Tri-State Bris - Rabbi Dr. Avram Block
The Source of the Brit Milah
Ritual circumcision was first performed by Abraham, the Patriarch of the Jewish faith. After a lifetime of commitment to kindness, devotion and truth, God commanded Abraham to be circumcised and to circumcise his male children on the eighth day following birth. Since that time nearly 4000 years ago, Jewish parents have adhered to God’s command and followed in Abraham’s footsteps in performing this sacred ritual.
The word “Bris” or “Brit” literally means covenant. In performing the Brit Milah, the parents are reaffirming the original covenant established between God and Abraham in which Jewish parents commit to raising their children according to the lofty ideals of their People. The Brit Milah will take place on the eighth day following birth even if that day falls out on a Sabbath or Jewish holiday. The only reason for delaying the ceremony would be if the child’s health will not allow for it. In such a case, the family will work with their physician and the Mohel in determining the earliest date in which the baby’s health can be guaranteed.
Jewish Law places the primary obligation for the Brit Milah on the baby’s father but he may delegate a qualified Mohel as his agent in the performance of this important commandment.
The Brit Milah Ceremony
The Brit Milah ceremony is composed of three main parts:
Blessing and Circumcision - We welcome the baby to the Brit Milah ceremony with the same words that we welcome a groom to the wedding canopy: Baruch HaBah!
Kiddush & Naming
Seudat Mitzvah - It is customary to explain for whom the baby was named and to offer a few words of Torah in honor of the Brit Milah.
Some Brit Milah honors include:
Gefaterin/Gefatir (Man and woman who bring the baby to the Brit)
Kiseh Shel Eliyahu (Chair of Elijah)
Sandek (Holds the baby during the Brit)
Holding the Baby (holds baby during blessings and naming of baby)
The blessing and naming of the baby (often reserved for the Rabbi)
The ceremony is brief and lasts about ten minutes. The actual Bris takes approximately thirty seconds and should never take any longer than that. At a traditional Bris, the baby is placed on a double pillow on the lap of the Sandak, not on a table or strapped down. A Mohel is obligated by Jewish law not to do anything that increases the discomfort or difficulty to the baby. Accordingly, the Mohel must utilize the quickest, most gentle and most compassionate methods in performing the ritual.