Questions tagged [baby-infant]

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3 votes
1 answer
238 views

Minhag of avoiding showing pictures of dinosaurs to babies

There is a minhag more common in Chassidic circles to refrain from showing pictures of non-kosher animals to babies. Does this apply to dinosaurs? As far as I understand, this minhag does not apply to ...
17 votes
7 answers
10k views

Understanding the reasoning of the woman who agreed with King Solomon to "cut the baby in half"

There's a famous story in I Kings 3:16-28 about Shlomo Hamelech. Two women who had just given birth around the same time appeared before him; one baby had died and one was alive and the women were ...
1 vote
0 answers
84 views

How is a baby girl with a non-Jewish Father given a name?

What is the process for naming a baby girl with a Jewish mother and a non Jewish father? Typically the father is given an aliyah and the name is given as part of a mishebarach. Does the mother's ...
0 votes
0 answers
25 views

Shalom Zachor on Motza'ei Yom Kippur?

This Israeli news site quotes Rav Chaim Kanievsky saying to make a Shalom Zachor on Motza'ei Yom Kippur when Yom Kippur falls on Shabbos: הגרש"ב גנוט מרבני העיר אלעד מספר כי זה לאחרונה שאל את ...
7 votes
2 answers
2k views

What is the source for: One shouldn't name a baby using names from before Abraham

I've heard or I've been taught one shouldn't name a baby (or take a name, in the case of a ger) from names in the Torah before Abraham, namely Adam, Noah etc. This makes sense to me, as Abraham is the ...
7 votes
3 answers
513 views

"Praiseworthy is he who will clutch and dash your infants against the rock"?

I do not understand the last lines of psalm 137 ("By the rivers of Babylon"/"Al naharos bovel," the psalm recited before Birkat Ha-Mazon on weekdays. [It includes the famous lines &...
0 votes
1 answer
79 views

Hand expressing mother's milk on שבת to upkeep supply

The Shulchan Aruch או"ח סימן שכח סעיף לד ו-לה rules that a woman is not allow to hand express milk into a vessel in order to feed an infant from it. She is allowed to hand express into the ...
2 votes
1 answer
303 views

May you use an electric baby swing in Shabbos?

Is it allowed on Shabbos to place a baby in and out from a battery operated swing that is designed to swing itself. Of course the switch is turned on before Shabbas. Maybe it’s the same as going in ...
9 votes
2 answers
276 views

Why can a baby get Tzaraas?

Reference in Gemora Shabbos 133a Daf Yomi recently to tzaraas (skin disease see Leviticus 13) on the foreskin regarding mila (circumcission). This implies babies can have tzaraas. If tzaraas is not ...
4 votes
1 answer
747 views

Did babies nurse in the wilderness?

We know that the Jews were sustained by the heavenly mun for forty years in the wilderness. They didn't eat anything else, as it provided their every needs. They didn't even produce any bodily waste. ...
13 votes
3 answers
370 views

How would the 'split the baby in half' situation be resolved according to halacha?

In 1 Kings 3:16-27 there is a story of two prostitutes who appear before King Shlomo, each having a newborn baby. One of the babies died and there was a dispute as to which one. There were no ...
3 votes
0 answers
73 views

What name to use when praying for baby in need of healing before it is born?

Typically, when praying for someone in need of healing, we refer to them as "NAME ben/bat MOTHERS_NAME". For a baby before it is given a name, we can refer to them as "tinok ben/bat ...
3 votes
0 answers
96 views

Ruach Hakodesh when Naming a Child for an Ancestor?

The Arizal says that parents having a certain level of ruach hakodesh when naming their child. Sha’ar HaGilgulim (23:8) - ונמצא כי כאשר נולד האדם וקוראים לו אביו ואמו שם אחד העולה בדעתם אינו באקראי ...
5 votes
2 answers
575 views

Pampers tzovehah (dyeing) on shabbas

Pampers make diapers which have a wetness indicator. Initially it is a yellow stripe when dry; when wet it turns blue. I am wondering whether this would be considered tzoveha. http://g-ecx.images-...
6 votes
2 answers
316 views

Is a baby born on Shabbos Muktza as Nolad?

Is a baby born on Shabbos Muktza as Nolad until the end of Shabbos? I mean, he is quite literally Nolad - born on Shabbos. I understand that anything that the baby needs would would obviously be Mutar ...
1 vote
2 answers
172 views

What do the pre-rabbinic and/or rabbinic authorities say about the nurse of Rebecca?

