New Name: It is a common practice among religious Jews that a special Hebrew name is given to the newborn child. It is an
additional name to the one the person is usually known by. A girl receives her name at birth and the boy at eight days of age, at the circumcision. Conversion to Judaism is always accompanied by
giving a new name, for men it is usually Abraham or Ben Avraham (son of Abraham). When blessings are given for health, at marriages and at other festive occasions, often the ‘new’ or ‘special’ name
is used.
Blessings Every Sabbath: On the subject of blessings, it is interesting to note that in some Jewish communities it is customary for the father to bless his children on the Sabbath eve when he
returns from the synagogue.
Laying on of Hands: "Hands are also significant in the symbolic act of bestowing a blessing. In rabbinic literature the priestly blessing is known as nesi'at kappayim ("raising of the hands")
and is pronounced with the hands uplifted, and the fingers spread in a special formation. In fact this special formation of the hands is often engraved on the tombstones of kohanim (priests)." "In
the same way that priests lift their hands in blessing, so parents place their hands on the heads of their children when they bless them. (For example, in the Bible, Jacob blessed his grandsons,
Ephraim and Manasseh, by placing his hands on their heads.) Placing the hands on another person is symbolic not only of transferring blessing but also of passing on authority. In talmudic times,
scholars received their rabbinic ordination through the symbolic act of placing of the hands (known as semikhah