ABSTRACT
In Biblical times childbirth took place in a kneeling position or sitting on a special birthstool. According to Jewish law, if a woman in childbirth is in mortal danger, her life takes precedence over that of the unborn child – only when over half of the child's body has emerged from the birth canal is it considered to be fully human. After the birth, family and friends gathered nightly to recite prayers to ward off evil spirits such as Lilith, the female demon who allegedly attempts to kill off all newborn children. The naming of a new-born child takes place on one of two occasions: a baby boy is named at the circumcision ceremony; a baby girl is named in the synagogue on the first time the Torah is read after her birth. The essentials of the bar mitzvah ceremony involve prayer with tefillin for the first time, and reading from the Torah.
