As a biological constant and precondition for the continuation of life, birth is accompanied by various rituals in different cultures. In Judaism, it is also an intrinsic part of the religious commandment of reproduction. Both the biblical and rabbinic traditions ritualize the birth and first months of the child’s life. The birth of a son was traditionally privileged with public rituals. Attempts to rectify this inequality with the establishment of new rituals for the birth of a girl are first to be encountered in the modern era.

In traditional Judaism, procreation and birth are t…