Genesis 24:59 So they sent away Rebecca their sister and her nurse and Abraham's servant and his men. וַיְשַׁלְּח֛וּ אֶת־רִבְקָ֥ה אֲחֹתָ֖ם וְאֶת־מֵֽנִקְתָּ֑הּ וְאֶת־עֶ֥בֶד אַבְרָהָ֖ם וְאֶת־אֲנָשָֽׁיו:...
4 votes
1 answer
243 views

By what standards does Judaism hold infants accountable for sin?

In Samuel 15:3 Samuel relays God's instruction to Saul of obliterating the nation of Amalek. Included in this instruction is also the command to slay infants and sucklings. Samuel 15:3 "Now, go, and ...
0 votes
1 answer
164 views

שהחיינו on baby girl vs הטוב והמטיב for a boy?

The Shulchan Arach (OC 223:1) writes: ילדה אשתו זכר מברך הטוב והמטיב So when you have a boy you make the brocho of הטוב והמטיב. Yet, with the birth of a girl the Mishna Berurah tells us that we ...
1 vote
0 answers
33 views

Is it permissible to get a toddler to push an electrical button on Shabbos? [duplicate]

Am I allowed to manipulate a 2 or 3 year old to turn on or off a light on Shabbos? Or to turn on or off the air conditioner or heater? If allowed, how direct can I be in manipulating the toddler to ...
8 votes
0 answers
144 views

Those who observe "Ben Zachar" at night and "Shalom Zachar" by day

There's a pretty common custom to observe what's commonly called a "Shalom Zachar" on the Friday night after a baby boy is born. People go to where the baby's father is, eat snacks, sing and share ...
3 votes
0 answers
101 views

Have infants ever been instructed to bless on mothers milk?

This biography of Rabbi Zalman Volozhin, brother of famed Rabbi Chaim, reports that at the age of one year old he was trained by his mother to recite a blessing before suckling her milk. Is such an ...
2 votes
2 answers
161 views

Ramifications of a Baby Switch [duplicate]

At the hospital 2 newborns get swapped, one Jewish for one not. 20 yrs later someone realizes what happened & informs both kids of the mistake, does their status change? Does the ‘non Jewish’ boy ...
4 votes
1 answer
311 views

Why isn't there a Shalom Zachor equivalent for newborn girls?

The Rama in Yoreh Deah 265:12 brings the custom for a Shalom Zachor: עוד נהגו לעשות סעודה ומשתה בליל שבת לאחר שנולד זכר נכנסים אצל התינוק לטעום שם והוא ג"כ סעודת מצוה It is customary to make a ...
5 votes
0 answers
129 views

A widow using her deceased husbands semen to conceive?

If a husband has some of his semen frozen/saved and then dies, what halachic and hashkafic issues have to be addressed when deciding if his widow is allowed to/can/should use that semen to become ...
4 votes
2 answers
217 views

Can two siamese twins be separated by killing one if that one would die anyway and the other would live

In two Simaese twins where the first will definitely die soon, whereas the second has a chance of life if the first stops being a 'drain' him. Like if there is only one heart. Can one kill the first ...
6 votes
2 answers
181 views

Moshe and filicide

In Exodus 2:3, baby Moses's mother, unable to further hide him from the authorities, puts him in a box in or near the river. An abandoned baby will soon die. How could / why did she trade in the ...
5 votes
2 answers
1k views

May a Jewish baby nurse from a non-Jewish woman?

Does halacha allow letting a Jewish baby nurse from a non-Jewish woman (assuming Jewish wet nurses are available)? The Gemara says that Baby Moses refused to nurse from a non-Jewish woman, saying, "...
3 votes
3 answers
728 views

Mourning the death of an infant

If an infant only survives for one day Rachmana litzlan, do the parents have to sit shiva or say kaddish?
0 votes
1 answer
153 views

Halakha for mourning a stillborn child

I have a short amount of time to find recent Halakha on Orthodox and Conservative guidance on mourning a stillbirth. Any pointers greatly appreciated. Thank you!
6 votes
1 answer
294 views

What things are done differently for an adult circumcision?

I have never attended an adult circumcision, and I don't know anyone, personally, who was circumcised as an adult. I'm curious if there are any notable differences between an adult and child ...
2 votes
1 answer
254 views

A Hebrew prayer upon discovering the news of having a baby?

