Saul and Mira’s Simchat Brit

1. This slideshow will play itself – no need to click. Enjoy! Saul and Mira’s Simchat Brit Welcoming our twin son and daughter into the Covenant

2. Welcoming Saul and Mira We strove to welcome our boy/girl twins into the Covenant in an egalitarian, expert, and authentic manner Melissa Puius 2014

3. Welcoming Saul and Mira Melissa Puius 2014 • Egalitarianism was achieved by designing a ritual for Mira that paralleled Saul’s Brit Milah (or, as it worked out, Hatafat Dam Brit).

4. Welcoming Saul and Mira Melissa Puius 2014 • Expertise was demonstrated by calling upon the strengths of the participants (parents are a cantorial student and a physician), and by creating excellent materials for participants and guests

5. Welcoming Saul and Mira Melissa Puius 2014 • Jewish Authenticity was achieved by maintaining traditional rituals, innovating in those places where there is no prescribed tradition, and grounding those innovations upon text and precedent • Personal Authenticity was achieved by selecting rituals that are meaningful to our family

6. Ceremony Structure Mira Celeste מֵאִירָה לְבָנָה Melissa Puius 2014 Saul Liev שֶמֶש לֵייבּ

7. Mira’s Ritual: Miriam’s Chair We chose to set out chairs for both Elijah and Miriam. Elijah’s chair was draped with Yoram’stalit Miriam’s was draped with Melissa’s talit. Melissa Puius 2014

8. Mira’s Ritual: Miriam’s Chair Melissa Puius 2014 Jewish Authenticity: Invoking Miriam along with Elijah has become common at other times of transition, such as the Passover Seder and Havdalah

9. Mira’s Ritual: Miriam’s Chair Personal Authenticity: Melissa’s Hebrew name is MiriamBatsheva. Yoram’s Hebrew name is EliyahuAharon. Melissa Puius 2014 (Yes, this is confusing, as “Yoram” is a Hebrew name.)

10. Mira’s Ritual: Foot-Washing We chose to do a ritual foot-washing for Mira, using a mixture of water from our respective hometowns, from our current town, and from the Mira River in Nova Scotia, Canada Note: Our daughter’s name is pronounced like “clear-cut” mɪrə The river’s name is pronounced like “spiral” majrə Melissa Puius 2014

11. Mira’s Ritual: Foot-Washing We chose to do a ritual foot-washing for Mira, using a mixture of water from our respective hometowns, from our current town, and from the Mira River in Nova Scotia, Canada Jewish Authenticity • Abraham washed the feet of the visiting angels who announced the future birth of Isaac • Levi’im washed the feet of the Kohanimin Temple times • The mixing of waters is reminiscent of building a chuppah from trees planted at time of birth Melissa Puius 2014

12. Mira’s Ritual: Foot-Washing Melissa Puius 2014 We chose to do a ritual foot-washing for Mira, using a mixture of water from our respective hometowns, from our current town, and from the Mira River in Nova Scotia, Canada Personal Authenticity: • Melissa is a bat Levi • Mira’s maternal Great-Great-Great-Grandparents, Abraham and Reza Leah Mirkin, left Lithuania and settled in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, along the Mira River. • We were inspired by a ceremony at a friend’s Catholic wedding, where they drank from a Native American Wedding Vase containing water from the bride and groom’s homes.

13. Mira’s Ritual: Ezekiel 16:8-12 Rather than including a Kiddush both here and during Saul’s ritual, we decided to use an alternative text, Ezekiel 16:8-12. These verses appear amidst a cursing of Jerusalem, which is described as a maiden who turns to harlotry. They are, however, quite lovely out of context... Melissa Puius 2014

14. Mira’s Ritual: Ezekiel 16:8-12 Melissa Puius 2014

15. Jewish Authenticity: • A precedent for using this text for a covenantal ceremony is the inclusion of Ezekiel 16:6 in the traditional liturgy for Brit Milah. That verse is also taken out of context for liturgical purposes. • Ezekiel 16:6-7 is also used as a proof text in the Passover Haggadah, however the verses appear inverted (16:7, then 16:6). Again, a precedent for selective editing. Melissa Puius 2014 Mira’s Ritual: Ezekiel 16:8-12

16. Mira’s Ritual: Ezekiel 16:8-12 Personal Authenticity: • Melissa (a cantorial student) wanted to use a text that could be chanted in either trop or nusach. As Ezekiel is a prophetic text, Haftarahtrop was appropriate. • Keeping in mind the need for accessibility to our guests, Melissa chanted just the first verse in Hebrew, and the remainder in English. Melissa Puius 2014

17. Mira’s Ritual: Ezekiel 16:8-12 Melissa Puius 2014

18. Saul’s Ritual: Hatafat Dam Brit Because Saul was so small at birth, we were not able to have him circumcised at a traditional britmilah. We chose to have Saul circumcised at the hospital as soon as his health permitted, with the intention of later performing a hatafat dam brit. As we were planning our Simchat Brit, with an eye toward both Jewish and personal authenticity, Yoram (a physician) decided to perform this mitzvah himself. Melissa Puius 2014

19. Melissa Puius 2014

20. About This Presentation Much of the material in this slideshow was originally presented at a Hebrew College School of Jewish Music Community Meeting on April 27, 2011. Please contact Cantor Melissa Puius with any questions or comments melissa.puius@gmail.com cantormelissa.wordpress.com Melissa Puius 2014