Religious rituals and secular rituals: interpenetrating models of childbirth in a modern, Israeli context

Sociology of Religion, Spring, 1993 by Susan Starr Sered

Deborah is 30 years old, American, with a college degree. She grew up in an orthodox family and now considers herself ultra-orthodox. She had a difficult birth; she hemorrhaged and was in shock. She has five other children and has had two miscarriages. The pregnancy was stressful physically and emotionally. She became ill with a virus believed to cause birth defects. The doctor recommended an abortion, and she refused. To safeguard the fetus and the pregnancy she took vitamins. Deborah believes that she was not sufficiently careful (she over-exerted herself physically) in the beginning of this pregnancy, which caused some spotting. In order to avoid the threatened miscarriage she placed a ruby next to her skin, which she wore throughout the pregnancy. Her husband told her to do this; he had read about the power of rubies in a book. She emphasizes that to safeguard pregnancy and make the birth easier she does what her husband finds in religious books, "not old wives' tales." To ensure an easy delivery she made a point of eating a festive meal (melave malka) after the end of the Sabbath each week during the pregnancy. During the labor and delivery she recited Psalms. She says that she did not learn any of these rituals from her family, and when her husband brought her an amulet, her mother was shocked. To ease the birth she tried to use Lamaze natural childbirth techniques, and her husband read Psalms and recited verses from sacred texts. During the labor she pledged to give money to charity after the birth. After the birth she ritually washed her hands and said the formal blessing thanking God for "reaching this moment." At home they will put an amulet in the crib. She prepares a minimum of baby clothes in advance as she heard that "it's not done."

Tamar is 25 years old, a teacher from an orthodox American family. I interviewed her after her third cesarian section. In the past she had one miscarriage, and this last pregnancy was uneventful. She knew that she would have a cesarian section, and arranged with her own doctor (who normally practiced at a hospital in another city) to perform it. The epidural failed during the operation, and she refused general anesthesia. During pregnancy to safeguard the fetus she took vitamins, avoided drinking wine, and baked Sabbath braided bread in order to receive divine merit. This is a ritual that she figured out for herself, drawing upon a verse in a traditional Sabbath song.(5) To ensure an easy birth she prayed the formal morning prayer service throughout the pregnancy and visited the Western Wall the night before the birth. After the birth her husband said a formal blessing (Mi SheBerach) for her in synagogue. Tamar stresses that "I hate evil eve rituals. It is wrong, against true Jewish ideas of monotheism." She does plan, however, to put an amulet in the baby's crib.

THE RITUAL MENU -- RELIGIOUS RITUALS

During the interviews, the women were asked in a general way about rituals they had performed during pregnancy, birth, and immediately after the birth, from whom they had learned these rituals, and why they performed them. The rituals rather easily sort into three categories: to safeguard pregnancy, to facilitate birth, to safeguard the newborn.