Breaking The Jewish Code Perry Stone

and hands the silver coins to the priest. Holding the coins over the infant, the priest declares the redemption is paid. He blesses the child and then returns him to the parents. The coins are usually returned to the child as a gift. At times the child is placed on a blanket on a silver tray, surrounded by jewelry borrowed for the ceremony from women in attendance. This could allude to the Hebrews borrowing the jewelry from their neighbors when departing from Egypt. A festive meal follows, and some will hand out cubes of sugar and garlic cloves. Girls are not omitted from experiencing their own naming ceremony, called Zeved habat among the Sephardic Jews and Simchat bat among the Ashkenazi sect. These ceremonies often occur within the first month of a girl’s birth and can be celebrated privately in the synagogue or in a party at home. A rabbi and a cantor often participate. The varied traditions and customs are too numerous to elaborate on. However, some customs include lighting seven candles, representing the seven days of Creation, while holding the infant or wrapping the child in the four corners of a tallit (Jewish prayer shawl). Other customs are lifting the baby and touching her hands to the Torah scroll. The Christian dedication celebration How can such beautiful customs be applied to Gentile believers? There is no set manner in Scripture on how to dedicate an infant, other than the examples of Hannah (1 Sam. 1:23–28) and Mary and Joseph (Luke 2:21–27). Every parent should perform