A Jewish Ceremony for Newborn Girls: The Torah’s Covenant Affirmed

Introduction

Introduction I introduce this book— ­ and each of its three parts— ­ with a legal motion recently filed in federal court and the responsive judicial order. I was quite surprised that one set of documents could combine my knowledge of American legal procedure and my interest in Jewish ceremonies for newborns. I open with these documents not for their legal significance, but because they vividly capture many of the practices and beliefs that constitute the basis and motivation for this book. On November 17, 2010, a criminal defense attorney, with a trial set to begin shortly, filed a motion called a “Writ of Possible Simcha [Celebration ]” in a Manhattan federal court. He requested that the court grant a possible recess in the middle of the trial. Why did the attorney file this unconventional motion, and what is its purpose here? The relevance of this motion is evident from its colorful text: The facts are as follows: My beautiful daughter, Eva, married and with a doctorate no less, and her husband, Ira Greenberg (we like him, too) live in Philadelphia and are expecting their first child on December 3rd, tfu tfu tfu [the sound of spitting to ward off the evil eye]. They do not know whether it will be a boy or a girl, although from the oval shape of Eva’s tummy, many of the friends and family are betting male (which I think is a mere bubba meiseh [old wife’s tale] but secretly hope is true). Should the child be a girl, not much will happen in the way of public celebration. Some may even be disappointed, but will do their best to conceal this by saying, “as long as it’s a healthy baby.” My wife will run to Philly immediately, but I will probably be able to wait until the next weekend. There will be happiness, though muted, and this application will be mooted as well. However, should the baby be a boy, then hoo-­ hah! Hordes of friends and family will arrive from around the globe and descend on Philadelphia for the joyous celebration mandated by the halacha [Jewish law] to take place during daylight hours on the eighth day, known as the bris. The eighth day after December 3rd could be right in the middle of the xvi introduction trial. My presence at the bris is not strictly commanded, although my absence will never be forgotten by those that matter. So please consider this an application for maybe, tfu tfu tfu, a day off during the trial, if the foregoing occurs on a weekday. I will let the Court (and the rest of the world) know as soon as I do, and promise to bring pictures.1 While the sentiments expressed in this motion are startling in the context of an impending federal trial, some of them are extremely common in the traditional Ashkenazic community. (Ashkenazic refers to Jews with roots in Germanic and eastern European lands.) When a boy is born, grandparents and other relatives and friends, from near and far, make every effort to attend the festive circumcision ceremony performed eight days after the baby’s birth. When a girl is born, relatives and friends, and sometimes even grandparents, may take their time in meeting the newborn and do so only at a convenient time. The public expression of happiness is subdued or even absent. On the other hand, I believe that the sentiment that the birth of a girl is a disappointment, as expressed in this motion, is not typical today in the traditional Ashkenazic community, except perhaps for some Jews on the extreme right wing. To the contrary, many traditional Ashkenazim (Jews with roots in Ashkenazic regions) have demonstrated a burgeoning effort to celebrate newborn Jewish girls, whether with a kiddush (a public reception following synagogue services), a party, or a religious-­themed ceremony, sometimes called a Simchat Bat, meaning “Celebration of a Daughter.” To the extent that there is an overt celebration, however, it is often held weeks or months after a girl’s birth. In addition, in the traditional Ashkenazic community today, this celebration is considered secondary and optional. By contrast, it is deemed primary and practically mandatory to perform a brief synagogue naming, at which the father of a newborn girl says blessings when the Torah is read, followed by the recitation of a simple prayer that names the baby. The baby’s father is often the only close family member to attend the synagogue naming. In...