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BABY NAMING

In the Ashkenazi community, name giving ceremonies for newborn girls were not widespread and often limited to the father announcing the baby's name in the synagogue on the Shabbat, Monday, Thursday or other occasions when the Torah would be read following the birth. Furthermore, Ashkenazi Jewish custom is to name a new baby after a relative that 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. 

In the 20th century, interest in traditional ceremonies for welcoming baby girls has been revived, and new ceremonies have evolved.  These ceremonies are often known under the newly coined terms Simchat Bat or a Brit Bat.  Rabbi David Golinkin writes that there is no explicit source in the Mishnah or Talmud specifying when girls should be named.

​At Shaare Zedek, we have formulated a beautiful ceremony. This ceremony is conducted by our Rabbi and Chazan on those days that the Torah is read.

For details of how you can make the arrival of your baby daughter extra special, please email or call me at rabbi@shaarezedek.ca or 514-484-1122 ext.110. 

Mazal Tov!

BAR/BAT MITZVAH

A Bar or Bat Mitzvah is a public acknowledgement that a boy or a girl has become a responsible adult member of the Jewish community.  It is an important step in both the transition into adulthood and the acceptance of responsibility for one's own actions.  During the course of that service, the Bar/Bat Mitzvah is given the opportunity to demonstrate that he or she has acquired the skills to fulfill the obligations of a Jewish adult.

It is important to keep in mind that the Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremony is part of a regular service of the congregation at which a portion of the Torah is read.  It is not, and should not be thought of, as a separate private ceremony only for the Bar/Bat Mitzvah family.

The Bar/Bat Mitzvah brings honour to himself or herself by the manner in which he or she participates in the service. Students are expected to be well prepared before being given permission to participate in the service. As a traditional conservative congregation, the level of participation in the service is dependent on the gender of the student.

The Bar/Bat Mitzvah at Shaare Zedek congregation is an event for the Shaare Zedek Congregation as well as for the family. The entire congregation looks forward to sharing the joy as our children become young adults. We encourage celebrations following the services to be consistent with the occasion and in keeping with the sanctity of the day and environment.

Congratulations on this significant and sacred moment in your lives. We hope that by reading this manual and using it as a guideline, you'll become better acquainted with the Bar/Bat Mitzvah process at Shaare Zedek Congregation.

Contact Billy Booth, our Executive Director for further details:
execdirector@shaarezedek.ca or 514.484.1122 ext. 105

BRIT MILAH

Apart from being a respected Mohel in Montreal, Rabbi Bright is also recognized as a highly skilled Mohel.

Rabbi Bright is medically certified having successfully completed surgical training.  This means that Rabbi Bright is meticulously trained in carrying out a safe, completely sterile, virtually painless and almost bloodless circumcision.  Equally important, Rabbi Bright is educated in recognizing anatomical anomalies that will obviate a circumcision.

In addition to topical anaesthetic and dressings that include an antibiotic and a blood coagulant, all instruments used by Rabbi Bright are sterilized and autoclaved.

Being a traditional Rabbi the religious and halachic guidelines surrounding the performance of a traditional halachic standards (laws governing circumcision).

Please feel free to contact Rabbi Bright with questions you might have pertaining to this sacred rite: Tel. 514.484.1122 ext. 110 or email rabbi@shaarezedek.ca.

Tue, 19 March 2024 9 Adar II 5784