Baby Namings

There are some facts that are little-known about naming ceremonies. Jews who come from the area of the Mediterranean basin, Portugal, France, Italy, Turkey, Holland and sometimes England and the Island of Curaçao (Caribbean) are known as “Sephardic Jews.” These are Jews who fled Spain during the Inquisition (15th Century). These Jews pronounce Hebrew differently from the Jews of Eastern, Central and Western Europe. The Sephardic Jews’ custom is to name a child after a living person, hence John Cohn, Sr., John Cohn Jr., John Cohn III, and so on………..

The Jews of Europe, mentioned above, are known as “Ashkenazi Jews.” These Jews are from Hungary, Rumania, Russia, Poland, Germany, etc. Their custom is to name a child after a beloved family member who has passed away. Sometimes it is difficult to find their correct names because they were named in Yiddish. Rabbi Allen always tries to find the Hebrew equivalent of the Yiddish name. The object of a baby-naming ceremony is to officially present the new child with a Hebrew name. The baby’s the name is affectionately given to the baby while in its parents' arms, with participation from parents and grandparents as well as other family members chosen by the parents.. A Jewish or Interfaith artistic birth certificate, either bought or created by Rabbi Allen, is given to the parents for safekeeping, with a tangible item transferred from the birth parents to their new child, along with loving comments and memories about the person for whom their little one is named.

Choosing a name can sometimes be daunting, The best resource, used by almost every rabbi or cantor, is called, “The New Name Dictionary,” by Alfred Kolatch. Rabbi Allen often gets calls asking for Hebrew names. Not only does this book give suggestions for the Hebrew names, the provenance of the name as well as its meaning in English is also provided.
Another custom which has come into modern usage is the following. Let’s say that the original name was (in Yiddish) Zisseh Blumeh (Sweet Flower). When Zisseh Blumeh left Russia for England, she Anglicized her Cissy Beatrice. Since the parents did not care to have their daughter called a name which used only the initials, C. B., such as Cara Beth.

Another name could be chosen which is a Biblical name, such as “Ruth,” “Michael,” “Raphael,” “Abigail,” “David,” and so on. The New Name Dictionary is a treasure trove of names and information.

Finally, Rabbi Allen writes the naming ceremonies to be inclusive of everyone and, so that everyone, Christian or Jew, can read the prayers because he transliterates every word of Hebrew into English characters making it easy for everyone to take part. In addition, he translates all of the Hebrew prayers.

Bar/Bat Mitzvah

The ceremony of Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah, where the 13-year-old boy or girl is called to read from the Torah is actually quite new, given the 4000-year-old history of Judaism. The Bar Mitzvah dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. The history of the Bat Mitzvah is even newer; in 1940 Rabbi Abraham Kaplan, founder of the Reconstructionist Movement, decided that girls should have the same rights as boys and his daughter Judith became the first Bat Mitzvah ever. This is true only in the Reform and Reconstructionist Movements, although some Conservative synagogues are now beginning to allow girls to have their Bat Mitzvah on Shabbat mornings.

According to the Torah, every Jewish child automatically becomes a Bar- or Bat Mitzvah simply by reaching the age of 13 years for boys and 12 years and 6 months for girls. It is a Rite of Passage. In addition, many synagogues require that the child attend religious school for a minimum of 4 or 5 years (depending on the individual synagogue) for their inclusion in a Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremony. Many families find this is difficult, whether due to time constraints, finances or just the inability to transport a child to and from religious school. I am in agreement with those who say that no Jewish child should be unable to have a ceremony that celebrates this important lifecycle event. I have taught B'nei Mitzvah for more than four decades and this is my answer to the problem and what I have been doing for the last several years:

I'm not only a rabbi; I was a cantor for 38 years. I also sang Opera internationally for 22 years and taught French and Spanish for six years. There is a pedagogy for teaching language. With this pedagogy I have taught Hebrew for many years. I have found that many children just find the Hebrew they get in Hebrew School only once or twice a week to be minimal at best. Unfortunately, many Hebrew teachers have no knowledge of pedagogy. Many parents have called upon me to prepare their children. I usually write the whole service in both Hebrew and English according to the needs of each child.

In the end, I am asked to conduct the service and, having been a cantor, will lead the chanting of prayers during the service. Insofar as the child can learn to sing the prayers, I urge the Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah to lead the service, read the Hebrew and sing the prayers. I facilitate.

 

• I will individualize the learning to each child's needs.
• Special needs, whether gifted or learning disabled, will profit from my instruction. They can learn from me by the use of the computer program called, Skype, for which I am equipped. We can see each other by use of a camera-equipped computer. If the computer does not have one, it can be bought inexpensively.
• My own grandchildren have very busy schedules. Being a retired rabbi makes it simple to create schedules arranged for busy parents and children.
• Lessons can be arranged to take place either in afternoons or evenings - at our mutual convenience.
• One-on-one teaching creates an atmosphere with no distractions; an atmosphere which can lead to excellent learning in less time.
• Lessons are usually once a week, although with some it may be necessary several times per week. A lot depends on the attitudes of both children and parents. It has been my experience that when both parents are professionals and the child is academically pressured, it is far more difficult.
• I include the teaching of tropal chanting and make CDs from which the child can learn the melodies; melody is a mnemonic (memory) device, which brings back words and phrases.
• This is a very convenient way of learning and many of my students have uploaded my CDs into their iPODS so that they can listen and learn at home, on the bus to school or any free time they have.
• I also work with students by Telephone whenever available for special situations.

 

Funerals & Unveilings

Throughout my years in Rochester, New York and in my congregation in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania it was part of my job description to do everything the rabbis did with the exception of giving a sermon. In other words, whenever there was a funeral and burial, or a memorial service, or an unveiling, I was there. I considered it my job has been on the job seven days a week/ 24 hours a day. Very often I would get calls past midnight telling me that we had a funeral the next day and what funeral parlor I had to go to. In the morning I would call my secretary and she would give me all the particulars.

Thus, it seems perfectly natural to me to be available for these services mentioned above. I am always available unless there is a pre-arranged meeting or service that I have to do. Now that I have retired from the pulpit, I am truly available on very short notice to help you in your need. Don't hesitate to call me if I can be of service to you.

Because funerals are so expensive, I am available at a very modest honorarium. It is my belief that everyone should be able to have the services of the rabbi when needed. In my 21 years of service in my last congregation, I have literally done every burial in the following service in the home of the bereaved whenever the Senior Rabbi was involved. The two of us would do the service at the funeral parlor and then I would drive the site of the burial and do a short service there. Normally I also conducted the Shiva service on the first night after burial. One other thing that makes me in demand is the fact that I sing the prayers at the funeral parlor, the burial site, and in the home of the bereaved.

My home is in a suburb of Philadelphia, which makes me available to anyone in the Tri-State area of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland. There have been times when I have had to drive a good distance to Long Island cemeteries. Having grown up from being Orthodox to Conservative to Reform, I am comfortable with any of these services.

I will meet with the family (as many as possible) to hear their thoughts and their remembrances of the departed family member. In this way, by taking notes when I am meeting with them, I am able to write a eulogy. All you have to do is call me at home (215-657-3737). If you happen to be in financial straits, don't let that stop you. All you have to do is to call me, Rabbi Richard Allen, or send me an e-mail at info@Rabbiallen.com.