Traditionally, while newborn boys were celebrated at their brit milah ceremony on the eighth day after their birth, the only acknowledgment of the birth of a newborn girl was her formal naming at synagogue the Shabbat immediately following her birth. At that time the girl’s father was called up to read from the Torah and the baby’s name was announced by the rabbi within the context of a short prayer for the baby’s and mother’s health (Mi Shebeirach blessing). Current Jewish practice has no ceremony or equivalent to the brit milah for baby girls.
Traditional Sephardic Jews do have more of a celebration following the birth of a daughter. This includes singing songs in her honor, the preparation of a festive meal, and sometimes even placing the baby in a miniature bridal gown and then passing her from guest to guest, each of whom pronounces a blessing over her.
Because of this inequality in the celebration of male and female newborns in Ashkenazi communities, there has been a movement over the last several decades sparked by Jewish feminists to change this. Many parents are now arranging for a similar eighth day commemoration for their newborn daughters along the lines of the brit milah ceremony—but of course without the circumcision.
These ceremonies go by various names:
Simchat bat (Joy of the daughter),
Brit hayyim (Covenant of life),
Brit kedusha (Covenant of sanctification),
Brit bat Zion (Covenant for the daughters of Zion)
There is no fixed liturgy for brit bat ceremonies. Services are usually developed from scratch by the girl’s parents often using sections from the male brit milah ceremony. However, there are now available online several different prewritten scripts that can be used for this celebration.
Another suggested means of honoring the birth of baby girls is the ceremonial dipping of a part of the child into water—tevila—as a reminder of the hospitality of Abraham and Sarah described in Genesis 18.
A brit bat ceremony is usually performed on the eighth day to echo the brit milah ceremony. Other choices for dates are 30 days after the newborn girl’s birth (which allows a mother to recover from giving birth) or on the first day of the new month, Rosh Chodesh, symbolizing the alignment of a woman’s physiologic cycles with the phases of the moon.
One can assign the same honors—sandek, kvetterin, candle lighters—to family or guests and there can be blessings over wine, bread, and the shehecheyanu blessing—thanks for God’s allowing family and friends to get together again. A chair can be set up for Elijah who, if he comes to all brit milah ceremonies as a demonstration that Jews continue to keep their promises to bring their newborn boys into the Covenant, can equally well come to brit bat ceremonies for baby girls.
Below is a general outline of how a brit bat service might be organized:
1. Introductory blessings and prayers
Baruch HaBa
Candle lighting
Readings and prayers
Blessing over wine
2. Covenant prayers.
Water ritual: washing baby’s feet or hands
Placing baby’s hands on Torah
3 Naming and final blessings.
Closing of ceremony with three blessings:
Shehecheyanu.
Blessing for the new daughter’s well-being
Priestly benediction.
4. Celebratory meal.
Whether or not the concept of brit bat will gain wide-spread acceptance remains to be seen. But with this new take on an ancient ceremony for boys, there is now an entirely appropriate and religiously consistent means of honoring the birth of a newborn girl.