Brith Covenant on the Eighth Day

Even on the Sabbath,
Even during festival or fast,
The covenant brith takes place on the eighth day.
What is the Sabbath or Yom Tov or Yom Kippur
But a reminder of the constancy
That entwines our life with God's.

On the eighth day our child is covenanted,
Having lived through the Sabbath,
No stranger to creation,
No passive particle
Thrown into the world.
Our child is partner,
Co-worker, "shutaf", co-creator, co-sanctifier
Of the source of all being.

May our child grow with purpose
Ameliorate pain,
Straighten the bent,
Raise the fallen,
Protect the innocent,
Loosen the chains of the bound.

Through this infant,
covenanted to a life of transformation,
give thanks for the renewal of creation
Every day, every hour, every moment.

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