If you are Jewish and plan on having children, you may very well choose to have your son circumcised at a Bris Milah. While circumcision is almost universal among Jews, the specifics of the celebratory ceremony vary from family to family in regards to how closely traditional ritual is followed. If you do choose to have your son circumcised at a Bris, it is important to become educated with the symbolism behind this important ritual, and know what will be expected of you as the parent of a Jewish boy.

Traditionally, a Jewish child will be circumcised on the eighth day after his birth, at a public (or private) ceremony in front of the family’s friends and relatives. The circumcision represents the covenant God made with the Jewish people long ago during the biblical age. By having all Jewish males circumcised at birth, the Jewish people renew this covenant with God and grow as a community of faith. Translated literally, the name “Bris Milah” means “covenant to cut”.

You are probably wondering what the significance the eighth day holds to the Jewish people. As you may know, Jewish believers (and believers of other faiths) believe that God created the physical world in seven days. Once a newborn has lived through a seven day cycle, he has left the physical world and begun his metaphysical connection with God. The child is now ready to accept his predestined covenant with God, which is symbolized by the circumcision procedure.

Two important people at a Bris ceremony is the mohelim, the circumciser (usually a doctor and/or a rabbi), and the sandak, the person who holds the infant during the Bris. The sandak is a very high honor given to someone who will help guide the infant throughout his life and with who he will share a spiritual connection with.

Using a form of anesthesia is varied among Jewish circumcisions, and most circumcisers (or “mohelim” as they are called in the Jewish faith) do not routinely use pain management techniques on the newborn, claiming that the technique is so quick that it is not necessary. However, if you object to this stance, the mohelim rarely protest the inclusion of pain relief for the infant into the procedure.

The Bris ceremony is not solely about the circumcision of the newborn- an equally important aspect of the ceremony is naming of the child. Some Jewish parents choose to name the newborn after a deceased relative, while others may choose to name the newborn after a living relative. In fact, some Jewish males are given more than one name in the Bris ceremony. It is all up to the desires of the parents.

Posted in Circumcision

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