Birth

Mazal To on the birth of your child. We at Loughton Synagogue would be delighted to help you celebrate the birth of your baby.

For Baby Boys

BRIT MILAH

The  Brit Milah (circumcision) takes place on the eighth day after a baby boy is born, subject to the baby being fit and well. If the baby is not ready on the eighth day, the Brit Milah is ideally performed as soon as possible once the baby is ready.

As noted above, if a Brit Milah cannot be performed on the eighth day, it is postponed until the Mohel (a qualified person who performs the circumcision) has deemed it safe to do so. A postponed Brit cannot take place on Shabbat or a Yom Tov. The Brit Milah is often held in the presence of a minyan but it is not strictly necessary in cases where this is difficult. The service itself can take place in a synagogue or in a private home.

Please contact Rabbi Abrams for further information.

PIDYON HABEN

The Pidyon Haben ceremony is performed when a firstborn baby boy is ‘redeemed’ by his parents from a ‘Cohen’.

The Pidyon Haben Ceremony takes place on the thirty-first day of a firstborn son’s life, in front of a minyan of ten men. Even in cases where the Brit Milah has had to be postponed for some reason, the Pidyon will still go ahead.

The obligation only applies if both parents are Israelites. If either of the Grandfathers is a Cohen or Levite, the Pidyon Haben is not required.

Further details are available from the Rabbi.

For Baby Girls

BEING ‘CALLED UP’ AND NAMING THE BABY GIRL

In Loughton Synagogue it is generally the custom for the father of a baby girl to receive an aliyah (to be ‘called up’) in shul on the first Shabbat or first Yom Tov, whichever is earlier, after the birth of his daughter. He will then be able formally to give his daughter her Jewish name.

For more general information, please contact Rabbi Abrams.