebairach prayer): Hollekreisch and, 23 26; holy names for girls and development of, 22 26; modern practice of, xvi, 4 5, 31 34; primary naming mode, 23 24; religious significance of newborn girls in, 33 34, 37 38; reshaping of, 40 43; role of newborn girls, 30 31; timing of, 28, 29, 38, tallit (prayer shawl): as covenantal symbol, ; defined and described, 150; family tallit, 168; at Hollekreisch ceremonies, 21; as political symbol, ; Simchat Bat and, 58, 65, 77, 150; use in life-cycle practices, 58, 154, , 161, See also tzitzit tallit katan, 155, 164, 169 tallit swaddling, xxvi, ; as active ritual, ; as covenantal symbol, , 175; emergence and practice of ritual, ; first haircut (upsherin) and, 155; halacha and, ; significance of, ; at Simchat Bat ceremonies, 77, 150; Torah scrolls and, 154, ; wimpel custom and, Talmud: on areivut rule, ; on atonement of birthing mother, 14; covenant in, 96, 107, 111; on covenant and male circumcision, 125, 126, 132, ; on Hatov v Hameitiv blessing, 36, 176; holy names of children derived from, 19; on liturgy, 217; Shavuah HaBat and Shavuah HaBen, 12; Simchat Bat readings from, 71; tree-planting in honor of child s birth in, 59, 73; on tzitzit, ; on women s exemption from reciting Shema, ; women s study of, 53 Tanchuma, 109, 110, 131 Task Force on Jewish Woman, 53 techinot, 73, 219 tefillin (phylacteries), 58, 128 Temple: birthing mothers and their sacrifices at, 14 16, 24, 28, 29, 42, 79, 131; circumcision compared to sacrifice at, 131; destruction of, 128, 194, 195; Ten Commandments, 96, 102, 108, 135 tents, as Simchat Bat theme, 76

12 index 283 Tikkun Hasofer V Hakoreh (Baer, 1886), 10, 26, 45 Tisha b Av, 194, 195 Tokens of Virginity (Betulim) ceremony, , 201 Toledano, Yaakov Moses, 215 Torah: blessing on (Birkat Ha-Torah), 115, 118; on covenant and male circumcision, ; customs regarded as, 211; first Torah lesson, 155, 156, ; Hollekreisch and, 20, 21; holy names derived from, 19; Mi Shebairach prayer and, 4, 5, 9, 31; Simchat Bat and, 51, 58, 60, 64, 68, 70, 71, 73, 74 75, 76, 77, 87; siyyum, 51, 73; study of, xx xxi, 73, 74 75, 114, 143, , 237; women and, 31, 53, 74 75, 102, 114, See also covenant Torah scroll (Sefer Torah): covenantal rituals for newborn girls, use of, 71, 74, 77, 87, 157, 171, 172; kissing a pinky finger and holding it up to, 216, 217; parading in synagogue, 71, 156, 157, 172; tallit-wrapped babies and, 154, ; wimpel as binder for, 17, 18, 156, 167; yad (pointer) for, 156. See also aliyah Torah service, 4, 16, 45, 51, 68, 224, 225 Torah-tolerated and Torah-taught Judaism, 104 Tosafists, 101, 112 Tosefta, 12, 125, 131, 178 Tradition (journal), 52 tree planted at child s birth, 59, 73, 166, Trepp, Leo, 21 Turkey, 47, 166, 215 tzitzin, 130 tzitzit (fringes): at burials, 165; as covenantal reminders, ; defined and described, 150; enhanced significance of, 128; flag of Israel and, 162; holiness and, 155; kissing and touching to Torah scroll, 157, 172; medieval Ashkenazic women and, 169; at wedding ceremonies, 164. See also tallit Ukraine, 22, 23 24, 36 Umansky, Ellen, 205 uniform liturgy, United Kingdom, 30 31, 45 upsherin (first haircut), 155, 156, U vah L Tzion prayer, 96 Vajda, Julia, 124 veils in Las Fadas ceremony, 47, 166 viduy (confession prayer), 42 Waldenberg, Eliezer, 36, 44 weddings: active ritual in, 153; aliyah of groom on Shabbat prior to, 15, 16, 18; atonement sought at, 42; betulim ritual subsequent to, ; chuppah (wedding canopy), 58, 74, 161, , 166, 168; erusin (engagement), 195; genana (wedding chamber), 166; henna, use of, 216, 217; Las Fadas and, 47, 166; sheva brachot, 57, 74, 164, 171; tallit and, 58, 154, 161, , 166, 168, 169; tree planted at birth for use at, 166, Weil, Yedidah Tia, 196 Weinberg, Yechiel Yaakov, Weiss, Avraham, 68, 163 Weiss, Yitzchak Yaakov, 3, 44, 45 Weissler, Chava, 85, 133, 152, 153 wigs as head coverings, xxiii, 215, 217 wimpel (mappah), 17 19, 156, Wolffsohn, David, 162 Women and Jewish Law (Biale, 1984), xix, 206 women s inclusion in covenant, 97 98; Abraham and, , 105, 108, 176; Bat Mitzvah and women s Torah study, ; in exegetical sources, ; as foundation for ceremony for newborn girls, xvii xviii, , ; in halachic sources, ; male

13 284 index women s inclusion in covenant (cont.) circumcision and, 100, 105, , 119, 133, 142; modern perspectives on, ; in Pentateuch, 101 5; in Prophets and Writings, 105 7; Revelation at Sinai, 102 5, , ; Sarai/ Sarah, 98, 99, 100, 101, 176. See also covenant; covenant and male circumcision Women s League for Conservative Judaism, 81 women s rabbinic ordination, 53 women s tefillah groups, 144 Women s Tefillah Network, 53 World Jewish Congress, 163 World Zionist Organization, 162 Yaari, Avraham, 8 11 Yabetz (Jacob Emden), 16, 20, 24 25, 44 yad (pointer for Torah scroll), 156 Yehuda ben Samuel of Regensburg, 184 Yemen, 9, 46, 164, 215 Y kum Purkan Min Shemaya prayers, 8 Yochanan (rabbi, Talmudic era), 139, 140 Yoffe, Mordechai (Levush), 115 Yom Kippur, 15, 42, 131, 194, 214 Yom Kippur War (1973), 162 yom tov for first post-partum synagogue visit, 13 17, 20 Zeved HaBat: Ashkenazic communities adopting, 72, 165, 225; historical development of, 10 11; as home ceremony, 46 47; liturgy of, 6 7; Mi Shebairach prayer, 6, 31, 72; officiants at, 46; prayer for male children, 6, 46, 72; Simchat Bat and, 72; as synagogue ritual, 6 7; as well-established practice, 25 zichronot (memories) prayer on Rosh HaShana, 96