The Gift of New Life is a special gift for any family regardless of religious beliefs, but it is always nice to give something that ties in with the family’s beliefs and continues the traditions the child will be raised in. . Traditionally, having children is considered a religious obligation and a joyous experience, making it a time for celebration and prayer. There are many traditional Jewish baby gifts given to Jewish babies and they include Hamsas, Mezuzahs, dreidels, lilah tov lights, kiddush cups, and tzedakah boxes. I will discuss the meaning of each of these in the following paragraphs.
Hamsa is a symbol used in Jewish culture and is usually in the shape of a hand. The hand is usually depicted with all five fingers extended, but can also be seen with the index and third fingers together and the ring and little fingers together to form the Hebrew letter “shin” and represent the same position of Cohen’s fingers. . when he is blessing the congregation. According to Jewish legend, Hamsa is the Hand of Miriam, the sister of Moses. She is also known as the Hand of God. She is believed to possess magical powers of protection, happiness, and prosperity. Hamsa pacifier holders make wonderful baby gifts.
On the doorpost of most Jewish homes you will see a Mezuzah. This is a small container that usually contains a handwritten scroll with the words of the Shema on one side and the name of God on the reverse. Upon entering the home, the mezuzah is touched and the fingers that touched it are kissed to remind us that we must always follow God’s commandments. A popular Jewish gift for babies is Noah’s ark or another soft toy with a mezuzah on it.
Tzedakah boxes are a popular gift for babies. Tzedakah means charity or justice. It is treating others as you would like to be treated. The tzedakah box generally displays the eight different levels of charity; give, but not be happy with it, give less than what is due, give only when asked, give directly to the poor so that both know each other, give to the poor knowing who gave the gift but the giver does not know who receives it, giving so that the giver knows but the receiver does not, give anonymously to a tzedakah fund and, finally, give to help another person not become impoverished by contributing to their education or teaching them a trade.
Kiddush is a thanksgiving prayer and reminds everyone to keep the Sabbath. This is a traditional prayer and it is done with wine and bread to thank God for all his blessings.
Lilah Tov means good night and many popular baby gifts are printed with the words. Night lights are very popular, as are blankets and nightgowns. These items are very popular with people looking for Jewish baby gifts.
The dreidel is a popular toy for girls and boys. It is usually played on Hanukkah. It has Hebrew letters on each side (nun, gimel, hei and shin) which together are the acronym for Nes Gadol Haya Sham which means “a great miracle happened there”.
