How Do Jewish People Name A Baby Girl?

How do jewish people name a baby girl?

How Do Jewish People Name A Baby Girl?
It depends on the type. Liberal Jews don't do it the same as Orthodox Jews. Liberal Jews modeled something after the brit milah as best they could to make it a celebration - eight days and an aliyah where the mother and father announce it.





Orthodox sects the father will come up and announce the baby girl's name at the bimah. I don't know if they wait eight days in Orthodox or just do it at the next Shabbat.





This of course refers to their Hebrew name. Legally they get named in an identical manner to everyone else.





If you really want to know the specifics or traditions, please look it up - any book on Judaism will tell you, as well as most websites. I am still aware you are the same person trying to get people to do your homework for you.
Reply:My 2 year old grandaughter is named Hannah Brooke. Not sure if they had a naming ceremony, but she's definitely a keeper! My grandson- almost 4 year old Benjamin Reese(aka the Doctor, ha ha) was named after his deceased great grandmother Teresa. ONE Bris ceremony is quite enough for this Gran, thank you very much, but the mohel was great!
Reply:Sigh- I have yet to see so much misinformation an something I considered something so basic- shows how being immersed in something prevents you from seeing how confusing it might be to outsiders!





So: naming a baby girl should be done on the first opportunity after the child is born or as soon as possible. The father is given an aliyah (being called to recite the blessings prior to a section of th Torah being read, and then after the section is finished). After an aliyah, it is common practice to bless the person who has just recited the blessings- at this point an additional blessing is said in which the child is named. Additional blessings are also said for the health of the mother and child.





The naming can be said on ANY occasion on which the Torah is read, there is no need to wait for Shabbos- the baby can be named on a Monday morning, Thursday morning, Rosh Chodesh (New month), Yom Tov (Any major festival) and Chol Hamoed (in between days of Pesach and Sukkot). Many people avoid naming on a fast day even though the Torah is read and the naming could be done then.





As to the name- ANY name is used- Sarah and Rachel are not more common than other names (except in the Lubavitch community where Sarah is used in naming their children after the late Lubavitche Rebbe's wife.) Typically a child is named after a recently deceased relative (or one after whom no one has been named) whom the parents wish to honour and whose memory they wish to have perpetuated through their child.





Note- god parents are NOT involved in the ceremony to name a girl, nor to name a boy (they are involved in the bris (circumcision)- but the naming is part the bris rather than it being a focus). It is common practice to give the god father an aliyah as well when it is possible.
Reply:Ummm, the same way a person of any faith names their child.
Reply:There is a naming ceremony that takes place a week after the baby is born.





During the ceremony the family comes together to welcome the child into the Jewish community and the parents and god-parents participate in blessing the child with her hebrew name.
Reply:Um they give her a name. Generally there is a ceremony 8 days after the girl is born (the same day a boy would have his circumcision) at which she is given her name.
Reply:The same way Christaian people do.
Reply:i think after the grandmother. im not jewish but my bestfriend is. i think first born girl is named after the gandmother. im not sure.
Reply:They always name the first two Rachel and Sarah. After that, I have no idea how they choose a name.
Reply:i don't understand your question
Reply:The Torah tells us that Abraham was blessed with "everything" (Genesis 24:1). The Talmud says this refers to Abraham having a baby girl (Baba Batra 16b). when it says that God gave Abraham this big blessing, it was a baby girl. The daughter was singled out for this great praise.





Why is a baby girl considered "everything?"





With the blessing of a baby daughter comes a realization of the fullness of life. The song says: "thank heaven for little girls." The Jewish people have always 'thanked heaven' for Jewish women, because our survival as a nation has been primarily because of Jewish women. From the birth of our nation, as our Matriarchs guided us through familial challenges, to the slavery in Egypt when the women kept their faith, and the heroines of Esther in Purim and Yael in Chanukah. At every crucial juncture in our history, Jewish women have come to the forefront, steering the Jewish people in the right direction.





Celebrating the birth of a Jewish girl is therefore a celebration of Jewish survival, Jewish values, and Jewish destiny.





The naming of a Jewish girl is a most profound spiritual moment. The Talmud tells us that an angel comes to the parents and whispers the Jewish name that the new daughter will embody. The parents get divine inspiration when they name the baby.





The angel represents the spirituality in a name. The naming of a baby girl is a statement of her character, her specialness, and her path in life. For at the beginning of life we give a name, and at the end of life the Torah teaches us that a "Good Name" is what we take with us. (see Talmud - Brachot 7b, and the Arizal - Sha'ar HaGilgulim 24b)





Naming a Jewish baby is not only a statement of what we hope she will be, but also where she comes from. The Ashkenazi tradition is to name a new baby after a relative that has passed away. In this way, we acknowledge the strong roots that have produced the tree of the Jewish people, and of our own family's character. The Sephardic tradition is similar in philosophy, however the custom is to name after living relatives. (By the way, Sephardi Jews have a special ceremony for naming a baby girl, which appears in the Sephardi siddur immediately after the Torah reading.)





The naming ceremony is linked to the public reading of the Torah. During the Torah reading, the special "Mi Sheberach" blessing is said. The blessing begins with a prayer for the mother's health. It continues with the giving of the baby's name - and a prayer that this new Jewish daughter should grow to be a wise and understanding person of goodness. A Jewish woman of greatness.





The Sages say that a parent receive one-sixtieth of prophecy when picking a name. But that doesn't seem to help parents from agonizing over which name to pick! (see Sefer Ta'amei HaMinhagim 629)





Ashkenazi Jews have the custom to choose a name after a relative who has passed away. This keeps the name and memory alive, and in a metaphysical way forms a bond between the soul of the baby and the deceased relative. This is a great honor to the deceased, because its soul can achieve an elevation based on the good deeds of the namesake. The child, meanwhile, can be inspired by the good qualities of the deceased - and make a deep connection to the past. (see Noam Elimelech - Bamidbar)





When naming a child, it is important to pick a name that will have a positive effect, since every time the child hears it they will be reminded of its meaning (Midrash Tanchuma - Ha'Azinu 7). The child who is called Judah is constantly reminded of how much gratitude we should have toward G-d! Another example of a popular name is "Ari," which is Hebrew for lion. In Jewish literature, the lion is a symbol of a go-getter, someone who sees the opportunity to do a mitzvah, and pounces on it. (see Shulchan Aruch OC 1)





I think it's a good idea to give your child a Hebrew name that can be used in English also (e.g. Miriam, David, Sarah). This way, your child not only has a Hebrew name, but he'll use it, too! This can be an important hedge against assimilation; the Midrash (Bamidbar Raba 20:21) says that the Jewish people were redeemed from Egypt, partly in the merit of having kept their Jewish names amidst the assimilationist society of Egypt. As a child, I had one uncle who always called me by my Jewish name ("Shraga" means candle). I believe that being reminded of my Jewish name all those years was instrumental in maintaining my Jewish identity.





Mazal Tov!





With blessings from Jerusalem,





Rabbi Shraga Simmons


Aish.com