I've found this book called: The Jewish Pregnancy book; 'A Resource for the Soul, Body & Mind during Pregnancy, Birth & the First Three Months', written by Sandy Falk, M.D., and Rabbi Daniel ...
1 vote
0 answers
92 views

How to tie shoes on a baby when unsure if righty or lefty

There are differences in Halachos regarding a righty verses a lefty in the order of tying shoes. See related question here for more information on what exactly to do. My question is what about when ...
5 votes
1 answer
506 views

Wishing someone Mazel Tov may turn out to be problematic

I am a member of a Chabad-Lubavitch shul with its wonderfully diverse community here in Southeast Asia though I am not a Chasid. I may have caused some discomfort to our much loved Rabbi & ...
3 votes
2 answers
471 views

Jewish prayer for our doctor after baby delivery?

We just had a baby and are scheduled to see our primary care physician very soon. We know he is religious and would appreciate a short prayer, and we were wondering if there are any Jewish prayers ...
3 votes
1 answer
84 views

Sarah nursing idolaters' children

The Gemara (BM 87b) relates that at the time that Avraham made a feast for Yitzchak'a birth, the nations mocked him and Sarah, saying that they adopted him, or that he was Avimelech's son with Sarah. ...
1 vote
1 answer
266 views

Circumcision exceptions on the rule?

If one gives birth to a premature/preterm son, or if the childs weight is to low, for example, would it still be circumcised on the 8th day or are there exceptions to the command?
4 votes
1 answer
482 views

Eliyahu HaNavi and bris

Someone once told me that when Eliyahu HaNavi comes to a baby's bris, everyone who is presently there is forgiven for their sins. Does anyone know the source for this?
6 votes
1 answer
585 views

Bris for non-Jewish boy whose parents are converting

If in the process of conversion, a couple has a baby boy, what is done regarding the bris? They have not yet fully converted, but are in the process, with a Rabbi and regularly attending synagogue ...
3 votes
1 answer
113 views

Source of שלום זכר

What is the earliest source for the מנהג of making a שלום זכר? Anything earlier than שולחן ערוך will make me happy to be honest...
12 votes
2 answers
1k views

Why is a bris performed after death?

Why does an infant baby boy who dies before he can be circumcised have a circumcision performed after death? If, as the article states it is to prepare the body for the next world why is this ritual ...
1 vote
0 answers
42 views

Surrogate birth, egg donations and 'Jewishness' [duplicate]

This is a two part question and although nuanced in there difference - I believe there is one. If a Jewish mother and father donate eggs/sperm to a non-Jewish mother is the child that is born Jewish?...
3 votes
1 answer
203 views

Halakhot of raising babies

I don't think I've ever encountered halakhot that pertain to interacting with newborns, but as any new parent knows, such interactions take up a great deal of one's time, during the day, at night, ...
1 vote
2 answers
198 views

Are there any prohibitions on naming (baby/convert)?

Trying to determine if names like Kohelet or Job (two of which I have yet to hear of anyone being named in the last century) are just rare names or have a reason not be used.
5 votes
1 answer
89 views

What sort of "food" did the midwives provide for the children (Rashi on Shemos 1 (17))?

Rashi on Shemos 1 (17) comments on the expression “... but they enabled the boys to live” and says “They provided water and food for them.” If these were new-borns what sort of food could they have ...
2 votes
0 answers
80 views

Retroactive annulment of conversion? [duplicate]

If a woman converts to Judaism, has a baby, and then converts to Christianity, is the baby still considered a born Jew? That is, can the woman's conversion be retroactively annulled in a way that ...
12 votes
1 answer
3k views

Can a mother taste her own breastmilk?

Can a mother drink/taste her own breastmilk? I know theres an issur for a non-baby to drink directly from the breast; but, what about from a cup? Further, if it is indeed assur (even from a cup), ...
7 votes
1 answer
560 views

How is the sex of a baby born with unclear genitalia determined?

A baby may be born with a penis but no testicle. The hospital would do genetic tests to determine whether the baby was genetically female or male. In the case of a genetic female born with a penis the ...
7 votes
5 answers
2k views

Chickpeas (Arbes) at a Shalom Zachor

Why do we serve Arbes - chickpeas at a Shalom Zachor?
5 votes
2 answers
232 views

Potty in the living room?

It is generally assumed that one is not allowed to bring a sefer into a bathroom, at least while the bathroom's in use (see Shabbos 127b, Rambam Hilchos Sefer Torah 10:5, Shulchan Aruch YD 282:6, ...
4 votes
4 answers
650 views

Naming a baby boy before a deferred bris

The typical practice when a baby boy is born is to refrain from calling him by any name until he is given a name at his bris. In cases where the bris is deferred (e.g. for health reasons) for an ...