New Baby
Brit Milah
Origins
Brit milah (often called a bris) means “Covenant of Circumcision.” A bris takes place on the eighth day of a baby boy’s life unless medical conditions require it be postponed. Brit milah is so important in Jewish tradition that it is performed even when the eighth day falls on Shabbat or a Jewish holiday. The origin of britmilah is found in the book of B’reisheet (Genesis) chapter 17:
Abram was 99 years old. God appeared to him and said, 'I am God Almighty. Walk before Me and be perfect. I will make a covenant between Me and you, and I will increase your numbers very much.' Abram fell on his face. God spoke to him [again], saying, 'As far as I am concerned, here is My covenant with you: You shall be the father of a horde of nations. No longer shall you be called Abram. Your name shall become Abraham, for I have set you up as the father of a horde of nations. I will increase your numbers very, very much, and I will make you into nations — kings will be your descendants. I will sustain My covenant between Me and between you and your descendants after you throughout their generations, an eternal covenant; I will be a God to you and to your offspring after you. To you and your offspring I will give the land where you are now living as a foreigner. The whole land of Canaan shall be [your] eternal heritage, and I will be a God to [your descendants].' God [then] said to Abraham, 'As far as you are concerned, you must keep My covenant — you and your offspring throughout their generations. This is My covenant between Me, and between you and your offspring that you must keep: You must circumcise every male. You shall be circumcised through the flesh of your foreskin. This shall be the mark of the covenant between Me and you. 'Throughout all generations, every male shall be circumcised when he is eight days old. [This shall include] those born in your house, as well as [slaves] bought with cash from an outsider, who is not your descendant. [All slaves,] both houseborn and purchased with your money must be circumcised. This shall be My covenant in your flesh, an eternal covenant. The uncircumcised male whose foreskin has not been circumcised, shall have his soul cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant. (Genesis 17:1-14)
A brit milah is performed by a mohel who is trained both in the medical and religious aspects of this ancient tradition. Some families choose to have the bris performed in the hospital before the eighth day. While this choice is understandable, it is important to know that with a properly trained mohel, there is no cause for concern about the safety of a brit milah performed outside of a hospital.
Brit milah (often called a bris) means “Covenant of Circumcision.” A bris takes place on the eighth day of a baby boy’s life unless medical conditions require it be postponed. Brit milah is so important in Jewish tradition that it is performed even when the eighth day falls on Shabbat or a Jewish holiday. The origin of britmilah is found in the book of B’reisheet (Genesis) chapter 17:
Abram was 99 years old. God appeared to him and said, 'I am God Almighty. Walk before Me and be perfect. I will make a covenant between Me and you, and I will increase your numbers very much.' Abram fell on his face. God spoke to him [again], saying, 'As far as I am concerned, here is My covenant with you: You shall be the father of a horde of nations. No longer shall you be called Abram. Your name shall become Abraham, for I have set you up as the father of a horde of nations. I will increase your numbers very, very much, and I will make you into nations — kings will be your descendants. I will sustain My covenant between Me and between you and your descendants after you throughout their generations, an eternal covenant; I will be a God to you and to your offspring after you. To you and your offspring I will give the land where you are now living as a foreigner. The whole land of Canaan shall be [your] eternal heritage, and I will be a God to [your descendants].' God [then] said to Abraham, 'As far as you are concerned, you must keep My covenant — you and your offspring throughout their generations. This is My covenant between Me, and between you and your offspring that you must keep: You must circumcise every male. You shall be circumcised through the flesh of your foreskin. This shall be the mark of the covenant between Me and you. 'Throughout all generations, every male shall be circumcised when he is eight days old. [This shall include] those born in your house, as well as [slaves] bought with cash from an outsider, who is not your descendant. [All slaves,] both houseborn and purchased with your money must be circumcised. This shall be My covenant in your flesh, an eternal covenant. The uncircumcised male whose foreskin has not been circumcised, shall have his soul cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant. (Genesis 17:1-14)
A brit milah is performed by a mohel who is trained both in the medical and religious aspects of this ancient tradition. Some families choose to have the bris performed in the hospital before the eighth day. While this choice is understandable, it is important to know that with a properly trained mohel, there is no cause for concern about the safety of a brit milah performed outside of a hospital.
If you are planning a Brit Milah, you may want to visit ritualwell.org. There you’ll find beautiful readings, information and even complete ceremonies that you can download. Click below to visit their Brit Milah page.
