עברית
Halachot and Customs
Is There Such a Thing as a Brita for a Girl?
Question
Hello, I would like to know whether there is such a thing as a "brita" for a girl. Thank you very much!
Answer
Hello and blessings,
There is no such thing as a "brita" for a girl. Rather, the Sephardim have the custom of making a meal for a girl called "Zevad HaBat," that is, a thanksgiving meal for the birth of a daughter (see Responsa Mevasseret Tzion, part 3, siman 37, that this is an ancient custom going back hundreds of years. They do not make a feast and rejoicing like at the birth of a boy, but a celebration and rejoicing should be held. And among the Sephardim, the elder in the family holds her in his arms and says the verse "יונתי בחגוי הסלע" and they call her by her name. And in Responsa Rav Pealim it is written that this should be done on the sixth night after the birth of the daughter).
And among the Ashkenazim, it is customary to make kiddush on Shabbat morning (see what is brought about this in the book Nitei Gavriel, Niddah, part 3, pages 699-700).
With blessings,
Hillel Meirs
