Introduction
Zeved Habat is a Jewish ceremony practiced by various communities, in which a thanksgiving meal is held for the birth of a daughter in the family. Sometimes the ceremony is held close to the time of birth, and then also the private name of the new daughter is announced, similar to the Brit Milah ceremony.
The Name of the Ceremony
The word “Zeved”, which means gift, is a biblical term that appears in Genesis: “And Leah said, God has given me a good gift.” This sentence was said by Leah after she gave birth to Zebulun, her sixth son. According to various interpretations, together with Zebulun, his twin Dinah was born, as written subsequently: “And afterward she bore a daughter and called her name Dinah”. Therefore, we can find a hint in the word Zeved to the two children who were born: Zebulun and Dinah.
The name “Zeved Habat” was not accepted in all communities, and some prefer to call the event “Simchat Bat”, “Bat’s party” or in slang misuse: “Brita”, to emphasize the acceptance of the Brit Milah ceremony for the son.
The Ceremony
Throughout Jewish history, there was no special ceremony held at the birth of a daughter, apart from a small meal (‘Kidusha Rabba’) in the synagogue after Shabbat prayers, as a thanksgiving to God for the daughter and for the pregnancy and birth process that passed peacefully.
Recently, they began to practice this ceremony, which has grown into a full-fledged ceremony. From the perspective of Jewish tradition, there is no obligation in this, beyond what was customary in days past.
Over the years, versions for recitation during the ceremony were created, composed of Psalms and different prayers. In many prayer books, a small version can be found that is said when conducting the ceremony.