What to Expect
On the day of the brit milah the mohel will arrive a bit early to meet the baby and talk with the parents. Once the mohel is set up and family and friends have gathered, the baby will be brought into the room as all gathered welcome him with these words:
ברוך הבא
B’rucha ha’ba - May he who enters be blessed
At every brit milah, we invoke the presence of the prophet Elijah. We do so by having a special chair set aside as “Elijah’s Chair” and setting the baby boy in this chair (just for a moment.) Doing so symbolizes our belief that each person has the potential to help bring about redemption and the Messiah (Messianic Age.)
The child will then be given to the Sandek (the companion of the child) to hold for the brit. The honor of being the Sandek is often given to grandparents or other family members. Since it is technically the parents’ (some, just the father’s) responsibility to have their son circumcised, the Mohel will ask for authorization to perform the brit on their behalf before beginning. While some parents do choose to participate in the brit with the Mohel, others simply grant permission to the Mohel to perform the brit.
The Mohel will then recite a blessing:
Praised are You, ADONAI our God, who rules the universe, whose mitzvot(commandments) add holiness to our lives and who gave us the mitzvah (commandment) of circumcision.
Before you know it, the brit will be complete (it’s very quick) and the parents will be asked to read some version of the following blessing:
Praised are You, ADONAI our God, who rules the universe, whose mitzvot (commandments) add holiness to our lives and who gave us the mitzvah (commandment) to bring this child into the covenant of Abraham, our father.
The Mohel may then ask all gathered to share in the three-fold blessing:
As he has entered the covenant, so may he enter the blessings of Torah (life-long learning), huppah (a loving-relationship), and ma’asim tovim (good deeds.)
The brit concludes with blessings for wine and for the covenant:
Praised are You, ADONAI our God, who rules the universe, creating the fruit of the vine.
Praised are You, ADONAI our God, who rules the universe, who sanctified our beloved patriarchs from the womb, who brings law and flesh together, sealing our offspring with the sign of the holy covenant. Therefore, living God, our Rock and our Portion, command good health for this child by virtue of Your covenant, so integral to our lives. Praised are You, ADONAI, who establishes the covenant.
While the brit milah ends here, the celebration continues with the naming of the child. Click below to learn more.
On the day of the brit milah the mohel will arrive a bit early to meet the baby and talk with the parents. Once the mohel is set up and family and friends have gathered, the baby will be brought into the room as all gathered welcome him with these words:
ברוך הבא
B’rucha ha’ba - May he who enters be blessed
At every brit milah, we invoke the presence of the prophet Elijah. We do so by having a special chair set aside as “Elijah’s Chair” and setting the baby boy in this chair (just for a moment.) Doing so symbolizes our belief that each person has the potential to help bring about redemption and the Messiah (Messianic Age.)
The child will then be given to the Sandek (the companion of the child) to hold for the brit. The honor of being the Sandek is often given to grandparents or other family members. Since it is technically the parents’ (some, just the father’s) responsibility to have their son circumcised, the Mohel will ask for authorization to perform the brit on their behalf before beginning. While some parents do choose to participate in the brit with the Mohel, others simply grant permission to the Mohel to perform the brit.
The Mohel will then recite a blessing:
Praised are You, ADONAI our God, who rules the universe, whose mitzvot(commandments) add holiness to our lives and who gave us the mitzvah (commandment) of circumcision.
Before you know it, the brit will be complete (it’s very quick) and the parents will be asked to read some version of the following blessing:
Praised are You, ADONAI our God, who rules the universe, whose mitzvot (commandments) add holiness to our lives and who gave us the mitzvah (commandment) to bring this child into the covenant of Abraham, our father.
The Mohel may then ask all gathered to share in the three-fold blessing:
As he has entered the covenant, so may he enter the blessings of Torah (life-long learning), huppah (a loving-relationship), and ma’asim tovim (good deeds.)
The brit concludes with blessings for wine and for the covenant:
Praised are You, ADONAI our God, who rules the universe, creating the fruit of the vine.
Praised are You, ADONAI our God, who rules the universe, who sanctified our beloved patriarchs from the womb, who brings law and flesh together, sealing our offspring with the sign of the holy covenant. Therefore, living God, our Rock and our Portion, command good health for this child by virtue of Your covenant, so integral to our lives. Praised are You, ADONAI, who establishes the covenant.
While the brit milah ends here, the celebration continues with the naming of the child. Click below to learn more.
