God of my foremothers and forefathers, I gratefully acknowledge all that You have blessed me with. You have redeemed me from the discomfort of pregnancy and the suffering of childbirth. May it be Your will, dear God, that this new baby have enough milk from my body and that my sleep will be light, so
T’khine to Be Said by a New Mother Prior to Her Son’s Bris Read More »
Ribono shel olam, I stand before You, as did Sara, Rivka, Rachel, and Hannah, women who also came to You in sorrow, their dreams of motherhood as yet unfulfilled, their souls in despair. Dear merciful God, You carried the people of Israel like an eagle who gently and protectively carries its young on its wings.
T’khine for a Woman Experiencing Infertility Read More »
We send out a unique personal prayer when we name a newborn. Whatever public brakhot we may say, it is the quiet uniting of received tradition and imagined future that trembles within us at this moment of holy decision. Marking our child with a name, we link him or her to what we pray will
What Do We Name the Baby? Read More »
I have always loved the mitzvah of brit milah. As a woman, this might seem surprising, as I have heard from many friends how terrified they were at their sons’ britot. However, for me, my three sons’ britot provided some of the most spiritually significant moments of my life. One of the reasons I have
Brit Milah: A Daughter’s Perspective Read More »
The past three decades have seen an explosion of women’s involvement and participation in various life-cycle events and public and familial ritual roles, especially in the more progressive and open parts of the Modern Orthodox community. These include activities such as women reciting hamotzi on the hallah at the Shabbat meal on behalf of the
Women’s Participation in a Brit Milah Ceremony: Kayeim et Hayeled Hazeh Le’aviv U-le’imo Read More »
Editor’s note: The simhat bat ceremony that has gained popularity over the past three decades is not only a simha, a joyous family occasion commemorated with ritual and food. On a deeper level, it signifies the entry of a newborn girl into the Jewish community and, thus, into the covenant between God and Israel. The
Entering the Covenant of God and Israel Read More »
In February, more than 100 Orthodox rabbis and female Torah scholars came together to establish an Orthodox spiritual leadership forum that represents a more moderate and modern voice within the Religious Zionist camp in Israel. Beit Hillel is a rabbinic organization that has decided to open its ranks to learned women (in addition to community
Beit Hillel Movement Gives Women a Voice in Spiritual Leadership Read More »
On December 1, 1988, a group of about seventyfive Israeli, American, and Canadian women had a life-altering experience at the Kotel, the reverberations of which are with us still. We were attending the American Jewish Congress’s International Conference for the Empowerment of Jewish Women. I was invited to speak about Orthodox women’s prayer groups, which
Women of the Wall: Fighting for the Right to Pray Read More »
Sanctify me, Adonai Choose me in Your name I’m hungry for Your holiness Greedy for Your grace Crazy lust a sacrifice Raise me, raise me up I’m Your offering of spice Porous with Your praise Pillar of mist Pillar of fire Walk me out of wandering In this bitter hour Be my lover, Adonai Now
Jewish marriage resides at the confluence of two ideologically oppositional commitments that modern Jewish women and men struggle to navigate in their everyday lives, and will not readily abandon: exclusionary religious practices and modern ethical systems, such as feminism. Gender inequalities embedded in religious authority, practice, and marriage per se further present a moral problem,
Tradition and Equality in Jewish Marriage: Beyond the Sanctification of Subordination Read More »
